Time Schedule:
Walter Lance Bennett
POL S 544
Seattle Campus
Selected problems in the comparative analysis of political institutions, organizations, and systems.
Class description
Description. This course explores recent controversies surrounding citizen identity, patterns of political engagement, and the quality of democratic governance, primarily in the US and West European nations. The topics include: changing citizen identifications in response to global economic and political forces; social, psychological, and economic bases of trust and political engagement; and the impact of media and political communication on public perceptions of government and politics. Students will explore ways of measuring, analyzing, and evaluating the patterns of identification, participation, and engagement that characterize different polities. Course readings, discussions, and survey data sets provided by the instructor will provide a basis for completing three assignments. Note: This course can be credited toward American or Comparative Politics Field requirements. Texts: Putnam, Making Democracy Work; Inglehart, Modernization and Postmodernization; Verba, Schlozman and Brady, Voice and Equality; Eliasoph, Avoiding Politics; Cappella and Jamieson, Spiral of Cynicism; and a reading packet.
Student learning goals
General method of instruction
Recommended preparation
Class assignments and grading
Assignments. Concept definition: Define a key political concept, describe its importance theoretically, compare different ways of measuring it, show it can be used to unravel questions of participation, satisfaction, citizen engagement, and democratic processes. (20% of grade). Research question: Propose a research question involving your concept. Explain the importance of the question with a brief literature review showing areas of controversy and theoretical uncertainty that your question or proposition can help to clarify. Suggest a preliminary research design aimed at advancing an answer to the question or more generally resolving a theoretical problem. (30% of grade) Research: Develop the above research design and introduce data that helps to answer and clarify the theoretical payoff of the research question. A combination of quantitative and qualitative methods may be used in developing a 10-15 pp. research paper. (40% of grade) Class discussion, including brief presentations of assignments will count 10% of grade.
