MCCCD Official Course Competencies:

POS140  1994 Fall – 2011 Summer II

Comparative Government

1.

List four of the comparative methodologies developed to compare various political systems of government. (I)

2.

Define the chief characteristics of a nation-state. (II)

3.

Compare the election practices in a selected democratic or open society with those of a non-democratic or closed society. (III)

4.

Distinguish between unitary, federal, and confederal governmental models. (IV)

5.

Contrast open and closed nations relative to the organization of their executive systems. (V)

6.

Compare selected open and closed nations relative to the operational characteristics of their representative assemblies. (V)

7.

List major components of justice found in open societies, and state how they differ from practices of justice in closed societies. (V)

8.

State common characteristics of the bureaucratic model common to all nations in the set. (V)

9.

Depict how a selected nation-state arrives at its policy choice decisions. (VI)

10.

Explain the major governmental operational techniques of a select nation-state relative to a given management area. (VII)

MCCCD Official Course Outline:

POS140  1994 Fall – 2011 Summer II

Comparative Government

I. Comparative techniques and methodologies in political science

II. The common components of nation-states

A. The concept of sovereignty

B. Geographical, demographic, social, economic aspects of the nation-state

III. Political parties in selected nation-states

A. Election processes in open societies

B. Non-open societies' methods of leadership attainment

IV. Types of nation-state governments

A. Unitary, federal, confederal types

B. Checks and balances and parliamentary types

V. Nation-state organizational systems

A. Executive systems

B. Legislative systems

C. Judicial systems

D. Bureaucratic systems

VI. Nation-state policy processes

VII. Governmental operations of the nation-state

A. Defense

B. Finance

C. Welfare