POLI 5301

This course examines two levels of theory utilized in the study of politics in different nations: 1) the major paradigms or approaches to comparative political analysis, characterized by rationalist, structuralist and culturalist approaches to methodology and knowledge, and differentiated by “orthodox” and “radical” and post-modern worldviews; and 2) selected theoretical tools used to analyze themes like the political system, the nature of the state, institutions, group and class politics, social, corporatism and elitism, political culture and ideology, democratic and revolutionary regime change, political development and economic dependency, social movements and feminism, etc. The list of topics is subject to revision depending on the students' backgrounds and interests.