Political Science W3322: The American Congress



Spring 2004
Tues. and Thurs., 1:10-2:25pm
603 Hamilton Hall (room subject to change)



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
Eduardo Leoni ell2002@columbia.edu TBA TBA
Melanie Springer mjs2101@columbia.edu 270H IAB Wed., 4-6pm

The second session of the 108th Congress begins with Republicans seeking to continue the successes of the previous session. The first session of the 108th saw important Republican legislative victories on major bills, including the the $350 billion tax cut package, the $87.5 billion spending package on postwar Iraq and Afghanistan, the bill to overhaul Medicare and create a prescription drug benefit, and the ban on the so-called ``partial birth'' abortion procedure. One of the main stories behind these enactments is that time and again, President Bush has succeeded in getting all or nearly all of what he wanted. Although the Congress has been hesitant to enact some of the more extreme aspects of the president's legislative wish list, in the end, members have given the president nearly everything that he has wanted. The items on the agenda that have faltered have done so because of the unique rules of the Senate, which for all intents and purposes require supermajorities to pass legislation in that chamber. The Democratic minority's use of the filibuster will undoubtedly continue to play a role as Congress attempts to pass the $820 billion omnibus appropriation bill (for the fiscal year that started in October of 2003) and the energy bill, and considers nominees to the federal bench.



How will members of the 108th Congress behave given the conditions they find themselves in? Will President Bush continue to succeed in pushing his legislative priorities through the Congress as his reelection campaign ramps up? Or will the legislation he seeks become mired in election year partisan disputes in a Congress that is virtually evenly divided between Republicans and Democrats? Can the two polarized parties work in a bipartisan manner or will they be more confrontational as they attempt to define issues for the 2004 elections? How will Congress meet the challenges of an uncertain economic recovery, international instability, and continuing concerns about security at home?



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.



Course Requirements

In addition to attending class 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, the general outline of your argument, and a 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 and can also be accessed over the Web at http://www.bartleby.com/141/index.html/). The paper will account for 35% of your final grade, the midterm for 25%, and the final exam for 40%. Note the following dates relevant to the assignments:

Make-ups will not be given and late work will not be accepted except for reasons of certified medical necessity or family emergency.



Also note that POLS W1201 is a prerequisite for this course.



Course Readings (available from Labyrinth Books, College Reserves, and through CQ.com On Congress, an online service accessible at http://oncongress.cq.com/. The articles assigned from CQ Weekly (CQW) can be accessed through CQ.com by going to the CQ Weekly page and searching on the page number, author, or date of the article.)

Roger H. Davidson and Walter J. Oleszek. 2002. Congress and Its Members. 9th ed. Washington, D.C.: CQ Press.

Lawrence C. Dodd and Bruce I. Oppenheimer. 2001. Congress Reconsidered. 7th ed. Washington, D.C.: CQ Press.

Charles Stewart III. 2001. Analyzing Congress. New York: W. W. Norton.

Herbert F. Weisberg, Eric S. Heberlig, and Lisa M. Campoli. 1999. Classics in Congressional Politics. New York: Longman

Although I've made the Stewart book available, readings from it are not required. This book is more technical than the other readings and is highly recommended for students who seek more analytical rigor in their studies of Congress.

In addition to the course readings, students should closely follow the activities of Congress in The New York Times (or some other reputable national newspaper) and CQW. I have set up a Web site that contains numerous links to sites that are relevant to this course, including sites that will help you keep on top of current events. The URL is http://www.columbia.edu/~gjw10/w3322.html. Students should also check the site regularly for course announcements.

Course Outline

  1. Introduction

  2. Historical and Institutional Background

  3. Elections

  4. Congressional institutions and procedures

    1. Committees and Subcommittees

      • Dodd & Oppenheimer: Chapters 8 and 9

      • Weisberg et al.: Chapters 16 and 19

      • Recommended: Stewart, Chapter 8

    2. The Floor

      • Davidson & Oleszek: Chapters 8

      • Weisberg et al.: Chapters 24, 25, and 27

      • Recommended: Stewart, Chapter 9

    3. Parties and party leadership

      • Davidson & Oleszek: Chapter 6

      • Dodd & Oppenheimer: Chapters 11 and 12

      • Weisberg et al.: Chapter 22

      • Recommended: Stewart, Chapter 7

  5. Congress, the Executive, and the Courts

  6. Congress and External Pressures

  7. Congress and Fiscal Policy

  8. Congress and Foreign Policy

  9. Congress Today

  10. Conclusion


Gregory Wawro 2004-01-19