Specialization in Political Science: Comparative Politics

The course builds on POL1000 and offers a more comprehensive treatment of concepts and theories within comparative politics, in addition to a close study of the comparative method. Substantively the course focuses on the conceptualisation of democratic and authoritarian institutions and the causes of transitions between these types of regimes. We examine factors such as economic structure, foreign involvement, civil war and mass protest as drivers of these transitions. Throughout the course we pay close attention to how authors in the field use qualitative and quantative evidence to make inferences about these causes.

Knowledge - the student shall:

• understand the fundamentals of the comparative method and the connections between comparison and causal inference
• know how scholars have conceptualised democratic and authoritarian regimes and how institutions shape political choices related to corruption, repression, and economic growth
• understand the role of economic structure, mass protest and elites in driving or inhibiting democratisation

Skills - the student shall demonstrate the ability to:

• understand how to derive testable propositions from existing theory of democratisation
• use evidence to make appropriately bounded claims and/or constructively critique existing work

4 hours of lectures per week in the first half of the semester.