EPOKA UNIVERSITY
FACULTY OF LAW AND SOCIAL SCIENCES
DEPARTMENT OF POLITICAL SCIENCE AND INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
COURSE SYLLABUS
2024-2025 ACADEMIC YEAR
COURSE INFORMATIONCourse Title: COMPARATIVE POLITICS |
| Code | Course Type | Regular Semester | Theory | Practice | Lab | Credits | ECTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PIR 124 | B | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 5 |
| Academic staff member responsible for the design of the course syllabus (name, surname, academic title/scientific degree, email address and signature) | Dr. Dea Haxhiu dbashkurti@epoka.edu.al |
| Main Course Lecturer (name, surname, academic title/scientific degree, email address and signature) and Office Hours: | Dr. Dea Haxhiu dbashkurti@epoka.edu.al , Monday 10:00-12:30 |
| Second Course Lecturer(s) (name, surname, academic title/scientific degree, email address and signature) and Office Hours: | NA |
| Language: | English |
| Compulsory/Elective: | Compulsory |
| Study program: (the study for which this course is offered) | Bachelor in Political Science and International Relations (3 years) |
| Classroom and Meeting Time: | |
| Teaching Assistant(s) and Office Hours: | NA |
| Code of Ethics: |
Code of Ethics of EPOKA University Regulation of EPOKA University "On Student Discipline" |
| Attendance Requirement: | |
| Course Description: | This course introduces a sub-field of political science known as Comparative Politics. This module will introduce students to the core concepts and theories that underpin comparative politics. This is also the study of political relationships and processes within particular case countries (as opposed to the relations between countries), using the main political concepts of modern state, civil society, citizenship, market, political culture and political behaviour within the context of theoretical and empirical knowledge gained from comparative analysis. The sub-field of Comparative Politics is vast and it often overlaps with disciplines of economics, international relations, history, sociology, psychology and anthropology. After completing this module, students should be able to critically analyze any country in the world, explaining different political outcomes in a comparative way. |
| Course Objectives: | This course also offers empirical analyses of government and politics in a select group of countries. Comparative politics involves the cross-national study of governments, political systems, and of the social variables which condition their formation and operation. We examine key aspects of the origins and uses of power, as well as in the formal institutions of the state, focusing particularly on the relations between state and society. These relations are obviously affected by the broader international processes of modernization and globalization. We will examine the similarities and differences between political and economic systems (looking at institutions, elections, participation, civil rights, and other aspects). |
|
BASIC CONCEPTS OF THE COURSE
|
| 1 | States - State is the organization that maintains a monopoly of violence over a territory. |
| 2 | Nations - A group that desires self-government, often through an independent state—is largely consistent from case to case and is inherently political. |
| 3 | Society - Society is a broad term that refers to complex human organization, a collection of people bound by shared institutions that define how human relations should be conducted. |
| 4 | Political Economy - The study of how politics and economics are related and how their relationship shapes the balance between freedom and equality. |
| 5 | Democracy- A political power exercised either directly or indirectly by the people through participation, competition, and liberty. |
| 6 | Non-democratic regimes - A political regime which is controlled by a small group of individuals who exercise power over the state without being constitutionally responsible to the public. |
| 7 | Political violence - Politically motivated violence outside of state control. |
| 8 | Communism - An ideology that seeks to create human equality by eliminating private property and market forces. |
| 9 | Developing countries - Are characterized by hybrid forms of economic, societal, and political institutions, both foreign-imposed and indigenous. |
| 10 | Globalization - Linkages between states, societies, and economies appear to be intensifying, and at an increasingly rapid pace they are challenging long-standing institutions, assumptions, and norms. |
|
COURSE OUTLINE
|
| Week | Topics |
| 1 | Introduction of the course |
| 2 | What is Comparative Politics? Chapter 1 - In political science, comparative politics is a subfield that compares this pursuit of power across countries. Pg. 3-29; Patrick H. O’Neil, Essentials of Comparative Politics, 7th edition, New York: W. W. Norton, 2021 |
| 3 | States, Chapter 2 - The word state typically conjures up the idea of local, not centralized, politics. But for most people around the world, state refers to centralized authority, the locus of power. Pg. 31 - 61; Patrick H. O’Neil, Essentials of Comparative Politics, 7th edition, New York: W. W. Norton, 2021 |
| 4 | Nations and Society, Chapter 3 - From country to country and place to place, societies differ in how individuals define themselves and their relationships to one another, to government, and to the state. Pg. 63 - 95; Patrick H. O’Neil, Essentials of Comparative Politics, 7th edition, New York: W. W. Norton, 2021 |
| 5 | Political Economy, Chapter 4 - In reality, an economy relies on an array of institutions that enable individuals to exchange goods and resources with one another. Moreover, economic institutions, like political ones, are not easy to replace or change once they have been constructed. Pg. 96 - 133; Patrick H. O’Neil, Essentials of Comparative Politics, 7th edition, New York: W. W. Norton, 2021 |
| 6 | Democratic regimes, Chapter 5 - For most of human history, societies have not been organized in a way that we would consider democratic. But in the last two centuries, revolution, war, and the destruction of rival ideologies have paved the way for democracy around the globe Pg. 135 - 171; Patrick H. O’Neil, Essentials of Comparative Politics, 7th edition, New York: W. W. Norton, 2021 |
| 7 | Non-Democratic regimes, Chapter 6 - One challenge to studying nondemocratic regimes is that they constitute what we could call a residual category—a group of dissimilar things that aren’t necessarily the same. Pg. 172 - 203; Patrick H. O’Neil, Essentials of Comparative Politics, 7th edition, New York: W. W. Norton, 2021 |
| 8 | Midterm exam |
| 9 | Political violence, Chapter 7 - Power and legitimacy rest in these institutions, to varying degrees, but what happens when they lose power altogether or when people seek to take them down by force. Pg. 206 - 233; Patrick H. O’Neil, Essentials of Comparative Politics, 7th edition, New York: W. W. Norton, 2021 |
| 10 | Developed Democracies, Chapter 8 - This chapter focuses at the basic institutions and dynamics that characterize developed democracies, applying the concepts we have studied so far. Pg. 237 - 265; Patrick H. O’Neil, Essentials of Comparative Politics, 7th edition, New York: W. W. Norton, 2021 |
| 11 | Communism and Post-Communism, Chapter 9 - How communism attempted to reconcile freedom and equality and why communist systems have largely failed at that endeavor. Pg. 266 - 303; Patrick H. O’Neil, Essentials of Comparative Politics, 7th edition, New York: W. W. Norton, 2021 |
| 12 | Developing Countries, Chapter 10 - Consider how imperialism and colonialism have affected developing countries’ state, societal, and economic institutions. Compare how post-imperial countries have suffered from ethnic and national division, limited economic growth, and weak states. Pg. 305 - 337; Patrick H. O’Neil, Essentials of Comparative Politics, 7th edition, New York: W. W. Norton, 2021 |
| 13 | Globalization and the future of Comparative Politics, Chapter 11 - Linkages between states, societies, and economies appear to be intensifying, and at an increasingly rapid pace they are challenging long-standing institutions, assumptions, and norms. Pg. 339 - 367; Patrick H. O’Neil, Essentials of Comparative Politics, 7th edition, New York: W. W. Norton, 2021 |
| 14 | Presentation of the student assignments, revision of the course |
| Prerequisite(s): | |
| Textbook(s): | 1. Patrick H. O’Neil, Essentials of Comparative Politics, 7th edition, New York: W. W. Norton, 2021. 2. Patrick H. O’Neil, Karl Fields, and Don Share. Cases of Comparative Politics, 7th edition, New York: W. W. Norton, 2021 |
| Additional Literature: | |
| Laboratory Work: | |
| Computer Usage: | |
| Others: | No |
|
COURSE LEARNING OUTCOMES
|
| 1 | Explain the methods political scientists used to understand politics around the world. |
| 2 | Describe the field of comparative politics and comparative political analysis. |
| 3 | Define key institutions and processes and make comparisons across different types of political systems. |
| 4 | Demonstrate an understanding of basic facts about the world. Demonstrate capacity to theorize or explain political outcomes. |
| 5 | Demonstrate familiarity with current political debates. |
| 6 | Understand contending theoretical and methodological approaches to studying comparative politics and apply appropriate approaches in your independent research. |
| 7 | Demonstrate knowledge of political systems including their institutions, processes, laws and constitutions and the relations between and among nations. |
|
COURSE CONTRIBUTION TO... PROGRAM COMPETENCIES
(Blank : no contribution, 1: least contribution ... 5: highest contribution) |
| No | Program Competencies | Cont. |
| Bachelor in Political Science and International Relations (3 years) Program | ||
| 1 | Having and using advanced knowledge and comprehension supported by textbooks including actual knowledge in political sciences and international relations literature, materials and the other scientific resources. | 5 |
| 2 | Analyzing data, ideas and concepts of current political issues and international relations, determining complex events and topics, making discussions and developing new suggestions in accordance with researches. | 5 |
| 3 | Having knowledge and thought about actual topics and problems together with their historical, social and cultural aspects. | 5 |
| 4 | Introducing those who are interested in politics and international events with the topics of Political Science and IR and teaching clearly the problems and the types of solutions. | 5 |
| 5 | Improving skills of working together with the main social science disciplines and other disciplines which are related to Political Science and International Relations. | 5 |
| 6 | Improving critical thinking and skills in making research independently. | 5 |
| 7 | Developing solutions about the problems and conflicts which are common in national and international arena. | 5 |
| 8 | Improving skills for leadership and research and analyze capacity of those who is responsible with national and international ones. | 5 |
| 9 | Knowing any foreign language enough to communicate with colleagues and understand actual researches and articles. | 5 |
| 10 | Gaining IT skills to use computer and technology) in order to reach actual knowledge. | 4 |
| 11 | Gaining skills to follow societal, scientific and ethic values during collecting, interpreting, conducting of data related to social and political developments. | 4 |
| 12 | Having consciousness about human rights and environment. | 5 |
| 13 | Gaining the skills to follow actual developments and pursue long-life learning. | 5 |
|
COURSE EVALUATION METHOD
|
| Method | Quantity | Percentage |
| Midterm Exam(s) |
1
|
30
|
| Presentation |
1
|
5
|
| Project |
1
|
35
|
| Quiz |
2
|
5
|
| Attendance |
20
|
|
| Total Percent: | 100% |
|
ECTS (ALLOCATED BASED ON STUDENT WORKLOAD)
|
| Activities | Quantity | Duration(Hours) | Total Workload(Hours) |
| Course Duration (Including the exam week: 16x Total course hours) | 16 | 3 | 48 |
| Hours for off-the-classroom study (Pre-study, practice) | 14 | 3 | 42 |
| Mid-terms | 1 | 10 | 10 |
| Assignments | 1 | 8 | 8 |
| Final examination | 1 | 15 | 15 |
| Other | 1 | 2 | 2 |
|
Total Work Load:
|
125 | ||
|
Total Work Load/25(h):
|
5 | ||
|
ECTS Credit of the Course:
|
5 | ||
|
CONCLUDING REMARKS BY THE COURSE LECTURER
|
|
This academic year’s Comparative Politics course offered valuable insights into the diversity of political systems, institutions, and practices across the globe. Student engagement was generally strong, though critical thinking and comparative analysis skills should continue to be encouraged. Limitations included time constraints affecting deeper regional case studies. I recommend integrating more interactive sessions and policy simulations in future iterations. |