European Politics
MIT OpenCourseWare's introductory comparative politics course examines political power and institutions in Britain, Germany, Denmark, and Sweden. Lectures cover how state structures differ across these four countries, and how political parties and interest organizations link state and society. The course puts the parliamentary systems of Britain and Germany alongside the consensus-driven models of Denmark and Sweden, drawing out contrasts in party systems, coalition-building, and corporatist bargaining. Materials include the syllabus, lecture topics, reading assignments, and problem sets used in the MIT classroom version of the course, free to access under MIT's open courseware license. No certificate is offered, but all course materials are downloadable for self-study. The course suits students of political science or European studies who want a structured comparative framework rather than a survey of current events.