Riverside Community College

Political Science 2: 
Comparative Government

Paul Klee's Death and Fire evokes the fear and anxiety that war evokes. The audio clip you hear is the announcement of the outbreak of the Second World War due to the German invasion of Poland. Unfortunately war is one of the results of the organization of mankind into different nations with different forms of government, and ideologies that come into conflict both within and without.
Dr. Richard Mahon	Quad 112C, (951) 222-8862
email:	richard.mahon@rcc.edu
web support:	http://faculty.rcc.edu/mahon/
office hours:	M, 12-3; T & Th 3:30-5 & by appointment
texts:	Chinua Achebe, Things Fall Apart Karl Marx & Friedrich Engles, The Communist Manifesto Almond & Powell (A&P), Comparative Politics: A Theoretical Framework Barrington Moore, Jr., Social Origins of Dictatorship & Democracy Samuel Huntington, The Third Wave: Democratization

Course Description:  This course will introduce students to the field of comparative politics.  After a brief introduction on the transformation from premodern to modern/industrial society, we spend the majority of the semester examining how a variety of western nations have made the transition to democratic governments and examine a number of nations in the early stages of making that transformation.  Our work will be both backward looking (how did those in democratic countries get there) and forward looking (what are the prospects for other nations to make or maintain the transformation to democratic governments.  Political Science 1 is not a prerequisite for the course, though having taken it will be helpful.  Having taken history 4B (Western Civilization) would also be very helpful.  Course format will be a mixture of lecture and discussion.  I welcome your questions and expect that they will be a major part of class discussion.

Course Goals:  (1)  By the end of the semester you should be able to read a journalistic account of political controversy and transformation in both the U.S. and other countries and be able to understand the underlying dynamics in that political process.  (2)  Students will gain substantial experience reading, analyzing, and criticizing complex social and political institutions and transformations.  (3)  Students' skills in both oral and written communication should develop substantially over the course.

Requirements:  (1)  It is crucial that you keep up with the reading, some of which you may find difficult.  By the second week of the semester you will be able to find an outline of all of the course reading on reserve in the library, which you are welcome to photocopy and use to help guide your reading.  (2)  Two essays:  a short (4-5 page) essay due Sept. 19 and a longer (7-10 page) essay due at the time of the final exam (Tuesday, December 12 at 10).  (3)  One midterm exam on Oct. 24.

Grading:  We will have regular quizzes whose intent is to "help" you keep up with the reading.  Each quiz will have two short answer questions, which will be graded 0, 1, or 2 points, with the total aver­aged.  You must average one point per quiz to pass the class.  There will be no make-ups for missed quizzes; if you can't help missing a quiz, let me know ahead of time and I will have you write something in lieu of the quiz for up to two quizzes; your substitute writing assignment will be due the class meeting when your return.  Your final grade will be based 20% on the first essay, 30% on the midterm, and 50% on the final essay.  Essays and exams may include a plus or minus though term grades will not.

NB:  I am not "fishing" for anything particular in these essays beyond evidence that you have developed the intellectual skills to study and analyze political development in another nation. 

If you want your final essay to be returned to you, please also submit a self-addressed stamped envelope.  I will return your final exam with comments, the exam grade, and your course grade.  Otherwise, I will record your grade without comment and recycle the essay.