POLS 150 - Introduction to Comparative Politics

The study of comparative politics addresses how political, economic, and social features differ across the globe and why these differences matter. In lectures and discussion sections, we address how democratic and authoritarian governments manage domestic politics; how institutions vary across the globe and why this variation matters; how political culture affects the way citizens interact with each other and their governments; and how economics and geography affect politics. Along with the GTAs, I evaluate student performance through exams, quizzes, a research project, and class participation. The Fall 2009 syllabus is available here.