Fall 2011 -- check back regularly for updates;         last updated 8/23/2011

Clip to watch for research paper: Colbert: Wikiality &  Wiki Lobbying

Ch.1 : Intro

1. How does Lasswell’s definition of politics (who gets what, when & how) apply to comparative politics?
2. Distinguish between a state and nation.
3. Differentiate between the various decision-rules governing policy-making (see handout).  Distinguish between a command (socialist), market (capitalist) and welfare-state economies.
4. Go to this Newsweek ranking of countries.  What are the criteria Newsweek uses?  Do you agree with their criteria &/or ranking?  Why or why not?

Ch. 2: Industrialized Democracies & 60 Minutes: Where have all the addicts gone?

1. What are characteristics that make a country democratic? Do you agree with all five criteria listed in the text?  Specifically, do you agree that democracy cannot exist without an industrialized capitalist base?
2. Differentiate  between Presidential systems like the US and Parliamentary systems.   Roesler argues that the US has formal checks & balances while Britiain has more vocal give-and-take inside the House of Commons.  How does each approach limit governmental power?
3. Discuss the impact of "single-member districts" versus "proportional representation" on third parties.
4. What are the benefits and drawbacks of a unitary system of government?  Of a federal system?
5. Discuss the problems facing post-industrial societies.
6. Discuss the approach that Switzerland has taken toward drug policy.  What are the benefits and drawbacks of that system?  Watch this clip from the Colbert Report interview with former New Mexico Governor Johnson.   Make a case for or against changing our approach to drug policy.

Chapter 3: The US; Clips from Sicko & Sick around the World

1. Why did the US framers set up a system which creates a "permanent tug-of-war among the three branches of government?"
2. How does the US select its president?  Is it democratic?
3. What impact has our individualistic political culture (and mistrust of government) had on the role of the government?  How does that explain the huge gap in income inequality in the US compared to other industrialized societies?
4. What does Hauss mean when he argues that the US is a "weak state?" In other words, what factors make it weak?"
5. How big a role does the US government play in social issues (such as health care) compared to other western democracies?
6. Americans pay the most for health care, but do we have the best health care in the world?  Be sure to compare life expectancy and access.   What is "patient dumping"?
7. Read Five Lessons from Abroad.   How do these articles fit with (or contradict) the films we watched (T.R. Reid's "Sick Around the World" and "Sicko")?  Give examples.
8. Read this Fareed Zakaria article on US debt.  What are his 3 solutions to eliminating the debt? 

Ch. 4: The UK & film clips: Question Time; read "Kissing the Whip", (Palast pp311-315)

1. Explain the difference between the freedom of press in the US and the UK.  Do you agree with Palast on the importance of freedom of the press?
2. Discuss the importance of geography in Britain’s political stability and economic and military prowess.  Contrast this to how Germany's geography affected it's role in Europe (2nd part is for later).
3. Contrast the Conservative and Labour parties on the issue of integrating with the EU.
4. Explain the "Thatcher Revolution" and Tony Blair's "Third Way."
5. Compare the role of the state in the economy in the US and Britain.
6. Contrast the unitary system of the UK (as well as it’s fusion of powers) with that of the US.  Discuss the benefits and drawbacks of devolving power in the UK.
7. Explain the role of the Queen & the House of Lords.   What do you think of the proposals discussed in this article on the House of Lords?
8. Discuss the 2010 elections and why the current government is unusual.

Comparing Education: Schools of Thought video & Zakaria article on education on WebCT 

1. Compare the education systems in the US and Japan.  What are the advantages of each?
2. Read the Zakaria article handout (also on Moodle).  What did the Education Minister of Singapore mean when he said that we have a "talent" meritocracy whereas Singapore has an "exam meritocracy"?
3. What is Fareed Zakaria's point about Singapore and the US learning from each other.
   
4. What does Diane Ravitch (on this Daily Show clip) argue about the causes of poor test scores?
   

Chapter 6 (Germany) & Culture of Commerce video

1. Discuss the role of business and labor in Germany and Japan.  Compare that relationship to that in the US.  Include the following: corporatism, keiretsu, co-determination, cross-ownership.
2. Using the example of Nissan and Hitachi from the Culture of Commerce video, discuss the drawback of keiretsu?
3. Why has it been so hard for foreign companies to get a foothold in Japan?  Be sure to discuss non-tariff barriers, keiretsu and MITI.
4. Go to this website http://www.pbs.org/now/politics/executive.html and click on "Facts and Figures" to compare CEO salaries. How does this reflect the relationship between workers and management illustrated in the film Culture of Commerce?
5. Describe the roles of the occupying powers after World War II in shaping German government and politics.
6. Compare the decision-rules in the US, UK and Germany (including distribution of authority, separation of authority and electoral systems).
   
7. Discuss German Federalism and the role of the Chancellor, The Bundestag, and the Constitutional Court.
8. Electoral Variations Assignment due:  Electoral Variations clip (if you have trouble with the NPR site, try this link)

Chapter 7: The EU

1. Discuss the impact of the Cold War on the early steps towards European integration and trace its development since. Specifically, discuss the significance of the SEA, the Maastricht Treaty, and the Treaty of Amsterdam.
2. Is the EU a true supernational entity or a weak confederation of states?
3. Discuss the following problems facing the EU: the CAP, CFSP, Democracy deficit, "deepening" and "widening."
4. Read  this article and explain the EU democracy deficit.  Explain how you would make the EU more democratic? T
5. Listen to this interview of T.R. Reid and this article on Microsoft and the EU. Explain Reid's point of view. Even though Europe is not a military power, do you think it will be a superpower?

End of Midterm Material

1. Read this article and compare the British and German approaches to the EU (also note Spain's actions).  Read this article on British reaction to the new Lisbon Treaty.
2. What impact did World War II have on the need and/or the desire for management-labor cooperation in Germany and Japan?
3. How does "groupism" affect the Japanese approach to education, business and democracy
4. What has been the impact of Article 9 and the US-Japan Security Treaty on Japan’s foreign policy?
5. Discuss the role of the LDP in Japanese politics since WWII.
6. In what way did the rise of the Cold War affect the reforms of SCAP (demilitarization and democratization)?

Chapter 5 & 6: Eastern Europe

1. Discuss the Czech transition to a market economy.  How has it's transition fared compared to its neighbors?
2. Compare the breakups of Czechoslovakia and Yugoslavia.  Why do you think the results were so different?
3. Should it be easy or difficult for regions (such as Chechnya, Croatia and Kosovo) to secede?  Is creating a federal system a viable alternative to calls for independence?