POL6003 Comparative PoliticsBahçeşehir UniversityDegree Programs ELECTRICAL AND ELECTRONICS ENGINEERINGGeneral Information For StudentsDiploma SupplementErasmus Policy StatementNational QualificationsBologna Commission
ELECTRICAL AND ELECTRONICS ENGINEERING
Bachelor TR-NQF-HE: Level 6 QF-EHEA: First Cycle EQF-LLL: Level 6

Course Introduction and Application Information

Course Code Course Name Semester Theoretical Practical Credit ECTS
POL6003 Comparative Politics Spring 3 0 3 6
This catalog is for information purposes. Course status is determined by the relevant department at the beginning of semester.

Basic information

Language of instruction: English
Type of course: Non-Departmental Elective
Course Level: Bachelor’s Degree (First Cycle)
Mode of Delivery: Face to face
Course Coordinator : Assoc. Prof. ESRA ALBAYRAKOĞLU
Course Lecturer(s): Dr. Öğr. Üyesi ARDA CAN KUMBARACIBAŞI
Recommended Optional Program Components: none
Course Objectives: This seminar has two goals. First, the seminar aims at familiarizing you with the core issues and fields of research in comparative politics. Second, it strives to provide you with conceptual, analytical and theoretical tols necessary for comparative political research.

Learning Outcomes

The students who have succeeded in this course;
Acquires social, scientific and ethical values under any circumstances with regard to the field of Political Science and International Relations in data collection, interpretation, and dissemination processes and also develops knowledge and deepens the level of expertise.

Acquires knowledge on geographical, institutional, structural, conceptual and theoretical development of the international relations; also on the political, economic and juridical foundation of the state. Evaluated to be critical a variety of security issues, strategies, and practical consequences in the international arena.

Course Content

This course is a survey of major topics in comparative politics for Ph.D. students in political science. Comparative politics is both a method and a subject. As a subject, comparative politics studies the structures, institutions and outcomes of political processes. As a method, comparative politics aims at systematically comparing and contrasting the political mechanisms (not just of different countries, but in different regions and transnational formations) in order to increase our knowledge of political life.

Weekly Detailed Course Contents

Week Subject Related Preparation
1) Introduction
2) What is comparative politics? Arend Lijphardt, “Comparative politics and comparative method,” The American Political Science Review, Vol. 65, No. 3 (September 1971), pp. 682-693. David Collier, “The comparative method” in Political Science: The state of the discipline II, edited by A.W. Finifter, Washington, D.C.: American Political Science Association.
3) Thinking about Power John Gaventa, Power and Powerlessness. Quiescence and Rebellion in an Appalachian Valley (University of Illinois Press, 1982), 3-32. Jeffrey C. Isaac, “Beyond the Three Faces of Power: A Realist Critique,” Polity, Vol. 20, No.1 (Autumn 1987), pp.4-31.
4) State building Thomas Ertman, Birth of the Leviathan : Building States and Regimes in Medieval and Early Modern Europe (Cambridge University Press, 1997)
5) Democracy and Social Classes Barrington Moore, Social Origins of Dictatorship and Democracy: Lord and Peasant in the Making of the Modern World (Beacon Press, 1993)
6) States and Revolutions Theda Skocpol, States and Social Revolutions: A Comparative Analysis of France, Russia and China (Cambridge University Press, 1979)
7) Regimes and Performance Daron Acemoglu & James Robinson, Why Nations Fail: The Origins of Power, Prosperity, and Poverty (Crown Business, 2012)
8) Nationalism Benedict Anderson, Imagined Communities: Reflections on the Origin and Spread of Nationalism (Verso, 2006)
9) Political Culture Robert D. Putnam, Making Democracy Work: Civic Traditions in Modern Italy (Princeton, 1994)
10) Social Movements Sidney Tarrow, Power in Movement (Cambridge, 2011)
11) Institutions and Interests Albert O. Hirschman, Exit, Voice, and Loyalty: Responses to Decline in Firms, Organizations, and States (Harvard, 1970)
12) Institutions and Political Development Samuel P. Huntington, Political Order in Changing Societies (Yale, 2006)
13) Political Violence Stathis Kalyvas, The Logic of Violence in Civil War
14) Overview and general assessment of the course Acedemic Articles and related books

Sources

Course Notes / Textbooks: Thomas Ertman, Birth of the Leviathan : Building States and Regimes in Medieval and Early Modern Europe (Cambridge University Press, 1997)
Barrington Moore, Social Origins of Dictatorship and Democracy: Lord and Peasant in the Making of the Modern World (Beacon Press, 1993)
Theda Skocpol, States and Social Revolutions: A Comparative Analysis of France, Russia and China (Cambridge University Press, 1979)
Daron Acemoglu & James Robinson, Why Nations Fail: The Origins of Power, Prosperity, and Poverty (Crown Business, 2012)
Benedict Anderson, Imagined Communities: Reflections on the Origin and Spread of Nationalism (Verso, 2006)
Robert D. Putnam, Making Democracy Work: Civic Traditions in Modern Italy (Princeton, 1994)
Sidney Tarrow, Power in Movement (Cambridge, 2011)
Albert O. Hirschman, Exit, Voice, and Loyalty: Responses to Decline in Firms, Organizations, and States (Harvard, 1970)
Samuel P. Huntington, Political Order in Changing Societies (Yale, 2006)
Stathis Kalyvas, The Logic of Violence in Civil War (Cambridge, 2006)
References: Arend Lijphardt, “Comparative politics and comparative method,” The American Political Science Review, Vol. 65, No. 3 (September 1971), pp. 682-693
David Collier, “The comparative method” in Political Science: The state of the discipline II, edited by A.W. Finifter, Washington, D.C.: American Political Science Association
John Gaventa, Power and Powerlessness. Quiescence and Rebellion in an Appalachian Valley (University of Illinois Press, 1982), 3-32
Jeffrey C. Isaac, “Beyond the Three Faces of Power: A Realist Critique,” Polity, Vol. 20, No.1 (Autumn 1987), pp.4-31

Evaluation System

Semester Requirements Number of Activities Level of Contribution
Attendance 14 % 20
Homework Assignments 14 % 40
Final 1 % 40
Total % 100
PERCENTAGE OF SEMESTER WORK % 60
PERCENTAGE OF FINAL WORK % 40
Total % 100

ECTS / Workload Table

Activities Number of Activities Duration (Hours) Workload
Course Hours 14 3 42
Application 14 4 56
Study Hours Out of Class 14 6 84
Homework Assignments 13 3 39
Paper Submission 1 1 1
Final 1 3 3
Total Workload 225

Contribution of Learning Outcomes to Programme Outcomes

No Effect 1 Lowest 2 Low 3 Average 4 High 5 Highest
           
Program Outcomes Level of Contribution
1) Adequate knowledge in mathematics, science and electric-electronic engineering subjects; ability to use theoretical and applied information in these areas to model and solve engineering problems.
2) Ability to identify, formulate, and solve complex engineering problems; ability to select and apply proper analysis and modeling methods for this purpose.
3) Ability to design a complex system, process, device or product under realistic constraints and conditions, in such a way as to meet the desired result; ability to apply modern design methods for this purpose. (Realistic constraints and conditions may include factors such as economic and environmental issues, sustainability, manufacturability, ethics, health, safety issues, and social and political issues, according to the nature of the design.)
4) Ability to devise, select, and use modern techniques and tools needed for electrical-electronic engineering practice; ability to employ information technologies effectively.
5) Ability to design and conduct experiments, gather data, analyze and interpret results for investigating engineering problems.
6) Ability to work efficiently in intra-disciplinary and multi-disciplinary teams; ability to work individually.
7) Ability to communicate effectively in English and Turkish (if he/she is a Turkish citizen), both orally and in writing.
8) Recognition of the need for lifelong learning; ability to access information, to follow developments in science and technology, and to continue to educate him/herself.
9) Awareness of professional and ethical responsibility.
10) Information about business life practices such as project management, risk management, and change management; awareness of entrepreneurship, innovation, and sustainable development.
11) Knowledge about contemporary issues and the global and societal effects of engineering practices on health, environment, and safety; awareness of the legal consequences of engineering solutions.