PS 220
PS 220, also known as Survey of Comparative Politics, and informally as simply Comparative Politics, is an introductory course in government and political science offered at Knox. It counts for 1 credit. It is currently taught by Robert Seibert or Karen Kampwirth.
Course Description
Official Course Description
"An introduction to the basic theories of comparative politics in general use. Theories will be evaluated through consideration of a major theme in the subfield of comparative politics, such as political culture or democratization, considering this theme in the context of a number of countries."[1]
Credits and Prerequisites
The course is worth one credit. It satisfies the History and Social Sciences Foundation Requirement. It is required to complete a Political Science major, a Comparative Politics minor, an International Relations major or minor, and an Integrated International Studies major. PS 101 is the recommended prerequisite.
Texts
For Sections Taught by Robert Seibert
- Madigan, Charles. (2004). "Global Chicago." ISBN 978-0252029417.
- Hauss, Charles. (2003). "Comparative Politics: Domestic Responses to Global Challenges." ISBN 978-0534572808.
For Sections Taught by Karen Kampwirth
Course Format
For Sections Taught by Robert Seibert
The course involves primarily reading and lecture. Most of the lectures are not necessarily on the material in the text, given Seibert's teaching style, but students are expected to know that information (often over the discussed topics) for the exams. Class discussion tends to wander into Seibert's personal anecdotes, for which he is quite well-known. The first third of the course is spent discussion foundational issues, such as the nature of comparative politics and of its description; other disciplines, notably Clifford Geertz's work on "thick description" in anthropology, are brought in. The second third of the course deals with actual comparative politics in the traditional sense. The last section is the portion that comprises the term paper topic; students are formed into groups to write a group paper comparing two world cities (Chicago is used as a textual example).
For Sections Taught by Karen Kampwirth
Course Schedule
Up until the 2005-2006 school year, this course was offered in two sections during Winter Term. Beginning with 2006-2007, one section is offered in Winter Term and one in Spring Term. The schedule is usually MWF, and Seibert and Kampwirth have switched off responsibility for the course somewhat erratically.
2007-2008
| Term | Section | Days | Period | Location | Instructor |
| Winter 2008 | 1 | MWF | 4 | Karen Kampwirth | |
| Spring 2008 | 1 | MWF | 2 | Robert Seibert |
2006-2007
| Term | Section | Days | Period | Location | Instructor |
| Winter 2007 | 1 | MWF | 6 | GDH 104 | Karen Kampwirth |
| Spring 2007 | 1 | MWF | 5 | GDH 104 | Karen Kampwirth |
2005-2006
| Term | Section | Days | Period | Location | Instructor |
| Winter 2006 | 1 | MWF | 4 | GDH 203 | Karen Kampwirth |
| Winter 2006 | 2 | MWF | 6 | GDH 104 | Karen Kampwirth |
2004-2005
| Term | Section | Days | Period | Location | Instructor |
| Winter 2005 | 1 | MWF | 2 | GDH 104 | Robert Seibert |
| Winter 2005 | 2 | MWF | 5 | GDH 203 | Robert Seibert |
