Lessons 1 and 2: Introduction. What is politics? The relationship between a political order and a social system. (REQUIRED READING: Chapter 1: “Issues in Comparative Politics” pp. 1 – 37 in Gabriel Almond, et. al., Comparative Politics; Chapters 1 and 2: “What is Comparative Politics?” and “The Framework of Analyis”, pp. 1 – 39 in Jeffrey Kopstein and Mark Lichbach, Comparative Politics; Chapter 1: “Comparative Politics: What Is It? Why Study It?”, pp. 3 – 27 in Michael Sodaro, Comparative Politics. A Global Introduction; Part I: “Introduction: The Field of Comparative Politics”, pp. 3 – 41 in Howard Wiarda, ed.., New Directions in Comparative Politics; “Introduction”, pp. 1 – 23 in John McCormack, Comparative Politics in Transition; )
Lessons 3 and 4: Why do we compare? How do we compare? (REQUIRED READING: Chapter 2: “Comparing Political Systems” pp. 39 – 54 in Almond, Comparative Politics; Part I: “Why, How and Problems of Comparison”, pp. 1 – 95 in Todd Landman, Issues and Methods in Comparative Politics; Chapter 1: “The Concept of Country”, pp. 1 – 16 in Michael Roskin, Countries and Concepts; Chapter 1: “Comparative Approaches”, pp. 11 – 28 in Jan Erik Lane and Svante Ersson, Comparative Politics; Chapter 1: “Comparative Political Analysis: An Introduction” pp. 1 – 21 in Gregory Mahler, Comparative Politics.)
Lessons 5 and 6: Political culture. Agents of Political Socialization. (REQUIRED READING: “Political Culture and Political Socialization” pp. 56 – 75 in Almond, Comparative Politics; Chapter 1: “Politics and Society: Cleavages”, pp. 16 – 46 in Yves Meny and Andrew Knopp, Governments and Politics of Western Europe; )
Lesson 7: Interest Groups. Policy Perspectives on Interest Articulation. (REQUIRED READING: “Interest Articulation” pp. 78 – 99 in Almond, Comparative Politics; Chapter 11: “”People and Poltiics: Voters, Parties, Interest Groups, Dissidence, Revolution”, pp. 243 – 269 in Sodaro, Comparative Politics. A Global Perspective; Chapter 3: “Interest Groups” pp. 100 – 129 in Yves Meny, Government and Politics in Western Europe; Chapter 3: “Interest Groups” pp. 123 – 153 in Meny and Knapp, Governments and Politics of Western Europe; )
Lessons 8 and 9: Political Parties. Comparative Party Systems and Interest Aggregation. (REQUIRED READING: “Interest Aggregation and Political Parties” pp. 102 – 124 in Almond, Comparative Politics; Chapter 4: “The Dynamics of European Political Systems” pp. 99 – 147 in Lawrence S. Graham, The Politics of Governing; Chapter 2: “Political Parties”, pp. 38 – 100 in Meny, Government and Politics in Western Europe; Chapter 2: “Political Parties” pp. 46 – 123 in Meny and Knopp, Governments and Politics of Western Europe; Chapter 7: “Interest Groups and Political Parties” pp. 144 – 163 in Mahler, Comparative Politics.)
Lesson 10: Mid-Term Exam
Lessons 11, 12, and 13: Italy: Political Parties in Historical Perspective, the Roles of Government and Parliament, Political Culture. (REQUIRED READING: “Italy” pp. 225 – 301 in Michael Keating, The Politics of Modern Europe; Chapter 6: “The Case Study” pp. 137 - 156 in Guy Peters, Comparative Politics; Part 4: “Italy”, pp. 279 – 393 in M. Donald Hancock, Politics in Europe; Chapter 1: “History” pp. 9 – 47, Chapter 5: “Political Culture and Behavior” pp. 145 – 179, Chapter 7: “Elections, Voting and Political Parties” pp. 210 – 251; Chapter 1: “Understanding Political Change in Post-War Italy” pp. 4 – 20, Chapter 3: “Political Parties and the Party System” p. 39 – 63 in Martin Bull and James Newell, Italian Politics; Chapter 3: “Political Catholicism and the Strange Death of the Christian Democrats” pp. 59 – 72 in Stephen Gundle and Simon Parker, The New Italian Republic; Part IV: “Italy” pp. 253 – 347 in Donald Hancock, Politics in Europe)
Lessons 14 and 15: Sweden: Political Parties in Historical Perspective, the Roles of Government and Parliament, Political Culture. (REQUIRED READING: “Sweden” pp. 144 – 162 in David Broughton and Mark Donovan, eds., Changing Party Systems in Western Europe; Part V: “Sweden” pp. 347 – 403 in Hancock, Politics in Europe )
Lesson 16: Spain: Political Parties in Historical Perspective, the Roles of Government and Parliament, Political Culture. (REQUIRED READING: “Spain” pp. 367 – 427 in Keating, The Politics of Modern Europe; Chapter 2: “Past as Prologue” pp. 13 – 34 in R. Gunther, G. Sani, and G. Shabad, Spain After Franco; Chapter 4: “The Transition to Democracy” pp. 61 – 81, Chapter 5: “Political Culture: The Iberian Melody pp. 81 – 105, Chapter 7: “Political Parties and Elections” pp. 125 – 145 in Howard Wiarda and Margaret Mott, Catholic Roots and Democratic Flowers .)
Lessons 17 and 18 : United States: Political Parties in Historical Perspective, the Roles of Government and Congress, Political Culture. (REQUIRED READING: “The United States” pp. 45 – 65 in Charles Hauss, Comparative Politics; Chapter 7: “United States: Governance, Policy Making, Representation and Participation” pp. 335 – 354 in Mark Kesselman and Joel Krieger, Introduction to Comparative Politics; Part 1: “The Electoral Arena” pp. 2 – 108 in Stephen J. Wayne, The Road to the White House; Chapter 1: “The Changing Presidency” pp. 3 – 43 in Norman Thomas, The Politics of the Presidency.)
Lessons 19 and 20: Student Oral Reports
Lesson 21: Final Exam
Core Texts:
The core reading for the course will be the following texts: America and the Intellectual Cold Wars in Europe by Volker Berghahn, The Lost Peace: Leadership in a Time of Horror and Hope 1945 – 1953 by Robert Dallek, and Billionaires Ball: Gluttony and Hubris in an Age of Epic Inequality by Linda McQuaig and Neil Brooks. These books may be purchased in Rome or ordered through Amazon.
Films:
“Capitalism Hits the Fan”, “Heist! Who Stole the American Dream”, “The War on Democracy”, “Ethos: A Time for Change”, “A Better Life”, “Remembrance of Things to Come”, “Conspiracy”, “Casino Jack and the United States of Money”, “So Goes the Nation”, and “A Perfect Candidate”.
Oral Report Topics:
- Can any useful distinctions still be made between the ideology of Christian democrats, social democrats, and conservatives?
- Has change in European party systems over recent years resulted more from changes in society, or from the behavior of political actors?
- What evidence does Western Europe offer of a “decline of parliaments” since 1945?
- Why has the impact of religion on political behavior been so variable between different countries?
- Has social class declined as a determinant of voting in the major West European countries?
- Should the function of Head of State in West European democracies be considered a largely ceremonial one?
- How, and under what conditions, can prime ministers exercise leadership in West European governments?
- “The legislature is the most important constraint on the activity of the executive branch in Western Europe”.
- Can the rise of the far Right and Green parties in many European countries since the 1980s be explained by any common causes?
- Why has governmental office posed particular dilemmas for Communist and Socialist parties, and how have they generally reacted to these difficulties?
- Does regionalism pose a major challenge to national identity in Western Europe?
- Do modern European governments suffer from a problem of legitimacy?
- Does the modern European welfare state intervene too much and cost too much?
- Was political behavior in late 20th century Western Europe more or less territorially fragmented than in the immediate post-war period?
- Is a “social explosion” in the streets possible if citizen participation in Western European societies is not enhanced?
Primary Reserve Reading:
Mark Kesselman and Joel Krieger, Introduction to Comparative Politics; M. Donald Hancock, Politics in Europe, 4th edition; G. Bingham Powell, et.al., Comparative Politics: A Theoretical Framework; Timothy Lim, Doing Comparative Politics; Carol Ann Drogus and Stephen Orvis, Introducing Comparative Politics; Michael Roskin, Countries and Concepts: Politics, Geography, Culture; Michael Keating, The Politics of Modern Europe; Michael Sodaro, Comparative Politics; John McCormack, Comparative Politics in Transition; Gabriel Amond, Comparative Politics; William Hitchcock, The Struggle for Europe; Tim Bale, European Politics; Silvio Bartolini, Party Politics in Contemporary Western Europe; David Arter, Scandinavian Politics Today; Stephen Wayne, The Road to the White House 2012; Martin Bull and James Newell, Italian Politics; Norman Thomas, The Politics of the Presidency; Howard Wiarda and Esther Kelley, Comparative Politics; Charles Hauss, Comparative Politics; Richard Lingeman, The Noir Forties; Peter Eisner, The Pope’s Lost Crusade; Elena Kostioukovitch, Why Italians Love to Talk About Food; Richard Pollock III, The Essentials of Political Analysis.
Additional Reading:
Peter Eisner, The Pope’s Last Crusade; Elena Kostioukovitch, Why Italians Love to Talk About Food; Patrick O’Neil, et.al., Cases in Comparative Politics; Elena Kostioukovitch, Why Italians Love to Talk About Food; David Samuels, Comparative Politics; Lawrence C. Mayer, Comparative Politics: The Quest for Theory and Explanations; Mary Hilson, The Nordic Model: Scandinavia Since 1945; George C. Edwards III, The Strategic President; Stephen Gundle and Simon Parker, The New Italian Republic; Martin Bull and Martin Rhodes, Crisis and Transition in Italian Politics; Tony Judt, Postwar: A History of Europe since 1945; George C. Edwards III, The Strategic President; Fareed Zakaria, From Wealth to Power; Ira Katzenstein and Chechel, European Identity; Howard Wiarda, New Directions in Comparative Politics; Yves Meny, Governments and Politics of Western Europe; Howard Wiarda, Catholic Roots and Democratic Flowers; A. Smith, The Right Talk; Eric Lane and Svante Ersson, Comparative Politics; F. Mahler, Comparative Politics; Heclo and Madsen, Policy and Politics in Sweden; S. Landman, Issues in Comparative Politics; B. Andrian, Comprative Political Systems; G. Peters, Comparative Politics; and Broughton and Donovan, Changing Party Systems in Western Europe.