Political Science 610
Seminar: American Politics
Fall 2010
T, Th 9:30-10:45
AH 223A
Instructor: Dr. Fred Slocum
Office: 204A Morris Hall
Phone: 389-6935
E-mail:
Web site:
Office Hours: M, W, F 11:00-12:30 and 3:00-4:00; T, Th 11:00-12:15; or by appointment
Introduction and Course Objectives:
This seminar course, for graduate students only, is designed to introduce students to some classic and contemporary research literature in the subfield of American politics. The research literature in American politics is vast, and our coverage of the field will necessarily be limited. That said, my goal is that students will complete this course conversant with the American politics field and many of its “nooks and crannies,” familiar with some of the major research traditions, questions and findings, and with improved and sharpened skills in critical reading, speaking, thinking and writing. These skills will be important contributors to your continued success in the MPA program, and in your future careers.
In this and other graduate seminars, it is essential that students take a consistently active role in class discussions. I expect students to come to class every day having completed assigned readings in advance, and prepared to contribute your opinions, observations, questions and efforts to relate readings to concepts and tools you are learning in your other classes, and/or current developments and events in American politics. In general, we will approach assigned readings with the following questions in mind:
Is this good research? Why or why not?
How does it contribute to our understanding of politics?
What are the limitations of this research? Are there any current/recent features or trends in
American politics that might call for modifying the research and/or its findings?
What questions does this research leave unanswered?
What would be one or more “next steps” toward improving or building upon this research?
Students should begin this course with a working knowledge of American politics, demonstrated at least by successfully completing an introductory college-level American government course. If you think you would benefit from more or refreshed knowledge of American government, let me know and I can recommend, or even possibly lend out, a good textbook. I expect to maintain an atmosphere in which students of all political persuasions will feel equally free to express their opinions during class discussions.
Assignments and Grading:
There will be a cumulative, take-home, open book/note final exam, consisting of essays. The exam questions will be distributed in late November or early December, with exam answers due Fri. December 10. More details will be distributed as the exam period approaches.
Students will complete a literature-review paper , 20 to 25 pages in length. This paper should synthesize and critically examine the research literature in a subfield of American politics of the student’s choice, but outside public administration. Broadly speaking, the paper should pull together a number of (20 or more) topically related scholarly sources (book chapters; journal articles; books) and address (1) what are the major findings in this subfield; (2) what are the limitations of these findings – conflicting theories, conflict between theory and observation, recent/current developments and trends, shortcomings in theory, measurement, data, analysis techniques or of another nature; (3) what should be done to move the overall body of research in this subfield forward. More details will be handed out separately. This assignment is due Tuesday, November 23.
Each student will select any two weeks of the course and for those two weeks, take a more active role in leading the class discussion. To facilitate this, for each chosen week, students are expected to prepare a four-page summary on the readings for that week. This paper should discuss the readings for that week, how they relate to each other, and what areas of disagreement or controversy they either set out to address, or perhaps, leave unaddressed. Reading summaries are to be brought to class for both class meetings of a particular week, and submitted after the Thursday meeting for that week. I will make a sign-up sheet available the first day of class.
Class participation is essential. The overall success of this course hinges on each student’s consistently active participation in class discussions.
Course grades will be determined as follows:
Literature-review paper: 40%
Take-home final exam: 20%
Reading summaries (10% x 2, total 20%)
Class participation: 20%
In this course, grades will not be curved, meaning that you will not be competing against your classmates for a limited number of A’s, B’s and so on. Therefore, the grading scale is a straight scale (no pluses and minuses), as follows:
A: 90%-100%
B: 80%-89.9%
C: 70%-79.9%
D: 60%-69.9%
F: 59.9% or less
Students whose point totals place them very near (within 0.1 points of) the cut point for the next higher letter grade will be evaluated on an individual basis for promotion to the higher grade. In this evaluation, I will consider factors such as class participation, attitude and improvement over the term.
Students with Disabilities:
I would like to hear (early in the semester is much preferred) from students with a documented learning or other disability that might require some modification of seating, testing, or other class arrangements. I will make every effort to accommodate students with these needs. If you have any questions, please see me or contact Julie Snow in the Disability Services Office (132 Memorial Library, 389-1819).
Policy on Attendance:
As this is a seminar course, attendance is essential, as is participation. I reserve the right to note attendance for any or all class sessions. Excused absences may be considered on a case-by-case basis in exceptional cases (such as for certain medical reasons), or for significant opportunities, such as attending a professional conference. Whenever possible, please notify me in advance of an absence, giving a valid reason.
Policy on Late Assignments:
Late literature-review papers and late final examinations will face a significant point deduction, proportional to the length of delay. Computer-related problems (including hard drive or disk crashes) are not an acceptable reason for late papers or extensions. Don’t wait until the last minute to print papers off!
Academic Dishonesty:
A number of activities may be construed as academic dishonesty (cheating). These include, but are not limited to: deliberately copying material from another source (book, manuscript or another student) without proper acknowledgment, using crib sheets during an exam, talking during an exam, or looking at another student’s exam. Any cheating will result in an automatic F in the course and possible further disciplinary action, up to and including dismissal from the MPA program, academic probation and/or suspension.
Textbooks:
There are five required texts for this class, available at the CSU Bookstore and Maverick Bookstore. As we will not read all of them, students are encouraged to use resources like amazon.com or interlibrary loan.
- Marc Hetherington and Jonathan Weiler, Authoritarianism and Polarization in American Politics. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 2009.
- David R. Mayhew, Congress: The Electoral Connection. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 1974.
- Richard E. Neustadt, Presidential Power and the Modern Presidents. New York: The Free Press, 1990.
- E.E. Schattschneider, The Semi-Sovereign People: A Realist’s View of Democracy in America. New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1960.
- Robert P. Steed and Laurence W. Moreland (eds.), Writing Southern Politics: Contemporary Interpretations and Future Directions. Lexington, KY: University Press of Kentucky, 2006.
Course Calendar and Assignments:
I will make reasonable efforts to follow the schedule of topics below. However, as time and circumstances dictate, the schedule may change somewhat. Thus, dates given below should be considered approximate. If circumstances warrant, I may amend the schedule or modify reading assignments. I will announce any such changes in class. Outside the five books, articles listed below are available on JSTOR ( – best accessed from an on-campus computer).
Week 1 – August 24-26: Introductions; the American experience. Schattschneider, Chs. I-II.
Week 2 – August 31-Sept. 2: Government and the scope of conflict. Schattschneider, Chs. III-XIII.
Week 3 – September 7-9: Political participation and civic engagement.
1. Robert Putnam. 1995. “Tuning In, Tuning Out: The Strange Disappearance of Social Capital in America.” PS: Political Science and Politics 28:664-683.
2. Richard Timpone. 1998. “Structure, Behavior, and Voter Turnout in the United States.” American Political Science Review 92:145-158.
3. Feldman, S. and J. Zaller. 1992. "The Political Culture of Ambivalence." American Journal of Political Science. 36:268-307.
4. Henry E. Brady, Sidney Verba, and Kay Lehman Schlozman. 1995. “Beyond SES: A Resource Model of Political Participation.” American Political Science Review 89:271-294.
Week 4 – September 14-16: Public opinion.
1. Philip E. Converse. 1964. “The Nature of Belief Systems in Mass Publics.” In Ideology and Discontent, ed. David Apter. New York: Free Press, 206-261. Distributed in class.
2. John Zaller and Stanley Feldman. 1992. “A Simple Theory of the Survey Response: Answering Questions versus Revealing Preferences.” American Journal of Political Science 36:579-616.
3. Milton Lodge, Marco R. Steenbergen, and Shawn Brau. 1995. “The Responsive Voter: Campaign Information and the Dynamics of Candidate Evaluation.” American Political Science Review 89:309-326.
4. James A. Stimson, Michael B. MacKuen and Robert S. Erikson. 1995. “Dynamic Representation.” American Political Science Review 89: 543-565.
Week 5 – September 21-23: Voting behavior.
1. Richard R. Lau and David P. Redlawsk. 1997. “Voting Correctly.” American Political Science Review 91:585-598.
2. Richard R. Lau, David J. Andersen and David P. Redlawsk. 2008. “An Exploration of Correct Voting in Recent U.S. Presidential Elections.” American Journal of Political Science 52: 395-411.
3. Larry M. Bartels. 2000. “Partisanship and Voting Behavior 1952-1996.” American Journal of Political Science. 44:35-50.
4. Michael B. MacKuen., Robert S. Erikson, and James A. Stimson. 1989. “Macropartisanship.” American Political Science Review, 83:1125-1142.
Week 6 – September 28-30: Campaigns and elections.
1. Barry C. Burden and David C. Kimball. 1998. “A New Approach to the Study of Ticket Splitting.” American Political Science Review 92:533-544.
2. Thomas M. Holbrook. 1994. “Campaigns, National Conditions, and U.S. Presidential Elections.” American Journal of Political Science 38: 973-998.
3. Richard Nadeau and Michael S. Lewis-Beck. 2001. “National Economic Voting in U.S. Presidential Elections.” Journal of Politics 63: 159-181.
4. Jonathan GS Koppell and Jennifer A. Steen. 2004. “The Effects of Ballot Position on Election Outcomes.” Journal of Politics 66: 267-281.
Week 7 – October 5-7: Media.
1. Shanto Iyengar, Mark D. Peters, and Donald R. Kinder. 1982. “Experimental Demonstrations of the ‘Not-So-Minimal’ Consequences of Television News Programs.” American Political Science Review 76:848-858.
2. Thomas E. Nelson, Rosalee Clawson, and Zoe Oxley. 1997. “Media Framing of a Civil Liberties Conflict and Its Effect on Tolerance.” American Political Science Review 91:567-584.
3. Freedman, P., M. Franz, and K. Goldstein. 2004. “Campaign advertising and democratic citizenship.” American Journal of Political Science. 48:723-41.
4. Markus Prior. 2005. “News vs. Entertainment: How Increasing Media Choice Widens Gaps in Political Knowledge and Turnout.” American Journal of Political Science, 49:577-592.
Week 8 – October 12-14: Race and gender.
1. Martin Gilens. 1996. “ ‘Race Coding’ and White Opposition to Welfare.” American Political Science Review 90:593-604.
2. Charles Cameron, David Epstein, and Sharyn O’Halloran. 1996. “Do Majority-Minority Districts Maximize Substantive Black Representation in Congress?” American Political Science Review 90:794-812.
3. R. Michael Alvarez and Lisa Garcia Bedolla. 2003. “The Foundations of Latino Voter Partisanship: Evidence from the 2000 Election.” Journal of Politics 65: 31-49.
4. Carole Kennedy Chaney, R. Michael Alvarez, and Jonathan Nagler. 1998. “Explaining the Gender Gap in U.S. Presidential Elections, 1980-1992.” Political Research Quarterly 51:311-339.
5. Sue Thomas. 1991. “The Impact of Women on State Legislative Policies.” Journal of Politics 53:958-976.
Week 9 – October 19-21: Political parties.
1. John H. Aldrich. 1995. “Why Parties Form.” Chapter 2 in Why Parties? The Origin and Transformation of Political Parties in America. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press, pp. 28-61.
2. V.O. Key. 1959. “Secular Realignment and the Party System.” Journal of Politics 21:198-210.
3. Gary Miller and Norman Schofield. 2003. “Activists and Partisan Realignment in the United States.” American Political Science Review 97: 245-260.
4. Layman, G. and T. Carsey. 2002. “Party Polarization and ‘Conflict Extension’ in the American Electorate.” American Journal of Political Science. 46(4):786-802.
Week 10 – October 26-28: Interest groups.
1. Mancur Olson. 1965. “A Theory of Groups and Organizations.” Chapter 1 in The Logic of Collective Action: Public Goods and the Theory of Groups, Cambridge MA: Harvard University Press, pp. 5-52.
2. Jack L. Walker, Jr. 1983. “The Origins and Maintenance of Interest Groups in America.” American Political Science Review 77:390-406.
3. David Austen-Smith and John Wright. 1994. “Counteractive Lobbying.” American Journal of Political Science 38:25-44.
4. John Mark Hansen. 1985. “The Political Economy of Group Membership.” American Political Science Review 79:79-96.
Week 11 – November 2-4: Congress.
1. Mayhew, pp. 13-158.
2. Richard F. Fenno Jr. 1977. “U.S. House Members in the Constituencies: An Exploration.” American Political Science Review 71:883-917.
3. Balla, S., E. Lawrence, F. Maltzman, and L. Eigelman. 2002. “Partisanship, Blame Avoidance, and the Distribution of Legislative Pork.” American Journal of Political Science. 46(3):515-25.
4. Eric Schickler. 2000. “Institutional Change in the House of Representatives, 1867-1998: A Test of Partisan and Ideological Power Balance Models.” The American Political Science Review, 94:269-288.
Week 12 – November 9-11: The presidency and bureaucracy.
1. Neustadt, pp. 3-90 and 103-127.
2. Stephen Skowronek. 2005. “Presidential Leadership in Political Time.” In The Presidency and the Political System ed. by Michael Nelson. Washington, DC: CQ Press. Chapter 4.
3. Matthew N. Beckmann. 2008. “The President’s Playbook: White House Strategies for Lobbying Congress.”Journal of Politics 70, #2: 407-419.
4. Brandice Canes-Wrone, William G. Howell and David E. Lewis. 2008. “Toward a Broader Understanding of Presidential Power: A Reevaluation of the Two Presidencies Thesis.” Journal of Politics 70, #1: 1-15.
5. Matthew D. McCubbins and Thomas Schwartz. 1984. “Congressional Oversight Overlooked: Police Patrols versus Fire Alarms.” American Journal of Political Science. 28:165-179.
Week 13 – November 16-18: Law and the courts.
1. William Mishler and Reginald S. Sheehan. 1993. “The Supreme Court as a Countermajoritarian Institution: The Impact of Public Opinion on Supreme Court Decisions.” American Political Science Review 87:87-101.
2. Paul J. Wahlbeck, James F. Spriggs, II, and Forrest Maltzman. 1998. “Marshalling the Court: Bargaining and Accommodation on the United States Supreme Court.” American Journal of Political Science 42:294-315.
3. Jeffrey A. Segal and Harold J. Spaeth. 1996. “The Influence of Stare Decisis on the Votes of United States Supreme Court Justices.” American Journal of Political Science. 40: 971-1003.
4. Paul Brace and Brent D. Boyea. 2008. “State Public Opinion, The Death Penalty, and the Practice of Electing Judges.” American Journal of Political Science 52, #2: 360-372.
5. Timothy R. Johnson, Paul J. Wahlbeck, and James F. Spriggs II. 2006. “The Influence of Oral Arguments on the U.S. Supreme Court.” American Political Science Review 100, #1: 99-113.
Week 14 – November 23: Southern regional politics.
Steed and Moreland (eds.), Introduction, and Chs. 1, 4, 6, 7, 8 and 9.
(Tuesday, November 23: Literature-review paper due)
Week 15 – November 30-December 2: Polarization in modern American politics.
Hetherington and Weiler, all.
(Friday, December 10, 12:00 noon: Final exam due)