Comparative Politics

This subject introduces students to comparative politics. While international relations focuses on politics between nations, comparative politics involves the study of politics within nations. Comparative politics is also the only subfield of political science that was founded in a methodological approach - the comparative method - which involves comparing typically two cases. These could be anything ranging from countries to electoral systems, or municipalities or policy areas. In short, in this subject, students will explore the foundational topics of comparative politics - which will help them identify what aspects of domestic politics they are passionate about - while also learning about the comparative method. The subject is divided into three basic components. The first component introduces the comparative method and foundational topics, including democracy and dictatorship. The second component explores political actors and systems primarily, but not always, found in democracies, including electoral systems, parties and party systems, and constitutional design. Finally, the subject explores contemporary topics in the study of comparative politics including protest politics, authoritarian institutions, and democratic backsliding.