PLCP 1010: INTRO TO COMPARATIVE POLITICS
(Fall 2011)
http://people.virginia.edu/~ljs2k/cp1010.html
MW 12:00-12:50 in Nau 1010
Prof.
Len Schoppa
South Lawn S461 (tel: 924-3211)
Hrs: M and W 3:30-4:30 or by appointment
e-mail: schoppa@virginia.edu
Americans, separated by the Atlantic,
Pacific, Mexico, and Canada from the rest of the world, have often been prone
to a kind of ethnocentrism when it comes to thinking about politics. We have
the "separation of powers," "judicial review," a "two
party system," and all those other wonderful things we learned about in
high school government class, and we often find ourselves telling other
countries that they ought to have all of these things too.
This course is designed, first, to show you
that there are other ways of running politics besides the American way. We will
be looking closely at the governments of Great Britain, Japan, Brazil, India,
and China, examining parliamentary systems, multi-party systems, one-party
dominant systems, communist party dominated systems, and systems seeking to
establish themselves.
At the same time, the course is designed to
introduce you to the field of "comparative politics" where we seek to
understand why different countries have developed different kinds of
governments and whether all of this makes any difference.
REQUIREMENTS:
Students are expected to do all of the
reading on a timely basis. Don't procrastinate because the reading gets heavier
later in the semester! Your grade will be based on the following components: an
in-class blue-book midterm, worth 25% of your grade, a seven page essay (30%), an in-class
blue-book final (25%), and participation
in your discussion sections (20%). Your discussion grade will depend,
as noted, on "participation," which means it will be an assessment of
the degree to which you attend and contribute in a lively and informed
fashion. The paper requirement asks you to reflect on several readings assigned
in the second half of the course.
READINGS:
The following books will be read in full, or
in large part. Copies are available in the book store. In addition, it is
strongly recommended that you purchase a reader composed of the starred (*)
articles, available at the Copy Shop, 5b Elliewood
Avenue.
Kesselman, Krieger, and Joseph, Introduction
to Comparative Politics, 5th Edition (Wadsworth, 2010).
Robert Putnam, Making Democracy Work:
Civic Traditions in Modern Italy (Princeton University Press, 1993).
Aravind Adiga, White
Tiger (Free Press, 2008).
SCHEDULE AND ASSIGNMENTS
INTRODUCTION (8/24)
THE COMPARATIVE METHOD (8/29)
KKJ, Intro to Comparative Politics,
chapter 1.
Putnam, Making Democracy Work,
chapters 1, 3, and 4 (This book will be discussed in section 9/1 – 9/2 with
a focus on the question: what is Putnamfs general argument and how does he
prove it?)
GREAT BRITAIN (8/31, 9/5, 9/7, and 9/12)
KKJ, Intro to Comparative Politics,
chapter 2. In addition, students
who have not taken a high school or college class on American Politics should
read Chapter 3.
*Anthony King, gRunning Scared,h The
Atlantic Monthly (January 1997): 41-61. (This article will be discussed
in section 9/8 – 9/9 with focus on the question: should the U.S. adopt British
political institutions?)
JAPAN
(9/14, 9/19, 9/21, and 9/26)
KKJ, Intro to Comparative Politics,
chapter 4.
*Ellis S. Krauss and Robert Pekkanen, gExplaining Party Adaptation to Electoral Reform:
The Discreet Charm of the LDP?h Journal
of Japanese Studies 30:1 (Winter 2004): 1-34. (This article will be discussed in
section 9/15-16, do the results of Japanfs experiment
with electoral reform prove that institutions trump culture?)
*Leonard Schoppa, gResidential Mobility and
Local Civic Engagement: How Communities Preserve Neighborhood Walkability,h manuscript under review at a journal. (This
article will be discussed in section 9/22-23, with a more general discussion of
why Americans and Japanese behave differently in politics and policy—is it
culture or institutions?)
WHICH IS MORE IMPORTANT: CULTURE OR
INSTITUTIONS? (9/28)
Section 9/29-30 we will be devoted to review
for the midterm.
MIDTERM (10/3) BRING A BLUE BOOK WITH YOU!! No section meetings on 10/6-7 to allow time for grading blue books
THREE-WAY
DEBATE: SHOULD THE UNITED STATES ADOPT BRITAINfS PARLIAMENTARY SYSTEM OR CHANGE
ITS ELECTORAL SYSTEM TO PRODUCE BETTER POLITICS (10/5)
Wefll need six volunteers (two to advocate for
parliamentary system, two to advocate for electoral reform, and two to defend
American institutions—nominated by sections and TAs).
BRAZIL
(10/12, 10/17, 10/19, and 10/24)
KKJ, Intro to Comparative Politics,
chapter 5.
*Samuel P. Huntington and Joan M. Nelson, No
Easy Choices: Political Participation in Developing Countries (Cambridge:
Harvard University Press, 1976): 17-41. (This article will be discussed in
section 10/13-14, with a focus on the question: is there a trade-off between
democracy and growth for developing nations?)
Discussion
Section 10/20-21 has no specific reading attached. Continue discussing the relative
influence of poverty, culture, history, and institutions on the stability of
democracy in Brazil.
*Peter Evans, "The State as Problem and
Solution: Predation, Embedded Autonomy & Structural Change," in
Stephen Haggard and Robert Kaufman, eds., The
Politics of Economic Adjustment (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1992):
139-181. (This article will also be discussed at section 10/27-28 where you
will be asked: is embedded autonomy the secret to economic development?)
WHAT KIND OF POLITICS PRODUCES ECONOMIC
DEVELOPMENT? (10/26)
INDIA
(10/31--no class on 11/2--11/7, 11/9, and 11/14)
KKJ, Intro to Comparative Politics,
chapter 6.
Aravind Adiga,
White Tiger (Free Press, 2008), all. – This book will be discussed in your
take-home essay, not in discussion section.
*Steven Ian Wilkinson, gIndia, Consociational Theory, and Ethnic Violence,h Asian
Survey 40:5 (2000): 767-791. (This article and the next will be
discussed at section 11/3-4, with a focus on the causes and consequences of
ethnic cleavages in India and elsewhere)
*Ashutosh Varshney, gIndia Defies the Odds: Why Democracy Survives,h Journal
of Democracy 9:3 (1998): 36-50. (This article and the preceding one will
be discussed at section 11/3-4, with a focus on how
exactly India has overcome challenges to maintaining democratic stability)
*Daniel Byman,
gConstructing a Democratic Iraq: Challenges and Opportunities,h International
Security 28:1 (Summer 2003): 47-78. (This
article will be discussed at section 11/10-11, with a focus on the question:
does India offer lessons for how to build democracy in places like Iraq?)
ESSAY
QUESTION FOR TAKE-HOME ESSAY WILL BE DISTRIBUTED (11/9)
No Discussion Sections The
Week of 11/17-18. Take the Time to
Read White Tiger.
CHINA
(11/16, 11/21, 11/28, 11/30)
KKJ, Intro to Comparative Politics,
chapter 7.
*Baohui Zhang,
"Corporatism, Totalitarianism, and Transitions to Democracy," Comparative
Political Studies 27:1 (April 1994): 108-136 (This article will be
discussed at section 12/1-2, with a focus on the question: can Zhangfs argument
explain why Brazil, and not China, has seen a transition to democracy?)
*Yuanzheng Cao, Yingyi Qian, and Barry R. Weingast, "From Federalism, Chinese Style to
Privatization, Chinese Style," Economics of Transition 7:1 (1999):
103-131. (This article will also be discussed at section 12/1-2, with a
focus on the question: can this theory explain why China, and not Brazil or
India, has seen sustained 10 percent growth rates?)
TAKE-HOME ESSAY DUE ON 11/21 AT 12 noon.
WRAP UP LECTURE (12/5)
EXAM (Thursday, December 8, from 1400-1530 pm
in our usual classroom)
PROF. SCHOPPA's CLASS RULES
MISSED TESTS
You should notify me before the exams if, for some
reason, you will not be able to make it on that date. Permission will only be
given in exceptional cases, and make-ups will be scheduled either before or
after the regularly scheduled date--at professor's convenience. Note that
final exams can only be rescheduled under strict conditions established under
College rules.
LATE PAPERS
The final grade on the paper will be docked one letter
for every day it is late unless delay has been approved by me (based on a very
good reason) at least a week before the due date. Last minute computer problems
are not an excuse!!! Back-up your work on disks to avoid losing it, and leave
time for you to deal with last minute hitches (like a broken printer, a line in
the computer lab) by aiming to finish well before the deadline.
PLAGIARISM AND CHEATING
Taking the words and ideas of another and
presenting them as your own (without proper use of quotation marks and
citation) constitutes gplagiarismh and is considered grounds for trial and
expulsion from the university through the Honor process. I take all cases of this type seriously
and urge students to uphold the honor code.