Description
The broad theme of this year’s Thesis Seminar in Comparative Government and Politics is “Regime Change and Stability”, but students are welcome to propose their own research topics in the field of Comparative Politics.
For students in the IR track there will be the following specific subtheme: Impact of domestic factors on foreign politics. A focus will be on the political system, leadership dynamics, and societal forces that may or may not influence decision-making on foreign policy.
The seminar has two basic goals. The first is to introduce students to the major themes, debates, and puzzles in the scholarly discussion about why some regimes change while others remain stable. The second goal is to allow students to grow familiar with some of the methodological challenges of conducting comparative research and then to develop a research proposal of their own that sets out a research question and a research design for answering that question. This proposal will form the basis of the master thesis they will write in the second half of the Thesis Seminar. The course is designed around engaged and lively debate on the issues and giving constructive feedback on each others work; therefore, student participation is absolutely necessary.
Methods of Instruction
Lectures, class discussions, and thesis supervision.
Literature
Approximately 600 pages based on a course pack and additional material made available through Blackboard.
For the IR students there will be the following core literature:
Everts, Philip and Pierangelo Isernia (2001). Public Opinion and the International Use of Force. New York, Routledge. Introduction.
Weiss, Jessica.C. Autocratic Audiences, International Bargaining, and Nationalist Protest in China. Unpublished manuscript.
Examination
Block III: Research proposal
Block IV: Masterthesis
Schedule
Monday 4 Feb till 27 May, 13.00 – 15.00 hrs in 6C03 (except 25 March 1A15 & 6 May SA31) (no class: 1,8,15,25 & 29 April and 9 & 20 May)
Thursday 7 Feb, till 30 May, 13.00 – 15.00 hrs in 1A03 (no class on 9 May, Ascension Day)
Unknown => the location of the classroom will be announced at a later stage