School of International Service
American University

Comparative and Regional Studies
Ph.D. Comprehensive Examination

Fall 2006

Directions:

Answer a total of THREE (3) questions.
Each answer must be at least satisfactory in order to pass the exam.

For each answer, students are expected to demonstrate:
(1) a comprehensive knowledge of the relevant scholarly literature, and
(2) a solid understanding of the theoretical issues.

1. Briefly outline three major theoretical traditions in the field of comparative and regional studies. What are their similarities and differences? To what extent can they be combined?

2. What is a region? Along what dimensions can regions be fruitfully compared? What can a scholar learn (and not learn) from such comparisons? In what respects does the "new regionalism" differ from regionalism in the early and mid twentieth century? Be sure to refer to the scholarly literature in your response.

3. Draw on three theories of nationalism to discuss the prospects of humanity achieving "global nationalism."

4. Indicate the ways in which varieties of capitalism and forms of the state relate to one another. What explains the uniformities and variation?

5. Why do many of the new democracies from post-communist countries and the global south fall short along several standard measures of democratic performance? Are there two types of democracy, old and established versus new and diminished? What are the intellectual costs and benefits of such a bifurcation? What are the strengths and weaknesses intellectually of using qualifying adjectives (e.g., "illiberal," "delegative" and "hybrid") or other classifications (e.g., old and established versus new and not fully formed) to describe these states, as some authors do in the democratization literature?

6. To what extent does class remain a useful concept in a globalized, post-industrial world? In your answer, be sure to consider at least two scholarly conceptualizations of class.

7. Scholars have proffered a number of explanations for why some countries have not kept pace with others in increasing mean per capita income. Assess the strengths and weaknesses of three major explanations for the cross-national unevenness of economic performance. Which do you find most convincing? Why?