I’ve also updated my syllabi for next semester. I’ll be teaching Democracy and Democratization, Latin American Politics, and Comparative Politics.
Comparative Politics is little different from the way I’ve taught it last year. In addition to the O’Neil textbook/reader combo, I’m using How Soccer Explains the World again at the end of the semester.
Democracy and Democratization, which I first developed at Dickinson (it was in the catalog, but hadn’t been taught in five years), has been significantly revamped. I kept the Sørensen book (now in its 3rd edition), as well as some of the better articles I used last year. But this time I’ve augmented it w/ a number of readings from Democracy: A Reader. I think the course is improved by grounding it firmly in some arguments from democratic theory (e.g. Rousseau, Tocqueville, J. S. Mill), some “critics” of democracy (e.g. Lenin, Bakunin, Michels), and some contemporary authors (e.g. Barber, Sen, Taylor). I also think World Religions and Democracy is particularly appropriate for students at a Catholic liberal arts college.
Latin American Politics is structured essentially like in the past, but I’m using a new textbook (Politics of Latin America: The Power Game). So far, I like it; it has more “breadth” than the popular Skidmore & Smith textbook (Modern Latin America). I’ve also finally settled on my “cases” books.