COMPARATIVE POLITICS

PSIR526

Course Code: PSIR526
Semester: First Term (Fall)
Theory+Practice: 3 + 0
ECTS: 10

Course Type

Compulsory Course

Course Level

Master's Degree Without Thesis

Year of Study

Semester

First Term (Fall)

ECTS

Name of Lecturer(s)

Learning Outcomes

At the end of this course, the students;

They learn influential theoretical debates in the field of comparative politics.
They gain knowledge of comparative politics methods and propose research questions specific to this field.
They develop key debates and findings in the field.

Mode of Delivery

Face to face

Prerequisites

Recommended Optional Programme Components

None

Course Description

This course aims to equip students with the ability to analyze political systems, institutions, and various processes at the doctoral level through a comparative perspective and an under-standing of related theoretical approaches. To this end, the course will critically examine clas-sical texts in the field of comparative politics throughout the semester. Particular focus will be given to the literature on the state, state-society relations, regimes, democratization, and politi-cal parties. By the end of this course, students will have acquired the ability to critically assess dominant theories in comparative politics; to identify comparative political methods and sys-tematically apply them to a research question; and to use competing theoretical explanations systematically in response to the same question.

Course Contents

WEEK	TOPICS
1^st Week	What are the boundaries of the field of Comparative Politics?
2^nd Week	What is Comparative Politics?
3^rd Week	How is research conducted in the field of Comparative Politics?
4^th Week	What is Comparative Historical Analysis?
5^th Week	The State in Comparative Politics
6^th Week	Regime Debates in Comparative Politics
7^th Week	Regime Debates in Comparative Politics
8^th Week	Midterm Exam
9^th Week	Democratic Regimes
10^th Week	Democratic Regimes
11^th Week	Hybrid and Authoritarian Regimes
12^th Week	Hybrid and Authoritarian Regimes
13^th Week	Political Parties and Civil Society
14^th Week	Political Parties and Civil Society

Recommended or Required Reading

Lijphart, A. (1971) `Comparative politics and the comparative method?, American Political Science Review, 682- 693.
Sartori, G. (1991) `Comparing and Miscomparing?, Journal of Theoretical Politics 3(3): 243-257.
Hall, P. and Taylor, R. (1996) ?Political science and the three new institutionalisms?, Political Studies, 44, 936- 957.
Munck, G.L. & Snyder, R. (2007) `Debating the Direction of Comparative Politics?, Compara-tive Political Studies, 40 (1), 5-31.
Mahoney, J. (2007) `Debating the State of Comparative Politics?, Comparative Political Stu-dies, 40 (1), 32-38.
Mahoney & Rueschemeyer, 2003 içinde: Mahoney & Rueschemeyer, ?Comparative Historical Analysis: Achievements and Agendas?: 3-38
Thelen & Mahoney, 2015 içinde: Capoccia, ?Critical Junctures and Institutional Change?:147-179.
Evans vd., 1985 içinde: Skocpol, T. ?Bringing the state back in: Strategies of analysis in cur-rent research?: 3-43.
Lichbach & Zuckerman, 2009 içinde: Migdal, J.S. ?Researching the State?: 162-192
Cheibub, Jose, Jennifer Gandhi, James Vreeland. (2010). `Democracy and Dictatorship Revisi-ted?. Public Choice, 143 (1-2): 67-101.
Levitsky, Steven and Lucan Way (2002), `Elections Without Democracy: The Rise of Compe-titive Authoritarianism?, in Journal of Democracy, 13(2):51-65.
Bermeo, N. (2016). On democratic backsliding. J. Democracy, 27, 5.
Lijphart, A. (1990) ?Southern European examples of democratization: Six lessons for Latin America?, Government and Opposition, 25:1, 68-84.
Karl, Terry and Phillippe Schmitter (1991), `What Democracy Is ... and Is Not?, Journal of Democracy 2(3): 75? 88.
Mudde, C. (2004). The populist zeitgeist. Government and opposition, 39(4), 541-563.
Collier, D. and Levitsky, S. (1997) ?Democracy with Adjectives: Conceptual Innovation in Comparative Politics?, World Politics 49, 430-451
Waldner, D., and Lust, E. (2018) ?Unwelcome Change: Coming to Terms with Democratic Backsliding?, Annual Review of Political Science 21: 93-113.
Kaldor, M. (2003) ?Civil Society and Accountability?, Journal of Human Development, 4(1), 5-27.
Katz, R. S., & Mair, P. (1995). Changing models of party organization and party democracy: the emergence of the cartel party. Party politics, 1(1), 5-28.
Mudde, C. (2021). Populism in Europe: an illiberal democratic response to undemocratic libera-lism (The Government and Opposition/Leonard Schapiro Lecture 2019). Government and Op-position, 56(4), 577-597.

Planned Learning Activities and Teaching Methods

Lecture
Discussion

Assessment Methods and Criteria

	Quantity	Percentage (%)
Mid-term	1	35
Other	1	15
Total(%)		50
Contribution of In-term Studies to Overall Grade(%)		50
Contribution of Final Examination to Overall Grade(%)		50
Total(%)		100

ECTS Allocated Based on Student Workload

Activities	Quantity	Duration (Hour)	Total Workload (Hour)
Midterm exam	1	3	3
Preparation for Quiz
Individual or group work
Preparation for Final exam	1	125	125
Course hours	14	3	42
Preparation for Midterm exam	1	125	125
Laboratory (including preparation)
Final exam	1	6	6
Homework
Total Work Load			301
Total Work Load / 30 (h)			10.03
ECTS Credit of the Course			10

Language of Instruction

Turkish

Work Placement(s)

Programme Qualifications / Learning Outcomes

	LO1	LO2	LO3
K1	X
K2	X		X
K3		X
K4	X	X
K5			X
K6	X
K7		X
K8		X	X