POLS 2371: Comparative Politics Course Notes

Course Identification: POLS 2371-003: Comparative Politics, Fall 2026, Texas Tech University.
Assignment Submission & Course Materials: Most graded assignments are completed and submitted in class. Course readings are located in the Weekly Module folders corresponding to each unit on Canvas and must be completed prior to each class meeting.
Syllabus Policy: The instructor reserves the right to modify the syllabus at any point during the semester. The up-to-date version is continuously maintained on Canvas.

Week 1 (8/24 – 8/28): What is Comparative Politics?
Week 2 (8/31 – 9/4): Origins of the Modern State
Week 3 (9/7 – 9/11): What is Democracy? Definitions and Measurement
- Holiday Notice: No class on Monday, September 7, 2026, in observance of Labor Day.

Week 4 (9/14 – 9/18): Economic & Cultural Determinants of Democracy
- Deadline: Current Events #1 due September 18 on Canvas at 11:59 PM.
Week 5 (9/21 – 9/25): Democratic Transitions
Week 6 (9/28 – 10/2): Varieties of Dictatorship & Exam 1
- Exam Date: Midterm Exam 1 administered in class on October 2.

Week 7 (10/5 – 10/9): Legislative-Executive Relations
Week 8 (10/12 – 10/16): Electoral Systems
- Deadline: Current Events #2 due October 16 on Canvas at 11:59 PM.
Week 9 (10/19 – 10/23): Party Systems
Week 10 (10/26 – 10/30): Institutional Veto Players
- Deadline: Current Events #3 due October 30 on Canvas at 11:59 PM.
Week 11 (11/2 – 11/6): Majoritarian/Consensus Democracies
Week 12 (11/9 – 11/13): Democratic Institutions and Stability
- Deadline: Current Events #4 due November 13 on Canvas at 11:59 PM.
Week 13 (11/16 – 11/20): Perils of Presidentialism & Exam 2
- Academic Deadline: November 16 is the last day to drop classes.
- Exam Date: Midterm Exam 2 administered in class on November 20.
Week 14 (11/23 – 11/29): Group Work & Thanksgiving Break
Unit 15 (11/30 – 12/2): Group Work & Final Presentations
- Project Deadlines: All constitution papers and presentations are due on December 2. Peer Reviews are due by December 3.

Short In-Class Activities: 20%
Midterm Exams: 40%
Constitution Design Project: 25%
Current Events / Written Submissions: 15% (evaluates SLOs 5–18; late submissions are strictly not accepted for any reason)

Short In-Class Activities (20%):
- Administered on a regular basis in the classroom and due at the end of class.
- Missed activities due to documented excused absences must still be submitted via email.
- The lowest activity grade is dropped at the end of the semester.
- Credit is earned solely through active participation and attendance (evaluates SLO 18); daily attendance is not taken independently.
Midterm Exams (40%):
- Two in-class exams featuring multiple-choice and short-answer questions.
- Midterm Exam 1: Covers materials from Weeks 1 to 6 (evaluates SLOs 1–10).
- Midterm Exam 2: Covers materials from Weeks 7 to 13 (evaluates SLOs 11–13).
- Make-up exams are permitted only for legitimate excused absences and must be completed within one week of the scheduled deadline.
Constitution Design Project (25%):
- Serves in place of a traditional final exam.
- A collaborative group project designing a new constitution for a country transitioning to democracy.
- Evaluated via three components: a group paper, a class presentation, and peer reviews.
- Full details posted on Canvas after Midterm Exam 1 (evaluates SLOs 11–18).

Rounding & Curving: There is no automatic rounding policy. Any decision to curve or round grades rests exclusively with the instructor after all final grades are calculated.
Grade Adjustments & Extra Credit: Grades reflect achievement and instructional compliance, not personal need. Requests to round, curve, raise grades, or obtain individual extra credit not offered to the whole class are prohibited.
Grade Posting & Feedback: Assignment grades are posted within two weeks. Feedback and corrections for legitimate issues on individual assignments are provided upon request, but final grades remain non-negotiable.
Plus/Minus (+/-) Policy: The inclusion of a + or - to a letter grade is at the instructor's discretion. The instructor will never submit a change of grade form for a +/-.
Grade Determination & Appeals Authority:
- OP 34.12: The Instructor of Record has sole authority to determine course grades, superior to the Department Chair or Associate Dean.
- OP 34.03: Individual assignment grades cannot be appealed. Only final course grades may be appealed, requiring demonstrable evidence of prejudice or arbitrary/capricious action by the instructor.

Regular attendance and prompt arrival are expected.
While daily attendance is not taken for a grade, unexcused absences result in zeros for missed in-class activities.
High course performance correlates strongly with consistent attendance due to the unfamiliar nature of comparative politics concepts.

Note-taking by hand is strongly encouraged to promote comprehension and retention. Lecture slides are uploaded to Canvas after class.
Laptops must remain closed unless explicitly authorized for a active in-class exercise.
Cell phone use during lecture is forbidden. Phones must be silenced and put away; urgent communications require stepping out of the room.
The instructor reserves the right to deduct attendance and participation points for unauthorized, disruptive technology usage.

Class members must engage in civil discourse, respect diverse perspectives, arrive on time, and refrain from side conversations.
Students violating civility standards will be instructed to leave the classroom, forfeiting credit for any in-class activity occurring during that session.
Personal or discriminatory remarks based on race, sex, disability, religion, age, ethnicity, nationality, or sexual orientation will result in immediate removal.
Students must adhere to all official Texas Tech University policies regarding Academic Integrity, Accommodation for Pregnant Students, ADA Statements, and Observation of Holy Days.

Generative AI tools are strictly banned in this course to ensure independent achievement of learning outcomes.
Students may not use generative AI to create, solve, summarize, translate, revise, or substantially transform any course work submitted for academic credit.

Basic tools limited to standard spelling, grammar, and punctuation checking are permitted.
Approved assistive technologies and documented disability accommodations are allowed, provided they do not generate content, rewrite submissions, or replace the skill evaluated.
Students must seek instructor confirmation prior to using any ambiguous AI tool.
Violations of these rules constitute a direct breach of Texas Tech University's Academic Integrity Policy.