Saylor.org's Comparative Politics/Comparative Case Studies

This last unit will introduce you to area studies as they are conducted in political science and international studies. Please bear in mind that this unit is by no means exhaustive either geographically or topically. Over the course of this unit, we will apply factor analysis and other comparative methods we learned in earlier units to practical examples from 4different regions of the world (Africa, the Americas, Asia, and the Middle East). The classification for such area studies have developed out of the standard geopolitical organization of American political science. For instance, Asian politics is often divided into East, South, Southeast, and Central Asia sub-fields. Likewise, political scientists often divide Africa into the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) and sub-Saharan Africa. This unit will also look at how political elites and policy makers hold distinct views on democratization and modernization and how those views impact political conflict in these regions.