AP Comparative Government and Politics

AP COMPARATIVE GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS

Woods Charter School 2011/2012

Instructor: Mr. Andrew Nelson

Phone: 919-960-8353 ext. 219

Texts: O’Neal, Patrick. Essentials of Comparative Politics, 2^nd Edition. W.W. Norton & Company. New York, New York. 2007.

O’Neal, Patrick, et al. Cases in Comparative Politics, 2^nd Edition. W.W. Norton & Company. New York, New York. 2007.

Mingst, Karen. Essentials of International Relations. W.W. Norton & Company. New York, New York. 2004.

Kesselman, Mark, et al. Introduction to Comparative Politics,5^th Edition. Houghton Mifflin. Boston, Massachusetts. 2010.

In addition to these texts, we will extensively use news articles, primary source documents, video (esp. C-SPAN, TED and Frontline World), various websites, and information from international organizations. Students should also purchase an AP guide in preparation for the exam.

Class Overview:

The goal of this class is to study the concepts of comparative government and international relations; focusing specifically on six nation-states: the United Kingdom, Russia, China, Mexico, Nigeria, and Iran. In addition, the class will prepare students for the Advanced Placement Comparative Government and Politics exam in May. Topics of study will include history of international relations; sovereignty, authority, and power; citizens, society, and the state; political institutions on both the national and international levels; political and economic change; and public policy. The content of this course will be equivalent to that of a college course, and will enable students to grow in their understanding of governments and societies around the world. Students will be expected to do substantial reading for homework, which will be supplemented by lectures, simulations, debates, videos, and in-class seminar discussions. Students will also keep up with current events throughout the course. Assessment will be in the form of unit tests and research papers, reading and current events quizzes, discussion participation, and class preparation. Unit tests will combine multiple choice questions, short response questions and free response questions, and will be modeled on the format of the AP exam.

Learning Outcomes:

· Students will be able to recognize, describe and explain major concepts

· Students will be able to read, analyze and interpret quantitative and qualitative data as it applies to government and politics

· Students will be able to access data, research studies and information useful for comparative analysis

· Students will be able to apply conceptual understanding to country studies

· Students will be able to analytically and interpretively write about topics related to comparative government and politics, and international relations

· Students will be able to define and explain relevant vocabulary related to both political science and international relations

· Students will be able to evaluate and compare theories of politics and international relations including: traditional, behavioral, modernization, postmodernism, radical, and constructivism (among others)

· Students will be able to identify and explain the philosophical contributions of ancient, enlightenment, and modern thinkers

· Students will be able to examine the structures of government and society and how both influence political climates and international relations

Class Requirements:

Complete the weekly assigned reading and be prepared to discuss in class.
Take meticulous and extensive notes on class lectures and discussions, and maintain an organized notebook.
Bring in a news articles at designated times for the Current Events Board. We will have discussions and/or quizzes on the articles periodically.
Each trimester, write one or two 6 – 8 page double-spaced research papers on an assigned topic (options will be available).
Multiple choice and essay tests at the end of each unit of study.
AP Exam in May.

Grade Calculations Each Trimester:

Class Participation 20%

Unit Tests 40%

Research Papers 30%

Current Events Quizzes 10%

Grade Calculations for the Year:

Each trimester will count as 1/3 of the final grade for the year.

Class Policies:

Late Assignments: For every day an assignment is late, it will lose a letter grade (A becomes a B, etc…). Friday to Monday counts as one day.

Class Materials: Students are expected to come to class every day with the textbook in which the reading has been assigned, a notebook, and a writing utensil. Taking good notes in class is key to success in both high school and later in college.

Computers in Class: Laptop computers are NOT permitted in class unless the student has special provision designated for them by the school or special permission by the instructor.

Emailed Assignments: Students may email me assignments, however, if a student emails an assignment, the MUST turn in a piece of paper with his/her name, the date, the assignment, and a declaration that it has been emailed. Also, I will reply to all emailed assignments to let the student know I have received it. If a student does not receive a reply from me by 10pm on the day he or she sent the email, he/she should assume I have not received the email and should bring a hard copy to school.

Discipline and Cheating: Cheating will be punished with an automatic zero on the assignment in addition to school disciplinary action. If a student is found to be using unauthorized materials on an exam they will receive a zero for that exam. If a student is found to have copied another student’s work or another source for any assignment, that student will get a zero, as well as the student who knowingly allowed his/her classmate to copy. Copying is plagiarism and is not acceptable in any environment, especially academia. In regards to discipline, my class discipline policies adhere to those dictated by the school, which can be found in the Student Handbook.

Food and Gum: Students are not permitted to eat or chew gum during class. Students may bring drinks to class as long as they are in clear plastic bottles.

Absences: If a student is absent, he/she is still responsible for any material from the missed class.

Definitions/Explanations of Written Assignments:

Current Events Board Quizzes: Each student will be assigned a region of the world (to change at least once each trimester) on which he/she will bring news articles at designated times. All news articles will be posted on the Current Events Board in the classroom, where students have the responsibility of reading ALL of the articles throughout the cycle. On the final Friday of the cycle, there will be a quiz on the articles.

Unit Tests: Unit tests will be a combination of multiple choice, short response and free response questions, which will evaluate the students’ knowledge and prepare them for the AP exam.

Research Paper: Approximately twice each trimester, students will choose one of 3 – 4 topics on which to write a research paper. Research papers vary in scope, but will require both analytic reasoning and interpretive practices. These papers must adhere to the following requirements:

The student’s name, the class name, teacher’s name, and the date must be in the top right corner of the first page.
First person narrative is NOT permitted, and papers must be grammatically correct to receive full credit. Use of slang and contractions is unacceptable.
Papers must be typed in font Times New Roman 12pt, with 1 inch margins.
The length of the body of the paper must be 6 – 8 pages and must be double spaced.
The paper MUST have proper citation in Chicago (preferred) or MLA format, including in-text citations or footnotes and a bibliography with at least five scholarly sources.
There must be a recognizable thesis statement and argument that is developed and supported throughout the essay.

Midterm Exam: There will be no cumulative midterm exam separate from quarter grades. Instead, students will take the Unit 5 exam during the midterm time-slot, and the grade will count towards the trimester grade.

Final Exam: The final exam will be an AP exam, and will not count towards your grade.

AP COMPARATIVE GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS

COURSE OUTLINE

Unit 1 – Introduction to Comparative Politics and International Relations

Topics:

What is Comparative Politics?

What is International Relations?

History of the Development of the Nation-State

Contemporary Political History and International Relations Theory

States, Nations, and the Individual in the International System

Assigned Reading:

O’Neal Essentials Chapters 1, 2 & 3, pages 1 – 80.

Mingst Chapters 1 – 6, pages 1 – 157.

Unit 1 Test: Friday, September 16^th

Unit 2 – The International System

Topics:

International Organizations, NGO’s, and Development

International Law

Domestic Economic Systems

International Economic Systems

The Recession and Globalization

Authoritarianism

Assigned Reading:

O’Neal Essentials Chapters 4 & 5, pages 82 – 146.

Mingst Chapters 7 & 9, pages 159 – 195, 233 – 272.

Additional Articles

Writing Assignment: Research Paper due Monday, September 26^th

Unit 2 Test: Wednesday, October 5^th

Unit 3 – Democracy

Topics:

Democratic Theory

Advanced Democracies in Practice

The United States – Government, Economy, and Civil Society

The European Union – Politics, Economics, and Civil Society

Assigned Reading:

O’Neal Essentials Chapters 6 & 7, pages 147 – 207.

O’Neal Cases Chapters 3 & 4, pages 67 – 127.

Kesselman Chapter 4, pages 137 – 173.

Writing Assignment: Research Paper due Friday, October 21^st

Unit 3 Test: Friday, October 28^th

Unit 4 – Country Study: The United Kingdom

Topics:

Historical Development of the UK

Political Institutions

Political Conflict and Competition

Political Culture and Society

Political Economy

Foreign Relations and Current Issues

Assigned Reading:

Kesselman Chapter 2, pages 48 – 94.

O’Neal Cases Chapter 2, pages 24 – 65.

Various Articles

Unit 4 Test: Monday, November 21^st

End 1^st Trimester – November 9^th

Unit 5 – Communism, the Former Soviet Union, and Country Study: Russian Federation

Topics:

Communist Theory – Marx Lenin and Mao

Communism in Practice

The End of the Cold War and the Fall of Communist Regimes

Historical Development of Russia

Comparing the USSR and the Russian Federation: Political Institutions

Comparing the USSR and the Russian Federation: Political Conflict

Comparing the USSR and the Russian Federation: Political Competition

Comparing the USSR and the Russian Federation: Political Culture and Society

Comparing the USSR and the Russian Federation: Political Economy

Foreign Relations and Current Issues

Assigned Reading:

O’Neal Essentials Chapter 8, pages 208 – 245.

O’Neal Cases Chapter 6, pages 192 – 231.

Various Articles, including the Communist Manifesto and Mr. Temple’s graduate thesis

Writing Assignment: Research Paper due Friday, December 9^th

Unit 5 Test: Week of Midterm Exams (December 15^th – 20^th)

Unit 6 – Country Study: The People’s Republic of China

Topics:

Historical Development of China

Political Institutions

Political Conflict and Competition

Political Culture and Society

Political Economy

Foreign Relations and Current Issues

Assigned Reading:

Kesselman Chapter 8, pages 356 – 409.

O’Neal Cases Chapter 7, pages 232 – 270.

Various Articles

Unit 6 Test: Wednesday, January 25^th

Unit 7 – The Developing World and Country Study: The United Mexican States

Topics:

The Developing World and Colonialism’s Legacy

Politics, Civil Society, Parties, and Economics in Developing Countries

Historical Development of Mexico

Political Institutions

Political Conflict and Competition

Political Culture and Society

Political Economy

Foreign Relations and Current Issues

Assigned Reading:

O’Neal Essentials Chapter 9, pages 246 – 280.

O’Neal Cases Chapter 10, pages 350 – 391.

Various Articles

Writing Assignment: Research Paper due Thursday, February 2^nd

Unit 7 Test: Tuesday, February 21^st

End 2^nd Trimester – February 17^th

Unit 8 – The Federal Republic of Nigeria

Topics:

Historical Development of Nigeria

Political Institutions

Political Conflict and Competition

Political Culture and Society

Political Economy

Foreign Relations and Current Issues

Assigned Reading:

Kesselman Chapter 6, pages 256 – 302.

O’Neal Cases Chapter 13, pages 469 – 504.

Various Articles

Unit 8 Test: Friday, March 16^th

Unit 9 – The Islamic Republic of Iran

Topics:

Historical Development of Iran

Political Institutions

Political Conflict and Competition

Political Culture and Society

Political Economy

Foreign Relations and Current Issues

Assigned Reading:

Kesselman Chapter 7, pages 310 – 349.

O’Neal Cases Chapter 9, pages 311 – 349.

Various Articles

Unit 9 Test: Wednesday, April 11^th

Unit 10 – Globalization

Topics:

Economic, Political, and Cultural Globalization

Globalization as a Force for Political Change?

Assigned Reading:

O’Neal Essentials Chapter 10, pages 281 – 299.

Mingst Chapter 10, pages 273 – 314.

Various Articles

Writing Assignment: Research Paper due Friday, April 20^th

Unit 10 Test: None

Review for AP Exam: April 23^rd – May 14^th

AP Exam: May 15^th (afternoon)

No regular class during AP Exams, but I will be available for review with students.

Unit 11 – Global Conflicts

Topics:

Causes for Conflict within a State

War and Strife in the International System

Terrorism – Causes and Effects

Case Studies:

Palestine and Israel

Sri Lanka

Pakistan and India

The Break-up of Yugoslavia

Chechnya

The Rwandan Genocide

Sudan

Tibet

North Ireland

Assigned Reading:

Mingst Chapter 8, 197 – 231.

Various Articles

Writing Assignment: Final Research Paper due Tuesday, May 22^nd

No Final Exam for the Course.

Final Exams for High School: May 31^st – 6^th.

Last Day of School: June 8^th.