Spring 2004

GOV 390L • Comparative Politics of South Asia

Course Description

Roughly the first half of the course will be spent on critiquing issue-based readings on India's "basic framework" institutions: the legal order and constitution, federalism, local self government institutions, political parties, social movements and social action groups (NGOs), the media, and elections. An introductory course on Indian politics (or the equivalent) is recommended, but not required. The course will be focused on examining theoretical propositions about democracy -- students will be expected to have studied these before enrolling in this course -- in an Indian context. The research paper will select one such proposition (e.g. Duverger's law) and "test" it using comparisons of institutions and processes in two or more of India's states. Students will be required to critique the readings of the first part of the course by posing scholarly questions on them, in preparation for class discussion, and will be asked to submit comments on at least one other student's draft paper.

Grading Policy

Requirements and grading: critiques of readings (25%); on-time and complete paper proposal (5%); comments on drafts of other students' papers (10%); final research paper (60%)

Texts

TBA

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