|
Political Science 122 |
|
|
Fall 2000 |
Political Science 122 offers an introduction to how political scientists study American politics. This is not a course in current events; rather, it is a course in which historical and contemporary political issues and problems of governance (empirical data) are discussed to illustrate hypotheses about how politics works (theory) and to further refine these hypotheses.
At the founding of this nation there existed tensions between liberty and equality that we will trace to modern debates about small government vs. big government and debates between conservatives and liberals. We will examine the role of individual citizens in democracy as the components of public opinion, as voters and non-voters, and as members of the interest groups and social movements that influence public policy. We will then examine the role of political parties in creating electoral accountability through the nomination and election of presidents and members of Congress. We will examine the impact that popular social movements have on parties and the politics of compromise and coalition. We will also look at the constitutionally designed sharing of powers between the Congress and the Presidency and discuss the deadlock of divided government and its numerous implications for American politics. Throughout, a prominent concern will be how incentives for individual and group behavior are shaped by institutional arrangements and how these rules of the game shape political outcomes . Because this is an election year, we will pay particular attention to the presidential election process.
There will be one midterm exam (20% of grade), a research paper (20%) and a final examination (40%). Class attendance, participation, writing assignments, and quizzes (together 20%) will also be part of the requirements of the course. Quizzes will be unannounced but will only ask the question(s) that the syllabus poses for each set of readings (i.e., the "Q:" questions). Missing a quiz earns an "F" except for excused absences. The lowest quiz grade will be dropped.
If you have questions about the readings, lecture material, or the writing assignments, please come to my office. My office is 417 Willis, office hours will be announced in the first week of class, no appointments are necessary during office hours. This is your time, just drop in. For meetings at other times, I am glad to make an appointment. My office phone is 646-4122, home phone until 9 p.m. only is 645-5666, and my e-mail is rkeiser@carleton.edu. I would like to receive an e-mail from every student in the first two weeks so that I can compile all of your addresses and send information to the entire class. Tell me something interesting about yourself, your family background, and your interests, political or otherwise.
The books for the course are:
S. Welch, et al., Understanding American Government (5th edition)
J. Harrigan, Empty Dreams, Empty Pockets (2nd ed.)
D. Amy, Real Choices, New Voices
R. Diclerico and J. Davis, Choosing Our Choices
Readings labeled RR on the syllabus are on reserve at Gould Library.
Students are required to regularly read the national news section of the New York Times, (available at the bookstore for $30 for the term) so that we can discuss today's political news, particularly presidential election politics, within a context of historically-derived theory.
9/11: Federalist #10 and the pluralist theory of faction checking faction
9/13: Welch et al., chs. 1-2 and Harrigan, chs. 1-2.
Q: What lessons were drawn by the founders from Shays rebellion? How are they reflected in Federalist #10?
9/15: Harrigan, ch. 3; Welch, ch. 14.
Q: What is the "logic" of the states' race to the bottom in welfare services and how does this promote a better business climate?
9/18: Welch, ch. 4; Harrigan, ch. 4.
Q: How would you describe the people who are most and least likely to vote?
What do these readings tell us about the level of knowledge that most Americans have about politics? This undermines Madison's cure for the mischiefs of faction. Explain how.
9/20: Welch, chs. 5 and 9
9/22: Welch, ch. 8 and Harrigan, ch. 5
Q: Do the media introduce or amplify biases that make certain factions or interests more powerful?
9/25: Harrigan, chs. 11-12; Welch, chs. 14-15.
9/27: Downs, "The Statics and Dynamics of Party Ideologies," RR; Big Tent Readings, RR; Welch, ch. 6.
Q: How does Downs' portrait of the electorate fit with our previous readings on the state of public opinion and level of public knowledge about issues? Think about four or five issues including both high and low profile ones. Do you think Downs' portrait is accurate?
Does the political party system, through the structure of competing big tents, make democracy representative, responsive and accountable?
9/29: Rae, Southern Democrats, chs. 1 and 3 (Any student with a deep interest in current American political history is urged to read the entire book during the course of the term.); and Edsall and Edsall, "Race" RR.
Q: What are the 4 factions of the Democratic party and their defining features? What does the author mean when he distinguishes between economic issues and social/cultural issues? Did the Democrats win the presidency when they lost only the Southern states from the New Deal coalition? What is the most simple way to delineate the difference between Rae's focus and the focus of the Edsalls (think of a compass)?
10/2: R. Diclerico and J. Davis, Choosing Our Choices, pp. 1-50; and Harrigan, ch. 6.
10/4: Diclerico and Davis, pp. 51-78, and 113-31.
10/6: Welch, ch. 7; Harrigan, ch. 7.
Q: Why have elections become trivialized?
10/9: No Class. Jewish Holy Day.
10/11: Schneider, "Suburban Century Begins," RR; Cook, "Suburbia: Land of Varied Faces" RR. Every student must pick one suburban district from Cook's list for further research.
10/13: Midterm Examination
10/16: Mid Term Break
10/18: Class at the Gould Library
10/20: Optional Class; time to meet with the professor or share a draft (of your paper) with peers.
10/23: Optional Class; time to meet with the professor or share a draft (of your paper) with peers, or go to The Write Place.
10/25: Paper due by 12 noon in my office, 417 Willis. We will have a class today.
10/27: Sundquist, "Needed: A Political Theory for the New Era," RR and Smith, The Power Game, chs. 17-18, RR.
Q: What is divided government? How does it damage the big tent theory of democracy? List the possible causes of divided government and explain the process by which each cause (independent variable) produces this outcome (dependent variable). [There is a good chance that this question will be on the final examination.]
10/30: Welch, ch. 10
Q: On average, how frequently do incumbent representatives and senators win reelection? Why are they so successful? Is this a good thing or not? Can incumbency be blamed [think causally] for the divided government that characterized the 1970s and 1980s?
11/1: Welch, chs. 11-12.
Q: On p. 318 Welch writes, "Not surprisingly then, some scholars see the growth in influence in EOP officials as having come at the expense of cabinet secretaries." Explain this viewpoint, being sure to highlight the redundancy and to explain and justify (at least from the President's perspective) this redundancy. How is the growth of the EOP as a responsive tool for the President linked to the Iran-Contra scandal?
11/3: Election discussion. Caldwell, "The Southern Captivity of the GOP" RR.
11/6: D. Amy, Real Choices, New Voices, chs. 1-3.
Q: Write a 2-4 page policy memo on proportional representation (pro or con). Think of yourself as writing an advocacy memo to your boss, Governor Jesse Ventura, who is looking for some signature issue that will bring attention, votes, and better government [Potential exam question].
11/8: Amy, chs. 4-7.
11/10: Amy, chs. 8-10.
11/13: Further Discussion
11/15: Final Review