Political
Parties in the
Political
Science 313
Fall
2006
Sean F. Evans
Office:
PAC A-38
Phone:
(731) 661-5237
E-Mail: sevans@uu.edu
Introduction
The
Democrats are giddy with anticipation.
After 10 years in the minority, congressional Democrats believe they will
retake the House and Senate this fall.
Due to the Abramoff scandal, the problems in
Of
course, not all is roses for the Democrats.
First, most congressional districts are drawn to elect a member of one
party and the margin is so great that there are really only about 15 toss-up
seats in the country. Second, most House
races are local races where the incumbent has built in advantages. Third, the recent potential airline bombings
originating from
Consequently,
what are the macro and micro factors that shape and determine elections? What role do political parties play in the
electoral process? Does it even matter which political party wins? Many citizens seem to subscribe to former
Alabama Governor George Wallace’s dictum that, “There is not a dime’s worth of
difference between the Democratic and Republican parties.” However, in an age where we have two
polarized parties, the choice of who controls congress has a significant impact
on the budget, health care, Social Security, and/or the Supreme Court. In this course, we are going to answer these
questions using theory to guide our look at history and the current electoral
climate.
We begin though by examining the
nature of parties to determine whether they are electoral
or policy based. In addition, you will
learn who participates and why, how people decide to vote, who runs for office
and why, the strategies that candidates and parties pursue to win office, the
role that the media and organized interests play in elections, and the role of
parties in legislating. Along the way,
hopefully you will become a smarter more effective citizen and learn to express
yourself effectively, both verbally and in writing.
Required
Craig, Stephen C. 2006. The
Electoral Challenge: Theory Meets Practice.
Green, John C., and Daniel
J. Coffey. The State of the Parties, 5th
ed.
Maisel, L. Sandy and Kara Buckeley. 2005. Parties and Elections in
Riordon, William and George
Washington Plunkitt. Plunkitt
of Tamany Hall. Signet Classics.
In addition, there are a few
extra readings available on reserve in the library and/or available
on-line. I also strongly encourage you
to read a paper, watch the news, etc. due to the importance of this election. Due to the nature of this course, knowledge
of current events is necessary to participate in discussions and understand the
concepts of this course. While the Jackson
Sun is a fine newspaper, I encourage you to examine other news
sources. To facilitate this, you may
find many useful sources at http://www.uu.edu/personal/sevans/_private/news.htm. In addition, once a week a member of the
class will discuss the week’s election news.
These short presentations will be approximately 5-10 minutes and will
focus primarily on congressional and state elections.
Grading. Your grade for this course is
determined from two exams, a group project, your work on a local campaign, and
your in-class participation. Exams are primarily essay because they are the
best means of assessing your ability to critique, evaluate, and synthesize
ideas. The group project offers the
opportunity to bring together readings, lectures, the news, etc. to display an
appreciation and critical understanding of elections. There are two exams in this class. The first
midterm is Oct. 7 while the final exam is scheduled for Dec. 9. These two exams are worth 50% of your grade.
Since you know ahead of time when the exams are scheduled, there are no make‑ups.
If you miss the first exam, the final exam will count twice.
This is an upper division course
so I have high expectations for the quality of your work. Do not think that you can cram the night
before the exam or put together your project the night before and get a good
grade.
After exams are returned, you
must wait 24 hours before discussing the exam with me. This serves as both a
cooling off period and as a time for you to reflect upon the exam and what you
may have done wrong. We will then sit down and discuss any problems you may
have had with the exam, how we can correct this, and how you can improve over
the course of the semester. If I make a mistake, I will rectify that, but I do
not engage in point grubbing.
Group Project. One of the largest components
of the class grade (30%) is your write-up of the campaign strategy of the
candidate of your group. After the
drop/add date, you will be assigned a candidate and placed in a group. The group/campaign will devise an electoral
strategy for your candidate based on information from class, readings, and
outside research. You will turn in a
group paper and present your strategy to the class on Dec. 14. Since this is a group project, a portion of
your grade will come from how your colleagues rate your performance. Some group projects encourage free riding but
by having your colleagues assess your participation and contribution, I hope to
minimize this since they have strong incentives to punish this behavior. The grade from your colleagues will be
weighted on the overall group project grade I assign the group. I will try to give you time in class to meet
as a group but more likely than not you will have to
meet outside of class as well. The paper
consists of several sections:
1. A
thorough write-up on the personal and professional background of your
candidate: why are they running? What
experience do they have? What are they
like personally? etc.
This part of your project will be the shortest section and the easiest
to compile.
2. A
campaign strategy based on the information from Part 1 and incorporating ideas
from lecture and readings. I cannot
stress enough to link your strategies to evidence cited from readings and class
– basically, always consider the question: why should a candidate do this? and thoroughly explain.
This part will likely be the longest and most difficult section. In this section, I not only expect a detailed
electoral strategy that includes the electoral coalition you plan on forming,
the electoral college strategy, responses to other candidates attacks, etc.,
but examples of TV ads, free media solutions, fundraising considerations,
policy proposals. I strongly encourage
you to include maps, pictures, and other visual aids in making your case.
3. An
assessment of the potential success of your strategy given the current context
in which the candidates are working, and a comparison to the actual strategy
being employed by the candidate of your party.
Also, evaluate your strategy and the electoral process considering
broader issues such as democracy, representation, participation, etc. While this section is somewhat opinion based,
it should be deeply grounded in class discussions and readings.
Do not save this research until
the last minute. Discussions on various
topics will revolve around your research throughout the course, and you will
need to keep up with the readings to contribute to group discussions. You can find information on your candidate in
numerous ways. The most likely sources
will likely be the internet and the class web page will have links to many
helpful websites.
This paper should be
approximately 40-50 pages. While this
may seem rather large, this is not too bad since you are working in a group and
the biographical information is easy to compile. The paper and presentations are due on Dec.
14. Due to the continual work of the
group, late papers will not be accepted.
Your knowledge of this assignment dates from the first day of class.
This means that you have the next three months to work on the project. While I am not completely without compassion
– and I am normally quite entertained by late paper tales – I will not accept
late papers unless you can prove that the world is coming to an end (the odds
of proving this are not great).
Participation. I expect all of you to participate in class discussions. This is a means of improving your
communication skills and also a means of determining how well you are learning
the material. Moreover, feel free to ask
questions. Nine times out of ten, if you have a question, there are several
other people who have the same question. By asking questions, you help yourself
and your colleagues. If you are still confused, I am more than happy to discuss
anything relating to the class in my office hours or by appointment. In our
class discussions though, I expect you to treat your classmates with the
respect that you would like to be accorded when you are speaking.
Class participation is worth 10%
of your grade. In assessing participation, students who attend class but
do not participate earn a D. Those who
show they read but only have a superficial understanding receive a C. Those who read and show they understand the
material in discussions receive a B while those who excel by showing a thorough
understanding of readings and an ability to connect concepts across lectures,
readings, and discussions receive an A for participation. Moreover,
you facilitate participation by bringing the relevant reserve readings and
textbook to class each day. Finally, when and/or if I curve test or final
grades, I reserve the right to withhold the curve from students with poor
attendance.
Campaign Work. This is a class on political parties and the electoral process in an
election year. While we can talk about
campaigns all day long, I believe that you will gain a better appreciation for
parties and campaigns by working on a campaign.
Consequently, you are required to work a minimum of 10 hours on a
campaign this semester. I will provide
you a list of campaigns and contacts though you can go outside this list with
my approval. You must keep a journal of
your activities which is due the class after election day. The journal should include what you did and
saw but also an analysis of your time concerning the effectiveness of the campaign,
the strategies they pursued, etc. The
journal is due Nov. 9 and is worth 10% of your grade.
Cheating. University rules on cheating apply to this class. We are here to test
your abilities and not your neighbors or friends. Any one caught cheating receives an automatic
"F" for the course and will be referred to the appropriate
authorities for university review and punishment.
Extracurricular. Students are expected to attend any special political events this semester.
Special Needs. Students with disabilities who may need academic accommodations should
discuss options with the instructor during the first two weeks of class.
A Final Comment: This syllabus is not a contract. I reserve the right to make changes to
accommodate guest speakers and special events.
Class
Outline
Aug. 31 Introduction
Sept. 5 Parties and Democracy
George Washington’s “Farewell Address” (http://www.yale.edu/lawweb/avalon/washing.htm)
and APSA Committee on Political Parties “Toward a More Responsible Two-Party
System” on reserve
Sept. 7 Party Systems
MAISEL, ch.
2; Green, chs. 2-5
Sept. 12 The Party
in the Electorate
Green, chs. 16-19
Sept. 14 Realignment
or Dealignment?
Sept. 19 Party as a Team of Candidates
Schlesinger “A Theory of Political Parties”
on reserve
Sept. 21 Party as Cause Advocate
Wilson “The Amateur Democrat” on reserve
Sept. 26 Party Organizations
MAISEL, ch.
3; Green, chs. 10 & 12
Sept. 28 Political Machines
Riordon’s Plunkitt
of Tamany Hall
Oct. 3 Third Parties
Green, chs. 14-15 and Lowi
“Toward a More Responsible Three-Party System” on reserve
Oct. 5 First Mid-Term
Oct. 10 Who Participates?
MAISEL, ch. 4
Oct. 12 How Voters Decide?
MAISEL, ch. 5; Craig,
ch. 3
Oct. 17 The Decision
to Run
MAISEL, ch. 7
Oct. 19 Fall Break – No class
Oct. 24 Rules of the Game: Nomination Rules
MAISEL, ch. 9
Oct. 26 Campaign Strategy: The Strategic
Environment
MAISEL, ch.
10; Craig, chs. 1-2 & 10
Oct. 31 Campaign Strategy
Nov. 2 Campaign Financing
MAISEL, ch.
11; Green, chs. 6-7; Craig, ch. 4
Nov. 7 Air War: Campaign Ads – Election Day
Craig, chs. 5-6
Nov. 9 The Meaning
of Elections: Discuss Tuesday’s Election
Campaign
Journal Due
Nov. 14 Air War: Campaign Ads
Nov. 16 Air War: The Media
MAISEL, ch. 12
Nov. 21 Ground War and Internet
Green, chs. 8-11; Craig, chs. 7 & 9
Nov. 23 No Class – Happy Thanksgiving
Nov. 28 Campaign Ethics
Craig, ch. 11
Nov. 30 The Future
of Political Parties
MAISEL, ch. 14
Dec. 5 Parties in Government
MAISEL, ch.
13; Green, chs. 20-22
Dec. 7 Final Exam
Dec. 14 Campaign Strategy Presentations 8am