Political Science V3701.001. Seminar in American Politics:
Congressional Politics
Prof. Gregory Wawro Phone: 854-8540
741 International Affairs Bldg. email: gjw10@columbia.edu
Office Hours: Wed. 2-4 and by appt.
In the 1996 elections voters returned Republicans to majority status in Congress for the first time since 1928 and reelected an incumbent Democratic President for the first time since 1964. A popular interpretation of the election results was that voters wanted bipartisanship and policy moderation in Washington. Yet as a result of the elections Congress became a more ideologically polarized institution, continuing a trend of the past several decades. The replacement of moderate members by those located at more extreme points on the ideological spectrum cast doubt on the possibility for bipartisan cooperation.
The recent passage of landmark legislation that is supposed to balance the federal budget and provide extensive tax cuts appears to have been the result of exactly the kind of bipartisanship that the electorate allegedly called for. But all is not sweetness and light on Capitol Hill. A recent attempt to unseat Speaker Newt Gingrich which involved top members of the Republican leadership has left many wondering how effective the leadership can be. Much-publicized hearings into campaign finance abuses threaten to dissolve into partisan squabbling. And partisan rhetoric is sure to heat up as the 1998 election season approaches.
How has bipartisanship cooperation been achieved? How much longer will it last? How will the Republican leadership deal with the divisions in its ranks and divisions in the Republican conference?
The goal of this course is to help you answer questions such as these. By exploring issues of individual motivation, institutional structure and constraints, and the problems of collective decision making we will attempt to gain a thorough understanding of what is arguably the most important branch of the Federal Government.
The first part of the course will focus on the external pressures that elections place on members of Congress and the different factors that determine whether they are elected and reelected. The second part of the course will focus on members in the Washington arena. We will examine how, given the pressures members face in the electoral arena, members behave inside the Beltway and in particular how they have organized their institution to help them cope with electoral pressures and promote their individual and collective goals.
Course Requirements
Participation in class discussion accounts for 25% of your grade. This is not a lecture course. I expect you to share your comments and criticism about the course's subject matter with the class. You should exert as much effort as I do to keep the class discussion lively and enlightening.
In order to assist you in your preparation for class discussions, I will distribute questions that you should think about while doing the readings for each week. You will submit a 1 to 2 page paper for each class that addresses these questions, drawing on the readings, class discussion, and current events. The short papers account for 25% of your grade.
A 20 to 30 page term paper accounts for the remaining 50% of your grade. The term paper will consists of original research on a topic of your own choosing but conditional on my approval. Midway through the semester you will submit a short proposal that clearly and concisely lays out the question you will address in your term paper and discusses in detail how you propose to answer this question (what data you will use, etc.).
I strongly encourage you to use Internet resources for the course assignments. I have set up a web site that contains numerous links where you can find information about Congress (the URL is http://www.columbia.edu/~gjw10/congress.html)
Course Readings (available from the Columbia Bookstore, Labyrinth, and on reserve at Butler Library)
In addition to the course readings, students should closely follow the activities of Congress in The New York Times and Congressional Quarterly Weekly Report.
Course Outline
Section I: Members of Congress in the Electoral Arena
Section II: Members in the Washington Arena