AP Comparative Government and Politics

Syllabus (PDF version)

Instructor and Course Approach

Study Guides

Assignments

Writing Guide

Country Studies

• China
• France
• Great Britain (UK)
• Iran
• Nigeria
• Mexico
• Russia
• United States
• European Union

Links

Special Issues

• Globalization
• Democratization
• Population
• Human Rights
• Wealth and Poverty
• Gender Equity
• Ethnic Conflict/Civil War
• Environment and Global Warming

Turnitin.com Registration Information

Period 2

• Course Name: 2 APCompGov Fall 09
• Number: 2824658
• Password: see white board in room 303

Period 4

• Course Name: 4 APCompGov Fall 09
• Number: 2824667
• Password: see white board in room 303

Period 6

• Course Name: 6APCompGov Fall 09
• Number: 2824670
• Password: see white board in room 303

Che Runnion with Che Guevara, Havana 2003

Important Note: dates given are when readings and assignments are due

ASSIGNMENTS AND COURSE NOTES: SPRING 2010

For Wednesday, February 10

• Read Chapter 9 (Hauss), pages 242 257 (from "Political Parties and Elections" to the end of the chapter).
• Review and prepare for multiple-choice test on Friday, February 12.

For Monday, February 8

Read Chapter 9 (Hauss), pages 237 -- 242 (up to "Political Parties and Elections")

For Thursday, February 4

• Review transition to Russia.
• View documentary: "Commanding Heights -- The Agony of Reform"
• Understand Perestroika and "Shock Therapy."

For Tuesday, February 2

• Read Chapter 9 (Hauss), pages (230 -- 236, thru "Crisis and Collapse).
• Be prepared to discuss all of the factors that led to the collapse of the Soviet Union.

For Wednesday, February 27

Read Chapter 9 (Hauss), pages 221-230 covering the Russian Revolution and Stalinism.

Read Chapter 8 (Hauss) by Monday, January 25.

For Thursday, January 21

Read Chapter 8 (Hauss), pages 199-207 (including Marxism-Leninism)

Be prepared to discuss the central arguments of Marxist thought, Including:

• What helped to propel Marxist ideology?
• How does a Marxist understand capitalism?
• What, for a Marxist, is the underlying problem of capitalism?
• How will, according to Marxist ideology, capitalism end?
• What will replace capitalism?

**********End First Semester, Fall -- 2009**********

ASSIGNMENTS AND COURSE NOTES FALL 2009

For Friday, December 18

Read the following two articles:

• "When Should the Fed Crash the Party?" (Bernstein, NYTimes, 5/11/08).
• "How Supply-Side Economics Trickled Down," (Bartlett, NYTimes 4/6/07).

For Wednesday, December 16

Read "Disaster and Denial," (Krugman, NYTimes).

Be prepared to discuss the Federal Reserve's role in stabilizing the economy.

For Monday, December 14

Read the section in your packet on "Tax Evaluation"

Know the following terms or concepts:

• tax equity (ability to pay vs. benefits received)
• income and consumption
• vertical and horizontal equity
• progressive/proportional/regressiv taxes
• tax base and rate

Be prepared to discuss the following issues:

• What basis should a country use to determine who and how to tax its citizens?
• What are the trade offs of higher or lower taxes? For what groups?

For Thursday, December 10

Read "The Mythology of Deficits," (The Armchair Economist, Landsbug with Feinstone), pages 106-115."

As you're reading, think about our current situation and Keynesian solutions to market failure:

• What is the "conventional wisdom" about deficits?
• What do Landsburg and Feinstone show us about the reality of deficit spending?
• Given that we are in a recession, is it "alarmist" to raise fears about the rising debt?
• Check Paul Krugman's blog (NYTimes) for his take on this discussion.

For Wednesday, December 1

Read Kesselman, et. al. "Political Economy and Development" (Chapter 3, Section 2, pages 108-117). Be prepared to discuss how France has faced its economic challenges. How do the circumstances and policy responses in France compare with the challenges faced by the U.S. and the U.K.? (Hint..Hint.. this will help you with the thinkpiece that is due on Tuesday, December 8.)

November 13-24

Complete Chapter 5: France (Hauss). Print the Study Guide for France.and follow the pace indicated below:

• Monday, pages 105-107
• Tuesday, pages 107-113
• Wednesday, pages 113-116
• Thursday, pages 116-123
• Friday, pages 123-129
• Monday, pages 129-138

For Tuesday, November 17

Be prepared to discuss and answer the following questions:

• What does a comparisson of the French and U.S. revolutions say about the enduring legacy of each country's political culture?
• Why did it take so long for a stable democracy to emerge in France?

For Friday, November 13

Geography Quiz: Europe

Europa: Gateway to the European Union

More about the European Union and its members: U.K., France, Germany

For Tuesday, Novem

ber 10

Read: "For Europe, A Moment to Ponder" (Roger Cohen, NYTimes, 3/23/07)

For Friday, November 13

What are recent changes to the EU and what might be their lasting affects?

Read:

• "Q and A: The Lisbon Treaty" (BBC, 11/4/09)
• "The Lisbon Treaty: More of Britain's Powers Surrendered to Brussels" (Kirkup, Waterfield, Telegraph, 11/3/09)
• "Sarkozy Warns Cameron on Stance Over Europe and Lisbon Treaty" (Times Online, 11/06/09)

For Friday, November 6

Test on U.K. (Hauss, Chapter 4 and Lectures/Notes)

Read

For Tuesday, October 27

U.K. Background, Demographics, Identity

For Friday, October 22

• Complete viewing of "Journeys with George."
• Discussion of political campaigning in the U.S.
• Introduction to the U.K.: Prime Minister's Questions

Wednesday, October 20

In class: Review of U.S. and Challenges. Viewing: "Journeys with George" on the media circus, U.S. campaigning, and presidential elections.

For Monday, October 18

In class: Is capitalism good for America? For the world? What are the alternatives?

Take this time to catch-up on "Capitalism" and other aspects of American political economy. Work on your paper for Wednesday.

For Thursday, October 15

• Read "Capitalism," (Ibenstein, Today's Isms) pages 22-42. Be prepared to discuss the central themes of capitalism and its evolution in the U.S.

For Tuesday, October 13

Before we take a closer look at the U.K., France and The European Union, we need to be prepared to discuss some basic issues related to political economy. First, we'll look at basic issues of political economy in the U.S.

• Read "For Richer," (Krugman, NYT, 10/20/2002). Be prepared to discuss Krugman's notion of a new plutocracy in the U.S. How did we get to this point?

For Friday, October 8

Chapter 3 (Hauss), pages 60 to end. Know key terms and ideas in bold.

"Competing Theories of American Government," (Wooley and Papa, packet). Be able to discuss the riddle -- "who governs in America." Know the competing theories that describe political power in the U.S. ("civics" model; elite theories; pluralist models; and direct democracy).

For Wednesday, October 7

• Chapter 3 (Hauss), pages 54-60
• "Red Sex, Blue Sex: why do so many evangelical teen-agers become pregnant?" (Margaret Talbot, New Yorker, 11/3/08)

For Monday, October 5

Discussion of U.S. political culture, historical influences, parties, electoral college, election of 2000.

Read Chapter 3 (Hauss), pages 49-54. Be sure to read the following articles for discussion:

• "Where did 'We' Go?" (Friedman, NYT, 9/30/09)
• A Guide to the Republican Herd (NYT, 09/29/06)
• A Guide to the Democratic Herd (NYT, 09/29/06)
• "What happened to political ideology in America?" (SocialConscience, 2000)

For Thursday, October 1

Read "Imagine a Country," (Holly Sklar, Z Magazine, July/August 1997)

For Tuesday, September 29

First Test -- "Democracy?"

For Friday, September 25

• Friday: "Electoral Systems and Political Parties (Bielasiak, Indiana University, Bloomington)
• Simulation: Creating an Electoral System

For Wednesday, September 22

Democratic Processes and Structures (Cont'd)

• Reading for Friday: "Electoral Systems and Political Parties (Bielasiak, Indiana University, Bloomington)
• Simulation: Creating an Electoral System

For Monday, September 21

Democratic Processes and Structures

• Review Hauss, Chapter 2, pages 33-47
• Where do you stand on the spectrum of political philosophy? Read about the political spectrum and take the test on www.politicalcompass.org.
• Bring your results to class.

For Thursday, September 17

Questions:

• What is democracy?
• To what extent is the U.S. a democracy?
• When did the U.S. become a democracy?

Readings:

• Comparative Politics, (Hauss, 2009): emphasis on democratic principles and evolution, pages 26-32
• "Polyarchy: Participation and Opposition," ( Dahl, RCP, 1971)
• "What Democracy Is ... and Is Not," (Schmitter and Karl, RCP, 1991)
• "Elections Are Not Democracy," (Zakaria, Newsweek, 2005)

Be prepared to discuss

• charictaristics of democracy;
• rights explicitly or implicitly provided in a democracy;
• principles of democratic regimes;
• how democracies are distinguished from other regimes;
• know key terms and concepts in Hauss (bold), particularly those included in pages 23-32)

For Tuesday, September 15

Bring your democracy reading packet to class with you, including "Polyarchy," (Dahl), and "What Democracy Is ..." (Schmitter & Karl)

Begin reading Chapter 2 (Hauss); complete Chapter 2 by Thursday.

Assigned Seeing the World "Thinkpiece": due Wednesday, September 23, 2009

For Friday, September 11

• Read "How American Health Care Killed My Father" by David Goldhill (Atlantic, 9/08).
• Read or watch or listen to President Obama's speech to the special session of the joint congress Wednesday evening. Be prepared to discuss the challenges and prospects of Obama's vision and proposed reform for health care in the U.S. Also, be prepared to discuss how America's health care policy differs so markedly from those of other advanced industrialized countries.
• We will be viewing the documentary "Sick Around the World," (Frontline, 2008) in class. If you missed Friday's class, you can view the documentary by clicking on the title or go to www.pbs.org/frontline.

For Tuesday, September 8

• Read "Making Race and Nation," by Anthony Marx (pages 74-79)
• Why were blacks marginalized in the U.S. and South Africa, but not in Brazil? In what other instances or countries might Anthony Marx's observations be helpful for understanding discrimination

For Friday, September 4

• Read Comparative Politics, Chapter One (pages 3-17)
• This chapter is mostly review, but note key terms and concepts.

For Thursday, August 24

• Read the Introduction, "Brave New World" (pgs. 1-9).
• Know the basic theory and tools used by students of Comparative Politics
• Read "The End of History," by Francis Fukuyama (pgs. 11-17)
• Be prepared to discuss the implications of Fukuyama's ideas for our exploration of current events and conditions in the countries we will study.

For Monday, August 31

• Read "The Clash of Civilizations?" by Samual P. Huntington (pages 38-51)
• Be prepared to discuss the implications of Huntington's ideas for our studies.
• Compare and contrast Huntington's ideas with those of Fukuyama. Can these two ideas coexist? What will we need to look for in our studies to support these theories?