This course aims to furnish students with the tools necessary to study political processes and outcomes in comparative perspective. It is divided into three parts. The first introduces the basic concepts and methods of comparative analysis and examines our principal unit of analysis: the state. The second surveys the range of political regimes under which people live around the world. The third examines three key variables that both influence political outcomes and are influenced by political processes: institutions, identity, and agency. Throughout the course we will use a wide variety of country examples, but will not focus exclusively on any particular set of countries.