Bachelor
2024/2025
Comparative Politics
Type:
Compulsory course (Computational Social Sciences)
Area of studies:
Applied Mathematics and Information Science
Where:
Faculty of Social Sciences
When:
2 year, 1, 2 module
Mode of studies:
offline
Open to:
students of all HSE University campuses
Language:
English
ECTS credits:
5
Contact hours:
58
Course Syllabus
Abstract
The course offers an introduction to the core concepts in comparative politics and their empirical applications. The course consists of two principal parts: the first 7 topics focus on democracies, while the subsequent 6 weeks are dedicated to autocratic and hybrid regimes; the course is concluded with a debate session in seminar groups. In the first half of the course, those varieties within democratic regimes – such as the difference between parliamentary and presidential systems, consensual and majoritarian democracies, etc. – are discussed which served as the inspiration for classical works and theories in comparative politics. The second half of the course continues this discussion by addressing key questions around authoritarian regimes, such as – among others – the problems of authoritarian rule, selectorate theory, or methods of authoritarian control.
In conclusion, the course familiarizes students with the foundations of regime-level and institutional comparisons, and enhances their understanding on the relationship between fundamental concepts and their various empirical manifestations.