The course introduces the following: 

• Comparative politics, one of the major sub-disciplines of political science, studying politics primarily within states and other political systems
• Internal political structures, actors, and processes. These are analysed empirically by describing, explaining, and predicting their variety across political systems
• The major theories and questions in comparative politics, including empirical knowledge relevant for these theories and questions
• The analytical tools necessary to reflect critically on these topics
• The political institutions of democratic systems
• Alignment and behaviour of voters and parties
• Interest groups, social movements and collective protest
• Political regimes and transitions between regimes, such as various forms of democracy, autocracy, and dictatorship
• Revolutions and civil war
• Variations in public policies