Government 270 – Political Behavior, Political Process, and Policy

Government 270 – Political Behavior, Political Process, and Policy

Professor Nalder, Spring 2009

Office: Tahoe 3121

e-mail: klnalder@csus.edu

Phone: 278-6693

Office Hours: Wed 10-12, and by appointment

Website: http://www.csus.edu/indiv/n/nalderk

Scope and Purpose

In this course we will explore the public opinion, voting behavior, representation, political psychology, and policy development literature. Ideally in a democracy, there is a basic assumption that an informed citizenry exercises its right to political participation wisely, determining who will serve in elected office. If theories of representation are functioning properly, then the direction of policy pursued by these officials should generally reflect the will of the electorate. This semester will involve the evaluation of these assumptions and the realities of representation, voter capability, and the resultant policies. This course should familiarize you with the relevant literature and assist you in develop critical thinking, research, and presentation skills.

Texts

Fiorina, Morris (2005) Culture War? The Myth of a Polarized America, 2^nd Edition ISBN: 0321366069

Frank, Thomas (2005) What’s the Matter with Kansas. ISBN: 080507774X

Hibbing, John and Theiss-Morse, (2003) Stealth Democracy, Cambridge University Press, ISBN: 0521009863

Jamieson, Kathleen Hall, and Paul Waldman, (2004) The Press Effect, Oxford University Press. 978-0195173291

Klein, Naomi. (2008) The Shock Doctrine. ISBN: 0312427999

Lakoff, George.(2002) Moral Politics: How Liberals and Conservatives Think, 2nd Edition. The University of Chicago Press, ISBN:0-226-46771-6

Marsh, David and Gerry Stoker. (2002) Theory and Methods in Political Science, 2^nd Ed. Palgrave Macmillan. ISBN: 978-0333948552

Mendelberg, Tali. (2001). The Race Card. Princeton University Press. ISBN: 0691070717

Putnam, Robert (2001) Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community. ISBN: 978-0743203043

Zaller, John. (1992) The Nature and Origins of Mass Opinion, Cambridge University Press.

Requirements

Weekly papers 30%

Final 25%

Paper 25%

Presentation 10%

Participation 10%

Weekly Analysis Papers

Weekly readings must be complete by the time of the seminar. You will be asked to critique and evaluate the research in each area of inquiry as part of the seminar’s discussion. At the beginning of each seminar, a one page (typed) critique and evaluation of the week’s reading is due. This paper should relay your understanding of the material, its conceptual strengths and weaknesses, its holes, and how it relates to the themes of the seminar. You are only required to submit 7 of these papers over the course of the semester. It is up to you to choose which 7 weeks you would like to write the analysis papers for. For every class meeting, you are expected to e-mail a discussion question regarding the readings to the discussion leader for that week, as well as to the rest of the class. The question should be sent at least 24 hours in advance.

Exam

This course will culminate in a final exam. It will consist of broad and inclusive essay questions modeled on M.A. exam questions. This should serve as good practice for those of you taking the field exam route. Please bring a large blue book or a laptop for use on the day of the final.

Research Paper

You will be assigned a 15-page research paper on the topic of your choosing within the political behavior, political psychology, public opinion, media and politics or political culture sub-literatures. A detailed paper assignment sheet will be online soon. University policy on plagiarism applies here – any violations will result in serious penalties. An outline is due on April 8. The paper is due May 6th.

Leading Discussion

Each of you will have the opportunity to lead a portion of the seminar discussion this semester. In preparing for this task, you should carefully read the literature for the week and construct some compelling discussion questions or issues brought out in the reading. You will also be responsible for providing a brief overview of the readings to ground the discussion. See the guidelines for leading discussion on the website for the course. This should provide you with some experience presenting scholarly material which should be useful as practice for teaching or conference participation.

Schedule

Jan 26 Introduction

Feb 2 Social Science Research

Marsh and Stoker, Theory and Methods in Political Science. Chapters: Intro, 1,2,3,10

February 9 How are Political Opinions and Orientations Formed? – Psychological Explanations.

· Jost et al. “Political Conservatism as Motivated Social Cognition” Psychological Bulletin, 2003, Vol. 129, no3, 339-375

· Greenberg, Jeff and Eva Jonas. “Psychological Motives and Political Orientation—The Left, the Right, and the Rigid: Comment on Jost et al. (2003)” Psychological Bulletin 2003, Vol. 129, No. 3, 376–382

· Block, Jack and Jeanne H. Block. “Nursery school personality and political orientation two decades later”. Journal of Research in Personality 40 (2006) 734–749.

· Carney et al. “The Secret Lives of Liberals and Conservatives: Personality Profiles, Interaction Styles, and the Things They Leave Behind.”

February 16 Ideology

Lakoff, Moral Politics. Carefully read Chapters 1-9, skim Chapters 10-17

February 23 Party Identification

The CCMS and Stimson are on reserve at the library.

· Campbell, Converse, Miller, and Stokes. 1960. “The Impact and Development of Party Identification” Found in Classics in Voting Behavior by Niemi and Weisberg, and excerpted from chapters 6,7 of The American Voter.

· Excerpt from “Tides of Consent” by James Stimson – on reserve.

· Alan I. Abramowitz and Kyle L. Saunders. “Exploring the Bases of Partisanship in the American Electorate: Social Identity vs. Ideology” Political Research Quarterly, 6 2006; vol. 59: pp. 175 - 187

· Pew Party Identification 2008 http://pewresearch.org/pubs/1015/democratic-party-identification-swing-states

· Overview and Section 1 of Pew Report on Trends in Political Values and Core Attitudes http://people-press.org/reports/pdf/312.pdf.

March 2 Patterns in Macro Opinion

Zaller, The Nature and Origins of Mass Opinion (skim chapters 7,9, read the rest)

March 9 Political Culture

Putnam, Robert. 2001. Bowling Alone

March 16 Voting and Attitudes: Red vs. Blue, Pt. 1

· Fiorina, Morris. 2005. Culture War? The Myth of a Polarized America.

· Menand, Louis. (2004) “The Unpolitical Animal; How political science understands voters.” The New Yorker. August 30, 2004. Pg. 92

March 23 Voting and Attitudes: Red vs. Blue Pt. 2

Redlawsk, David. 1997. “Voting correctly” American Political Science Review. Sept. 1997.
Frank, Thomas(2005) What’s the Matter With Kansas
Bartels, Larry. (2005)What’s the Matter with What’s the Matter with Kansas http://www.princeton.edu/~bartels/kansas.pdf

April 1 *****Spring Break******

April 6 Implicit Appeals and Political Communication

· Mendelberg, Tali. (2001). The Race Card

******paper outline due*******

April 13 Knowledge, Information, and Misinformation

· James H. Kuklinski et al. 2000. “Misinformation and the Currency of Democratic Citizenship” Journal of Politics. Vol. 62, Issue 3

· Jerit, Barabas, and Bolsen, “Citizens, Knowledge, and the Information Environment” American Journal of Political Science. Volume 50:266-282.

· What Americans Know: 1989-2007. Pew Center. http://people-press.org/reports/pdf/319.pdf

April 20 Participation and Turnout

Fowler, James (2006) “Altruism and Turnout” Journal of Politics 68 (3) 674-683.
Baldassare, Mark. 2006. “California’s Exclusive Electorate” http://www.ppic.org/content/pubs/atissue/AI_906MBAI.pdf
Blais, André. 2006. “What Affects Voter Turnout?”