SS366 examines critical questions in political science: Why do regimes succeed, fail, and change? What causes democracy to emerge? Why are some countries torn by conflict while others are peaceful? Cadets will analyze states, regimes, society, identity, and political action in order to address these vital issues related to the internal workings of a country. As well as being central to the discipline of political science, these questions also play an important role in world politics and the formulation of U.S. foreign policy. Through examining countries around the world, SS366 uses real-world examples and empirics to discern potentially generalizable relationships. Studying Comparative Politics will provide cadets the tools to critically analyze these important questions.
The objectives of this course are to analyze the sources of stability or instability in political regimes, and to examine the conditions that promote either democracy or dictatorship. Our first task is to describe different regimes--what do we mean when we call one democratic and another authoritarian? We approach this first task by building a regime model. As we do so we seek to understand what makes political regimes stable or unstable by analyzing their effectiveness, popular legitimacy, and institutional adaptability. All regimes are challenged by change, but some remain stable in the face of change, while others are transformed. Why? And is it possible to argue that there is a ?best? type of regime? Are there universally valid criteria -- across time and space -- that we can use to compare regimes? Why do regimes succeed, fail, and change? As well as being central to the discipline of political science, these questions also play an important role in world politics and the formulation of US foreign policy. Since we are both students of political science and professionals who will serve as policy executors, the study of comparative politics offers significant rewards. After building the model we take it through various regions of the world, using the comparative method, analyzing the variables which change from regime to regime in liberal democracies, communist and post-communist states, newly industrializing and less developed countries, and the Islamic world.
The objectives of this course are to analyze the sources of stability or instability in political regimes, and to examine the conditions that promote either democracy or dictatorship. Our first task is to describe different regimes--what do we mean when we call one democratic and another authoritarian? We approach this first task by building a regime model. As we do so we seek to understand what makes political regimes stable or unstable by analyzing their effectiveness, popular legitimacy, and institutional adaptability. All regimes are challenged by change, but some remain stable in the face of change, while others are transformed. Why? And is it possible to argue that there is a ?best? type of regime? Are there universally valid criteria -- across time and space -- that we can use to compare regimes? Why do regimes succeed, fail, and change? As well as being central to the discipline of political science, these questions also play an important role in world politics and the formulation of US foreign policy. Since we are both students of political science and professionals who will serve as policy executors, the study of comparative politics offers significant rewards. After building the model we take it through various regions of the world, using the comparative method, analyzing the variables which change from regime to regime in liberal democracies, communist and post-communist states, newly industrializing and less developed countries, and the Islamic world.
The course's object of analysis is the political regime, that specified set of state/society relations that characterize a given polity. Our first task is to describe different regimes--what do we mean when we call one democratic and another authoritarian? We approach this first task by building a regime model. As we do so we seek to understand what makes political regimes stable or unstable by analyzing their effectiveness, popular legitimacy, and institutional adaptability. All regimes are challenged by change, but some remain stable in the face of change, while others are transformed. Why? After building the model we take it through various regions of the world, analyzing the variables which change from regime to regime. In so doing we come to understand political regimes as well as gaining skill with the comparative method, a tool which students will continue to use in other courses and other disciplines.
The course's object of analysis is the political regime, that specified set of state/society relations that characterize a given polity. Our first task is to describe different regimes--what do we mean when we call one democratic and another authoritarian? We approach this first task by building a regime model. As we do so we seek to understand what makes political regimes stable, analyzing their effectiveness, popular legitimacy, and institutional adaptability. All regimes are challenged by change, but some remain stable in the face of change, while others are transformed. Why? After building the model we take it through various regions of the world, analyzing the variables which change from regime to regime. In so doing we come to understand political regimes as well as gaining skill with the comparative method, a tool which students will continue to use in other courses and other disciplines.
