AP Comparative Government and Politics

Instructors:

Ms Altman Saltman@wpcsd.k12.ny.us

Mr. Dillon Richarddillon@wpcsd.k12.ny.us

Dear Parents/Guardians:

This course is designed to provide students with the opportunity to develop

comprehensive knowledge about the workings of government in different parts of the

world. Six core countries, Britain, Iran, Russia, China, Mexico, and Nigeria, are the case

studies in which students will examine various political processes and policy outcomes.

By the end of this course, students will understand comparative political concepts and

themes, be able to analyze and interpret data essential to comparative politics, gain an

understanding of political behavior and consequences in various countries, and compare

and contrast political institutions and processes across the countries. The course begins

with an introduction to comparative politics with an explanation of why we study

comparative politics and how we study comparative politics. Then the curriculum

follows a country by country approach in which the topics of sovereignty/power, political

institutions, civil society, political and economic change, and public policy are explored

for each country. Students are required to think back to the previous countries studied so

that they can understand a countries’ political process in its own context as well as in

comparison to the other countries studied.

As parents you are encouraged to visit the webpage as often as you wish. The page will

provided you with access to assignments as well as the due dates. As we begin a new year

we look forward to working with your son/daughter and we welcome any support that

will assist us in maximizing their potential and success in this course

Course Materials

Textbooks:

Hauss, Charles. Comparative Politics: Domestic Responses to Global Challenges, 5th ed.

Belmont, CA: Thomson Wadsworth, 2006

Kesselman, Mark et. al. Introduction to Comparative Politics , 3rd

ed. Boston: Houghton

Mifflin, 2007.

Articles are assigned weekly or topically from: the New York Times, the Economist, the

BBC, Time, Newsweek, Foreign Affairs, the Washington Post.

Additional Readings:

Friedman, Thomas. The Lexus and the Olive Tree. New York: Anchor Books, 2000.

Soe, Christian, ed. Annual Editions: Comparative Politics, 2005-2006 ed. Iowa:

McGraw-Hill Dushkin, 2006.

Zakaria, Fareed. The Future of Freedom; Illiberal Democracy at Home and Abroad. New

York: W.W. Norton & Company, Inc., 2007