4
AP COMPARATIVE POLITICS Mr. Byram Room 222 Brief Description of Course AP Comparative Government and Politics is a year-long college level course open to Juniors and Seniors. It is designed to introduce students to the governments and politics of six countries: Britain, Mexico, Russia, Nigeria, China, and Iran. The world is increasingly interconnected and interdependent and, the events in on area affect – either directly or indirectly – events in other areas. That interconnectedness should be examined and discussed, not ignored. Examining the governments, their citizens and the political systems of other countries provides a framework for students analyzing that interconnectedness. Recognizing similarities and differences among those governments and political systems is a first step towards both broadening and deepening understanding. From this first step, students can begin to formulate ideas about how and why an event happened the way it did in a particular place and also how and why it changed as it “rippled” out and was affected by the circumstances of other places. This course requires a great deal of reading and preparation for every class. Students should plan on spending a minimum of an hour a night on preparation including reading, note taking, researching and reviewing. The class is a combination of lecture and discussion with research projects. The lectures are designed for the beginning of units to students a “scaffold” upon which to build and analyze. Discussions of readings, our text book, and selected issues in the political world comprise the bulk of the units. In addition to this syllabus, students are given a daily calendar of readings to be covered, assignments and test due dates. It is the student’s responsibility to keep up with the assigned work, even when there is no school or they are absent. UNIT Information Unit 1: Introduction to Comparative Politics Why study comparative politics? Comparative politics vs. international relations Importance of examining what goes on within a country as well as what goes on between/among countries Normative vs. empirical questions Concept of interdependence Concepts of nation-state-regime-government Political and economic systems: similarities and differences between/among countries Unit 2: Sovereignty, Authority, and Power Political Culture, communication, and Socialization Nations and States Supranational governance (ex: European Union) Sources of Power

AP COMPARATIVE POLITICS - Gaslight Mediais0.gaslightmedia.com/gaylordschools/94/fs94-1294690089-36346.pdf/... · AP COMPARATIVE POLITICS ... AP Comparative Government and Politics

  • Upload
    trannga

  • View
    214

  • Download
    0

Embed Size (px)

Citation preview

AP COMPARATIVE POLITICS

Mr. Byram

Room 222

Brief Description of Course

AP Comparative Government and Politics is a year-long college level course open to Juniors and Seniors.

It is designed to introduce students to the governments and politics of six countries: Britain, Mexico,

Russia, Nigeria, China, and Iran. The world is increasingly interconnected and interdependent and, the

events in on area affect – either directly or indirectly – events in other areas. That interconnectedness

should be examined and discussed, not ignored. Examining the governments, their citizens and the

political systems of other countries provides a framework for students analyzing that

interconnectedness. Recognizing similarities and differences among those governments and political

systems is a first step towards both broadening and deepening understanding. From this first step,

students can begin to formulate ideas about how and why an event happened the way it did in a

particular place and also how and why it changed as it “rippled” out and was affected by the

circumstances of other places.

This course requires a great deal of reading and preparation for every class. Students should plan on

spending a minimum of an hour a night on preparation including reading, note taking, researching and

reviewing.

The class is a combination of lecture and discussion with research projects. The lectures are designed

for the beginning of units to students a “scaffold” upon which to build and analyze. Discussions of

readings, our text book, and selected issues in the political world comprise the bulk of the units. In

addition to this syllabus, students are given a daily calendar of readings to be covered, assignments and

test due dates. It is the student’s responsibility to keep up with the assigned work, even when there is

no school or they are absent.

UNIT Information

Unit 1: Introduction to Comparative Politics

Why study comparative politics?

Comparative politics vs. international relations

Importance of examining what goes on within a country as well as what goes on

between/among countries

Normative vs. empirical questions

Concept of interdependence

Concepts of nation-state-regime-government

Political and economic systems: similarities and differences between/among countries

Unit 2: Sovereignty, Authority, and Power

Political Culture, communication, and Socialization

Nations and States

Supranational governance (ex: European Union)

Sources of Power

Constitutions

Regime Types

Types of economic systems

State building, legitimacy, and stability

Belief systems as sources of legitimacy

-Religion

-Ideology (Liberalism, communism, socialism, conservatism, fascism)

Governance and accountability

Unit 3: Political Institutions

Levels of government

Supranational/national/regional/local

Unitary/federal

Centralization/decentralization

Executives (head of state, head of government, cabinets)

Single or Dual

President

Prime Minister

Legislatures

Unicameral/bicameral (symmetric/asymmetric)

Organization

Membership (representation)

Parliamentary and presidential systems

Institutional relations

Elections

Presidential/parliamentary/referendum/noncompetitive

Electoral systems

Proportional/single member district (plurality, majority runoff)

Political parties (organization, membership, institutionalization, ideological position)

Party System

Leadership and elite recruitment

Interest Groups and interest group systems

Bureaucracies

Military and other coercive institutions

Judiciaries

Degrees of autonomy

Judicial review (including European Union in relation to states, citizens)

Types of laws

Unit 4: Citizens, Society, and the State

Cleavages and politics (ethnic, racial, class, gender, religious, regional)

Civil society and social capital

Media roles

Political participation (forms/modes/trends) including political violence

Social movements

Citizenship and representation

Unit 5: Political and Economic Change

Revolution, coups, and war

Trends and types of political change (including democratization)

Components

Promoting or inhibiting factors

Consequences

Relationships between political and economic change

Globalization and fragmentation: interlinked economies, global culture, reactions against

globalization, regionalism

Approaches to development

Unit 6: Public Policy

Common policy issues

Economic performance

Social welfare (education, health poverty)

Civil liberties, rights, and freedoms

Environment

Population and migration

Economic development

Factors influencing public policymaking and implementation

Domestic

International

Grade Scale

100-93 A

92-90 A-

89-87 B+

86-83 B

82-80 B-

79-77 C+

76-73 C

71-70 C-

69-67 D+

66-63 D

62-60 D-

Attendance Policy: Obviously good attendance is essential for a quality learning environment. If

you are not here how can you interact with class activities and absorb the material.

Tardiness: If you are late you will receive 2 warnings. On the third infraction the student will serve a

detention with the teacher. Detentions will be given for all tardies after that. If this behavior becomes

habitual a call home will occur to create a plan. If the behavior persists administration will be involved.

Detentions involve SCHOOL PRIDE PRACTICE!!

Unexcused Absences: If the absence is unexcused it is viewed as skipping. The student will NOT

be given the opportunity to make up the work. If it is a test day the student will receive a zero for the

test. I am fully aware that sometimes excusing the absence will be forgotten. It states in the handbook

a student has 7 days after an absence to get it excused. (Refer to handbook for language of the rule)

Excused Absences: I am fully aware that occasionally students have to miss school for certain

reasons. If the absence is excused the student is allowed an opportunity to make the work up. **Note:

Make up work is given a specific due date. Ex: Miss one day, have one day to make up work. (Time can

be adjusted through conference with teacher)

Missing/Late Work: This is a college level class. You are expected to meet homework deadlines. I am fully aware that you

have a busy schedule and a lot of responsibilities. With that said it is also important to meet deadlines

and understand that there are consequences when those deadlines are not met. My policy on late or

missing work is simple: You have one week from the due date to turn in any missing work. If it is not

turned in after that date it is a ZERO. I will dock you a full letter grade on any late work. Example: Due

date is September 3rd

for Chapter outline. You have until September 10th

to turn in for credit. I do

accept work to be turned in via e-mail. PLEASE keep in mind that technology is a great tool, but do not

wait last minute to turn in work.

“If I don’t receive it than it is not turned in!”

Byram

[email protected]