Welcome to AP Comparative Government Mr. Mosley Pick up the handouts on the left counter top, a folder, note card and textbook. Write your name in the textbook. On the note card provided, please tell me something about yourself: your name, your interests including hobbies/work/sports, e-mail addresses & cell phone numbers for you and your parents, and something that you want me to know

How can we contact you? The fastest way to contact me is by e-mail to mmosley@cbsd.org I am in Room D120 before and after school and during homeroom. If you are out for an excused absence, you must e-mail assignments/projects on the due date but then bring in the hard copy of the paper when you return to class or lose participation points.

What is AP Comparative Government? Introduces concepts for comparison of political systems and governments Examines 6 countries on 4 continents in comparing the effects of geography, history, economy, and society on their forms of government. Evaluates the governmental organization, political processes and policy outcomes of each of these countries.

Which Countries Are Studied? Three relatively developed countries: Britain Russia China Three relatively less developed countries: Mexico Nigeria Iran

Which Countries Are Studied?

What Sources Are Used? The textbook for the course is AP Comparative Government and Politics: A Study Guide by Ethel Wood. In addition we utilize readings from Introduction to Comparative Politics by Kesselman (Columbia, Krieger, and Joseph (Wellesley) and a variety of other sources written by eminent political scientists.

Why Study Comparative Politics? It’s interesting to learn about other countries, regions, and the world, helping to overcome our ethnocentrism. It enables us to understand how nations change and the patterns that exist. It provides us with a sophisticated analytical tool: the comparative method. It is the basis for understanding both international relations and foreign policy.

How are grades determined? Grades are determined as follows: For the 18-week course… 40% for the 1st or 3rd marking period grade 40% for the 2nd or 4th marking period grade 20% for the final exam grade For each marking period… 80% are the average of summative assignments (unit tests, projects, and core assessments) 10% for formative assessments (quizzes, reading assignments, etc)

Why should you take the AP exam? Many colleges and universities either give credit for or waive a course requirement based on your grade on the AP Government exam. For example, in Pennsylvania, students who score 4 or above will receive credit at Penn State, Pitt, Temple, Lehigh, etc. Score 3 or above will receive credit at West Chester, Bloomsburg, Millersville, etc. You can verify a college’s AP credit policy at: collegesearch.collegeboard.com/apcreditpolicy/index.jsp

How Can You Apply What You Learn? Watch an international news report nightly or at least weekly, such as the BBC or listen to news on NPR. Read and collect a diversity of newspaper and magazine articles having to do with the countries that you are studying that relate to the vocabulary and concepts that you are learning. Prepare to report once a week to class on two articles that you have found, starting in the second week of class. Describe the articles and how these relate to comparative politics concepts. Keep the full citations for the articles as you will need these for core assessment assignments (to be announced).

Advice from prior students “Read the book” (recommended by most students) “Take good notes on the readings and lectures” “Study, do the readings, and participate” “Buy the study guide” “Practice time management and do your homework” “Bring two pens to class”

What type of questions does Comparative Government address? How can political systems be compared? Why are some countries poor and others wealthier? Why are the poorer countries inclined to be governed autocratically while the richer countries are more democratic? How does globalization affect the economies and political conditions of countries? Etc.

How did the Study of Comparative Government and Politics Develop? In pre-history humans compared the organization of clans, tribes, and extended families they came in contact with. In ancient Greece, Aristotle described the numerous constitutions of the Greek city states and arrived at a system to classify the then known political systems. In the 18th century, the French philosophe, Montesquieu, a true comparativist, described separation of powers that influenced the creation of the form of the U.S. government.

How do political scientists approach comparative analysis? One approach emphasizes “empirical” data based on factual statements and statistics. Another approach focuses on “normative” issues that require value judgments. Comparative analysis attempts to utilize the scientific method: observation, description, and formulation of a hypothesis that states the relationship between “independent variables” and “dependent variables”.

Example of a Comparative Politics Hypothesis: “Economically developed countries are much more likely to be democracies” In this hypothesis, the “dependent variable” is whether or not the country is a democracy, while the “independent variable” is whether or not the country is economically developed. The following captures the idea of the causal relationship between these variables: Economic Development Democracy

A hypothesis must be falsifiable, meaning that it cannot be a statement that is true by definition, known as a “tautology”. An example of a tautology is “large countries have more territory to defend than small countries.” Once a hypothesis has been developed, the researcher needs to define the key terms in the study and how they will be measured by: “Conceptualization”: making clear what a term means, such as “democracy” which may involve normative criteria. “Operationalization”: establishing a measurement scheme for that concept, allowing one to observe and categorize data.

How Scientific is Political Science? Political science, like other social sciences, is limited in its ability to generalize causal claims because its subject matter involves people. It is difficult to explain outcomes because of variances among peoples. The complexity of politics and difficulty in measuring key concepts has led some comparativists to reject causuality as central to their studies and instead focus on degrees of association between two or more variables.

Next Steps in the Introductory Unit Study the Methods of Comparative Politics Examine Political Culture Describe Political Systems Analyze the Effect of Political Ideologies Acquire Tools to Evaluate the Political Economy Understand How Governments Implement Policies Describe Trends in Globalization and Democratization

How Can You Apply What You Learn? Watch an international news report nightly or at least weekly, such as the BBC or listen to news on NPR. Read and collect a diversity of newspaper and magazine articles on countries you are studying that relate to the vocabulary and concepts that you are learning. Keep the full citations for the articles as you will need these for an assignment (to be announced). Report once a week to class on two articles that you have found, starting in the second week of class. Describe the articles and how these relate to comparative politics concepts.

Homework Read and take notes on the handout, “Comparing Political Systems”. Read pages 12-17 in your textbook and answer the following: How are empirical data and normative criteria different. Provide your own examples of each. What is the difference between an independent and dependent variable? Provide your own example to illustrate the correlation between these? How have approaches to comparing countries changed since the Cold War period? Which types of countries today are similar in political institutions and economic practices?