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§5(1)7.b. PS Comparative Politics - Introductory Level (2 / 5)

Students acquire the ability to name different analytical approaches of political science comparison and to present and explain selected concepts of comparative government. Moreover, they are able to analyse and evaluate institutional structures and the functionality of the different structures of democratic governmental systems.

The aim of the course is to provide students with a broad-ranging introduction to the study of comparative politics. The course will first discuss the key institutions in democratic politics, followed by case studies of the political systems of countries around the world, including Germany, France, the UK, the US, Brazil, and the EU. It will discuss the variation in how political systems are designed and illuminate the political consequences of different organisational choices. The course will seek to impart a wide-ranging understanding of the different ways in which democratic political systems can be arranged, and the insights that can be gained from studying politics.

No specific methodological approach is favoured in the course; readings cover a wide range of approaches to the comparative study of politics.

30% of the grade will be given based on an assessed presentation; 70% will be based on a short research paper

Powell, Dalton, and Strøm, Comparative Politics Today: A World View (11th Edition) and Gallagher, Laver, and Mair, Representative Government in Modern Europe (5th Editition) are used; in addition to these, journal articles and book chapters are assigned. 

successful completion of compulsory module 1