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; 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, I might add, also means knowing about different countries, societies, and peoples. This said, our class is not designed to make you a "specialist" on a particular country or region—for this, you should enroll in the country- and region-specific courses we offer in our curriculum (e.g., Latin American Politics, Politics in China, Politics in East Asia, etc.). To repeat, the main focus of this class to develop your know-how of doing research and analysis using the concepts, strategies and approaches of comparative politics.

To find information on this courses--the syllabus, assignments, online readings, grades, etc.--use the links below. If you can't find what you're looking for, let me know. BE ADVISED: Some links may not yet be active or may seem incomplete. For example, only notes from a few selected classes will be available. Assignments, too, may not be posted online. When in doubt, ask me for clarification at tclim@calstatela.edu.

	NOTE: Some files on my site are available in PDF format only. To read a PDF file, you need Acrobat Reader, which is pre-loaded on most computers. If your computer does not have Acrobat Reader, however,you can download a copy for free. Click here to go to Adobe download page.