02492 - Comparative Politics

Learning outcomes

The course aims at providing students with the essential conceptual, theoretical and methodological tools of the comparative method in the social sciences, and in particular in political analysis. Through in-depth case-studies (thematic and geographical), the aim is to enable students to apply and problematise these comparative tools not only in the European context but also outside Europe, with particular attention to the contemporary Mediterranean and Arab world. At the end of the course, students 1) will have acquired the basic theoretical and methodological knowledge of the discipline; 2) will have understood the main themes and issues debated today in comparative politics; 3) will have gained a greater awareness of the complex relationships between politics, society and institutions in the contemporary age in European and non-European areas; 4) will be able to collect data and apply, in a critical way, the methods of analysis and the main theoretical knowledge learnt to understand, describe and interpret concrete cases; 5) will be able to identify differences and similarities in the functioning and transformation of several political-institutional systems, both democratic and non-democratic; 6) will have refined their communicative skills through classroom expositions.

Course contents

The course is divided into four modules:

1) Introduction to comparative politics
2) The major themes of comparative politics
3) European Democracies and Beyond
4) Group/individual presentations (for attending students only)


The first module aims to introduce the main characteristics, concepts, problems and techniques of the comparative method in order to answer the following questions: Why we compare? What to compare? How to compare? What limits to comparison?

After a theoretical and methodological introduction to the discipline, the second module will briefly deal with topics such as parties and party systems, elections and electoral systems, parliaments and governments, and then devote particular attention to the analysis of regimes and to the theme of democracy and authoritarianism in their "variants" and contaminations.

The third module will focus on specific case studies, taking into consideration the political systems of major European and non-European countries, especially in the dimension of government-parliament interactions, electoral competition, and legislative and decision-making processes. Moreover, with a broader look at other political realities geographically close to us, it will look at the formation and evolution of the state and political systems in the contemporary Arab world, especially in the Mediterranean basin. Through a critical analysis of the paradigm of transitology and the resilience of authoritarianism, the most recent example of the "Arab Springs" and related misinterpretations will be explored. To conclude, the specific case of Tunisia, one of the youngest democratic "yards" at international level today, will be addressed.

The fourth and last module will be devoted to seminar-style lectures and student presentations for in-depth study of topics suggested by the lecturer and taking into account the interests of the class.

Below is a schematic outline of the main themes that will be addressed in class. The subdivision and contents are of course indicative and may be subject to change depending on the needs of the teacher and the class.

Introduction to comparative politics: why compare?


What we compare (units and levels of analysis)

What to compare (space and time)

How to compare (methods, assumptions and variables)

Behaviourism

Qualitative and quantitative research

The limits of the language and concepts of comparison

Parties and party systems

Elections and electoral systems

Parliaments and governments

Regime types

Theories of democracy

Variables of democracy

Waves of democratisation

Democracies today

Non-democratic regimes

Modern state and political systems in the Middle East and North Africa

Democratisation and other interpretative paradigms

Case studies: United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the United States.

Which Arab Springs?

New democracies: the Tunisian case.

Readings/Bibliography

Attending students: 

S. Vassallo (a cura di), Sistemi politici comparati, Bologna, Il Mulino, 2016. Only chapters from 2 to 10, and 12

L. Morlino, La comparazione. Un’introduzione metodologica, Bologna, Il Mulino, 2020. Only chapters from 1 to 5, and 7 plus Conclusion

R. Di Peri & F. Mazzucotelli, Guida alla politica mediorientale, Milano, Mondadori, 2020. Only chapters 2 and 3.

Any changes will be communicated during the first week of classes.

Supplementary materials for presentations will be provided during the course to individual working groups.

 

Non-attending students:

The reference texts are the same as those listed for attending students. In addition to the above titles (and in substitution of the bibliographical indications devoted to the seminar part), non-attending students are required to study ALSO:

Chapters 13, 14 and 15 of S. Vassallo (ed.), Sistemi politici comparati, Bologna, Il Mulino, 2016.

Chapter 6 of L. Morlino, La comparazione. Un'introduzione metodologica, Bologna, Il Mulino, 2020.

Teaching methods

The course will consist of 30 lessons of two hours each for a total of 60 hours. The didactic organization of the course will be based on lectures, each one dedicated to a specific topic, for modules 1, 2 and 3. Some lectures will be organised in seminar mode and dedicated to group works (module 4). These activities are an integral part of the course, so students are expected to actively participate in the discussion and presentations of their fellow students, through questions and comments, and by reading in advance the material provided by the lecturer.

All lectures, with some exceptions, will be held in presence. In the event that the demand for student attendance exceeds the capacity of the classroom defined in accordance with the indications of the safety protocols, shifts in attendance will be organised. As foreseen by the University, students will also be able to follow the lessons remotely.

Attendance is not compulsory, but strongly recommended.

Due to security protocols, students are requested to be punctual in class and online as well as to be precise and scrupulous in following the distancing and security measures provided by Unibo.

Assessment methods

Students who attend the classes (in presence or online) may:

A) take two written partial tests and the group/individual presentation. The final mark is given by the average of the marks of the single tests.

Alternatively:

B) attend the group presentation and take a single oral test at the end of the course on the topics covered in class. In this case, the grade for the presentation will count for 30% of the final grade.

The first intermediate test will consist of multiple-choice and/or open-ended questions. The second intermediate test will consist of open-ended questions. Precise information on the number of questions and the timing will be provided during the course.

Specifically:

The first intermediate test (written test) consists of 29 closed multiple-choice questions (each with four answer options of which only one is correct) and 1 open-ended question. Duration: 45 minutes.

The second intermediate test (written test) consists of two compulsory (and one optional) open-ended question to be worked on. Duration: 75 minutes.

N.B.

The dates of the intermediate tests will be communicated at the beginning of the course.

Attendees are given the opportunity to spread their study load over the semester.

The first intermediate test will cover the topics of modules I and II. The second intermediate examination will cover Module III. The midterm tests are NOT compulsory, but both must be taken to be considered valid.

In order to take part in each intermediate test, it is necessary to enrol via the Almaesami platform, as for any other learning assessment test.

Those who have successfully taken the two written intermediate tests and the in-class presentation and who want their grade to be recorded must register in the first available date during summer ordinary exam session. Failure to do so will mean that the student has waived the grade.

An insufficient result in the written tests does not preclude the possibility of participating in the seminar activity and group/individual presentations.

In the event of an insufficient result or rejection of the overall grade for the two written tests (it is NOT possible to reject the grade for each written test), students attending the course may take the in-class presentation and a single oral test at the end of the course on the entire programme covered in class (mode B).

In the event of an insufficient grade or rejection of the grade for all three tests (written and presentation), the student will have to take the exam in the ordinary sessions of the course, preparing the entire programme.

In summary, in order to take the syllabus as an attending student it is necessary, in addition to attending the lectures constantly, to take and accept the grade for AT LEAST the presentation in class.

Students who wish to attend the lectures but will not take the partial tests and presentation (mode A) or the presentation and oral examination (mode B) may of course do so, but will bring the syllabus and textbooks for non-attenders to the single final examination in the ordinary exam sessions.

 

Non-attending students:

Students who DO NOT ATTEND lectures will bring the entire syllabus and all texts during one of the regular exam sessions.

Teaching tools

Further reading on the topics covered during the lectures will be available online at https://virtuale.unibo.it/

Supporting slides will be used during the course. These slides are merely a didactic and presentation tool, and are in no way a substitute for the textbooks.

Office hours

See the website of Giulia Cimini