Political Science 426, Spring, 2008                                   Office Hours: T 1-2, Th 4-5, and by appointment

The Legislative Process                                 Office: 413 North Hall               

Professor David Canon                            email: dcanon@polisci.wisc.edu 

T+Th 2:30-3:45 222 Ingraham Hall                                   Telephone: 263-2283

Teaching Assistant: Hannah Goble                                    TA’s Office Hours: M 11-12 and Th 1-2, 121 North Hall

Course Description

             This class is designed to provide you with an understanding of the place of the United States Congress within the American political system. The central questions are: what motivates the behavior of members of Congress, what influences why they run for office and how they get elected, how do they structure institutions to meet their goals, how do structures affect outcomes, what is the role of parties and party leadership in shaping the policy process, how do members of Congress interact with the President, the courts, interest groups and the public, and how can Congress be reformed to work better? Ultimately, how important is Congress for the making of public policy and why? We will only be able to cover a small fraction of the work on Congress, but I will attempt to introduce you to the central questions and theoretical approached in the field. We will begin the semester with a few weeks on normative and positive approaches to studying Congress. Normative approaches focus on questions of representation – who does Congress represent: their district or the nation as a whole? Racial minorities or whites? Narrow economic interests or broader general interests? Positive theory, which is the dominant theoretical approach to studying Congress, is rooted in assumptions about rational behavior and the importance of institutions, such as the committee system. We will conclude with a section on reforming Congress. How should the institution be structured and how can its performance be improved?

Course Format

             This course will be primarily a lecture class given its size. Yet, I encourage class participation. I often will begin class with a discussion of current events, especially as they relate to what is going on in Congress. I encourage you to bring questions to class and to respond to issues I may raise. The goals of this class are both theoretical and practical: I aim to give you a theoretical basis for understanding the U.S. Congress and a greater awareness of the events to which theory can be applied.

Readings for the Course

             The following books are required for the course and are available for purchase at the University of Wisconsin Bookstore and the Underground Textbook Exchange. There also is a set of readings that is available for purchase at Bob’s Copy Shop, 1401 University Avenue (the purple building across from the Engineering School). These readings are required and will be important in the course. I also will probably email you a few articles throughout the semester on important, fast-evolving issues:

Steven S. Smith, Jason M. Roberts, and Ryan J. Vander Wielen, The American Congress, 5^th ed., New York: Cambridge University Press, 2007.

David T. Canon, Race, Redistricting, and Representation: The Unintended Consequences of Black Majority Districts, Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1999.

Paul J. Quirk and Sarah A. Binder, editors, The Legislative Branch. New York: Oxford University Press, 2005.

In addition to the assigned readings, I also encourage you (and this should be a life-time habit rather than a course assignment) to read a good daily newspaper, or a least a news weekly. The New York Times is available at 60% off the cover price to all UW students. I encourage you to subscribe if you do not already have access to high quality national news. This will enhance your understanding of the material presented in class and will make you better able to participate in class discussion. There are also two “insider” newspapers that cover the politics of Congress: Roll Call Online: The Newspaper of Capitol Hill Since 1955 and The Hill: The Newspaper for and about the U.S. Congress. They may be found online at http://www.rollcall.com and http://www.thehill.com. You have to subscribe to Roll Call to get the full text of articles, but The Hill is still available for free. You may also find it entertaining and informative to tune into CSPAN’s coverage of Congress. You will learn a lot about the legislative process by watching it unfold in real time. Other good resources are nationaljournal.com (free) and Congressional Quarterly Weekly Report (you have to subscribe to get on-line access, but there are hard copies in the libraries).

Student Responsibilities

             This will not be new advice, but it is essential to read the assigned readings each week before coming to class. It is not possible to put off the reading until just before the exams and expect to do well in the class. Some of the reading will be discussed in class, but others will be points of departure for class discussion and material that I will present in lecture. I expect a critical reading of the material. Do not accept everything you read – you certainly will not agree with everything you are presented with in this class. You will gain much more from class meetings and discussion sections if you come prepared. The course outline will be followed as closely as possible; major departures from the schedule will be noted. One final word of warning: there is a fair amount of formal and statistical material in this course. You do not have to be a math or statistics whiz to take this course, but if you have serious “number phobia” you may want to consider taking another course.

Course Evaluation

             There will be a midterm that counts for 25% of your grade, a research paper that is 30%, a final exam will be 35%, and attendance and participation in discussion section will be 10%. The format of the exams will be a combination of multiple choice, identification, and essay. The final exam will only be partially comprehensive (75% will be on material since the midterm and 25% will be comprehensive). All reading material and lectures will be fair game on the exams. In calculating the final grade, number grades rather than letter grades will be averaged. I will give you more details about the paper assignment in a few weeks.

Course Outline: (note – On Monday every week, I will post the lecture outlines and powerpoint slides on my web site, www.polisci.wisc.edu/~dcanon)

I. Introduction: Normative and Positive Theories of Congress and Overview

A. Overview of Congress: January 22

             American Congress, Chapter 1, pp. 1-25. 

             Paul J. Quirk and Sarah A. Binder, “Congress and American Democracy: Institutions and Performance,” in Quirk and Binder, pp. xix-xxix.

             John Hood, “GOP Car Wreck,” National Review, December 4, 2006, readings packet.

             Brian Friel, “See You in 2009?” National Journal. December 15, 2007, pp. 38-39, readings packet.

B. Representation: Descriptive and Substantive, Responsiveness and Responsibility (normative theory): January 24-29

             American Congress, first part of Chapter 2, pp. 27-32.

             David Canon, Race, Redistricting and Representation, Preface -Chapter 1, xi-59.

             Ramano Mazzoli, Elizabeth Holtzman, and Robert Garcia, in Inside the House: Former Members Reveal How Congress Really Works, edited by Lou Frey Jr. And Michael T. Hayes, Lanham, MD: University Press of America, pp. 1-26, readings packet.

C. The spatial analysis of Congress (positive theory): January 31

             American Congress, Appendix, pp. 387-98.

             Jonathan Cohn, “Irrational Exuberance: When Did Political Science Forget About Politics?” The New Republic, October 25, 1999, readings packet.

D. Member Goals, Resources, and Strategy: February 5

             American Congress, Chapter 4, pp. 87-119.

II. History and Evolution of Congress

A. Constitutional Foundations: February 7

             American Congress, second part of Chapter 2, pp. 32-42.

             Charles Stewart, “Congress and the Constitutional System,” in Quirk and Binder, pp. 3-34.

B. Evolution of Congress: February 12-14

             American Congress, last part of Chapter 2, pp. 42-51 (you may skim this section because it is covered in more detail in the Shickler chapter).
             Eric Shickler, “Institutional Development of Congress,” in Quirk and Binder, pp. 35-62.

             Eugene McCarthy, “Congress – It Used to Work,” in Inside the House: Former Members Reveal How Congress Really Works, edited by Lou Frey Jr. And Michael T. Hayes, Lanham, MD: University Press of America, pp. 300-305, readings packet.

III. Getting Elected

A. The Rules of the Game – February 19-20

             American Congress, first part of Chapter 3, pp. 53-67.

             Canon, Chapter 2, “A Legal Primer on Race and Redistricting,” 60-92; also read pages 187-193 of my chapter in the Quirk and Binder book (it provides a discussion of a more recent landmark case).

             Gary C. Jacobson, “Modern Campaigns and Representation,” in Quirk and Binder, pp. 109-47.
             “Thank You for Your Contribution,” Harper’s Magazine, June, 1997, readings packet.

             “In the Money: A Congressman’s Story,” Harper’s Magazine, July, 1997, readings packet.

B. The Candidates’ Side of the Story: Strategic Politicians and the Supply Side Theory, February 26

             Canon, Chapter 3, “The Supply-Side Theory of Racial Redistricting,” 93-142.

             David E. Price, “Getting Elected,” The Congressional Experience, Boulder, CO: Westview Press, 2000, pp. 7-26, readings packet.

C. The Voters’ Side of the Story – February 28 – March 4

             American Congress, last part of Chapter 3, pp. 67-85.

             Bruce Oppenheimer, “Deep Red and Blue Congressional Districts: The Causes and Consequences of Declining Party Competitiveness,” in Congress Reconsidered, edited by Lawrence Dodd and Bruce Oppenheimer, Washington, D.C.: CQ Press, 2005, pp. 135-57, readings packet.

             Jacob Hacker and Ruy Teixeira, “It Wasn’t Just Iraq,” American Prospect, December 2006, pp.22-25, readings packet.

             Drew Westin, “Gut Instincts,” American Prospect, December 2006, pp.29-33, readings packet.

             William Kristol, “Epitaph for a Congress,” The Weekly Standard. October 29, 2007. p. 7, readings packet.

*********** In Class Midterm Exam on Thursday, March 6^th ***********

(exam will cover readings through March 4^th )

IV. Inside Congress: Institutions of Congress

A. Committees – March 11-13

             American Congress, Chapter 6, pp. 163-205.

             David W. Rohde, “Committees and Policy Formulation,” in Quirk and Binder, pp. 201-23.