Semester | Fall Semester, 2018 | ||
Department | MA Program of Diplomacy, First Year PhD Program of Diplomacy, First Year MA Program of Diplomacy, Second Year PhD Program of Diplomacy, Second Year | ||
Course Name | Seminar in American Government and Politics | ||
Instructor | |||
Credit | 3.0 | ||
Course Type | Elective | ||
Prerequisite |
Course Objective |
Course Description |
Course Schedule |
Course Schedule: Week 1 (September 19): Colonial Background and the Founding Declaration of Independence, found at http://www.law.cornell.edu/supct/html/historics/USSC_CR_0017_0316_ZO.html Alex Tuckness, “Discourses of Resistance in the American Revolution,” Journal of the History of Ideas, Vol. 64, No. 4 (Oct., 2003), pp. 547-563. Joyce Appleby, “Liberalism and the American Revolution,” The New England Quarterly, Vol. 49, No. 1 (Mar., 1976), pp. 3-26 Week 2 (September 26): American Political Culture Lawrence B. Glickman, “The Strike in the Temple of Consumption: Consumer Activism and Twentieth-Century American Political Culture,” The Journal of American History, Vol. 88, No. 1 (Jun., 2001), pp. 99-128 Rogers M. Smith, “Beyond Tocqueville, Myrdal, and Hartz: The Multiple Traditions in America,” The American Political Science Review, Vol. 87, No. 3 (Sep., 1993), pp. 549-566 Rhys H. Williams, “Visions of the Good Society and the Religious Roots of American Political Culture,” Sociology of Religion, Vol. 60, No. 1 (Spring, 1999), pp. 1-34 Week 3 (October 3): Views of the Constitutional Convention John P. Roche, “The Founding Fathers: A Reform Caucus in Action,” The American Political Science Review, Vol. 55, No. 4 (Dec., 1961), pp. 799-816 Calvin C. Jillson, “Constitutional-Making: Alignment and Realignment in the Federal Convention of 1787,” The American Political Science Review, Vol. 75, No. 3 (Sep., 1981), pp. 598-612 James H. Hutson, “Riddles of the Federal Constitutional Convention,” The William and Mary Quarterly, Third Series, Vol. 44, No. 3, The Constitution of the United States (Jul., 1987), pp. 411-423. Week 4 (October 10): Holiday. No class. Week 5 (October 17):Debates over the Constitution: The Federalist and Anti-Federalist Papers The Federalist Papers can be found at http://www.foundingfathers.info/federalistpapers/fedindex.htm The Anti-Federalist Papers can be found at http://www.wepin.com/articles/afp/index.htm Madison: Federalist Papers Nos. 10, 39, 47, 48 Hamilton: Federalist Papers Nos. 16, 17 Anti-Federalist Papers Nos. 3, 9, 64, 68 Cecelia M. Kenyon, “Men of Little Faith: The Anti-Federalists on the Nature of Representative Government.” The William and Mary Quarterly, 3rd Series, Vol.12, No. 1(1955), pp. 3-43. Robert J Morgan, “Madison’s Theory of Representation in the Tenth Federalist,” The Journal of Politics, Vol. 35, No. 4 (1974), pp. 852-885. Week 6 (October 24): Political PartiesJo Freeman, “The Political Culture of the Democratic and Republican Parties,” Political Science Quarterly, Vol. 101, No. 3 (1986), pp. 327-356 Marjorie Randon Hershey, “Citizens' Groups and Political Parties in the United States,” Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, Vol. 528, Citizens, Protest, and Democracy (Jul., 1993), pp. 142-156 Christopher Bruzios, “Democratic & Republican Party Activists & Followers: Inter- & Intra-Party Differences,” Polity, Vol. 22, No. 4 (Summer, 1990), pp. 581-601. Joseph M Schlesinger, “On The Theory of Party Organization.” The Journal of Politics Vol. 46, No. 2 (1984), pp. 369-400. Week 7 (October 31): Interest Groups Jack L Walker, “The Origins and Maintenance of Interest Groups in America,” American Political Science Review No. 77 (June1983), pp. 390-406. Robert Salisbury, “Interest Representation: The Dominance of Institutions,” American Political Science Review, Vol. 81 (1984), pp. 64-67. Virginia Gray and David Lowery, “A Niche Theory of Interest Representation,” Journal of Politics, Vol. 58 (March1996), pp. 91-111. Kay Lehman Schlozman, “What Accent the Heavenly Chorus? Political Equality and the American Pressure System,” Journal of Politics Vol. 46 (1984), pp. 1006-32. Week 8 (November 7): Midterm: small paper due Week 9 (November 14): Elections D. Sunshine Hillygus and Todd G. Shields, “Moral Issues and Voter Decision Making in the 2004 Presidential Election,” PS: Political Science and Politics, Vol. 38, No. 2 (Apr. 2005), pp. 201-209 Cary R. Covington, Kent Kroeger, Glenn Richardson, J. David Woodard, “Shaping a Candidate's Image in the Press: Ronald Reagan and the 1980 Presidential Election,” Political Research Quarterly, Vol. 46, No. 4 (Dec., 1993), pp. 783-798 V.O Key, “A Theory of Critical Elections,” Journal of Politics Vol. 17 (Feb 1955), pp. 3-18. Thomas M Carsey and Geoffrey C. Layman, “Changing Sides or Changing Minds?: Party Identification and Policy Preferences in the American Electorate,” American Journal of Political Science, Vol. 50 (April 2006): 464-477. Faris, Robert, Hal Roberts, Bruce Etling, Nikki Bourassa, Ethan Zuckerman, and Yochai Benkler. "Partisanship, propaganda, and disinformation: Online media and the 2016 US presidential election." (2017). https://dash.harvard.edu/bitstream/handle/1/33759251/2017-08_electionReport_0.pdf Abramowitz, Alan I., and Steven Webster. "The rise of negative partisanship and the nationalization of US elections in the 21st century." Electoral Studies 41 (2016): 12-22. http://www.stevenwwebster.com/research/all_politics_is_national.pdf Week 10 (November 21): Congress and Its Members David Brady, Kara Buckley, Douglas Rivers, “The Roots of Careerism in the U. S. House of Representatives,” Legislative Studies Quarterly, Vol. 24, No. 4 (Nov., 1999), pp. 489-510 Richard Fleisher and John R. Bond, “The Shrinking Middle in the US Congress,” British Journal of Political Science, Vol. 34, No. 3 (Jul., 2004), pp. 429-451 William R. Lowry and Charles R. Shipan, “Party Differentiation in Congress,” Legislative Studies Quarterly, Vol. 27, No. 1 (Feb., 2002), pp. 33-60 Glen R. Parker and Roger H. Davidson, “Why Do Americans Love Their Congressmen So Much More Than Their Congress?” Legislative Studies Quarterly Vol. 4, No. 1 (Feb. 1979), pp. 53-62.
David Mayhew, Congress: The Electoral Connection (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1974) Week 11 (November 28): Legislative Process Glen S. Krutz, “Issues and Institutions: ‘Winnowing’ in the U.S. Congress,” American Journal of Political Science, Vol. 49, No. 2 (Apr., 2005), pp. 313-326 Robert A. Katzmann, “The American Legislative Process as a Signal,” Journal of Public Policy, Vol. 9, No. 3, Signals for Steering Government (Jul. - Sep.,1989), pp. 287-306 William D. Anderson, Janet M. Box-Steffensmeier, Valeria Sinclair-Chapman, “The Keys to Legislative Success in the U.S. House of Representatives,” Legislative Studies Quarterly, Vol. 28, No. 3 (Aug., 2003), pp. 357-386 Susan Webb Yackee, “Punctuating the Congressional Agenda: Strategic Scheduling by House and Senate Leaders,” Political Research Quarterly, Vol. 56, No. 2 (Jun., 2003), pp. 139-149 Week 12 (December 5): Power in Congress John E. Owens, “The Return of Party Government in the US House of Representatives: Central Leadership -Committee Relations in the 104th Congress,” British Journal of Political Science, Vol. 27, No. 2 (Apr., 1997), pp. 247-272 Barbara Sinclair, “Transformational Leader or Faithful Agent? Principal-Agent Theory and House Majority Party Leadership,” Legislative Studies Quarterly, Vol. 24, No. 3 (Aug., 1999), pp. 421-449 Diana Evans, “Policy and Pork: The Use of Pork Barrel Projects to Build Policy Coalitions in the House of Representatives,” American Journal of Political Science, Vol. 38, No. 4 (Nov., 1994), pp. 894-917. Marie Hojnacki and David Kimball, “Organized Interests and the Decision of Whom to Lobby in Congress,” American Political Science Review, Vol. 92 (1998), pp. 775-90. Week 13 (December 12): Committees Fiona M. Wright, “The Caucus Reelection Requirement and the Transformation of House Committee Chairs, 1959-94,” Legislative Studies Quarterly, Vol. 25, No. 3 (Aug., 2000), pp. 469-480 David C. King, “The Nature of Congressional Committee Jurisdictions,” The American Political Science Review, Vol. 88, No. 1 (Mar., 1994), pp. 48-62 Christine DeGregorio, “Leadership Approaches in Congressional Committee Hearings,” The Western Political Quarterly, Vol. 45, No. 4 (Dec., 1992), pp. 971-983 Garry Young and Valerie Heitshusen, “Party and the Dynamics of Congressional Committee Composition in the US House, 1947-96,” British Journal of Political Science, Vol. 33, No. 4 (Oct., 2003), pp. 659-679 Richard D. Hall and Frank W. Wayman, “Buying Time: Moneyed Interests and The Mobilization of Bias in Congressional Committees. American Political Science Review, Vol. 84 (1990), pp. 797-820 Week 14 (December 19): The Presidency: Structure and Staff Richard E. Neustad, “Approaches to Staffing the Presidency: Notes on FDR and JFK,” The American Political Science Review, Vol. 57, No. 4 (Dec., 1963), pp. 855-864
B. Dan Wood and Richard W. Waterman, “The Dynamics of Political Control of the Bureaucracy.” American Political Science Review 85(1991): 801-828.
Michael Nelson, “A Short, Ironic History of American National Bureaucracy,” Journal of Politics, Vol. 44, (1982), pp. 747-778.
William G. Howell and David E. Lewis, “Agencies by Presidential Design,” Journal of Politics, Vol. 64 (November 2002), pp. 1095-1114.
Margaret G. Hermann and Thomas Preston, “Presidents, Advisers, and Foreign Policy: The Effect of Leadership Style on Executive Arrangements,” Political Psychology, Vol. 15, No. 1, Special Issue: Political Psychology and the Work of Alexander L. George (Mar., 1994), pp. 75-96
Week 15 (December 26): The President, Foreign Policy and National Security
Paul Kengor, “The Vice President, Secretary of State, and Foreign Policy,” Political Science Quarterly, Vol. 115, No. 2 (Summer, 2000), pp. 175-199 Paul E. Peterson, “The President's Dominance in Foreign Policy Making,” Political Science Quarterly, Vol. 109, No. 2 (Summer, 1994), pp. 215-234 Jeffrey S. Peake, “Presidential Agenda Setting in Foreign Policy,” Political Research Quarterly, Vol. 54, No. 1 (Mar., 2001), pp. 69-86 Norman A. Graebner, “The President as Commander in Chief: A Study in Power,” The Journal of Military History, Vol. 57, No. 1 (Jan., 1993), pp. 111-132 Week 16 (January 2): Assessing Presidents and Presidential Power Michael Lyons, “Presidential Character Revisited,” Political Psychology, Vol. 18, No. 4 (Dec., 1997), pp. 791-811 George C. Edwards III and B. Dan Wood, “Who Influences Whom? The President, Congress, and the Media,” The American Political Science Review, Vol. 93, No. 2 (Jun., 1999), pp. 327-344 Matthew N. Beckmann and Joseph Godfrey, “The Policy Opportunities in Presidential Honeymoons,” Political Research Quarterly, Vol. 60, No. 2 (Jun., 2007), pp. 250-262 Brandice Canes-Wrone and Scott de Marchi, “Presidential Approval and Legislative Success,” The Journal of Politics, Vol. 64, No. 2 (May, 2002), pp. 491-509 Richard S. Conley and Amie Kreppel, “Toward a New Typology of Vetoes and Overrides,” Political Research Quarterly, Vol. 54, No. 4 (Dec., 2001), pp. 831-852 Week 17 (January 9): The Court Lee Epstein, René Lindstädt , Jeffrey A. Segal, Chad Westerland, “The Changing Dynamics of Senate Voting on Supreme Court Nominees,” The Journal of Politics, Vol. 68, No. 2 (May, 2006), pp. 296-307 P. S. Ruckman, Jr, “The Supreme Court, Critical Nominations, and the Senate Confirmation Process,” The Journal of Politics, Vol. 55, No. 3 (Aug., 1993), pp. 793-805 Timothy R. Johnson and Jason M. Roberts, “Presidential Capital and the Supreme Court Confirmation Process,” The Journal of Politics, Vol. 66, No. 3 (Aug., 2004), pp. 663-683 John P. Roche, “Judicial Self-Restraint,” The American Political Science Review, Vol. 49, No. 3 (Sep., 1955), pp. 762-772 Sue Davis, “Justice Rehnquist's Judicial Philosophy: Democracy v. Equality,” Polity, Vol. 17, No. 1 (Autumn, 1984), pp. 88-117 Robert M. Howard and Jeffrey A. Segal, “A Preference for Deference? The Supreme Court and Judicial Review,” Political Research Quarterly, Vol. 57, No. 1 (Mar., 2004), pp. 131-143 Charles H. Franklin and Lian C. Kosaki, “Republican Schoolmaster: The Supreme Court, Public Opinion, and Abortion,” American Political Science Review 83(1989): 751-772.
Jeffrey A. Segal and Albert D. Cover, “Ideological Values And The Votes Of U.S. Supreme Court Justices,” American Political Science Review Vol. 83, (1989), pp. 557-566. Week 18 (January 16): Final report |
Teaching Methods |
Teaching Assistant |
Requirement/Grading |
Assignments: Students will be responsible for the following: 1. One six page assessments and critiques of articles 2. Submission of a preliminary literature review for their paper 3. A final, 15-page paper
Papers Participants will submit the following: A six page paper analyzing and assessing the arguments of two related articles we have read. These papers should: clearly identify the articles; shortly summarize the argument of each; assess and critique the argument of each in terms of logical consistency, use of evidence and data, and theoretical power: then discuss the relevance and importance of each. This is to be submitted by November 17 A three-page review of the literature on the subject of your final paper. This review shall identify relevant articles and books, discuss their relationship with the question posed by the paper, and assess the state of the scholarship at present bearing on the question posed. To be submitted by January 6. Final Paper This paper will, building upon the literature review, data, and theoretical position you identify, explore a question implicated in the study of American politics. Your paper must clearly:
To be submitted 2 weeks after final week of class.
Grades: Participation: 20% Short Papers: 20% each Final Paper: 40%
Grading Scale: A: 100-80: Excellent work—generates several interesting insights and displays a sure grasp of the material B: 79-70: Good, above average work—sometimes generates interesting insights and displays a solid grasp of the material C: 69-60: Average work—displays a competent grasp of the material D: 59-50: Below average work—displays a grasp of the material that is sometimes deficient F: 49- : Unacceptable work: displays a poor grasp of the material |
Textbook & Reference |
Materials: All materials will be available either online through JSTOR, or through copies that I will provide. For those who want or need a textbook outlining the basics of American government, there are many available in the library or through bookstores.
Additional Sources: Aldrich, John. 1995. Why Parties? University of Chicago Press. Alvarez, R. Michael. 1998. Information & Elections. Ann Arbor, MI: University of Michigan Press. Second edition. Arnold, R. Douglas. 1992. The Logic of Congressional Action. Yale University Press. Bartels, Larry M. 2000. “Partisanship and Voting Behavior, 1952-1996”. American Journal of Political Science 44:35-50. Bond, Jon R., and Richard Fleisher. 1990. The President in the Legislative Arena. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. Carmines, Edward G. and James A. Stimson. 1980. “The Two Faces of Issue Voting”. American Political Science Review. 74: 78-91. Dahl, Robert. 1961. Who Governs? Yale University Press. Dahl, Robert. 1955. A Preface to Democratic Theory. Yale University Press. Downs, Anthony. 1957. An Economic Theory of Democracy. Harper and Row. Edwards, George C. III. 2006. On Deaf Ears: The Limits of the Bully Pulpit. New Haven: Yale University Press. Fiorina, Morris P. “Explorations of a Political Theory of Party Identification”. Chapter in Retrospective Voting in American National Elections. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press Franklin, Charles E. and John E. Jackson. 1983. “The Dynamics of Party Identification.” American Political Science Review 77: 957-973 Green, Donald, Bradley Palmquist, and Eric Shickler. 2004. Partisan Hearts and Minds. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press. Hetherington, Marc J. 2001. “Resurgent Mass Partisanship: The Role of Elite Polarization”. American Political Science Review 95: 619-632. Johnston, Richard. 2006. “Party Identification: Unmoved Mover or Sum of Preferences?” Annual Review of Political Science. 9:329-51. Kahn, Kim and Patrick Kenney. 1999. The Spectacle of US Senate Campaigns. Princeton University Press. Key, V.O. 1966. The Responsible Electorate. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. Chapters 1&2 Lau, Richard R. & David Redlawsk. 2006. How Voters Decide: Information Processing in Election Campaigns. Cambridge. Mayhew, David R. 1991. Divided We Govern. New Haven: Yale University Press. Neustadt, Richard E. 1991. Presidential Power and the Modern Presidents (Rev. Ed.) Free Press. Niemi, Richard & Herbert Weisberg. (eds.) 2001. Controversies in Voting Behavior. Congressional QuarterlyPress. Oleszek, Walter J. 2007. Congressional Procedures and the Policy Process, 7th ed. Washington, Congressional Quarterly. Ornstein, Norman & Thomas Mann. (eds.) 2000. The Permanent Campaign and its Future. The AEI Press Page, Benjamin I. and Richard A. Brody. 1972. “Policy Voting and the Electoral Process: The Vietnam War issue”. American Political Science Review 66: 979-95. Jackson, John. 1975. “Issues, Party Choices, and Presidential Votes.” American Political Science Review 161-185. Perry, H.W., Jr. 1991. Deciding to Decide: Agenda Setting in the United States Supreme Court. Cambridge: Harvard University Press. Petrocik, John R. 1996. "Issue Ownership in Presidential Elections, with a 1980 Case Study." American Journal of Political Science. 40(3):825–50. Rahn Wendy M, John H. Aldrich, Eugene Borgida, and John L. Sullivan. 1990. A Social- Cognitive Model of Candidate Appraisal. In Information and Democratic Processes, John A. Ferejohn and James H. Kuklinski eds. Urbana: University of Illinois Press. Rosenberg, Gerald. 1993. The Hollow Hope: Can Courts Bring About Social Change? University of Chicago Press. Schattschneider, E. E. 1997. The Semisovereign People (Revised Ed.) Harcourt Brace. Wilson, James Q. 2000. Bureaucracy: What Government Agencies Do and Why They Do It. Basic Books. Zaller, John. 1992. The Nature and Origins of Mass Opinion. Cambridge University Press.
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Urls about Course |
Attachment |