Government 270 – Political Behavior, Political
Process, and Policy
Professor Nalder, Spring 2010
Office:
Tahoe
3121
e-mail: klnalder@csus.edu
Phone:
278-6693
Office
Hours: W 4:30-5:30 and F 1:00-2:00, 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
Brader, Ted (2006) Campaigning for Hearts and Minds: How Emotional Appeals in Political
Ads Work. ISBN: 978-0-226-06989-0
Delli Carpini, Michael and Scott Keeter (1996) What
Americans Know About Politics and Why it Matters, Yale University Press,
ISBN: 0300072759
Fiorina, Morris (2005) Culture War? The Myth of a Polarized
Hibbing, John and Theiss-Morse, (2003) Stealth
Democracy, Cambridge University Press,
ISBN: 0521009863
Jamieson, Kathleen Hall, and Paul Waldman, (2004) The Press Effect,
Lakoff, George.(2002)
Moral Politics: How Liberals and Conservatives Think, 2nd Edition. The
Marsh, David and Gerry Stoker. (2002) Theory
and Methods in Political Science, 2nd Ed. Palgrave Macmillan.
ISBN: 978-0333948552
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,
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 6 of these papers over the course of the semester. It
is up to you to choose which 6 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. 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 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 5. The paper is due May 3rd.
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 25
Introduction
Feb 1
Social Science Research
Marsh and Stoker, Theory and
Methods in Political Science. Chapters: Intro, 1,2,3,10
February 8
How are Political Opinions and
Orientations Formed? – Psychological Explanations.
February 15 CAMPUS FURLOUGH
February
22 Ideology
Lakoff,
Moral Politics. Carefully read Chapters 1-9, skim Chapters 10-17
March 1 Party Identification
The CCMS and
Stimson are on reserve at the library.
·
·
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 8 Patterns in Macro Opinion
·
Zaller, The
Nature and Origins of Mass Opinion (skim chapters 7,9, read the rest)
March 15 Political Culture
Putnam, Robert. 2001. Bowling
Alone
March 22 Red vs. Blue and Voting
·
Fiorina, Morris. 2005. Culture War? The Myth of a Polarized
·
Menand,
Louis. (2004) “The Unpolitical Animal; How
political science understands voters.” The New Yorker. August 30, 2004. Pg. 92
March 29 *****Spring
Break******
April 5 Knowledge
Delli Carpini
and Keeter, 1996. What Americans Know about Politics and Why
it Matters.
April 12 Knowledge,
Information, and Misinformation
******paper outline due
April 19 Political
Communication and Emotion
April 26
Participation and Turnout
May
3 Media Effects
American Politics Research, Vol. 34, No. 3, 341-367
(2006)
May 10
Does Responsiveness matter? How much policy control does the
public have or want?
·
PIPA report on perceptions of candidate positions
·
Bartels,
Larry, “Homer Gets a Tax Cut ” (online)
·
Hibbing
and Theiss-Morse. 2003. Stealth Democracy.
Final
Exam: Monday, May 17, 6:00-8:50