MATTHEW LESENYIE

This course is an introduction to political science and the topic of Comparative Politics. What exactly does that mean? Well, in this course we compare and contrast the success (and failure) of democratic political institutions. We will do so by leveraging the comparative method and theory on institutional structure. Using cases that range from established, transitional, and failing democracies we can examine the implications of institutions in these outcomes. By the end of this course you will be able to link institutional rules to democratic outcomes using both political science terminology and plain language. I assume you have no knowledge of government institutions, political science concepts, and research methods. Therefore, this course will be accessible to students from all academic majors.