PS360 Syllabus - Political Parties and Voting Behavior
Professor Russell Renka - Fall 2003

PS360 - Political Parties and Voting Behavior	Professor Russell D. Renka
Fall 2003	Campus Office: Carnahan 211L
MWF 11:00-11:50 a.m.	Office Hours: MTWR 9:00-9:50 a.m. or by appointment
Classroom: Carnahan Hall, Room 210	Office Telephone: (573) 651-2692
Home Website: http://cstl-cla.semo.edu/renka/	Office FAX: (573) 651-2695
Email: rdrenka@semo.edu	Departmental Telephone: (573) 651-2183

Introduction
PS360 Course Books and Readings
Course Requirements
Course Expectations
Journal Resources
Reaching me
Weekly Topics and Readings

Introduction Next down; Top

This course addresses topics at the very core of the practice of American democratic politics: the behavior of voters and non-voters, the creation and maintenance of political parties, and the conduct of competitive elections for public office. These are not separate topics, for parties are essential in every democracy (but not in non-democracies) to running elections and governing the polity. Parties are currently regarded with great suspicion by most middle-class Americans, yet we have found no alternative to them.

First up is why political parties are essential parts of a democracy. We start with answers to that, emphasizing the peculiar 160-year American tradition of having just two national political parties with a realistic chance for each to elect a President and control the national Congress. It is fairly unusual among democracies to do this, as we shall see. We take a comparative look at party systems (contrasting American to foreign systems) and a historical one (evaluating past American party practices). We distinguish parties from interest groups, political factions, and political coalitions. We look at parties as organizations, which run elections, including the complicated American national primary system. We look at the strange current system of financing parties and candidates. We look directly at national and state elections, with intensive review of recent national results including the bizarre doings last year in Florida. We study voters and nonvoters, together with the business of polling by which we learn about it. We look at parties-in-government, as the central organizing entity of the national legislature and most state assemblies. Finally, we look closely at the current and future relevance of political parties in the American polity.

Course Books and Readings: Next down; Top

The text, at Textbook Service, is: Maisel, L. Sandy. 1999. Parties and Elections in America: The Electoral Process. 3d edition. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield. In the Itinerary, this is labeled "Text." {For more on the book, see Sandy Maisel's Parties and Elections in America.}

The Reader, at Southeast Bookstore, is: L. Sandy Maisel, ed. 2002. The Parties Respond: Changes in American Parties and Campaigns, 4th edition. Boulder, CO: Westview Press. In the Itinerary, this is labeled "Reader".

Additional readings come from reserve readings at Kent Library, website materials, journal articles, and occasional in-class handouts.

PS360 Course Requirements Next down; Top

One can earn up to 1000 credit points in the course. These divide among four categories:
            600 points - three exams worth 200 points each
            200 points - term paper
            100 points - classroom assignments, roundtables
            100 points - Bulletin Board

Examinations: Each examination has two 100-point sections. First is an in-class objective type of exam consisting of multiple-choice questions derived from readings and class lecture/discussion (100 points). Second is a take-home essay of some two and a half to three pages on a specified topic (also 100 points). The final is not comprehensive; rather, it is really exam no. 3 on the third and last section of the course. Total valuation of exams is 600 points.

Term Paper (200 points): Follow the "ten and ten" rule: a term paper should be an honest 10-pager with ten or more sources. Shorter papers and those with few sources are typically the result of casual or last minute efforts. No one could use that approach to successfully perform in a play, run well in a distance race, maintain a great love relationship, or rise to a new and higher job in the work world. Neither can a good paper be written that way. yes"> I expect you to select a topic and clear it with me. You can start this at any time not later than times outlined below. Here are dates for steps toward completion of the term paper:
    °Monday, September 15 (start of Week 5): due date for topic selection
    °Monday, October 20 (Week 9): deadline for topical outline plus sources (with a minimum of ten separate sources).
    °Friday, November 21 (Week 13): deadline for submitting drafts (I will review and amend a draft if you choose to turn one in. This is not required and does not involve a grade, but is just about guaranteed to make for a better final paper!)
    °Monday, December 1: final paper deadline (Seem far away? It really isn't!)

In-class assignments - 2000 Election and Florida election dispute (100 points): We're going to reconstruct what happened in the 2000 presidential election. We'll hold class forums in Week 12 in November where each of you will have prepared a very brief presentation on some aspect of this strangest of elections. For readings on this, see Week 12 in the Itinerary, or click on Florida and Election 2000. I will also include an essay question based on this event as part of the third exam. Value of Florida Forum participation: 100 points.

Forum participation (100 points): Everyone should read the Forum and make periodic postings there. This site will include material I covered in class, and any related political or public happenings and news. It's an ideal place to post queries about what lecture or readings are about. I'll inventory participation and periodically post it on an entry slot in GradeA gradebook. Credit applies only to meaningful participation, that is, saying something that contributes to furtherance of a conversation on one or more appropriate topics. Board Value is 6 points per meaningful posting, up to 100 points total.

Gradebook posts interim grades and the eventual course grade on line. Your Username is your Social Security number.

OIS gives you access to a class bulletin board (Forum), locale to post for posting papers and assignments (Drop Box), and personal grade and assignment record (Gradebook). OIS is run by Center for Scholarship in Teaching and Learning. OIS uses automatically generated Southeast e-mail addresses that you activate via Activate Southeast Key. I'll use that e-mail address to communicate with each of you.
OIS also generates a set of randomly selected passwords that you'll receive from an introductory e-mail. These are specific to this class, and aren't related to your self-selected SE Key passwords. You can always change your class password by going to OIS - Change Student Password and adopting your own. I recommend you employ the same one as you use for the SE Key, but that's up to you.

PS360 Course Expectations: Next down;Top

Attendance: Attend all class sessions unless there’s a valid reason to miss, including personal illness, ill or injured child, death in immediate family, motorcycle wreck, Midwestern blizzard, reopening of the Florida vote count, or New Madrid Fault disturbance of at least 6.0 on the Richter Scale. Not included: incredibly hot concert in St. Louis last night, Cardinals playing Cubs at home, call from POSSLQ seeking affection.

We often use class discussion for short writing assignments and/or assignments to find relevant information from journals, the library, or websites. Some of these are impromptu, and it’s often difficult or impossible to compensate by asking later that I email you the assignment details. Use email or telephone voice mail to advise me if you will miss or have missed class. On being late: yes"> just come on in. I don’t encourage deliberate lateness, but traffic, weather, and professors in earlier classes all can cause you to arrive at six after the hour.

On plagiarism: You should review the Student Handbook on the problem of plagiarism. Most of you are familiar with the chronic problem of someone passing off another’s work as his or her own, yet it still crops up with distressing regularity. I cannot accept any work except your own. In academic circles, proper recognition of authorship is the coin of the realm. We are all required to maintain the currency. Distinguish what’s yours from what is borrowed from and attributed to someone else. See More about Plagiarism from Dr. Dennis Holt.

Journal and On-line Resources: Next down;Top

The best work on political parties and elections is in the broadly defined political science journals. These are filled with articles on topics relevant to us. Among these are American Political Science Review, American Journal of Political Science, Journal of Politics, British Journal of Political Science, American Politics Quarterly, and Political Research Quarterly. Also see Parties and Elections. Access the first three of these via JSTOR Journals Browser for Political Science at JSTOR Journals Browser#Political Science. You'll find nine major journals there.

Among monthly magazine journals, nuts-and-bolts practice of politics by campaign professionals is shown in Campaigns and Elections. Weekly journals of considerable value for regular Washington watchers are Congressional Quarterly Weekly (for stuff from the Hill, chiefly), and National Journal (especially useful for stuff “downtown” in the executive agencies and White House). All are on Kent Library's open shelves.

For on-line resources, see my PS360 Links - Russell D. Renka.

Reaching me: Next down; Top

    I have an open door policy, and I normally lurk very near my office computer in Room 211L of the Department of Political Science office suite on Floor 2 of the Carnahan (Social Science) Building. You can leave messages for me there if I am absent. In general, I can be reached as follows:
        a) Leave a message at my Department mailbox or with the department office.
        b) Leave a message at the drop outside my door at Carnahan 211L.
        c) Place a voice mail message at (573)651-2692. d) Email me at rdrenka@semo.edu.
        e) If you're out of town and cannot send a paper or assignment by email, then FAX it to 573/651-2695.
        f) Consult my website at Home Page (cstl-cla.semo.edu/renka) for other details about myself and my courses, including this syllabus.

Weekly Topics and Readings - Fall 2003 Top

°Master Calendar - click at upper left corner for Academic Calendar

Week 1 - August 25-29, 2003     What are parties? Why are they essential in democracies?
    Note: I will miss class on Week 1 due to extended participation at the American Political Science Association. Steve Swindle will introduce parties from a standard comparative perspective on Monday, Aug. 25. Class won't be held Wednesday or Friday, but be sure to do the reading. We'll discuss it all in Week 2.
        °Maisel text (Text), Ch. 1 - Elections and Political Parties, pp. 2-28
        °Silbey in Reader, Selection 1 - "The Rise and Fall of American Political Parties, 1789-2000"

Week 2 - September 3, 5 Creation and growth of the American two-party system
    Monday, September 1, is Labor Day. No classes are held.
        °Text Ch. 2 - The Development of the American Parties, pp. 30-63
        °Comparative perspective on parties in democracy (per Swindle presentation)

Week 3 - September 8-12   Political parties as organizations
    Note: we observe a special date on Wednesday, September 11. We'll reserve time for that, and I may add a website link or two pertaining to this.
        °Text Ch. 3 - Party Organization, pp. 66-90
        °Herrnson in Reader, Selection 3 - "National Party Organizations at the Dawn of the Twenty-First Century"
        °Bibby in Reader, Selection 2 - "State Party Organizations ..."

Week 4 - September 15-19   Parties as organizations; Participation by the Citizenry
        °Cain and Mullin in Reader, Selection 5 - Competing for Attention and Votes ..."
        °Text, Ch. 4 - Political participation, pp. 92-123 (start)

Week 5 - September 22-26 Participation by the Citizenry
°Text, Ch. 4 - Political participation, pp. 92-123 (completion)
**Friday, Sept. 26 - Examination no. 1**

Week 6 - September 29 - October 3   The Voters and Nonvoters
        °Text, Ch. 5 - Theories of Voting Behavior, pp. 126-155
        °Miller in Reader, Selection 4 - "Party Identification and the Electorate ..."
        °M. Wattenberg n October 1998 The Atlantic, entitled Should Election Day Be a Holiday?.

Week 7 - October 6-10    Organized Interests; The Wild Wild West (California)
        °Text, Ch. 6 - Organized Groups in the Political Process, pp. 158-185
        °Class Roundtable : California Recall Election of October 7 (website reading to be assigned)

Week 8 - October 13-17    Elections other than the presidency
        °Text, Ch. 7 - State and Local Nominations, pp. 188-217
    (October 16-17: Fall Break, no classes)
        °Text, Ch. 8 - State and Local Elections, pp. 220-263

Week 9 - October 20-24 Elections other ...; and Presidential Nominations
°Maisel, Maestas, and Stone in Reader, Selection 6 - The Party Role in Congressional Competition
°Text, Ch. 9 - Presidential Nominations, pp. 266-317

Week 10 - October 27-31    **
        °Text, Ch. 10 - Presidential Elections, pp. 320-369 (start)
    **Friday, Oct. 31 - Examination no. 2**

Week 11 - November 3-7     Presidential Elections
        °Text, Ch. 10 - Presidential Elections, pp. 320-369 (completion)
        °Renka on line: Presidential Elections through 2000
         °website: Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections - 2000 election results, with each state shown county by county for the 3000-plus U.S. counties

Week 12 - November 10-14    Election 2000 and the Florida Debacle
         °Brady, H. et al., on line: Law and Data: The Butterfly Ballot Episode from PS Online, March 2001; see a copy of the infamous Palm Beach County ballot itself, at The Sun-Sentinel Virtual Ballot
         °website reference sources: Florida Ballots Project, released 12 November 2001; New York Times articles located at Examining the Florida Vote; also see my PS360 Links and Elections 2000 - Florida election recount for other links
        °website: U.S. Supreme Court's Bush v. Gore (00-949) decision of 12 December 2000; background on the case is at Cornell Law School's LII's Focus on Election 2000

Week 13 - November 17-21    Money - the roots of all political evil?
        °Text, Ch. 11 - Campaign Financing, pp. 372-415
        °Franz and Goldstein, in Reader, Selection 7 - Following the (Soft) Money: Party Advertisements
        °La Raja, in Reader, Selection 8 - Political Parties in the Era of Soft Money

   ... or is it the Media?
       °Text, Ch. 12 - The Media and the Electoral Process, pp. 418-443
        °Kerbel in Reader, Selection 9 - Political Parties in the Media ...

Week 14 - November 24     The Elite in Washington
Thanksgiving Recess (no classes): Wednesday through Friday, November 26-28
        °Sinclair in Reader, Selection 10 - Congressional Parties and the Policy Process
        °Brady and Buckley in Reader, Selection 11 - Governing by Coalition: Policymaking in the Congress

Week 15 - December 1-5   Partisanship and Governing from Washington
        °Text, Ch. 13 - The Party in Government, pp. 446-481
        °Mackenzie in Reader, Selection 12 - Partisan Presidential Leadership: The President's Appointees
        °Renka, R., on line: Presidents and Congresses

Week 16 - December 8-12     The Future of Parties in a Candidate-centered Democracy
        °Text, Ch. 14, Conclusions: The Role of Political Parties at the Dawn of the Twenty-first Century, pp. 484-499
        °Shribman in Reader, Selection 13 - Subtle Shifts, Dramatic Days ...

PS360 Essay 3 is now posted, and is due on or before Monday, December 15, by 12:00 noon.

Final Examination Week - December 15-18 Final Examination is 10:00 a.m., Wednesday, December 17. Remember that this is "exam no. 3" rather than a comprehensive 16-week exam.
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PS360 Syllabus - Political Parties and Voting Behavior Professor Russell Renka - Fall 2003

PS360 Syllabus - Political Parties and Voting Behavior
Professor Russell Renka - Fall 2003