FSEM 189   Intro to Comparative Politics

Faculty Profile for Professor Koter

Introduces students to important concepts, themes, and approaches in the comparative study of politics. The course is organized around questions that reflect interesting political phenomena. Topics include the causes and consequences of democracy, the functioning of authoritarian regimes, electoral systems, state formation and the role of the state, political parties and social movements, as well as questions of identity, nationalism, ethnic conflict, civil war, violence, and revolution. Students examine some of the answers to these questions that have been proposed on the basis of comparative research, using empirical examples from around the world. Although the emphasis of the course is on substance, methodological issues are also discussed. Special attention is paid to the merits of a good explanation. Students are exposed to various methodologies employed in comparative politics. By the end of the course, students have acquired a broad perspective of the field of comparative politics and the ability to relate some of their own interests to existing scholarship. Emphasis is on analyzing and constructing sound arguments. Students who successfully complete this seminar receive credit for POSC 153 and satisfy one half of the social relations, institutions, and agents area of inquiry requirement.

Associate Professor Dominika Koter's research focuses on electoral competition and identity politics. She's been conducting fieldwork in Africa for over 15 years.