Welcome to Comparative Government & Politics

The AP Course in Comparative Government and Politics introduces students to fundamental concepts used by political scientists to study the processes and outcomes of politics in a variety of settings. The year long course will be ideally suited for the strong student who wants a better understanding of todayʼs ever more complex world.
Students will build develop solid foundations in research and analysis, while developing their study skills, note taking, and communication skills in order to:

• understand major comparative political concepts, themes and generalizations
  
• have knowledge of politics of China, Great Britain, Iran, Mexico, Nigeria, and
  Russia
  
• understand typical patterns of political processes and their consequences
  
• be able to compare and contrast political institutions and processes across
  countries
  
• be able to analyze and interpret basic data relevant to comparative government
  and politics.
  Expectations: Students in this class will need a strong social science background, with solid writing and analytical skills. Successful students will have an interest in foreign affairs, and bring some of the tools to study them.
  Summer news reading will be assigned, so that the students have an understanding of the contemporary events of the countries we are studying.
  
  
  

Syllabus to come in September along with unit and chapter breakdowns.
Our text will be:

• Introduction to Comparative Politics, Kesselman et al, Houghton Mifflin,

I will be posting readings and current events on a bi-weekly basis throughout the summer.  We will discuss these articles in September along with graded quizzes on your knowledge of the (6) countries covered by the comparative exam (China, Britain, Nigeria, Iran, Russia, and Mexico).  For Comparative Government: Students will need to be up to date on current events in the six countries the AP exam will be emphasizing.  Current event topics include elections, trade agreements, social issues/events, international affaris (wars, UN invovlement) Students will need to have a basic understanding of the country's economic conditions including GDP, exports and imports (major industries), government controls /programs (healthcare) and trading partners.  A basic understanding of the countries leadership including form of government (if only by name), current leaders, basic understanding of how power is shared (if not a unitary form of government)