Comparative Government & Politics
/ Honors Global Civics

Six Countries. One Global Perspective.

A rigorous honors-level course in comparative political science. Explore the UK, Mexico, Russia, China, Iran, and Nigeria — every regime type, every institutional design, every major political force — guided by Prof. Aisha Okonkwo and SofAI.

Political Systems & Regimes

Understand how governments derive power and legitimacy across democratic, authoritarian, and hybrid systems.

State Institutions

Analyze executives, legislatures, judiciaries, and electoral systems across six core countries.

Political Change

Examine democratization, backsliding, revolution, and how regimes transform over time.

Economic & Social Policy

Connect political structures to economic development, resource dependency, and social outcomes.

Three Assessment Types

This honors course develops analytical writing through three distinct assessment formats, each targeting a different dimension of comparative political analysis.

Know all 6 countries deeply. Build a country-by-country reference sheet covering regime type, executive structure, party system, key institutions, and two recent political events for each country.

Master political vocabulary precisely. Terms like 'legitimacy,' 'sovereignty,' 'civil society,' and 'rentier state' appear throughout the course. Accurate definitions are the foundation of strong analytical writing.

Practice comparative thinking daily. After every reading or video, ask yourself: 'How does this country compare to one other country on this concept?' This skill is central to all major essays and case studies.

Write one analytical essay each week. Start with a clear, arguable thesis, integrate country-specific evidence, and close with a complexity point that acknowledges a counterargument or qualification.

Engage with primary sources and data. Use Freedom House reports, Polity IV scores, and World Bank data to ground your arguments in real evidence — not just textbook generalizations.

Review your graded work carefully. Strong comparative analysis requires iterative revision. Read model essays, identify the moves that earn credit, and deliberately practice those moves in your own writing.

Phase 1: Foundation — Systems, Regimes, and Institutions

• Build country reference sheets for all 6 core countries (regime, executive, party, key institutions)
• Watch Heimler's History playlists for Units 1 and 2
• Daily: read one short comparative politics article or case summary
• Writing practice: one Country Case Study per week (timed: 20 min)

Phase 2: Participation, Parties, and Political Culture

• Deep dive: civil society comparisons across UK, China, Russia, Iran
• Master party system types (single, dominant, multi) with country examples
• Writing practice: one Conceptual Application essay per week (define + apply)
• Review Mexico's democratic transition from PRI to PAN to MORENA in depth

Phase 3: Development, Change, and Analytical Writing Mastery

• Study democratization, resource curse, and managed democracy deeply
• Write one Comparative Analysis Essay per week with explicit comparative language
• Write one Political System Comparison per week — focus on causal reasoning and complexity
• Complete 3 full comparative analysis sets with self-scoring using rubrics

Phase 4: Synthesis, Revision, and Portfolio Refinement

• Revise and polish best essays for your course portfolio
• Review every six countries' key facts, recent political events, and institutional details
• Practice opening moves: write thesis + complexity plan before drafting body paragraphs
• Use Prof. Aisha (SofAI chat) to workshop arguments and deepen country knowledge