Political Science 104; Fall, 2006 Office Hours: M 4-5 p.m. and W 1:15-2:15 p.m.
American Politics and Government and by appt.
Professor David Canon Email: dcanon@polisci.wisc.edu
MW 2:30 - 3:45 p.m. Humanities 3650 Office: 413 North Hall, Telephone: 263-2283
Teaching Assistants: Amnon Cavari (Head TA), Matt Holleque, Adam Slez, and Amber Wichowsky (office hours to be announced).
Course Description:
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This course is an introduction to American government. By the end of the semester you should have a good understanding of how the government makes policy and why decisions are made as they are. The course will combine insider accounts of how "Washington really works," scholarly work on the governmental process, and debates on various political issues and institutions. This is an especially exciting time to be taking a class on American politics, with the midterm elections this fall, continuing debates over the war in Iraq, and issues such as health care reform, Social Security, and how to deal with the budget deficits.
The course begins with a discussion of the foundations of our governmental system: the Constitution, federalism, capitalism and questions concerning the democratic nature of our government. Then we will examine the American political institutions: Congress, the bureaucracy, the president, and the courts. From there we turn to political participation and examine public opinion, parties, campaigns and elections, the media, and interest groups. Finally, we will see how it all fits together by examining social policy, civil rights, economic policy, and foreign policy. While the course is a lecture class (intimate discussions are a little difficult with nearly 300 students), I encourage you to raise questions you have about anything presented in the lectures.
Course Evaluation:
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The grades for the course will be based on two midterms (27.5% each), attendance and participation in discussion section (10%), and a final exam (35%). The midterm exams will be a combination of multiple choice and short IDs and the final exam will be a combination of multiple choice, short IDs, and one long essay. The multiple choice and short essay portions of the final exam will not be comprehensive and only cover material since the second midterm; the long essay, which I will give you in advance, is comprehensive in nature. All reading material and lectures will be fair game on the exams.
Books and Readings:
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The following books are required for the course and are available for purchase at the University of Wisconsin Bookstore on State Street and the Underground Textbook exchange (which is operating at a temporary location in the basement of The Varsity building (401 N. Lake St.). The books should be shrink-wrapped together as a packaged deal from Norton.
Theodore J. Lowi, Benjamin Ginsberg, and Kenneth A. Shepsle, American Government: Power and Purpose. 9th ed. W.W. Norton, 2006.
David T. Canon, John J. Coleman, Kenneth R. Mayer, eds. The Enduring Debate: Classic and Contemporary Readings in American Politics, 4th ed., W.W. Norton, 2006.
A few required readings are on posted on my web site and are available through the library’s electronic reserves. Also, I urge you to read a good national newspaper, such as the New York Times or the Washington Post. The national news weeklies, such as Newsweek, Time, or U.S. News and World Report also would be useful for keeping you current on what is happening in the world of politics. I will make available to you on the first day of class order forms for the New York Times. Home delivery of the Times is available at a reduced rate.
A friendly word of advice on the readings that should be taken seriously: you should complete the assigned reading before the topic is discussed in lecture. At a minimum you should complete the reading before your discussion section or you will not be prepared to participate. Also, many of the lectures will use the readings as a point of departure, so your understanding of lecture material will be enhanced by having completed and understood the assigned reading. The reading load averages about 85 pages a week. This should not be a difficult pace to maintain if you do not fall behind. If you put off reading anything until before the exams will you find yourself staring at 425 pages for each of the exams . . . this strategy is not recommended. One other thing I should mention – the reading load is not equally distributed across the weeks. Some weeks you will only have 30-40 pages of reading; other weeks will be more than 100. Therefore, it may be useful for you to try to get ahead on the next week's readings when the reading load for a given week is relatively light.
Web Sites
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W.W. Norton has a Web site for the Lowi/Ginsberg/Shepsle text that you may find useful for the course. The address is: http://www.wwnorton.com/lowi9. It includes chapter reviews, study questions, on-line quizzes, links to other political sites, vocabulary flash cards, plus other readings and resources. I have a homepage at “http://www.polisci.wisc.edu/~dcanon” that includes links to other political sites and information about the course, the additional readings, and outlines of the powerpoint presentations, which will be posted before each lecture.
Lecture Schedule, Reading Assignments, and Discussion Questions:
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Note--the following abbreviations are used: “ED” for The Enduring Debate and “AG” for American Government: Power and Purpose. There are a few readings on e-reserves through the UW library web site. To access these readings you will need to go to MyUW, login, then click on the “academic tab.” Click on the “library/reserve” link and you will find the reserve readings. I will also provide links to the readings from my web site.
I. FOUNDATIONS
A. Introduction to the Course–September 6
Preface and Chapter 1 in AG, xix-xxiii, 2-33.
B. The Constitution–September 11
Chapter 2 in AG, 36-77 and the second half of Chapter 3 of AG, 105-115.
The Constitution and it Amendments, A13-A34 in AG (back of the AG book).
Michael Kammen, “The Nature of American Constitutionalism,” in ED, 37-45.
Discussion Section Questions, September 7-13 (Discussion sections will meet starting the 7th): What are the components of “power and purpose” referred to in the subtitle of the textbook? How does this help summarize the basis for politics in the American political system? Can you think of any current events in the news, such as the prescription drug story on pp. 34-35, that illustrate the central themes of the book? What were the central problems the Founding Fathers faced at the Constitutional convention and how did they resolve them? What are some of the unresolved constitutional problems? What is distinctive about the American constitutional system? What are the advantages and disadvantages of having a strong central government? What explains the simplicity and durability of the Constitution? What are the strengths and weaknesses of the document’s simplicity? Do you think it is good to regularly amend the Constitution to reflect changing values and address current problems, or should the Constitution be changed only rarely (the gay marriage amendment discussed on pp.76-77 of the text is one recent example of a proposed amendment that is related to a current issue)?
The Constitution, continued – September 13
Charles Beard and Robert Brown, "An Economic Interpretation of the Constitution: Founding Fathers, the Question of Motive,” ED, 56-67.
Federalist Papers #10 and #51, A35-A43 in AG (back of the AG book).
C. Federalism – September 18
First half of Chapter 3 in AG, 78-105, 116-17.
Paul Peterson, “The Price of Federalism,” ED, 73-81.
Jonathan Adler, “The Framers’ Design, ED, 82-85.
Thomas, Derthick, and Kettl, “The Future of Federalism,” in ED, 86-100.
Discussion Section Questions, September 14-20: How did the Founding Fathers' view of people help shape the Constitution? Did their self-interest play an important role? What does Madison say about the relation between self-interest and the nature of government in Federalist #10? What is the proper balance between state and national governments in the provision of social welfare policies? When should the national government have the power to coerce states to adopt national policies against their will, if ever? How has the balance of power between the states and the national government evolved over time? What role has the Supreme Court played in this evolution? Does the Constitution give the national government the power to tell the states what to do? What are the advantages and disadvantages of the current efforts by Congress and the Supreme Court to return more power to the states? Which of the views of federalism presented in the “debating the issues” section do you find most appealing?
D. Democracy in the United States – September 20-25
Democracy and Participation – September 20
Howard Zinn and Sidney Hook on "Democracy: How Democratic is America?", on e-reserve.
Democracy and Capitalism – September 25
Milton Friedman, "The Relation Between Economic Freedom and Political Freedom," pp. 7-21, on e-reserve.
Charles Lindblom, "The Market as Prison," Journal of Politics 44:2 (May, 1982): 324-36, on e-reserve.
Discussion Section Questions, September 21-27: How democratic is America? Are Zinn's or Hook's arguments more compelling? What are the central areas of their disagreements? How can their arguments be related to the state of American democracy today? Is capitalism consistent with (or indeed reinforce) democracy, or does it serve as a 'prison' for policy makers? How powerful is the political elite in the United States? What is the proper role for the federal government in terms of controlling the market? How does the tradeoff between freedom and power relate to the debate about the relationship between capitalism and democracy? In what areas should government use its power?
E. Civil Liberties – September 27-October 2
First part of Chapter 4 in AG, 118-133, 158-59.
Jonathan Rauch, “In Defense of Prejudice,” ED, 116-24.
Deborah Pearlstein and Andrew McCarthy, “Civil Liberties and the Fight Against Terror,” ED, 125-38.
Discussion Section Questions for September 28-October 4: Should the Bill of Rights apply to the states as well as the federal government? Why? What does this debate say about the tension between freedom and order discussed last week? Should hate speech be allowed? If so, is all speech protected by the Constitution? If not, where do you draw the line between protected free speech and speech or actions that may be harmful to others? What about defendants’ rights, protections against illegal searches and seizures (as discussed in lecture)? How would you address the tradeoff between security and freedom? Do you think we have the right balance, or are we undermining civil liberties too much or ignoring security too much?
*********** First In-Class Midterm Exam on Wednesday, October 4th ***********
(exam will cover readings and lectures through October 2nd)
II. POLITICAL INSTITUTIONS
A. Congress – October 9-11
Chapter 5 in AG, 162-217.
David Mayhew, “Congress: The Electoral Connection,” ED, 141-45.
Ron Faucheux, “Reelection Tips for Legislators,” ED, 146-150.
John Hibbing and Elizabeth Theiss-Morse, “Too Much of a Good Thing,” ED, 151-57.
The Pig Book, Sean Paige, and Jonathan Cohn, “Pork Barrel Politics,” ED, 158-74.
Discussion Section Questions for October 5-11: Is “pork barrel” politics evidence that Congress is not working properly, or evidence that we are getting the type of representation that we want? What are the contrasting views of “pork” presented by the authors? Is Congress truly the "first branch" of government? What aspects of its operation either justify or undermine that label? What have been the most important changes in Congress in the last 20 years? What are the advantages and disadvantages of the strong reelection goal among members of Congress? Why do Hibbing and Theiss-Morse argue that have a responsive Congress is “too much of a good thing?” Do you agree? Would term limits help solve the problem of an over-responsive Congress? Do the justifications for the bicameral legislature presented by the Founders still ring true today, or would we be better off with a unicameral legislature?
B. The Presidency – October 16-18
Chapter 6 in AG, 218-69.
Richard Neustadt, “The Power to Persuade,” ED, 175-84.
Charles O. Jones, “Perspectives on the Presidency,” ED, 185-91.
Wenner, Hacker, Pierson, and Kristol, “Presidential Mandates,” ED, 192-205.
Discussion Section Questions for October 12-18: Neustadt argues that the president’s central power is the “power to persuade.” Do you agree? Has the president become too powerful? What would the Founding Fathers say about the current state of the presidency? How are the president’s powers limited by our system of separated powers? Have these limits on presidential power changed during war time? What is the basis for claims of a presidential mandate after an election victory? Do you think the President Bush had such a mandate after the 2004 election?
C. The Courts – October 23
Chapter 8 in AG, 314-75.
Alexander Hamilton, Federalist 78, ED, 248-54.
David O’Brien, “The Court in American Life, ED, 255-62.
Leon Friedman, “Overruling the Court,” ED, 263-67.
Antonin Scalia and Stephen Breyer, “Interpreting the Constitution: Originalism or a Living Constitution?”, ED, 268-89.
Discussion Section Questions for October 19-25: Are the federal courts the "least dangerous branch?" What is the proper role of the Supreme Court in the American political process? Should they be responsive to political forces, as O’Brien discusses? What is the meaning of "judicial restraint" and "judicial activism"? How are they related to "strict constructionism"? Which approach to interpreting the Constitution, Scalia’s textualism or Breyer’s consequentialist approach, do you find more appealing? What role should the Senate play in the appointment and confirmation of judges? That is, what exactly does providing “advice and consent” mean? Should Democrats in the Senate block the more extreme Bush nominees, or should they defer to the president? More generally, should Congress play an active role in interpreting Court decisions, as Friedman discusses, or should it defer to the Court?
D. The Bureaucracy – October 25
Chapter 7 in AG, 270-313.
James Q. Wilson, “What Government Agencies Do and Why They Do It,” ED, 215-224.
The 911 Commission, Joe Pappalardo, and Siobhan Gorman, “Reforming the National Security Bureaucracy,” ED, 225-47.
III. POLITICAL PARTICIPATION
A. Campaigns and Elections – October 30 - November 1
Chapter 10 in AG, 422-75.
V.O. Key, “The Voice of the People: An Echo,” ED, 330-35.
Richard Parker, “Power to the Voters,” ED, 336-44.
Louis Menand, “The Unpolitical Animal,” ED, 345-53.
People for the American Way and John Fund, “Voter Fraud and Voter Suppression,” ED, 354-73.
Discussion Section Questions for October 26- November 1: How do voters decide who to vote for? What does this view of voting behavior say about how we should interpret the results of elections? Do elections “send a message” or can we really tell much about what voters want from the outcome of elections? How do Key and Parker differ on this point? Should political participation be encourage as a “good in itself”? Why? Is voter fraud a bigger problem than voter suppression? Can one problem be addressed without making the other problem worse?
B. Public Opinion – November 6
Chapters 9 in AG, 378-421.
George Gallup, “Polling the Public,” ED, 293-300.
Richard Morin, “Choice of Words,” ED, 301-305.
Discussion Section Questions for November 2-8: Does the bureaucracy serve the public interest? What is the proper standard for assessing the bureaucracy? Efficiency? Equity? How does this play out in the comparison of the DMV and McDonalds presented by Wilson? What changes in the structure of the government could be made to make it more responsive to the president, or should Congress maintain its present loose control? What does the 911 commission report and the reaction to it demonstrate about how government agencies can be reformed? What are the differences between “police patrol” and “fire alarm” oversight, and which do you think would be the preferable form of oversight? To what extent should political leaders listen to public opinion? What are some of the problems associated with interpreting the results of public opinion polls? How can question wording shape the results of polls?
********** Second In Class Midterm Exam on Wednesday, November 8th **********
(exam will cover readings and lectures through November 6th)
C. The Media – November 13
Chapter 13 in AG, 564-99.
Jonathan Last, “The Not-So-Swift Mainstream Media, “ED, 306-310.
Bresler, Myrick, and Cunningham, “Is Objectivity in Media Desirable or Possible,” ED, 311-329.
D. Political Parties – November 13 and 15
Chapter 11 in AG, 476-523.
Morris Fiorina, “The Decline of Collective Responsibility in American Politics, ED, 374-84.
Gerald Pomper, “Parliamentary Government in the United States?”, ED, 385-97.
James Sundquist, “Needed: A Political Theory for the New Era of Coalition Government in the United States,” ED, 398-408.
Liz Marlantes and Morris Fiorina, “Red America, Blue America: Myth or Reality?,” ED, 409-19.
E. Interest Groups – November 15
Chapter 12 in AG, 524-63.
Alexis de Tocqueville, “Political Association in the United States,“ ED, 420-23.
Mancur Olson, “The Logic of Collective Action,” ED, 424-33.
Theda Skocpol, “Associations Without Members,” ED, 434-45.
James Madison, Earl Latham, and Jonathan Rauch, “Was Madison Right?”, ED 446-66 (you should review Federalist #10).
Discussion Section Questions for November 9-15: How as the “new media” changed coverage of politics? Is this good or bad for the political system? How have the media changed governing? Do you think they play too much of a role in politics? If so, how could this be changed? Is objectivity possible or desirable in media? Can you think of examples in which in their effort to be objective, the media have actually presented a less-accurate picture of reality than if they had not made that effort? What are the major differences between the Democratic and Republican parties? Would our political system benefit from stronger parties or even a parliamentary system? What would are the advantages and disadvantages of stronger parties? How has divided government affected our thinking about political parties? How does divided government affect the political system? Is “red and blue America” a myth? What are the various strategies used by interest groups to influence politics (as described in the textbook). Which do you think is likely to be more effective? Which of these tactics are appropriate and which should be regulated? Latham describes some of the advantages of political association and organization, while Rauch describes the problems. Whose positions do you find more compelling? Do interest groups simply reflect the collective interests of the nation? What are the implications of Olson’s collective action problem (discussed in lecture and the text) for the representativeness of interest groups? Do all groups have their voices heard through the political process, as the pluralists would maintain, or are some groups unrepresented because of the logic of collective action? How can collective action problems be solved? How has the nature of group participation changed from the time of Tocqueville through the period the Skocpol examines?
IV. Public Policy
A. Economic Policy –November 20-22
Chapter 14 in AG, 602-37.
Charles Lindblom, “The Science of Muddling Through,” ED, 469-77.
Roger Scruton and Nurith Aizenman, “Regulating Risk, ED, 488-506.
Franklin D. Roosevelt, “Call for Federal Responsibility,” ED, 507-511.
Herbert Hoover, “Against the Proposed New Deal, ED, 512-16.
Rowe and Silverstein, “The GDP Myth, “ED, 517-25.
Rivlin, Sawhill, and Riedl, “How to Reduce the Federal Budget Deficit,” ED, 526-42.
Discussion Section Questions November 16-22: To what extent should the federal government have responsibility for making sure that the economy is running smoothly? Is the government responsible for providing a “social safety net,” as argued by Roosevelt? Should the market be allowed to operate freely, or is government regulation necessary? Should the tax cuts that were implemented in 2001 be rescinded? If not, what should be done to eliminate the budget deficit? What are the drawbacks of focusing on economic growth as a central economic goal?
B. Civil Rights – November 27-29
Second half of Chapter 4 in AG, 133-57.
Abraham Lincoln, “The Perpetuation of Our Political Institutions, ED, 101-107.
Martin Luther King, Jr., “Letter From the Birmingham Jail,” ED 108-115.
“Debating the Issues: Reparations for Slavery,”on e-reserves.
Jonathan Rauch, “Objecting to These Unions,” ED, 552-60.
Discussion Section Questions for November 27- December 1: What is the best means of achieving an integrated society? Describe the progress made in the area of civil rights in the past 25 years. What remains to be done? Do you support affirmative action in higher education? What are the arguments for and against? How about reparations for slavery? If you do oppose the idea, are your concerns on the merits of the argument, or more on practical issues? Lincoln and King take opposing views about the place of civil disobedience. Which do you find more convincing? If you think that civil disobedience can be appropriate, how does one decide where to draw the line between legitimate civil disobedience and lawless behavior? Do you think that gay marriage should be banned?
C. Social Policy – December 4-6
Chapter 15 in AG, 638-75.
Gary Burtless, “Growing American Inequality,” ED, 543-51.
David John, “Providing Social Security Benefits in the Future,” ED, 561-74.
Gervai, Owcharenko, and Clinton, “Health Care Reform,” ED, 575-97.
George Bush, John Kerry, Robert Wright and Steven Waldman, “The Role of Religion in Politics,” ED, 27-36.
Discussion Section Questions December 4-8: What different techniques does the federal government use to achieve its social policy goals? What should be done to reform Social Security, if anything? What are the strengths and weaknesses of the various proposals? Does the recent volatility in the stock market and the corporate scandals at Enron, World Com, Tyco, and others change your views (if you support some type of privatization)? Is economic inequality a central problem that should be addressed through social policy? Do you think that churches and other “faith-based” organizations should play more of a role in providing social services, with the help of the government? What are the advantages and disadvantages of this approach to social policy? What role should the government play in providing health care, if any?
D. Foreign Policy and Summing it Up – December 11-13
Chapter 16 in AG, 676-719.
George Soros, “The Age of Open Society,” ED, 598-600.
Peter Sutherland, “Reality Check,” ED, 601-608.
Gelernter, Lowry, and Klein, “Foreign Policy: The War in Iraq, ED, 609-639.
Discussion Section Questions December 11-15: What is the proper role of the United States in the international community? Is economic and political globalization out of sync? Does economic globalization pose challenges to the United States more generally? What role should Congress and the public play in helping shape foreign policy? For example, should President Bush be able to declare war on Iraq without Congress’s approval? What went wrong in Iraq? Is the invasion justified, even if we didn’t find weapons of mass destruction, as Gelernter argues?
*** FINAL EXAM, Friday, December 22, 5:05-7:05 p.m., Location TBA ***