Books:
Usually two current scholarly volumes.
Grade Breakdown:
Course Content:
Test 1 20% Test 2 20% Test 3 (final exam) 30% Paper/Presentation 25% Participation 5% TOTAL 100%
ELECTIONS AS EXERCISES IN AMERICAN DEMOCRACY
Why Elections?
-Roots of representative
democracy in the United States
-Constitutional foundations
for elections (and campaigns)
The American Electoral Tradition
-Overview of 200+ years
of elections
-The realignment v. dealignment
debate
-1994: the "Republican Revolution"
-Did 2004 clean up the 2000 election
mess?
MODERN CAMPAIGNS AND ELECTIONS
Nominating Candidates for Office
-Who is a candidate?
-What it takes to win in
the primaries
Money Does Matter, But How Much?
-Campaign finance
before and after "reform"
-What money buys in politics
The General Election Campaign
-Filling out the (presidential)
ticket
-Conventions, debates, stumps, media
events, etc.
-Why wouldn't we feel fatigue in
early November?
Election Hangover: Voting Trends
-Why Americans (don't)
vote
-The rise of voter independence
and weak partisanship
ELECTION 2006 AND BEYOND
Analysis of 2006 and Speculation for 2008
What Campaigns and Elections Say about
Our Future
-21st century democracy:
signs of trouble
-Reform measures and their
chances