ADVANCED PLACEMENT COMPARATIVE GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS

Instructor:  Suzanne Bailey  Grissom High School, Huntsville, Alabama

 

     This course is designed to provide students with the conceptual tools necessary to develop an understanding of some of the world’s diverse political structures and practices.  We will examine five countries in detail: Great Britain, France, China, Russia/the former Soviet Union and Mexico.  These countries are taught because they provide a foundation for developing paradigms of different types of political systems, as well as understanding the implications of different levels of economic development.  We will rely on instructor assigned materials, and the following textbooks:

 

     Hauss, Charles.  Comparative Politics: Domestic Responses to Global Challenges. 3rd edition.

 Belmont, CA:  Wadsworth/Thompson Learning, 2000.

     Soe, Christian, ed.  Annual Editions:  Comparative Politics.  1999/2000.  17^th edition.

Guilford, CT:  Dushkin/McGraw-Hill, 1999.

 

Course Outline:  The following is a listing of readings.  Please consult your six weeks calendar for due dates.

 

I.                   Introduction to Comparative Politics  (Weeks 1-2)

      Hauss: Chapter 1:  Seeking New Lands, Seeing with New Eyes.

       Soe:  #48  “Cultural Explanations:  The Man in the Baghdad Café.”

                # 49  Huntington:  “The Coming Clash of Civilizations—Or, the West against the Rest.”

                # 50  Barber:  “Jihad vs. McWorld.”

 

II.                Liberal Democracies  (Weeks 2-3)

     Hauss: Chapter 2:  The United States

                   Chapter 3:  The Industrialized Democracies

      Soe:  #21  Schmitter:  “What Democracy is…and Is Not.”

               #23 Mahler:  “Parliament and Congress:  Is the Grass Greener on the Other Side?”

            Great Britain  (Weeks 4-6)

     Hauss: Chapter 4:  Great Britain

      Soe:  #2  Studlar:  “Unwritten Rules:  Britain’s Constitutional Revolution.”

               #3 Sullivan:  “There Will Always Be An England.”

               #4 Perspectives on “New” Labour’s “Third Way.”

             France  (Weeks 7-9)

     Hauss: Chapter 5:  France

      Soe:  #10 Dahlburg:  “Field Victory Colors French View of Themselves.”

               #11 Graham:  “Resisting Reform to de Gaulle’s Old Constitution

               #12 Right and Left in France:  Two Recent Reports

               #13  Perspectives on the French Model.

European Union  (Week 9)

    Hauss: Chapter 7:  European Union

                # 26  Rose:  “What is Europe?  The Changing Idea of a Continent.”

                # 29  “Europe’s New Currency:  Gambling on the Euro.”

 

III.             Communism  (Week 10)

     Hauss: Chapter 9:  Current and Former Communist Regimes

     Soe:  #30  Rupnik:  “Eastern Europe a Decade Later:  The Postcommunist Divide.”

Russia/the former Soviet Union  (Weeks 10-12)

   Hauss: Chapter 10:  Russia

    Soe:  #31  Dahlburg:  “What Now for Russia?”

             #32  McFaul:  “Russia’s Summer of Discontent.”

             #33 Remnick:  “Can Russia Change?”

China  (Weeks 12-14)

     Hauss: Chapter 11:  China

      Soe:  #40  Fewsmith:  “Jiang Zemin Takes Command.”

               #41  Chu:  “In March Toward Capitalism, China Has Avoided Russia’s Path.”

 

 

IV.              Less Developed Countries  (Week 15)

     Hauss: Chapter 12:  The Third World

      Soe:  #45  Diamond:  “Is the Third Wave Over?”

               #35  Crossette:  “The ‘Third World’ is Dead, but Spirits Linger.”

Mexico  (Weeks 15-17)

    Hauss: Chapter 16:  Mexico

     Soe:  #37  Smith:  “Mexico:  Sweeping Changes of Last Decade Translate into a Tale of 2 Economies.”

 

V.                 Public Policy and the Comparative Model

        (Night School:  7-9 p.m. Wednesday Nights—Second Semester.)

          Night School is offered during second semester as a way to review major concepts in American and Comparative Government.  I will alternate Wednesday evening sessions between American and Comparative topics.  Please see the calendar for exact dates and topics.

           

A.      Great Britain:  Prime Minister’s Question Time Simulation:  you will given a party and topic assignment during class.

B.       France:  Debate:  Should the National Front be Outlawed?

C.       Russia/Soviet Union:  Brown University Choices Simulation:  Which Direction Should Russia Take?

D.      China:  Brown Choices Simulation:  The US and China.

E.       Mexico:  Brown Choices Simulation:  Mexico at the Crossroads.

 

VI.              Country Updates and Cultural Nights

     You will be assigned to a country group.  As a group, you are responsible for filing weekly article summaries for the five countries that we are studying.  These will be distributed to each student, and will form the basis for a current events discussion each Friday.  In addition, your group will provide the refreshments for the night school session on your country.  You may either provide the appropriate items (ex:  tea and scones for Great Britain) or schedule a dinner meeting at an appropriate restaurant (ex: China and Mexico are easiest for this.)

Use your imagination—it makes it more enjoyable for all of us.  We will then celebrate the completion of the AP exam with International Night at my house—potluck ethnic dishes—more information later.

 

 

Course Evaluation:

            Tests:                                                                                                                                     66.67%

                Daily Work (includes homework, journals, quizzes, notebook):                             33.33%

 

Required:  3 ring binder for all class notes, homework, worksheets and essays to be organized by chapters.  Notebooks NOT in specified format will be returned and assessed a late penalty until the notebook is brought up to standard.

 

Required:  Class group project on one of the countries studied.  Evaluation will include country update journals, cultural activity, and country assessment.

 

All assignments are due on the day scheduled on your assignment calendar!  All tests, group project dates and homework is listed on this 6-week calendar.  I will give partial credit for incomplete work, but not for late work.  Because you have your assignments, if you are absent for one-day, the assignment or test scheduled for the day of your return will be expected to be completed.  Obviously, longer absences require special consideration, but if you are in doubt, do it when it’s due!

 

                Grading example: Daily average: 300 out of 400 possible points = 75 average

                                                       Tests (90, 80, 70) = 80 average

                                                       6 week grade is (80 + 80 + 75)/3 = 78

 

 

 

AP Government Exam: Monday, May 15^th

 

                Important Internet sites:  http://www.mrs.bailey.grissom.com

                                                           http://www.hauss.politics.wadsworth.com