Comparative politics is the study of the most important political similarities and differences between/among political entities (countries, institutions, etc). Comparative politics is first and foremost a method to study a variety of political phenomena, becoming comparative government (if it studies government), comparative electoral studies (if it studies electoral systems), comparative foreign policy (if it studies foreign policy) etc. The course aims to familiarize students with the fundamental concepts, analytical methods and basic conclusions of comparative politics. It also aims to prepare students for courses of the two final years of study in both Political Science and International Relations (particularly Area Studies).