POL-245: Political Parties and Elections

      In this course we study American campaigns and elections. The course is taught in spring semester of even-numbered years, which means that there are campaigns going on at the time, and in presidential election years we feature the Iowa Presidential Caucuses. So our discussions are informed, so to speak, by our own lab rats who are running around the country trying to get elected!

      Each student will participate in a congressional election simulation produced by Congressional Quarterly, taking the role of candidate, campaign manager, media consultant, press secretary, data analyst, researcher, print or broadcast journalist.  We will also study statistical analysis of electoral behavior with the help of a web-based data analysis system.

      Political Parties and Elections counts towards the Quantitative and Behavioral Analysis category for general education requirements. It satisfies the "advanced American politics" requirement for political science majors and minors. It may also be applied towards a major in American Studies, and to secondary school teaching endorsement in American government. It is a writing emphasis course.


Elections Links

The American National Election Survey at the University of Michigan has data going back to 1948

Excellent electoral maps from University of Richmond

Information on current elections:

View campaign ads from past presidential elections

The Commission on Presidential Debates

Report on political participation in 2004, focusing on young adults

General information about elections, with advocacy of specific reforms: fairvote.org

Pew Research Center for The People and the Press: includes media attention data since 1986

Information about campaign conduct as well as links to other sources about campaign spending, issues, and political parties
Parties on the Web:

  • Democratic Party
  • Republican Party
  • Natural Law Party
  • Reform Party
  •                          REQUIRED TEXTS (SPRING 2008)
    Julie Dolan and Marni Ezra, CQ's Congressional Election Simulation (CQ Press, 2002)
            William H. Flanigan and Nancy H. Zingale, Political Behavior of the 
    American Electorate
    (CQ Press, 11th ed., 2006)
            Charles Prysby and Carmine Scavo, Voting Behavior: The 2004 Election
    (American Political Science Assn, 2005): online at http://www.icpsr.umich.edu/SETUPS/index.html
            
                             COURSE SCHEDULE

    Course introduction
    The Election of 2004 and Its Meaning: Prysby/Scavo 1
    Voter Turnout: Flanigan/Zingale 2
    Survey Research and the ANES: Prysby/Scavo 3
    Party Identification: Flanigan/Zingale 3
    Party as Independent Variable: Flanigan/Zingale 4
    Party as Dependent Variable: Flanigan/Zingale 5
    EXAM I

    Analyzing Data: Prysby/Scavo 4
    Voting Behavior: Flanigan/Zingale 8, Prysby/Scavo 2
    Political Culture: Flanigan/Zingale 1
    Public Opinion and Ideology: Flanigan/Zingale 6
    Media Impact:  Flanigan/Zingale 7
    EXAM II

    Introduction to congressional elections: Dolan/Ezra 1
    Introduction to the simulation: Dolan/Ezra 2
    Case study 1--Montana:  Dolan/Ezra, pp. 29-55
    Case study 2--Arkansas: Dolan/Ezra, pp. 56-83
    Case study 3--Illinois: Dolan/Ezra, pp. 84-110
    CONGRESSIONAL ELECTION SIMULATION
    EXAM III

    Next Course: The American Congress

    Last Course: Religion and American Politics

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    last update 7/6/09