Political Science W1201: American Government & Politics

Spring 2004
Tues. and Thurs., 10:35-11:50am
517 Hamilton Hall

Prof. Gregory Wawro		854-8540
741 International Affairs Bldg.		gjw10@columbia.edu
Office Hours: Tues. 3-5pm and by appt.

Teaching Assistants:

	Email	Office	Office Hours
Amy Lynn Widsten	alw38@columbia.edu	TBA	TBA
Seung Jin Jang	sj2033@columbia.edu	TBA	TBA
Oscar Torres-Reyna	omt1@columbia.edu	TBA	TBA

Government and politics touches just about every aspect of our lives. Yet many Americans lack even the most basic knowledge of how government operates. The goal of this course is to provide you with a fundamental knowledge of American government and politics and with some of the tools that you will need to acquire a much more sophisticated understanding of political behavior and institutions in the United States.

Course Requirements

In addition to attending class and discussion sections diligently, you are required to write a midterm, a final exam, and a 6 to 10 page paper. I will provide a list of paper topics that you can choose from. You are required to turn in a 1 to 2 page summary of your paper which includes a thesis statement, general outline of your argument, and preliminary list of sources. Students are strongly encouraged to use Strunk and White's Elements of Style as a guidebook for their writing (this book is available in just about any book store or an electronic version is available online--see the link from the course web site, http://www.columbia.edu/~gjw10/w1201.html). The paper will account for 30% of the final grade, the midterm for 20%, and the final exam for 40%. Participation in discussion sections accounts for the remaining 10% of your grade. Note the exam dates and due dates for the paper. Make-ups will not be given and late work will not be accepted except for reasons of certified medical necessity or family emergency.

Student must register for and attend a discussion section. You cannot take this course unless you are registered in a section.

Course Readings (available from Labyrinth Books and College Reserves)

Theodore J. Lowi, Benjamin Ginsberg, and Kenneth A. Shepsle, American Government, 7th ed.

Peter Woll, American Government: Readings and Cases, 15th ed. (W)

Samuel Kernell and Steven S. Smith, Principles and Practice of American Politics, 2nd ed. (K & S)

In addition to the course readings, I expect you to follow current political events. To assist you in your efforts, the course web site has links to several online versions of newspapers, including The New York Times and the Washington Post. The web site for The National Journal (http://www.nationaljournal.com) is especially recommended for staying informed about current political happenings. Links to assigned readings from The National Journal are available from the online version of this syllabus. Note that NationalJournal.com can be accessed only from a Columbia IP address.

The course web site contains numerous links to other sites that are relevant to this course. Students should check the site regularly for course announcements.

Course Outline

1. Foundations

   Jan. 20-22: Introduction

   • Lowi, Ginsberg, and Shepsle, Chapter 1
   • Locke, ``Second Treatise, Of Civil Government'' (W)
   • The Declaration of Independence (W)
   • The Articles of Confederation (Lowi, Ginsberg, and Shepsle)

   Jan. 27-29: The Founding and the Constitution

   • Lowi, Ginsberg, and Shepsle, Chapter 2
   • The Constitution (W)
   • Roche, ``The Founding Fathers: A Reform Caucus in Action'' (K & S)
   • Beard, ``Framing The Constitution'' (W)
   • The Federalist 10, 47, 48, 51 (W)

   Feb. 3-5: Federalism

   • Lowi, Ginsberg, and Shepsle, Chapter 3
   • The Federalist 16, 17, 39 (W)
   • McCulloch v. Maryland (W)
   • Kettl, ``Federalism: Battles on the Front Lines of Public Policy''
   • Buchanan, ``Federalism as an Ideal Political Order and an Objective for Constitutional Reform'' (K & S)

   Feb. 10-12: Civil Rights and Civil Liberties

   • Lowi, Ginsberg, and Shepsle, Chapter 4
   • Plessy v. Ferguson (W)
   • Gideon v. Wainwright (W)
   • Brown v. Board of Education (W)
   • Engle v. Vitale (W)
   • Zelman v. Simmon-Harris Supreme Court of the United States (W)
   • Roe v. Wade (W)
   • Adarand Constructors, Inc. v. Pena (W)

2. Institutions

   Feb. 17-19: The Legislative Branch

   • Lowi, Ginsberg, and Shepsle, Chapter 5
   • The Federalist 53, 56, 57, 58, 62, 63 (W)
   • Fiorina, ``Rise of the Washington Establishment'' (W)
   • Fenno, ``Home Style and Washington Career'' (W)
   • Mayhew, ``Congress: The Electoral Connection'' (W)
   • Dodd, ``Congress and the Quest for Power'' (W)
   • Fenno, ``The Senate in Bicameral Perspective'' (K & S)

   Feb. 24-26: The Presidency

   • Lowi, Ginsberg, and Shepsle, Chapter 6
   • Federalist 70 (W)
   • Neustadt, ``Presidential Power'' (W)
   • Wildavsky, ``The Two Presidencies'' (W)
   • Kernell, from Going Pubic (K & S)
   • Bumiller, et al, ``How 3 Weeks of War in Iraq Looked from the Oval Office'' (K & S)

   March 2-4: The Bureaucracy

   • Lowi, Ginsberg, and Shepsle, Chapter 7
   • Woll, ``Constitutional Democracy and Bureaucratic Power'' (W)
   • Wilson, from Bureaucracy: What Government Agencies Do and Why They Do It (K & S)
   • Moe, ``The Politics of Bureaucratic Structure'' (K & S)

   March 9: The Courts

   • Lowi, Ginsberg, and Shepsle, Chapter 8
   • Federalist 78 (W)
   • Marbury v. Madison (W)
   • Epstein and Knight, from The Choices Justices Make (K & S)
   • Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, ``Constitutional Liberty and the Right to Abortion'' (W)

   • Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist, ``Liberty, Privacy, and the Right to Abortion'' (W)

   • Justice Antonin Scalia, ``Liberty and Abortion: A Strict Constructionist's View'' (W)

   March 11: Midterm

   March 16-18: Spring Break

3. Politics and Pressure

   March 23-25: Political Parties

   • Lowi, Ginsberg, and Shepsle, Chapter 11
   • Schattschneider, ``Party Government'' (W)
   • Mayhew, ``Divided, We Govern'' (W)
   • Aldrich, from Why Parties? (K & S)
   • Bartels, ``Partisanship and Voting Behavior, 1952-1996'' (K & S)

   March 30-April 1: Interest Groups (Summary of paper due on the 1st)

   • Lowi, Ginsberg, and Shepsle, Chapter 12
   • Truman, ``The Governmental Process'' (W)
   • Lowi, ``The End of Liberalism'' (W)
   • Wright, ``The Evolution of Interest Groups'' (K & S)
   • Sabato, ``The Misplaced Obsession with PACs'' (W)
   • Godwin and Seldon, ``What Corporations Really Want from Government'' (K & S)

   April 6-8: Political Participation, Voting, and Elections

   • Lowi, Ginsberg, and Shepsle, Chapter 10
   • Key, ``A Theory of Critical Elections'' (W)
   • Popkin, from The Reasoning Voter (K & S)
   • Rivlin, ``How To Read A Presidential Primary Poll'' NationalJournal.com, Feb. 27, 2003
     (http://nationaljournal.com/members/buzz/2003/pollposition/022703.htm)
   • Cook, ``Bush Needs A Boost In Jobs, Not Just GDP'' NationalJournal.com, Oct. 28, 2003
     http://nationaljournal.com/members/buzz/2003/races/102803.htm)
   • Barnes, ``The Doc's Successful Operation 2004'' NationalJournal.com, Jan. 3, 2004,
     (http://www.columbia.edu/~gjw10/barnes.html)

   April 13-15: Public Opinion and the Media

   • Lowi, Ginsberg, and Shepsle, Chapters 9 and 13
   • Berelson, Lazersfeld, and McPhee, ``Democratic Practice and Democratic Theory'' (W)
   • Key, ``The Responsible Electorate'' (W)
   • Stimson, MacKuen, and Erikson, ``Dynamic Representation'' (K & S)
   • Cook, ``Media Power and Congressional Power'' (W)
   • Althaus, ``American News Consumption during Times of National Crisis'' (K & S)

4. Politics and Policy

   April 20: Economic and Fiscal Policy

   • Lowi, Ginsberg, and Shepsle, Chapter 14

   • Simendinger, ``Paying Down The Debt--Accidentally,'' National Journal, Friday, Feb. 11, 2000 (http://nationaljournal.com/members/news/2000/02/0211nj3.htm)

   • Baumann, ``Finding It Hard to Say `No' '' from National Journal, July 12, 2002 (http://nationaljournal.com/members/news/2002/07/0712nj1.htm)

   • Collender, ``The Worst Budget Year Ever,'' NationalJournal.com, Dec. 2, 2003
     (http://nationaljournal.com/members/buzz/2003/budget/120203.htm)

   April 22: The Politics of Social Welfare Policy

   • Lowi, Ginsberg, and Shepsle, Chapter 15
   • Roosevelt, ``Call for Federal Responsibility''
     (from Encyclopedia Brittanica Presidential Documents )

   • Hoover, ``Against The Proposed New Deal''
     (from Encyclopedia Brittanica Presidential Documents )
   • John, ``Six Important Rules for Real Social Security Reform'' Heritage Foundation Executive Memorandum #884
     (http://www.heritage.org/Research/SocialSecurity/EM884.cfm)
   • Orszag and Diamond, ``Reforming Social Security: A Balanced Plan'' Brookings Institution Policy Brief #126
     (http://www.brookings.edu/comm/policybriefs/pb126.htm)

   April 27: Foreign Policy

   • Lowi, Ginsberg, and Shepsle, Chapter 16
   • Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, (http://www.columbia.edu/~gjw10/tonkin.html)
   • The War Powers Act of 1973, Public Law 93-148
     (http://www.columbia.edu/~gjw10/warpow.html)
   • Public Law 107-40, Authorization for Use of Military Force
     (http://www.columbia.edu/~gjw10/waronterrorres.html)
   • Public Law 107-243, Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Iraq Resolution of 2002 (http://www.columbia.edu/~gjw10/iraqres02.html)

   April 29: Conclusion--Term papers due

   May 7-14: Final Exam