Campaigns 2000

Political Science 179 (2 credit) and 279 (5 credit)

Fall 2000

MW 3:15 - 5:05

Building 420-040

Instructors:

Professor Dave Brady

Sean Theriault (seant@stanford.edu)

Office Hours: Tuesdays, 4-5.

Teaching Assistants:

Jennifer Lawless (jlawless@stanford.edu)

Office Hours: Mondays, 11-1.

Jeremy Pope (jeremey.pope@stanford.edu)

Office Hours: Thursdays, 10-12.

In this class we will, first and foremost, discuss the various federal election campaigns in 2000. We will hear from participants in the battle and issue experts. We will discuss and analyze the daily activities of the various campaigns the tracking polls, and the debates.

All of this discussion will take place within a political science framework. The political science literature will provide a common understanding, a common language, and a historical context by which we can glean greater insight from the daily trial and tribulations of campaigns.

The reading load is light for the course, but the time that you would normally spend reading for the class should be spent ascertaining specific knowledge about the campaigns from popular press accounts. Random quizzes will not only test your knowledge of the course readings and lectures, but also the daily events taking place in the campaigns.

The work load is average for the class. Each student will pick a state/region from a selected list that contains an interesting House and Senate race. The student will become a local expert in their respective states for those races as well as the presidential race. One (for 179 students) or three (for 279 students) writing assignments will be focused on these particular states. A part of the course grade (for 279 students) will be determined by section participation.

The Difference between PS 179 and 279: Students who enroll in the 2 credit class will have to do one 10 page paper. We expect these reports to be quality work. We will not be afraid to give “Re-do” or “No Credit” where it is warranted. Students enrolling for 5 credits will have to do 3 different papers for the class and attend sections.

Course Materials:

Gary C. Jacobson’s The Politics of Congressional Elections

Nelson W. Polsby and Aaron Wildavsky’s Presidential Elections

Morris P. Fiorina’s Divided Government

Selected readings (TBA)

Popular Press Accounts including:

Newsweeklies: Newsweek, Time, U.S. News and World Reports, Roll Call, and Congressional Quarterly Weekly Reports.

Sunday Morning Talk Shows: NBC’s Meet the Press, CNN’s Late Edition, CBS’s This Week with Sam and Cokie, ABC’s Face the Nation, and Fox’s News Sunday.

Daily Newspapers: The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Los Angeles Times, and a variety of regional newspapers.

Course Assignment for PS 179:

Class Paper (100%): A 5-10 page paper that describes the campaigns and elections within a particular state or region (see attached list). Papers should take into consideration each of the requirements for the papers in PS 279.

Due: November 29

Course Assignments for PS 279:

Section Participation (20%): Participation not only means showing up prepared and participating. It also includes randomly dispersed quizzes, short writing assignments, and various presentations.

The Lay of the Land (20%): A 5 page paper describing the political geography of your state. Good papers will discuss the political history of the state/region, the particular and unique issues to the area brief descriptions of the most recent election results, and brief summaries of the current races.

Due: October 16

What Happened (30%): A 10 page paper describing the various campaigns within your state. Good papers will discuss the campaigns at the three levels (House, Senate, and Presidential), making references to the campaigns, debates, and poll results, as well as a thorough discussion of state and race-specific issues. The papers must include predictions of the races based not only on poll results, but also the analysis from the “Lay of the Land” papers.

Due: November 6

Interpreting the Results (30%): A 10 page paper analyzing the results from the elections. Who won and why? What do the results tell us about policy making? What do the results tell us about the contemporary American politics?

Due: November 29

Course Outline

Topic 1 – Introduction

September 27: Course Introduction (ST)

October 2: Course Description (ST)

Topic 2 – Congressional Elections

October 4: Congressional Elections I – An Overview (DB)

Readings: Jacobson Chapters 2 and 5

October 9: Congressional Elections II – An Overview (DB)

Readings: Jacobson Chapter 6

October 11: Incumbency (ST)

Readings: Jacobson Chapters 3 and 4

Topic 3 – Presidential Elections

Guest Speakers: Hahrie Han, Gretchen Crosby, and Dan Okimoto

October 16: Primaries and Conventions (DB)

Readings: Polsby and Wildavsky Chapter 4

Guest Speakers: Dan Kessler, John Cogan, Ken Smith, and Chip Blacker

October 18: Institutions, Issues, and Campaigns I

Readings: Polsby and Wildavsky Chapters 3, 5, and 6

October 23: Institutions, Issues, and Campaigns II

October 25: Institutions, Issues, and Campaigns III

October 30: Institutions, Issues, and Campaigns IV

November 1: Institutions, Issues, and Campaigns V (ST)

Topic 4– The Election

November 6: Student reports by state/region

Topic 5 – Interpreting the Election Results

Guest Speakers: Mo Fiorina, Mike McFaul, and Condi Rice

November 8: Student reports by state/region

Friday, November 10, 3:15-4:15: Probable Consequences (DB)

Readings: Jacobson Chapter 7 and Brady and Volden Chapters 5 and 6

November 13: Understanding the Outcomes I (ST)

Readings: Abramson, Aldrich, and Rohde Chapters 9, 10, and 11

November 15: Divided Government (ST)

Readings: Divided Government

November 20: Gridlock (ST)

Readings: Abramson, Aldrich, and Rohde Chapter 12

November 22: No Class!

Topic 7 – Course Wrap-up

November 27: The Last Class (ST)

Topic 8 – Student Reports

November 29: Student Reports within Sections

December 4: Student Reports within Sections

December 6: Student Reports within Sections