This course provides an introduction to comparative politics. It aims to provide students with the tools necessary to study politics and society in comparative perspective.
How can countries with warring ethnic groups hope to achieve peace? Is there a “recipe” for economic development, and can it be applied to all countries, everywhere? Is it possible to build democracy in places like China, Russia, and Iraq—or is democracy inappropriate, or impossible, within some cultural contexts? These are some of the fundamental questions for Comparativists, and we will be wrestling with these issues in this course. Within Political Science, the subfield of Comparative Politics is concerned with studying politics in countries outside the United States. This course is designed to give you an introduction to processes of political and economic development both within and across countries around the world. In the process, the issues raised will challenge us to think, analyze, and write with both creativity and rigor.
Wendy Muse Sinek
Instructor, UC-Berkeley Extension, Fall Program for Freshmen
Visiting Instructor, National Security Affairs, Naval Postgraduate School
Ph.D. Candidate, Department of Political Science, University of California, Berkeley