| Course Name | Comparative Politics |
| Code | Semester | Theory (hour/week) | Application/Lab (hour/week) | Local Credits | ECTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSIR 302 | Spring | 3 | 0 | 3 | 6 |
| Prerequisites | None | |||||
| Course Language | English | |||||
| Course Type | Required | |||||
| Course Level | First Cycle | |||||
| Mode of Delivery | - | |||||
| Teaching Methods and Techniques of the Course | ||||||
| Course Coordinator | - | |||||
| Course Lecturer(s) | ||||||
| Assistant(s) | ||||||
| Course Objectives | The primary objective of the course is to introduce the students a comparative politics framework to be able to analyze different political contexts and processes. First and foremost, an overview of comparative methodology and key concepts in comparative research will be presented to the students. Second, states and state structures will be defined on a macro level, distinguishing between democratic systems and authoritarian ones. A bigger task will be to unravel the internal dynamics of political systems in order to expose variations in political organization, later to be employed for comparative purposes. In the second half of the semester, the state centric analysis will be complemented with a cultural perspective, comparative political economy approach and a focus on the role of non-state actors. Throughout the semester, conceptual discussions will be enriched by references to contemporary issues from different parts of the world. |
| Learning Outcomes | The students who succeeded in this course;
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| Course Description | The course is designed to give students a comprehensive overview of political dynamics that characterize states’ and determine their relationship with their constituencies. As such, these dynamics include legal institutional aspects as well as political, economic and cultural elements that surround the political mechanism. The teaching approach is interactive, giving students ample amount of opportunity to contribute to class discussions. |
| Related Sustainable Development Goals |  |
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| Core Courses | X |
| Major Area Courses | ||
| Supportive Courses | ||
| Media and Managment Skills Courses | ||
| Transferable Skill Courses |
| Week | Subjects | Required Materials |
| 1 | Introduction | |
| 2 | Comparative Methodology | Hague et al. Ch 5 Theoretical approaches & Ch 6 Comparing government and politics |
| 3 | State Theory | Hague et al. Ch 1 Key Concepts & Ch 2 The State |
| 4 | Democracy | Hague et al. Ch 3 Democratic rule |
| 5 | Authoritarianism | Hague et al. Ch 4 Authoritarian rule |
| 6 | The Legal Structure | Hague et al. Ch 7 Constitutions and courts & Ch 8 Legislatures |
| 7 | The Administrative Structure | Hague et al. Ch 9 Executives & 10 Bureaucracies |
| 8 | PROJECT WEEK | |
| 9 | Political Parties, Elections, and Voters | Hague et al. Ch 15 Political parties & Ch 16 Elections & Ch 17 Voters |
| 10 | Non-State Actors in Politics | Hague et al. Ch 18 Interest groups |
| 11 | Politics and Economics | Acemoglu, Daron and James Robinson, Why Nations Fail: The Origins of Power, Prosperity, and Poverty, Crown Business, 2012. |
| 12 | Cultural Intervention in Politics | Kastoryano, R. Multiculturalism and interculturalism: redefining nationhood and solidarity. CMS 6, 17 (2018). |
| 13 | Political Participation and Political Communication | Hague et al. Ch 13 Political participation & Ch 14 Political communication |
| 14 | Turkish Politics in Comparative Perspective | Tuğal, Cihan, Erdoğan’s Resilience, New Left Review, 2023 |
| 15 | Review of the Semester | |
| 16 | FINAL EXAM |
| Course Notes/Textbooks | Hague, R, Harrop, M, and McCormick J. 2016. Comparative Government and Politics: An Introduction, Tenth Edition, Palgrave Macmillan, Basingstoke and New York. Acemoglu, Daron and James Robinson, Why Nations Fail: The Origins of Power, Prosperity, and Poverty, Crown Business, 2012. Kastoryano, R. Multiculturalism and interculturalism: redefining nationhood and solidarity. CMS 6, 17 (2018).
*All course readings are available at the University Library and as open sources. |
| Suggested Readings/Materials | Ljiphart, Arend, "Comparative Politics and The Comparative Method." American Political Science Review 65, No. 03 (1971): 682-693. Landman, Todd, Issues and Methods in Comparative Politics, Routledge, 2006. Held, David, Political Theory and the Modern State, Stanford UP, 1989. Berberoglu, Berch, Political Sociology in a Global Era: An Introduction to the State and Society, Routledge, 2013. Tilly, Charles, Democracy, CUP, 2007. Laclau, Ernesto, and Chantal Mouffe, Hegemony and Socialist Strategy, Verso, 2014. Held, David, Models of Democracy, Standford UP, 1997. Linz, Juan J., Totalitarian and Authoritarian Regimes, Rienner Publishers, 2000. Atwood, Margaret, Handmaid’s Tale, Anchor Books, 1998. Orwell, George, 1984, Samaira Book Publishers, 2017. Ljiphart, Arend, Patterns of Democracy, Yale UP, 2012. Della Porta, Donatella, and Mario Diani, Social Movements: An Introduction, Wiley and Blackwell, 2006. |
| Semester Activities | Number | Weighting |
| Participation | 1 | 20 |
| Laboratory / Application | ||
| Field Work | ||
| Quizzes / Studio Critiques | ||
| Portfolio | ||
| Homework / Assignments | ||
| Presentation / Jury | ||
| Project | 1 | 40 |
| Seminar / Workshop | ||
| Oral Exam | ||
| Midterm | ||
| Final Exam | 1 | 40 |
| Total |
| Weighting of Semester Activities on the Final Grade | 2 | 60 |
| Weighting of End-of-Semester Activities on the Final Grade | 1 | 40 |
| Total |
| Semester Activities | Number | Duration (Hours) | Workload |
|---|---|---|---|
| Course Hours (Including exam week: 16 x total hours) | 16 | 3 | 48 |
| Laboratory / Application Hours (Including exam week: 16 x total hours) | 16 | ||
| Study Hours Out of Class | 12 | 5 | 60 |
| Field Work | |||
| Quizzes / Studio Critiques | |||
| Portfolio | |||
| Homework / Assignments | |||
| Presentation / Jury | |||
| Project | 1 | 30 | |
| Seminar / Workshop | |||
| Oral Exam | |||
| Midterms | |||
| Final Exams | 1 | 32 | |
| Total | 170 |
| # | Program Competencies/Outcomes | * Contribution Level | ||||
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | ||
| 1 | To be able to use the theoretical and practical knowledge acquired in the areas of Political Science and International Relations. | X | ||||
| 2 | To be able to have the basic knowledge of, and make use of other disciplines which contribute to the areas of Political Science and International Relations. | |||||
| 3 | To be able to distinguish the differences between classical and contemporary theories and to assess their relationship. | X | ||||
| 4 | To be able to recognize regional and global issues, and develop solutions based on research. | X | ||||
| 5 | To be able to assess the acquired knowledge and skills in the areas of Political Science and International Relations critically. | X | ||||
| 6 | To be able to transfer ideas and proposals on issues in the areas of Political Science and International Relations to other people and institutions verbally and in writing. | X | ||||
| 7 | To be able to identify the historical continuity and changes observed in the relations between the actors and institutions of national and international politics. | X | ||||
| 8 | To be able to examine concepts, theories, and developments with scientific methods in the areas of Political Science and International Relations. | |||||
| 9 | To be able to take responsibility as an individual and as a team member. | |||||
| 10 | To be able to act in accordance with the scientific and ethical values in studies related to Political Science and International Relations. | |||||
| 11 | To be able to collect data in the areas of Political Science and International Relations and communicate with colleagues in a foreign language ("European Language Portfolio Global Scale", Level B1). | |||||
| 12 | To be able to speak a second foreign at a medium level of fluency efficiently. | |||||
| 13 | To be able to relate the knowledge accumulated throughout human history to their field of experience. | |||||
*1 Lowest, 2 Low, 3 Average, 4 High, 5 Highest
