| Course ID: | POLS 4605H. 3 hours. |
| Course Title: | Politics of Congressional Elections (Honors) |
Course
Description: | Broad survey course of congressional elections. Topics
discussed include the incumbency advantage, the role of
strategic politicians, the impact of money in congressional
elections, the effects of local and national tides on
congressional races, and differences between House and Senate
races. |
| Oasis Title: | Politic Congressional Elec Hon |
| Duplicate Credit: | Not open to students with credit in POLS 4605 |
| Nontraditional Format: | This course will involve greater levels of participation and
more writing among the students. In particular, the course
will be conducted more like a seminar where the Honors students
are responsible for presenting weekly readings after the
initial weeks of class. Also, the students will be required to
write several shorter papers along with a final research paper
to justify Honors credit for the course. Overall, it will not
involve traditional lectures like the non-Honors version of the
course, but instead more direct participation where the Honors
students will learn from each other in addition to input from
the instructor. |
| Prerequisite: | (POLS 1101 or POLS 1105H or POLS 1101E) and permission of Honors |
Semester Course
Offered: | Not offered on a regular basis. |
| Grading System: | A-F (Traditional) |
|
| Course Objectives: | This course will involve a significant participation and
writing component.
This course is intended as a broad survey of the literature on
congressional elections. The central focus of the course will
be the U.S. Congress, but much of what we discuss will have
direct relevance for the study of elections more generally. The
course will deal primarily with political actors in the context
of elections, rather than voters. We will focus on diverse
topics such as the incumbency advantage, the role of strategic
politicians, the impact of money in congressional elections,
the effects of national and local tides on congressional races,
and differences between House and Senate races. Along the way,
we will pay attention to current political and scholarly
controversies (as well as some “classics”) in terms of
understanding factors affecting outcomes in congressional
races. By the end of the semester, you should have a better
understanding of the nature of congressional elections research. |
| Topical Outline: | The Electoral Connection
Electoral Accountability
Strategic Politicians
The Incumbency Advantage
Money in Congressional Elections
Congressional Campaigns
Senate Elections
Midterm Elections
Ambition, Gender, and Politics
Redistricting and Representation |