POL 106 - Comparative Politics (W) (1)

This is an introductory course to the field of “comparative politics”, in which we will examine the world’s different political systems by contrasting and comparing the key aspects of their political systems, and by seeking generalizations about them. In this course, we will focus our attention on the three predominant types of political systems in the world: advanced industrial democracies, the current and former communist systems, and political systems in developing countries. Our principal theme will be the dilemmas inherent in moving toward democracy or in maintaining a stable democracy.

As a step towards understanding the nature of these different political systems, we will undertake a discussion of the various ideological/theoretical explanations that help us draw comparisons and reach conclusions across the different countries. We will closely examine the structures and processes in certain countries that are particularly important “case studies” in various types of political systems. We will also discuss several global challenges for all the political systems in the 21st century in the final sections of the class.

This class will serve as an equivalent prerequisite for courses that require POL 143 . Not open to students who have previously completed a First-Year Writing Course or POL 143 .
(First Year Writing Seminar (FYW)) (Social Science)