This course provides an introduction to comparative political analysis.  The central focus is on how the formation of nation states and modern economies has affected peoples in diverse settings.   The course covers countries in which Pitzer College has External Studies programs: Botswana, Turkey, Italy/EU, and China.  This course has been redesigned thanks to a grant from the Mellon Intercultural Learning Through Technology Project (a Pitzer-HMC collaboration).  The course is being taught in tandem with a course at the University of Botswana being taught by Professor P. T. Mgadla.

Course Pedagogy
Throughout the course formal lecture-presentations will run alongside student-to-student interaction and small-group projects and exercises.  Technology will be used to enhance intercultural learning by facilitating novel teaching techniques in both lecture-presentations and student-to-student and small group interactions.  Presentations will be multimedia and powerpoint-based, with some videostreamed.  Students will interact with classmates in Claremont and Botswana to produce joint multimedia presentations that in turn become course material for others in the class.  Teaching will thus be accomplished by an intercontinental faculty/staff/student "team".

Course Outline
In the first three weeks of the semester a framework for the analysis of politics in Botswana, Turkey, Italy, the European Union, and China will be set out.  The nature of a "most different systems" comparative approach will be covered as will a model for examining (a) the development of the modern state and nationalism and (b) political economy and contemporary politics and (c) the impact of regional economic and political integration.  Student-to-student interaction will take the form of a series of exercises involving US-born and international students in the class.

In weeks 4-8 lecture-presentations on Botswana, Turkey, Italy, the European Union, and China will set out the main features of these political systems.  Meanwhile students will be involved in weekly interaction with student "partners" in Botswana.  Assignments will involve (a) exchanging personal information with a partner (in the form of free-writing exercises), (b) “posting” a series of responses to questions about “politics and culture” (based on “intercultural literacy” exercises used by Pitzer External Studies for preparation of students going abroad) and “technology” (discussing the usage of media technologies in educational and recreational settings).

Starting in week 8 bi-national groups of 6 students will be formed.  These groups (consisting of 4 Claremont students, ideally 2 US-born and 2 International, and 2 students from Botswana) will work on a multimedia/powerpoint comparative project.  In weeks 11-13 these jointly developed projects will then be presented by the groups to the entire class.  The materials thus produced will, after review and editing by the Instructors, be burned onto a course cd, which itself becomes required material for the final exam.  Group presentations will focus on one of the following topics (i) parties, elections and coalition building, (ii) women, families and public policy and (iii) globalization, Nafta, the SADC and the EU. (iv) urban and regional politics (v) agriculture, minerals and economic development, and (vi) health and human development.

Required Materials
Course materials, both required reading and materials produced by peers in Claremont and Botswana will be made available via the course webCT site (which will be introduced in week 2).
Regular reading of on-line newspapers is required.  The New York Times on the web is strongly recommended as is the Turkish Daily News and Mmegi.
Late in the semester you will be provided with a CD containing multimedia materials.  This is required material for the final.

Course Grade
· Midterm exam 25%
· Individual weekly assignments and class participation 25%
· Group Project 25%
· Final xxam 25%

Weekly Topics and Required Reading

Week 1 January 22 and 24 Course Introduction
What are the course objectives and how is the course organized?
What is Comparative Politics?  Small group discussion: national, international and ethnocentrism.

Week 2 January 29 and 31 Course Themes I: Lectures, Braveheart, Wizard of Oz and Chicken Run
What is the conceptual framework to be used in the course?
What are the technologies to be used in the course?
Workshop with Angel Jauregui on January 31st 9:30am-11am in BH-213.
J. Nagle “Learning From Comparison”
M. Kesselman “Comparative Politics at the Crossroads”
E. Gellner “Nations and Nationalism: definitions”
B. Anderson “The Nation and the Origins of National Consciousness”

Week 3  February 5 and 7 Course Themes II: small group discussions and their purpose
How do we ourselves, how do others see us?  How do others see themselves, how do we see them?
Guest co-lecturer Jenifer Onstott
E. Stewart and M. Bennett "Intercultural Communication Applications"
B. Barber “Jihad versus McWorld”
A. Sen “Freedom Favors Development”
G. Soros “The Capitalist Threat”
A. Hochschild “King Leopold’s Ghost: a reckoning”.

Week 4  February 12 and 14  Botswana: autonomy, dependence and the SADC
Guest co-lecturers Kebokile Dengu-Zvobgo and Iann Williams
P.T. Mgadla "The kgosi in a traditional Tswana setting"
F. Morton Seeing "Botswana as a whole"
A. J. Dachs "Missionary Imperialism - the Case of Bechuanaland"
P. T. Mgadla "The growth of regional politics after the war: the north-east and the south-east"
N. H. Fidzani "Land Reform and primitive accumulation: a closer look at the Botswana Tribal Grazing Policy"
Balefi Tsie "The state and Development Policy in Botswana"
K. Jefferis "Botswana and Diamond-dependent development"
O. D. Selolwane "Equality of Citizenship and the gendering of democracy in Botswana"
K. Good "Authoritarian Liberalism in Botswana"
Financial Times Country Survey "Botswana"

First assignment with your Botswana student partner: send an email introducing yourself and attach photographs of yourself and your family.

Week 5  February 19 and 21 Turkey: Islam, Ataturk’s “Revolution from Above” and the EU
I. Ortayli “The Ottoman Millet System and its Social Dimensions”
E. Zurcher “Turkey, a military society?”
J. Landau “Modernization, Westernization and Reform”
B. Behar “The Role of Language in Turkish Historiography”
N. Entessar (1992) “The Mountain Turks’: the Kurds in Turkey”
E. Ozdalga “Official Secularism and Popular Islam”
Y. Arat “On Gender and Citizenship in Turkey”
Financial Times Country Survey "Turkey"

Second assignment.  Send a short essay to your partner about the 10 things you would miss most if you were to leave Claremont and the 10 things you would miss least.

Week 6  February 26 and 28 The EU and Italy: Prodi, Berlusconi, Multiculturalism and the Euro
J. Dickie “Imagined Italies”
S. Hellman “The Emergence of the Modern Italian State” and “The Rise and Fall of the Postwar Settlement”
J. Fisher “Making Democracy Work: Civic Traditions in Modern Italy”
Financial Times Surveys "The Euro" and "Italy"

Third assignment.  Compare notes with your partner on “politics and culture”.  What is odd about “there”?  What is odd about “here”?

Week 7  March 5 and 7 China: from Revolution to the WTO
J. Fairbank “Approaches to Understanding China’s History”
S. Harrell “Negotiating Ethnicities in China and Taiwan”
J. Fairbank and R. Reischauer “The People’s Republic”
J. Fairbank “Deng Xiaoping’s Reforms 1978-88”
J. Wasserstrom “Student Protests in 20th Century China”
A. Anagnost "A Surfeit of Bodies: population and the rationality of the state in post-Mao China"
Financial Times Country Survey "China"

Fourth assignment.  Compare the use of media technologies in educational and recreational settings with your partner.  What are the similarities and differences?

Week 8   March 12 and 14 Comparing "most different" systems

Groups for presentations to be formed and topics selected.

March 12 Midterm Exam

March 15-25 Spring Break

Week 9  March 26 and 28 Discussion about and preparation for upcoming group projects
Workshop March 26 with Angel Jauregui 9:30am-11am at BH-213.

Week 10  April 2 and 4 Botswana: videostreamed lectures and Q and A with Prof. Mgadla
Abdi Ismail Samatar's An African Miracle: state and class leadership and colonial legacy in Botswana Development selections from Ch 1-6.

April 9 Preparation for group presentations and presentation by Iann Williams

April 11 Workshop on group presentations

April 16 Kebokile Dengu-Zvobgo will lead class discussion

April 18 First draft of all ppt presentations due (grade penalty for late/missing presentations)

April 18 Group Presentations on History/Religion:
(a) British Colonialism in Bechuanaland (Nat and Joe)
(b) Missionary Imperialism (Andrew and Ligia)
(c) Religion and in contemporary Botswana (Andrea and Kathy)

April 23 Group Presentations on Political Economy
(a) Wealth and land ownership (Megann and Winston)
(b) Diamond Dependent Development (Tracey and Brian)
(c) Tourism (Lauren and Jay)

April 25 Group Presentations on Sovereignty and Identity:
(a) Minority Groups (Emi and Alex)
(b) SADC (DoHyoun and Liz)
(c) Civil Liberties, Rights and Development (Jordan and Joung Hwan)

Final drafts of all ppt presentations are due April 25 (late/missing presentations will receive an F).

April 27 (3-5pm) Informal discussion/party with Prof Mgadla
April 28 (3-5pm) Informal discussion/party with Prof Mgadla

April 30 Group Presentations on current Botswana Politics (with Prof. Mgadla):
(a) Parties and Elections (Jack and Summer)
(b) Student Politics (Liz and Mie)
(c) Education Policy/Politics (Tony, Soo Kyung and Adilia)

May 2  Group Presentations on social issues
(a) Women/Families/Children (Aria and Shu-Yu)
(b) Women/Families/Equal Opportunity (Lauren and Nobuko)
(c) Aids/healthcare (Nami/Andrea S.)

May 7 Course Summary and Conclusions

May 9 Final Exam
Final will be mainly based on materials covered in the second half of the semester.  The CD is required viewing/listening/reading.

Italy
A. Stille Benevolence and Betrayal : Five Italian Jewish Families Under Fascism
A. Stille  Excellent Cadavers
R. Leonardi & D. Wertman Italian Christian democracy: the politics of dominance
V. Bufacchi and S. Burgess Italy since 1989: events and interpretations
Sidney Tarrow Democracy and disorder : protest and politics in Italy, 1965-1975
G. Sartori  Comparative constitutional engineering : an inquiry into structures, incentives, and outcomes

Turkey
J. Landau Atatürk and the modernization of Turkey
R. Olson The Kurdish nationalist movement in the 1990s: its impact on Turkey and the Middle East
R. Tapper  Islam in modern Turkey: religion, politics, and literature in a secular state
E. Özdalga The veiling issue, official secularism and popular Islam in modern Turkey
Atila Eralp, M. Tünay, and B. Yesilada  The Political and socioeconomic transformation of Turkey

China
Bruce Gilley Tiger on the brink: Jiang Zemin and China's new elite
J. Y.S. Cheng China in the post-Deng era
E. Croll Changing identities of Chinese women : rhetoric, experience, and self- perception in twentieth-century China
M. Yin China's minority nationalities