Comparative Politics - Pol S 241

Team 2 & 3 Essay #2 Ready at 503 Ross Hall.

Office Hours:

• today until 4 pm
• Tues., 3 May, 9.30-11.15 and 12.45-3.30

Final Exam Essay Info

• Due Date Changed to 4 May at noon
• Final Exam Essay Topics
• Revised Guidelines (If you haven't read them for your essays you had better do so for the final)

Newly Revised Office Hours Next Week

• Wed.. 27 April: 12.30-2
• More the following week

Fifth Team Essay #2 Information

• Topics

Quiz #6 Answers

Kotkin Lecture Supplementary Credit

To replace one quiz grade from quizes # 4-6, attend the lecture by Prof. Stephen Kotkin on 14 April, 8pm at the Sun Room in the Memorial Union, and email me by 15 April, 8 pm the following:

• one paragraph summarizing Kotkin's main points
• one paragraph on whether we should view the Soviet collapse as a case of state failure based on what Kotkin argued
• one paragraph on whether you agree with Kotkin's conclusions and why, drawing on concepts from the course.

.Answers to Quiz #5

Links on Islam

Saint Martin's College has a useful overview of world religions. The section on Islam is helpful for mapping the diversity, but clicking on almost any of the world religions will reveal multiple sects and sub-divisions. In the European Protestantism section, note the number of nationally constituted churches.

Answers to Quiz #4

Quiz #5 Info

For Chap. 12: Ideology, you are only responsible for:

• p.270-76 (up to “The Socialist Revolution”)

• p.280-284

Answers to Quiz #3

Question #4 on federalism and secession caused some problems. It was graded generously.

Revised Syllabus

Readings for the next two weeks have been revised along the lines posted below.. I have updated the html and pdf syllabus on this site and on the WebCT site to reflect these changes, so you can download a new version of the syllabus if you prefer.

22 & 24 Feb.
Democratic Consolidation and Its Discontents

• Sodaro, Chap. 8 (p.185-196)
• Sodaro, p.362-383; 451-470; 622-624; 704-706; 715-718
   

1 & 3 Mar. (4th Class Quiz)
Creating Electoral Systems

• Sodaro, Chap. 8 (p.196-205)
• Donald L. Horowitz, “Electoral Systems: A Primer for Decision Makers," Journal of Democracy 14.4 (Oct. 2003) 115-127 via WebCT
• R. Kent Weaver, “Electoral Rules and Governability,” Journal of Democracy 13.2 (2002) 111-125 via WebCT
• Sodaro, p.677-681
   

Public Opinion on Democratic Consolidation in Latin America

Syllabus Correction

There is an error in the reading for this week 8 & 10 Feb: Democracy. The syllabus says to read p.342-451, but it should be 442-451. Otherwise, you would have to read over 100 pages.

• Sodaro, p.341-353; p.392-397; 342-451 442-451

Answers to Quiz # 2

Europe's Political Evolution

• Europe in 900 AD
• Europe in 1200
• Europe in 1400
• France @ 1461
• Europe in 1600
• France by 1776
• Europe in 1800
• Germany and Italy in 1803
• Other Europe by period maps

Nigerian Constitutional Debate

The BBC reports that Nigeria's president has called for a national conference to consider a new constitution for Nigeria. The current one was established under military rule.

CP-relevant Asian Tsunami Links

A tsunami warning system requires more than just sensor equipment, as this BBC News article discusses.

This NPR broadcast discusses the infrastructural problems that developing countries face in preparing for and responding to national disasters.