Field Seminar in Comparative Politics
This MIT OpenCourseWare graduate seminar introduces the field of comparative politics through a mix of classic and contemporary readings. Sessions cover research design and methods alongside substantive topics such as political culture, social cleavages, the state, and democratic institutions, with the balance among topics shaped partly by student interest. Materials include the syllabus and full reading list drawn from foundational works and recent scholarship in the field. The course is structured as a discussion seminar rather than a lecture series, aimed at graduate students building a working knowledge of the field's major debates and analytical tools. As with other MIT OCW offerings, all course materials are free to access, with no certificate offered.