Introduction to Comparative Politics
MIT OpenCourseWare's undergraduate course examines why democracy takes hold and survives in some countries but not others, how political institutions shape economic development, and how American politics compares with other systems. It weighs economic, cultural, and institutional explanations for political outcomes and works through case studies of individual countries to test these theories against real events. Materials include the syllabus, readings, and assignments, which consist of several papers of varying length plus expectations for structured and unstructured class participation. There are no video lectures, but the full reading list and written assignments let a self-directed learner follow the same analytical arc used in the MIT classroom. Course materials are free under MIT OpenCourseWare's license, with no certificate offered.