This week we will explore the field and methods of comparative politics, before beginning to get into the specifics next week.  Try to do at least some of the reading before class- I promise it will make our Tuesday session much more interesting. Of course I don’t expect you to have understood everything perfectly before our class- that’s what class discussion is for!  Please bring your questions and curiosities from your readings to class- it really enriches the discussion.  To help out, there’s a chapter summary at the end of each chapter for when you’re pressed for time, and our class slides have been linked to the class site as well.  You should treat the Weekly Work Page like a To-Do list (you can even print it if you like, so you can have the satisfaction of crossing each task off).  

We’ve only had one blog posted so far (thank you Zara!). It’s okay to be a day or two late on your blogging, but you do have to do it, and you don’t want to fall behind this early in the semester, so get to it. If you’re still unsure about how to blog, read the syllabus and read the blog instructions thoroughly (I know they are long, but that’s because they have every answer you need, and it’s going to be faster for you if you can find it yourself instead of emailing me and waiting for me to respond ;o) If you’re having trouble getting started because of technical challenges, please check out the technical tools section at the bottom of our homepage, for information on how you can reserve computers on campus or even request a loaner laptop you can use at home. You can also email me- I am here to help!