Unpacking Political Systems: Institutions and Behaviour in Comparative Perspective

The discipline of Political Science, since its establishment in the late nineteenth century, has concerned itself with the study of institutions. This course will explore the effect of institutions on power, coups and attempted coups, segregation and racial discrimination, women’s rights, LBGTQ+ rights, economic reform and inequality, immigration and immigration policy, and the segregation and sterilization of people with mental disabilities, among other topics. Institutions examined will include classic formal institutions (electoral systems, constitutions, courts, executives, legislatures, party systems), intermediate institutions (trade unions and interest groups), and sub rosa institutions (homes for the feebleminded and residential schools).