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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