COMPREHENSIVE EXAMINATION IN COMPARATIVE POLITICS
Department of Public and International Affairs
George Mason University
May 2011
Part A. Research design and methods. Answer one (1) out of (2).
1. In The Interpretation of Cultures, Clifford Geerz argues for a "thick description" approach to the study of culture (including political culture). Do you think this kind of in-depth case study approach lends itself to comparative analysis? What are the problems? Give examples.
2. Compare and contrast approaches in integrating comparative and international politics (e.g. Przeworski and Teune vs. Caparaso). How do these approaches impact the "units-of-analysis" and "levels" issues in cross-national research? Give examples.
Part B. General questions. Answer two (2) out of four (4).
3. Theda Skocpol once wrote, "revolutions are not made, they come." Evaluate this argument with reference both to Skocpol's original formulation and new theories of revolution since her States and Social Revolutionswas published in 1979.
4. How has the literature on authoritarian rule evolved in the past four decades since the work of Juan Linz?What were the themes that dominated the discussion in the various phases of evolution? Discuss and analyze the various questions and themes raised throughout with an eye to the interaction between the substantive concerns/analysis and the new and emerging approaches in comparative politics. Use one or two case studies to evaluate the utility of some of the approaches.
5. Dependency theory advocates presented their arguments as a corrective to modernization theory. What were the core points of contention? How did proponents of each theory explain development and underdevelopment? Finally, much has changed since the 1960s/1970s when this debate was raging: how, and in what regard, have such events affirmed or debunked these theories?
6. Compare and contrast the approaches of Benedict Anderson and David Horowitz in their studies of nationalism and ethnicity. At what point do "imagined communities" become reified into objective units? Or do situational identities always suggest a more basic subjectivity? Give examples.