The primary aim of this is class is to make you a "good comparativist" – i.e., someone who is able to use various intellectual or conceptual tools in the field of comparative politics to better analyze, understand and/or explain significant events and processes in various countries and societies throughout the world. These significant or "big" events and processes include democratization, state-building, ethnic and/or domestic conflict (including "terrorism"), national poverty and capitalist development. The utility of comparative politics, however, is not limited to analyzing big events or processes; indeed, a good comparativist will be able to apply his or her knowledge and skills to a wide range of problems and issues, both big and small and at all levels—from the local to the global. Being a good comparativist, in this regard, means knowing how to think about and analyze issues in a systematic and "scientific" manner. Click on the icon to download a printable PDF version of the syllabus