SYLLABUS, FALL 2017 Political Science 4336, Campaigns and Elections Dr. Patricia Parent

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1 SYLLABUS, FALL 2017 Political Science 4336, Campaigns and Elections Dr. Patricia Parent INSTRUCTOR: Dr. Patricia Caperton Parent, Ph.D. UAC 328, Phone ext Hours: Monday 2-2:30, Wednesday 10-10:30, Friday Others by arrangement; scheduled office hours end the last class day. TRACS Website: You must have a Texas State account to utilize TRACS. Go to and click on TRACS. DEPARTMENT OF POLITICAL SCIENCE INFORMATION: Undergraduate Academic Center #355; ; Fax: ; Website: LIBERAL ARTS COMPUTER LAB: UAC 440; Website: TEXTS: Sabato, Kondik, and Skelley (2017). Trumped: The 2016 election that broke all the rules. Rowman and Littlefield. Sides, J. Shaw, D., Grossmann, M., Lipsitz, K. (2015). Campaigns and elections, 2 nd Ed. New York: W.W. Norton. Recommended: Scott and Garrison (2008). The political science student writer s manual, 6 th Ed. Upper Saddle River, N.J., Pearson Prentice Hall. Other materials: Documents saved and referenced in course outline and available to download on TRACS. Websites referenced in course outline and linked on TRACS; others may be added as the course progresses. This is a dynamic topic so expect readings and links to be added with class notice. These additional readings are usually short, and typically reference a current topic. COURSE OBJECTIVES: Political Science 4336 examines the dynamics of political campaigns and elections in the United States. The analysis and discussion includes theoretical evaluations of voting, campaigns, and elections as well as technical and practical information about campaign strategies. Upon completion of the course, students should have a working knowledge of voting behavior, historically critical elections, party alignments, changes in campaigns and elections over time, and basic campaign strategies.

2 This is a writing intensive course, and projects will be graded on writing as well as content. Collegiate-level writing skills are an expected outcome. LEARNING OUTCOMES: The Department of Political Science has adopted student learning outcomes for general education courses (POSI 2310 and POSI 2320) and for all undergraduate and graduate degree programs offered in the Department of Political Science. These outcomes are available for your review at Pull down the Student Resources menu and go to Learning Outcomes. GRADES: Mid Term 25% October 11, 2017 Final 25% 8:00 am Monday December 11, 2017 Research and Analysis 50% Preliminary Literature Review and Working Bibliography 10% Due Oct. 20 Complete Final Paper 30% Due November 17 Presentation 10% --End of semester Any extra credit will be added to exam grades. ATTENDANCE AND CLASSROOM DECORUM: Roll will be taken. Those with good attendance (2 or less absences) will receive extra consideration in borderline grade cases (within 1 point of the next letter grade). Good attendance is necessary for fruitful class discussion. You are expected to take exams and participate in classroom activities at the scheduled times. Makeup exams will be given, however, written documentation is necessary and the exam will be scheduled on a day and time of my choice. In order to maximize your classroom experience, you need to do the assigned readings. When students haven't read the assignments, stimulating intellectual exchange is impossible. I reserve the right to occasional unannounced pop quizzes over assigned readings. Assignments are due on the dates listed. Late papers will be accepted for up to five weekdays (not class days) after the due date. Ten points will be subtracted for each late day, up to fifty points. After the fifth weekday after the due date, the grade will be zero, unless there are serious extenuating circumstances that have been articulated in advance. I encourage relevant classroom discussion. Class will be much more exciting if we incorporate current events into our theoretical explorations. Let's be professional and creative in our discussions- no profanity. Talking to neighbors, doing homework, reading the newspaper, text messaging, etc., is prohibited. Turn off and put up cell phones and all electronic devices before class begins. Leaving the classroom during lecture for a

3 nonessential reason is prohibited. If you must leave class before its conclusion, please let me know before class. Be courteous!! Habitual disruptive classroom behavior may result in punitive grade sanctions. As a student, you are a member of the academic community and are expected to uphold principles of academic honesty. Academic honesty standards set forth in the Texas State Honors Code will be rigorously applied in this class. See Attachment I of Plagiarism is the use of another person s intellectual work- words, images or ideas without proper acknowledgment of the source. The Political Science Departmental policy on plagiarism is as follows: A student who submits plagiarized work earns a failing grade for that work. This act of academic dishonesty may also warrant a failing grade in the course. Students with Disabilities: Qualified students with disabilities are entitled to reasonable and appropriate accommodations in accordance with federal laws including Section 504 of the 1973 Rehabilitation Act and the 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act, and the university policy UPPS Students with special needs (as documented by the Office of Disability Services) should identify themselves at the beginning of the semester. Policy I will answer s within a reasonable time frame. This does NOT mean I can reply to a question ed late the night before the exam. Use common sense when expecting a reply. Rude or profane s will be ignored. When you a professor, consider it a business communication analogous to communicating with a boss or supervisor. Remember, people make assumptions about you based on the way you communicate. Final Exam: 8:00 am Monday December 11, 2017 Campaigns and Elections, Topics, Reading and Links Outline by Date, Fall 2017 Daily Political Information: Current and archived information on politics, polls, and elections Also useful: Week 1, August 28, 30, September 1

4 Introduction August 28 Introduction, Syllabus, Class policies Readings: Sides et al. Chapter 1 Rules of the Game Do Elections Matter? Readings: Sides et al. Chapter 2 American Electoral Process (read carefully to understand rules underpinning campaigns) Sides et al. Chapter 3 Transformation of American Campaigns (provides a historical backdrop to the evolving nature of campaigns) List of 20 th -21 st Century Presidential Elections See TRACS under Resources Sabato, L. The 2016 Election that Broke all, or at Least Most, of the Rules, in Trumped, pp MacManus and Cilluffo, Ten Takeaways from Campaign 2016 and a Look Forward, in Trumped, pp The Rules: Federal Election Commission: Week 2, September 6,8, Voters and Voting Behavior Sides, et al. Chapter 13, Voter Choice. (overview of voting and decision making) The American Voter Angus Campbell, Philip E. Converse, Warren E. Miller, and Donald E. Stokes, excerpts, The American Voter, see TRACS site under Resources in the folder Course Readings. Assessing Voting Behavior V.O. Key, Jr., excerpts from The Responsible Electorate, TRACS

5 Resources under Course Readings. Patterson, "Voter Competence, In S. Craig and D. Hall (Eds.), The Electoral Challenge: Theory Meets Practice 2nd Ed. (pp ). Washington, DC: CQ Press. TRACS Resources under READINGS. Why does Patterson believe that the possession of factual information by voters is a standard of competence subject to criticism? Week 3, September 11, 13, 15 Voting Behavior and Persuading the American Electorate Readings: Sides, et al. Chapter 13, Voter Choice. Data Analytics Issenberg, S. ( ). Nudge the vote. New York Times. Also TRACS under Resources Istook, E. Obama does it better. Slate.com ecret_weapon_democrats_have_a_massive_advantage_in_targeting_and.html (a shorter version of this article is found in your Sides et al book on pages ) Istook, E Liberal stealth groups paved Obama win. Newsmax. Obama/2012/11/16/id/ Cruz Loss Shows Data Can t Win Em all, Advertising Age. Week 4 September 18, 20, 22 Voter choice and Voter Groups Readings: Sides et al., Chapter 12, Voter Participation.

6 Byler, D. Demographic Coalitions: How Trump Picked the Democratic Lock and Won the Presidency, in Trumped, pp Barreto, Schaller, and Segura, Latinos and the 2016 Election, in Trumped, pp Rapoport and Stone, The Sources of Trump s Support, in Trumped, pp Abramowitz, A. It Wasn t the Economy, Stupid: Racial Polarization, White Racial Resentment, and the Rise of Trump, in Trumped, pp Read: Hispanic Voters erwhelming_hispanic_support.html Read: Black Voters (lots of good information at this website) Read: White Voters hite_flight_from_democrats html Other Divisions Week 5 September 25, 27, 29 Voter choice and Voter Groups Continue exploring topics in readings in week 4 Week 6 October 2, 4, 6 Parties and Elections Readings:

7 Sides et al. Chapter 6, Political Parties. Sides et al. Chapter 7, Interest Groups. Cost, Jay (2009). Amateur Hour at the White House. hite_hous_1.html (Internal party cleavages and policy formation) Excerpt from Cost, J. (2012). Spoiled Rotten: How the Politics of Patronage Corrupted the Once Noble Democratic Party and Now Threatens the American Republic. icles/2012/05/25/how_big_government_patronage_ruined_the_democratic_party _ full.html Babington, C. (2012). Republican party factions. akin_ro w_shows_gop_s_social_fiscal_rift.html Sargent, G. Feel the Bern: Hillary s Agonizing Loss and the Future of the Democratic Party, in Trumped, pp Trende, S. The Emerging Democratic Majority Fails to Emerge, in Trumped, pp Week 7 October 9, 11, 13 October 9, catch up MID TERM EXAM-October October 13 documentary Week 8, October 16, 18, 20 Critical realigning Elections V.O. Key, Jr., A Theory of Critical Elections, excerpts from The Journal of Politics, 17:1 (February 1955). TRACS site. Burnham, W.D. (1965). The changing shape of the American political universe." American Political Science Review.

8 Excerpts tba. Burnham (1970). Critical Elections and the Mainspring of American Politics. W.W. Norton. Excerpts tba. Realignment and the South, current polarization Week 9 October 23, 25, 27 Types of Elections: Presidential Elections Informative Website on Presidential Elections: Sides, Chapter 9, Presidential Campaigns, pp Cook, R. Presidential Primaries: A Hit at the Ballot Box, in Trumped, pp Costa, R. Donald Trump and a GOP Primary Race Like No Other, in Trumped, pp Primaries, Planning, and Why Some Campaigns Fail: Green, J. (September 2008). The front-runner s fall. Atlantic Monthly. In TRACS under Resources. Week 10 October 30, November 1, 3 Types of Elections: Congressional Elections, especially the House Sides Chapter 10, Congressional Campaigns, pp Sabato, L. (2011). Excerpts from Pendulum swing. Pages TBA. (The 2010 Congressional elections.) Trende, S. (2010). nsistent_wave_ html Skelley, G. Straight Tickets for Senate, Split Tickets for Governor: The 2016 Senate and Gubernatorial Elections, in Trumped, pp Kondik, K. House 2016: the Republicans Endure, in Trumped, pp

9 Week 11 November 6, 8, 10 Congressional Elections, especially the Senate Continue to reference readings from above 7 Senate seats most likely to flip in 2018 in The Hill. In TRACS under RESOURCES under READINGS. Week 12 November 13, 15, 17 Types of Elections: State and Local Elections and Campaign Money Sides, Chapter 11, State and Local Campaigns, pp Sides, Chapter 4, Financing Campaigns, pp Toner, M. and Trainer, K. The $7 Billion Election: Emerging Campaign Finance Trends and their Impact on the 2016 Presidential Race and Beyond, in Trumped, pp database of elected officials and donations comprehensive campaign finance website Citizens United case: Week 13 November 20 (22 and 24 Thanksgiving Break) November 21 Documentary: Week 14, November 27, November 29, December 1 Organization, Polling, Targeting, Media, Money, and Consultants, Strategy, Advertising, and Messaging Sides, Chapter 5, Modern Campaign Strategies, pp Sides, Chapter 8, Media, pp Owen, D. Twitter Rants, Press Bashing, and Fake News: The Shameful Legacy of Media in the 2016 Election, in Trumped, pp

10 Edwards-Levy, A., Jackson, N. and Velencia, J. Polling in the 2016 Election, in Trumped, pp Presidential Campaign Ads: < Hillary invisible ad Barack Obama Lena Dunham, Your First Time CF3DE16A080844AA6204CF3DE16A08084&view=detail&FORM=VIRE2 Mitt Romney Believe in America Viral Videos that Influenced Campaigns: < Obama Girl < John Edwards Feeling Pretty < John Edwards Hair response to Feeling Pretty Accountability: Trade Publication for Political Consultants: Spot Ads: Inside the world of political advertising Media Market data: Example of media opinion data corporation website Polling: Fundamentals of Polling:

11 Republican Pollsters include: American Viewpoint, The Tarrance Group, Hill Research Consultants, Public Opinion Strategies, RTNielson, and MORI. Democratic Pollsters include: Peter D. Hart Research Associates, Greenberg Quinlan Rosener Research Inc., Global Strategy Group (Harrison Hickman), Hamilton-Beattie, and The Mellman Group. Vote Smart (general political information, very comprehensive) Thomas: Week 15 December 4, 6, (Last day of TX State classes Thursday December 7 Student Research Presentations (this may be adjusted backward depending on number of students in the class) Final Exam: 8:00 am Monday December 11, 2017 *Readings and dates subject to change, including addition or deletion. Textbooks: Sabato, Kondik, and Skelley (2017). Trumped: The 2016 election that broke all the rules. Rowman and Littlefield. Sides, J. Shaw, D., Grossmann, M., Lipsitz, K. (2015). Campaigns and elections, 2 nd Ed. New York: W.W. Norton.