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POLSC221: Introduction to Comparative Politics
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Grassroots Strategies for Creative Social Change
General
Course Syllabus
Course Syllabus
Course Terms of Use
Unit 1: Social Science and Comparative Politics
1.1: Social Science Basics
Science and Scientific Research
Thinking Like a Researcher
1.2: Comparative Methodology
Comparative Analysis within Political Science
Mill's Methods: How We Determine the Causes of Events
Causal Reasoning
Evaluating Research Methods of Comparative Politics
Unit 1 Assessments
Unit 1 Multiple Choice Assessment
Unit 1 Short Answer Assessment
Unit 2: The Nation-State
2.1: The State
State Formation
Characteristics and Functions of the State
The Sovereign State: Hobbes' Leviathan, Part I
2.2: The Modern State System
The Sovereign State: Hobbes' Leviathan, Part II
Authority and Legitimate Violence
Politics as a Vocation
International Law and the New World Order: Redefining Sovereignty
2.3: Non-Democratic State Forms
Dictatorship and Totalitarianism
Authoritarianism
Nationalism and Legitimation For Authoritarianism: A Comparison of Nicholas I and Vladimir Putin
Unit 2 Assessments
Unit 2 Multiple Choice Assessment
Unit 2 Short Answer Assessment
Unit 3: Democratic States and Democratization
3.1: Defining Democracy and the Characteristics of Democracy
What is a Democracy?
Democratic Governments
Theories of Democracy
Democratic Values: Liberty, Equality, Justice
Democracy and Majority Rule, Part I
3.2: Democratization
Democratization
Democracy and Development: The Role of the UN
Latin American Politics after the "Third Wave" of Democratization and Its Future Prospects
Conceptualizing and Assessing the State of Democracy in the World Today
The Arab Spring: Prospects for Democracy
Unit 3 Assessments
Unit 3 Multiple Choice Assessment
Unit 3 Short Answer Assessment
Unit 4: Comparing Political Structures and Institutions
4.1: Comparing Constitutions and Government Systems
Constitution Building: A Global Review
The Constitution and the Structure of Government Power
The Executive Branch
The Judicial Branch
Types of Democracy
A Bicameral Legislative Branch
Unicameralism
Thailand's Evolving Senate Today
Activists and Strict Constructionists
4.2: How to Design Multi-level Government
Public Opinion
Sources of Governmental Power
Federalism
Direct Democracy Options
4.3: Bureaucracy
Bureaucracy
The Bureaucracy
4.4: Trends in Governance: Public Sector and Privatization
Public-Union Sector Politics and the Crisis of Education in South Africa
Water Privatization: A Worldwide Failure?
Unit 4 Assessments
Unit 4 Multiple Choice Assessment
Unit 4 Short Answer Assessment
Unit 5: Political Behavior
5.1: Political Behavior and Political Culture
Political Culture and Socialization
Political Socialization and Nation Building
Participation, Voting, and Social Movements
Voices from the Internet Underground
Turkey's EU Quest and Political Cleavages under AKP
5.2: Civil Society
Civil Society Is...
Civil Society and Current Challenges to a United India
The State of Civil Society in South Africa
Grassroots Strategies for Creative Social Change
The People's Climate March and the Global Grassroots Movement Fighting Fossil Fuels
Interest Groups
The Widespread Challenges of NGOs in Developing Countries
5.3: The Media
Noam Chomsky and Manufacturing Consent
Developing Independent Media as An Institution of Accountable Governance
Regulation of the Media
Understanding E-Democracy Government-Led Initiatives for Democratic Reform
5.4: Voting System Factors
Electoral System Design
Expanding Democracy: Voter Registration Around the World
How Voters Decide
Vote for the Future You Want
Why is Turnout at Elections Declining Across the Democratic World?
Voting: A Forgotten Privilege
Computational Modeling of Government Policy to Attain Long-Term Higher Voter Turnout for Sustainable Democracy
What's Wrong with Gerrymandering?
Proportional Representation
Are Protest Votes Wasted Votes?
Unit 5 Assessment
Unit 5 Multiple Choice Assessment
Unit 5 Short Answer Assessment
Unit 6: Comparing Ideology, Policy, and Decision-Making
6.1: Contemporary Mainstream Political Ideologies
Conservatism
The Tea Party and the Remaking of Republican Conservatism
Liberalism
How Universal is Liberalism?
International Women's Day 2015
Toward Institutionalizing Gender Equality in Africa
Social Democracy
The Crisis of Social Democracy: A Sustainable Philosophy for the Left
Green Party
6.2: The Public Policy Cycle
Policy Making: Political Interactions
Making Public Policy
Policy Making and Advocacy
Negative Stereotypes About the Policymaking Process Hinder Productive Action Toward Evidence-Based Policy
Iron Triangle
Interest Groups and the Political System
Military-Industrial Complex
6.3: Politics beyond the Policy Process
Informal Economy
The Role of the Informal Economy in Addressing Urban Food Insecurity in Sub-Saharan Africa
Global Corruption Status Report
Unit 6 Assessment
Unit 6 Multiple Choice Assessment
Unit 6 Short Answer Assessment
Unit 7: Comparative Case Studies
7.1: Africa
Africa: States of Independence
Tackling Africa's First Narco-State: Guinea-Bissau in West Africa
The Politics of Oil and Identity in Nigeria
Oil Exploitation in the Niger Delta and the Legacy of Ken Saro-Wiwa
7.2: Latin America
History of Latin American Countries
Inequality in Latin America: The Role of Conditional Cash Transfer
Should Cash Transfers Be Confined to the Poor?
Financing Development
Latin America's Tragic Engagement With Microcredit
Did NAFTA Help Mexico? An Assessment After 20 Years
The Intractable Conflict: Why Colombia's War Against the FARC Eludes Resolution
7.3: Asia
The Rise of Asia: Reaping Promises, Avoiding Perils
Secrets of Success and Failure of Asian Economies: China, India and Japan
Asia's Unsung Female Leaders
China's Human Rights Diplomacy
Role of Policies in Economic Growth: A Case Study of China's Economic Growth
The Linkage Between Land Reform and Land Use Changes: A Case of Vietnam
7.4: The Middle East and the Islamic World
The Breakup of the Ottoman Empire
History of Israel
Israel
Warfare and Territorial Expansion in Islam
Tackling Extremism
Politics in a World of Civilizations
Unit 7 Assessment
Unit 7 Multiple Choice Assessment
Unit 7 Short Answer Assessment
Study Guide
POLSC221 Study Guide
Course Feedback Survey
Course Feedback Survey
Certificate Final Exam
POLSC221: Certificate Final Exam
Saylor Direct Credit
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POLSC221: Introduction to Comparative Politics
Grassroots Strategies for Creative Social Change
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Course Syllabus
Course Terms of Use
Science and Scientific Research
Thinking Like a Researcher
Comparative Analysis within Political Science
Mill's Methods: How We Determine the Causes of Events
Causal Reasoning
Evaluating Research Methods of Comparative Politics
Unit 1 Multiple Choice Assessment
Unit 1 Short Answer Assessment
State Formation
Characteristics and Functions of the State
The Sovereign State: Hobbes' Leviathan, Part I
The Sovereign State: Hobbes' Leviathan, Part II
Authority and Legitimate Violence
Politics as a Vocation
International Law and the New World Order: Redefining Sovereignty
Dictatorship and Totalitarianism
Authoritarianism
Nationalism and Legitimation For Authoritarianism: A Comparison of Nicholas I and Vladimir Putin
Unit 2 Multiple Choice Assessment
Unit 2 Short Answer Assessment
What is a Democracy?
Democratic Governments
Theories of Democracy
Democratic Values: Liberty, Equality, Justice
Democracy and Majority Rule, Part I
Democratization
Democracy and Development: The Role of the UN
Latin American Politics after the "Third Wave" of Democratization and Its Future Prospects
Conceptualizing and Assessing the State of Democracy in the World Today
The Arab Spring: Prospects for Democracy
Unit 3 Multiple Choice Assessment
Unit 3 Short Answer Assessment
Constitution Building: A Global Review
The Constitution and the Structure of Government Power
The Executive Branch
The Judicial Branch
Types of Democracy
A Bicameral Legislative Branch
Unicameralism
Thailand's Evolving Senate Today
Activists and Strict Constructionists
Public Opinion
Sources of Governmental Power
Federalism
Direct Democracy Options
Bureaucracy
The Bureaucracy
Public-Union Sector Politics and the Crisis of Education in South Africa
Water Privatization: A Worldwide Failure?
Unit 4 Multiple Choice Assessment
Unit 4 Short Answer Assessment
Political Culture and Socialization
Political Socialization and Nation Building
Participation, Voting, and Social Movements
Voices from the Internet Underground
Turkey's EU Quest and Political Cleavages under AKP
Civil Society Is...
Civil Society and Current Challenges to a United India
The State of Civil Society in South Africa
The People's Climate March and the Global Grassroots Movement Fighting Fossil Fuels
Interest Groups
The Widespread Challenges of NGOs in Developing Countries
Noam Chomsky and Manufacturing Consent
Developing Independent Media as An Institution of Accountable Governance
Regulation of the Media
Understanding E-Democracy Government-Led Initiatives for Democratic Reform
Electoral System Design
Expanding Democracy: Voter Registration Around the World
How Voters Decide
Vote for the Future You Want
Why is Turnout at Elections Declining Across the Democratic World?
Voting: A Forgotten Privilege
Computational Modeling of Government Policy to Attain Long-Term Higher Voter Turnout for Sustainable Democracy
What's Wrong with Gerrymandering?
Proportional Representation
Are Protest Votes Wasted Votes?
Unit 5 Multiple Choice Assessment
Unit 5 Short Answer Assessment
Conservatism
The Tea Party and the Remaking of Republican Conservatism
Liberalism
How Universal is Liberalism?
International Women's Day 2015
Toward Institutionalizing Gender Equality in Africa
Social Democracy
The Crisis of Social Democracy: A Sustainable Philosophy for the Left
Green Party
Policy Making: Political Interactions
Making Public Policy
Policy Making and Advocacy
Negative Stereotypes About the Policymaking Process Hinder Productive Action Toward Evidence-Based Policy
Iron Triangle
Interest Groups and the Political System
Military-Industrial Complex
Informal Economy
The Role of the Informal Economy in Addressing Urban Food Insecurity in Sub-Saharan Africa
Global Corruption Status Report
Unit 6 Multiple Choice Assessment
Unit 6 Short Answer Assessment
Africa: States of Independence
Tackling Africa's First Narco-State: Guinea-Bissau in West Africa
The Politics of Oil and Identity in Nigeria
Oil Exploitation in the Niger Delta and the Legacy of Ken Saro-Wiwa
History of Latin American Countries
Inequality in Latin America: The Role of Conditional Cash Transfer
Should Cash Transfers Be Confined to the Poor?
Financing Development
Latin America's Tragic Engagement With Microcredit
Did NAFTA Help Mexico? An Assessment After 20 Years
The Intractable Conflict: Why Colombia's War Against the FARC Eludes Resolution
The Rise of Asia: Reaping Promises, Avoiding Perils
Secrets of Success and Failure of Asian Economies: China, India and Japan
Asia's Unsung Female Leaders
China's Human Rights Diplomacy
Role of Policies in Economic Growth: A Case Study of China's Economic Growth
The Linkage Between Land Reform and Land Use Changes: A Case of Vietnam
The Breakup of the Ottoman Empire
History of Israel
Israel
Warfare and Territorial Expansion in Islam
Tackling Extremism
Politics in a World of Civilizations
Unit 7 Multiple Choice Assessment
Unit 7 Short Answer Assessment
POLSC221 Study Guide
Course Feedback Survey
POLSC221: Certificate Final Exam
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