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Dr Sarah Brierley

This course is compulsory on the MSc in Political Science (Conflict Studies and Comparative Politics). This course is not available as an outside option.

The course introduces students to the broad fields of comparative politics and conflict studies. Students examine theoretical and methodological underpinnings and diverse examples of 'best practice' in research and writing in comparative politics of the broad discipline of political science.

Lectures and seminar discussions focus on important areas of research in comparative politics and the methodological challenges involved. At the end of the course students will have –

• Gained knowledge on substantive topics in the field of comparative politics and conflict studies; be able to define key concepts and understand how scholars measure important political and social outcomes.
• Understanding of the advantages and disadvantages of different methodological approaches to the study of comparative politics, and why scholars use different methods.
• Developed the ability to ask relevant research questions in the field of comparative politics.
• Been able to design a research project to answer their research questions.
• Evaluated and critiqued existing literature and discussed ways to move a research area forward.

This course exposes students to core topics and debates in the field of comparative politics. Topics include, for example, the state and state-building, electoral and party systems, democratisation, civil conflict, electoral violence, and crime. In discussing substantive issues, the course will expose students to a range of methodological approaches used in the study of comparative politics.

Readings treat such variegated topics of inquiry and debate in comparative politics as democracy, the state, political parties, ethnic and civil conflict. In discussing substantive issues, the course will expose students to a range of methodological approaches used in the study of comparative politics.

The course treats examples of real existing comparative politics as practiced by leading scholars in the field in recent years. These examples are chosen to cover diverse forms of comparison, diverse modes of analysis, diverse topic areas, and diverse countries and regions of the world. Cutting across these forms of diversity and sets of questions that will be addressed throughout the course concerning the practicalities and limitations of various methods of comparative analysis for explaining observable patterns in politics.

15 hours of lectures and 15 hours of seminars in the AT. 15 hours of lectures and 15 hours of seminars in the WT.

There will be a reading week in Week 6 of the Autumn and Winter Terms.

Two short literature response papers to be submitted in the AT and WT. 

• Przeworski, Adam, Susan C. Stokes, and Bernard Manin, eds. Democracy, accountability, and representation. Cambridge University Press, 1999.
• Putnam, R. D., Leonardi, R., & Nanetti, R. Y. (1993). Making Democracy Work: Civic Traditions in Modern Italy. Princeton University Press.
• GrzymaÅ‚a-Busse, Anna M. Sacred Foundations: The Religious and Medieval Roots of the European State. Princeton University Press, 2023.
• De Vries, C.E. and Hobolt, S.B. (2020). Political Entrepreneurs. Princeton University Press.
• Cederman, Lars-Erik, Kristian Skrede Gleditsch, and Halvard Buhaug. Inequality, grievances, and civil war. Cambridge University Press, 2013.
• Weinstein, J. M. (2006). Inside rebellion: The politics of insurgent violence. Cambridge University Press.
• Fearon, James D., and David D. Laitin. "Ethnicity, insurgency, and civil war." American political science review 97.1 (2003): 75-90.

Exam (60%, duration: 2 hours) in the spring exam period.
Research proposal (40%) in the WT.

The research proposal would have a word limit of 1,500 words.