Politics and Society in Comparative Perspective

Course goals

The aim of this course is to enable students to:
-Acquire knowledge of important methods for comparative historical research
-Evaluate the use of these methods in existing comparative historical research
-Develop advanced skills in analyzing secondary sources in a broader historical, political, and social context
-Critically evaluate academic papers and academic debates
-Prepare students for their Master's thesis

Content

Comparison is an invaluable tool for exploring complex social and political processes. Carefully selected comparisons enable researchers to uncover otherwise hidden insights into the nature, causes, and consequences of social, political, economic, and cultural phenomena. For example, by comparing the emergence of populist parties across Europe, researchers can identify conditions that commonly underpin a rise of populism.

In this course, you learn to harness the power of the comparative method and critically reflect on the challenges and limitations of comparison. You will begin by learning the fundamentals of comparison: How do we select cases for comparison? What methods are most suitable for particular types of comparisons? How do we select the most appropriate variables to analyze? This course challenges you to critically assess examples of existing comparative research and think creatively about ways to build on existing historical research and debates. These skills are taught through secondary literature and classroom discussions and tested through an exam. 
 
Please note: 
Only students from the MA History of Politics and Society and the MA Geschiedenis: educatie en communicatie are allowed to register for this course. All other students have to contact the programme coordinator. 

Additional information

Please note that students from the MA Geschiedenis: educatie en communicatie are allowed to follow this course. Please contact the programme coordinator. All other students need specific permission from the programme coordinator.

Career orientation

Students will develop practical skills to do historical research on political and societal issues in a long-term and comparative perspective