Political Science 873: American Political Parties

Transcription

1 Political Science 873: American Political Parties Barry C. Burden University of Wisconsin Fall Semester 2018 Thurs 3:30-5:25pm 422 North Hall Office hours: Weds 9-11am and by appointment This graduate seminar provides an examination of political parties in the United States. The literature on parties is vast and is connected to almost every subfield in the areas American and comparative politics. It also displays a range of methodologies from historical study to formal modeling and statistical analysis. Our goal is survey what the best and most prominent scholarship has to say about U.S. parties as they relate to representation, the policy making process, and the connection of citizens to the political process. The readings emphasize topics that are of interest to researchers today, so the material tends to be contemporary rather than classic. Responsibilities I expect that students will do all of the required reading and come to class prepared to discuss it in a thoughtful fashion. The recommended reading is not required but may be helpful preparation for your final paper and further study. The number of pages required each week is kept at manageable level. Careful reading and participation in class discussion are the keys to making the class productive for everyone involved. You might not immediately understand everything in the readings. In particular, the methodologies deployed in the readings will be difficult to grasp if you have not yet taken courses in research design and statistics. That is fine. I ask that you give it a serious try and then bring your insights as well as your questions to class. Each student will write five reaction papers during the semester. These should be uploaded to the Learn@UW site by Wednesday at 4pm for each of the five weeks you select. The papers should assess, critique, and synthesize that week s readings. Merely summarizing the readings is not appropriate, but drawing out their contributions to identify weaknesses or commonalities can be useful. Each reaction paper should be two to three double-spaced pages. I will work these into class discussion. You should be prepared to discuss the materials covered in each class, whether or not you wrote a reaction paper for that session. A final paper is due in hard copy to my mailbox in North Hall on Monday, December 17 at 4pm. The paper may be either a literature review or a research paper. A literature review is recommended for first year graduate students in Political Science or students from other disciplines; it should survey in a comprehensive fashion the state of literature on a topic related to parties and then identify shortcomings and promising areas for future research, possibly including a research design. A research paper is recommended for graduate students in Political Science who are beyond the first year; it should focus on a specific question with original research and a limited review of relevant literature. 1

2 Most papers will be pages long (with standard one-inch margins, double-spacing, and a scholarly reference list). To facilitate development of the paper, a tentative paper proposal of about one single-spaced paged submitted in hard copy on Friday October 19 at 4pm for feedback. The proposal should indicate what question you are planning to investigate and what literature, theories, and/or data you will draw upon. Be aware of campus IRB requirements and act early if you decide to collect original data. I am pleased to discuss your paper ideas at any point during the semester. With my permission, you may co-author the paper with a fellow student. All co-authored projects should be research papers rather than literature reviews. Reaction papers and class participation each account for one fourth of the overall course grade. The final paper accounts for the other half. Readings The seminar revolves around scholarly readings. Many of the course readings are from recent journal articles or isolated book chapters. They will be posted to Learn@UW. Several books are recommended for purchase because of the amount of reading from them and their value as resources beyond the semester: Aldrich, Why Parties? A Second Look (2011 University of Chicago Press) Carmines & Stimson, Issue Evolution (1989 Princeton University Press) Cohen et al., The Party Decides (2008 University of Chicago Press) Hopkins, The Increasingly United States (2018 University of Chicago Press) Karol, Party Position Change in American Politics (2009 Cambridge University Press) Schlozman, When Movements Anchor Parties (2015 Princeton University Press) These books are on reserve at the library, but should be purchased if possible. Interlibrary loan is also possible. Note that the Karol book is available as an e-book through the library s web site. Although not required, several recent edited volumes provide survey of the field that could be especially helpful to students. In particular, I recommend Hershey, Burden, and Wolbrecht, ed., CQ Guide to U.S. Political Parties (2014 CQ Press) and Stonecash, ed., New Directions in American Political Parties (2010 Routledge). Other Considerations Your success in this class is important to me. All students are strongly encouraged to visit office hours not only to discuss your paper but also to let me know how the course is working for you. 2

3 If you have a disability or circumstance that could affect your performance, please contact me early in the semester so that we can consider accommodations. The McBurney Center for Disability Services can provide official documentation of disabilities. If you must miss class due to illness or another valid, unavoidable conflict, please contact me in advance. I reserve the right to modify the syllabus timeline or specific readings as needed. Academic dishonesty will not be tolerated. This includes using someone else s words or ideas without proper attribution. I will report any cases of academic dishonesty to the appropriate dean s office. Please only use electronic devices in class for referencing course materials, taking notes, and occasionally tracking down online items that are necessary for our discussions. Everything else should be quieted and stowed away for later use. Syllabus September 6: Introduction to the Course September 13: What is a Party? Aldrich, Why Parties? [chapters 1-5 & 8] Cohen et al., The Party Decides [chapters 2-3] Downs, An Economic Theory of Democracy (1957 Harper and Row) [chapters 2 & 7] Bawn et al., A Theory of Political Parties: Groups, Policy Demands, and Nominations in American Politics (2012 Perspectives on Politics) Epstein, Political Parties in the American Mold (1986 University of Wisconsin Press) Gunther and Diamond, Species of Political Parties: A New Typology (2003 Party Politics) Schattschneider, Party Government (1942 Holt, Rinehart, and Winston) Schlesinger, The New American Party (1985 American Political Science Review) September 20: Party Dynamics Carmines and Stimson, Issue Evolution [chapters 2, 3, & 5-8] Noel, The Coalition Merchants: The Ideological Roots of the Civil Rights Realignment (2012 Journal of Politics) Abramowitz and Saunders, Ideological Realignment in the U.S. Electorate. (1998 Journal of Politics) 3

4 Baldassarri and Gelman, Partisans without Constraint: Political Polarization and Trends in American Public Opinion (2008 American Journal of Sociology) Gerring, Party Ideologies in America, (1998 Cambridge University Press) Levendusky, The Partisan Sort (2009 University of Chicago Press) Smidt, Polarization and the Decline of the American Floating Voter (2015 American Journal of Political Science) Sundquist, Dynamics of the Party System, rev. ed. (1983 Brookings Institution) September 27: Issue Alignments and Policies Karol, Party Position Change in American Politics [chapters 1-3 & 5] [Also review Carmines & Stimson, Issue Evolution] Bartels, Unequal Democracy (2008 Princeton University Press) [chapter 2] Mayhew, Electoral Realignments (2002 Yale University Press) Shafer and Claggett, The Two Majorities Shafer and Spady, The American Political Landscape (2014 Harvard University Press) Smith, The Right Talk (2009 Princeton University Press) Wolbrecht, The Politics of Women s Rights (2000 Princeton University Press) October 4: Party Brands Heersink, Party Brands and the Democratic and Republican National Committees, (2018 Studies in American Political Development) Petrocik, Benoit, and Hansen, Issue Ownership and Presidential Campaigning, ( Political Science Quarterly) Pope and Woon, Measuring Changes in American Party Reputations, (2009 Political Research Quarterly) Wright, Unemployment and the Democratic Electoral Advantage (2012 American Political Science Review) Egan, Partisan Priorities (2013 Cambridge University Press) Grynaviski, Partisan Bonds (2013 Cambridge University Press) Jones, Partisan Polarization and the Effect of Congressional Performance Evaluations on Party Brands and American Elections (2015 Political Research Quarterly) Lupu, Party Brands and Partisanship: Theory with Evidence from a Survey Experiment in Argentina (2013 American Journal of Political Science) Neiheisel and Niebler, The Use of Party Brand Labels in Congressional Election Campaigns (2013 Legislative Studies Quarterly) Philpot, Race, Republicans, and the Return of the Party of Lincoln (2007 University of Michigan Press) Snyder and Ting, An Informational Rationale for Political Parties (2002 American Journal of Political Science) Vavreck, The Message Matters (2009 Princeton University Press) 4

5 October 11: Parties and Groups Bartels, Unequal Democracy (2008 Princeton University Press available as e-book) [chapter 3] Schlozman, When Movements Anchor Parties [chapters 1-4, 7-8] Carroll and Sanbonmatsu, More Women Can Run (2013 Oxford University Press) Frymer, Uneasy Alliances (2010 Princeton University Press) Grossman and Dominguez, Party Coalitions and Interest Group Networks (2009 American Politics Research) October 18: Geographic Polarization Chen and Rodden, Unintentional Gerrymandering: Political Geography and Electoral Bias in Legislatures (2013 Quarterly Journal of Political Science) Hopkins, The Increasingly United States (2018 University of Chicago Press) [chapters TBD] Bishop, The Big Sort (2008 Houghton Mifflin) Gelman et al, Rich State, Poor State, Red State, Blue State: What s the Matter with Connecticut? (2007 Quarterly Journal of Political Science) Lang and Pearson-Merkowitz, Partisan Sorting in the United States, : New Evidence from a Dynamic Analysis (2015 Political Geography) McCarty, Poole, and Rosenthal, Does Gerrymandering Cause Polarization? (2009 American Journal of Political Science) Nall, The Political Consequences of Spatial Policies: How Interstate Highways Facilitated Geographic Polarization (2015 Journal of Politics) October 25: Partisanship in the Public Mind Carsey and Layman, Changing Sides or Changing Minds? Party Identification and Policy Preferences in the American Electorate (2006 American Journal of Political Science) Goren, Party Identification and Core Political Values (2005 American Journal of Political Science) Iyengar and Westwood, Fear and Loathing across Party Lines: New Evidence on Group Polarization (2015 American Journal of Political Science) Lelkes and Sniderman, The Ideological Asymmetry of the American Party System (2016 British Journal of Political Science) Bafumi and Shapiro, A New Partisan Voter (2009 Journal of Politics) Bartels, Partisanship and Voting Behavior, (2000 American Journal of Political Science) Fiorina, Retrospective Voting in American National Elections (1981 Yale University Press) Green, Palmquist, and Schickler, Partisan Hearts and Minds (2002 Yale University Press) Hajnal and Lee, Why Americans Don t Join The Party Klar and Krupnikov, Independent Politics (2016 Cambridge University Press) 5

6 Sniderman and Stigliz, The Reputational Premium (2012 Princeton University Press) Stoker and Jennings, Of Time and the Development of Partisan Polarization (2008 American Journal of Political Science) November 1: Presidential Nominations Cohen et al., The Party Decides [chapters 4-9] Hassell, Party Control of Party Primaries: Party Influence in Nominations for the U.S. Senate, (2016 Journal of Politics) Galvin, Presidential Party Building (2009 Princeton University Press) Norrander, The Imperfect Primary (2015 Routledge) Shafer, Quiet Revolution (1983 Russell Sage Foundation) Ware, The American Direct Primary. (2002 Cambridge University Press) November 8: Sub-Presidential Nominations Ansolabehere et al., More Democracy: The Direct Primary and Competition in U.S. Elections (2010 Studies in American Political Development) Boatright, Getting Primaried (2013 University of Michigan Press) [chapters 2 & 4] Hall, What Happens When Extremists Win Primaries? (2015 American Political Science Review) McGhee et al. A Primary Cause of Partisanship? Nomination Systems and Legislator Ideology. (2014 American Journal of Political Science) Adams and Merrill, Candidate and Party Strategies in Two-Stage Elections Beginning with a Primary (2008 American Journal of Political Science) Burden, Jones, and Kang, Sore Loser Laws and Congressional Polarization (2014 Legislative Studies Quarterly) Herrnson, The Roles of Party Organizations, Party-Connected Committees, and Party Allies in Elections (2009 Journal of Politics) Hill, Institution of Nomination and the Policy Ideology of Primary Electorates (2015 Quarterly Journal of Political Science) Masket, No Middle Ground (2009 University of Michigan Press) November 15: Activists Aldrich, Why Parties? [chapter 6] Carmines and Stimson, Issue Evolution [chapter 4] Grossman and Hopkins, Ideological Republicans and Group Interest Democrats: The Asymmetry of American Party Politics (2015 Perspectives on Politics) Layman et al., Activists and Conflict Extension in American Party Politics (2010 American Political Science Review) 6

7 La Raja and Wiltse, Don t Blame Donors for Ideological Polarization of Political Parties: Ideological Change and Stability among Political Contributors, (2011 American Politics Research) Miller and Schofield, Activists and Partisan Realignment in the United States (2003 American Political Science Review) Wilson, The Amateur Democrat (1962 University of Chicago Press) November 29: Parties in Government Aldrich, Why Parties? [chapter 7] Cox and McCubbins, Setting the Agenda (2005 Cambridge University Press) [chapters 1 & 2] Rohde, Reflections on the Practice of Theorizing: Conditional Party Government in the Twenty- First Century (2013 Journal of Politics) Wright and Schaffner, The Influence of Party: Evidence from State Legislatures (2002 American Political Science Review) Binder, Minority Rights, Majority Rule (1997 Cambridge University Press) Cox and Katz, Gerrymandering Roll Calls in Congress, (2007 American Journal of Political Science) Harbridge, Is Bipartisanship Dead? (2015 Cambridge University Press) Krehbiel, Where s the Party? (1993 British Journal of Political Science) Lebo, McGlynn, and Koger, Strategic Party Government: Party Influence in Congress, (2007 American Journal of Political Science) Lee, Beyond Ideology (2009 University of Chicago Press) McCarty, Poole, and Rosenthal, The Hunt for Party Discipline in Congress (2001 American Political Science Review) McCarty, Poole, and Rosenthal, Polarized America (2006 MIT Press) Pearson, Party Discipline in the U.S. House of Representatives (2015 University of Michigan Press) Roberts and Smith, Procedural Contexts, Party Strategy, and Conditional Party Voting in the U.S. House of Representatives, (2013 American Journal of Political Science) Theriault, Party Polarization in Congress (2008 Cambridge University Press) December 6: Factions and Minor Parties DiSalvo, Engines of Change (2010 Oxford University Press) [chapters 1-3 & 5] Hirano and Snyder, The Decline of Third-Party Voting in the United States (2007 Journal of Politics) Parker and Barreto, Change They Can t Believe In (2013 Princeton University Press available as e- book) [chapters TBD] Williamson, Skocpol, and Coggin, The Tea Party and the Remaking of Republican Conservatism (2011 Perspectives on Politics) : Adams and Merrill, Why Small, Centrist, Third Parties Motivate Policy Divergence by Major Parties (2006 American Political Science Review) 7

8 Disch, The Tyranny of the Two-Party System (2002 Columbia University Press) Lacy and Burden, The Vote-Stealing and Turnout Effects of Ross Perot in the 1992 U.S. Presidential Election (1999 American Journal of Political Science) Rapoport and Stone, Three s a Crowd (2008 University of Michigan Press) Rosenstone, Behr, and Lazarus, Third Parties in America, 2nd ed. (1996 Princeton University Press) December 17: Final Paper Due 8