404 American Politics and Government Spring 2003

Instructor: Michael M. Franz Office: 410 North Hall Office Hours: Monday and Wednesday, 1-3pm – or by appointment Phone: 263-2390 Email: [email protected] Webpage: http://www.polisci.wisc.edu/users/mmfranz/404.html

Teaching Assistants Danielle LeClair Email: [email protected]

Cory Tadlock Email: [email protected]

Lecture Sections Monday Section 302) Tuesday – 12:05pm, 113 Ingraham Wednesday Section 303) Tuesday – 1:20pm, 123 Ingraham Friday Section 304) Wednesday – 12:05pm, 434 Education 11:00am – 11:50am Section 305) Wednesday – 1:20pm, 223 Ingraham 5208 Social Sciences Section 306) Thursday – 8:50am, 54 Bascom Section 307) Thursday – 9:55am, 6113 Social Sciences Section 308) Friday – 9:55am, 116 Ingraham Section 309) Friday – 12:05pm, 58 Bascom

Purpose of Course For many, politics and government are uninteresting, unimportant, and even dreadfully boring. For others, political and partisan struggles are off-putting and uncomfortably confrontational. As such, it is en vogue to lament the state of American politics, often without thought or reflection, as either too base to warrant participation or too dull to bother. This course is not intended to make you politicians nor convince you that one partisan or ideological perspective is best. It is, however, designed to teach and inform you about the American democratic system, and give you the tools to make reasoned and thoughtful assessments about politics and political struggles. Should you come to believe – as a consequence of this course – that American democracy is doomed, or (for that matter) that it is superior to all other alternatives, it will ideally come from having read carefully and reflected deeply about all viewpoints and alternatives. It is my hope 2 that you leave this class with a stronger understanding of American politics, and a keener sense of the complex debates that characterize our democratic development.

Required Readings Most required readings are in a packet that you can purchase from the ASM Print Office, in B- 114 Memorial Union. The front of the packet lists each reading for the semester and its full citation, and the readings in the packet are in the order listed in the syllabus.

THERE IS NO TEXTBOOK FOR THIS CLASS. There are, however, THREE required books that are available in the University Book Store. These books are currently in print; so you can alternatively purchase them through most online bookstores. 1) Ragtime, by E.L. Doctorow 2) Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail, by Hunter S. Thompson 3) The Disuniting of America, by Arthur Schlesinger

All of the above are on reserve at College Library, in the first floor reserve room (Rm. 1191).

If you are interested in purchasing a textbook, I recommend the following text, which is also available through most online bookstores:

We the People: An Introduction to American Politics (3rd Edition), by Benjamin Ginsberg, Theodore Lowi, and Margaret Weir. NOTE: DO NOT BUY THE TEXAS EXTENDED EDITION

I also encourage you to read a good national newspaper, such as The New York Times or The Washington Post. You may also find one of the national weeklies, such as Newsweek, Time, or U.S. News & World Report, helpful to stay current on the world of politics. Following the news will be helpful for you in your discussion sections and will provide you with some concrete examples of the many ideas and topics we will cover.

Requirements 1) There will be two mid-term exams (3/5 and 4/16), each worth 25% of your semester grade, and a final exam (5/12), worth 30%. The final exam will be cumulative. All exams will be short answer/essay exams, and you will have a choice of questions to answer. All exams will be based on both the readings – including the three books – and lecture notes, which I will post on my website.

2) Discussion section is worth 20% of your semester grade. Section grades will be determined in two parts: a) 10% is based on attendance and participation. Your TA will discuss attendance and participation policies when you first meet. b) 10% is based on three 2-3-page papers reacting to the three books we will read. I will provide more details on this assignment at the appropriate time.

Other Points 1) Any form of academic dishonesty will not be tolerated and at a minimum will result in failure of the course and notification to the Dean of Students. Visit http://www.wisc.edu/students/uws14.htm#14.03 to see what constitutes academic misconduct according to the University of Wisconsin Administrative Code.

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2) The Teaching Assistants and I will make active use of email to disseminate information related to the course. This requires two things. First, we expect that you check your email daily. Second, if your email account is not a student wisc account (or an engineering account), you will need to register your email address with the EASI system so that it appears automatically on the class list.

3) There is also an EXTRA CREDIT option. This would involve writing an extended paper (8- 10 pages) about one or more of the books. Come see me during office hours if you are interested in this option.

Weekly Topics and Assignments

Part 1 – Ideas, Interests, and Institutions

Week 1

Jan 22 – Introduction

Jan 24 – The Ideas (about Human Nature and Natural Rights) and (the Economic) Interests behind the American Founding

Readings: 1) The Declaration of Independence 2) John Locke, The Second Treatise of Government, pp. 267-282 3) Richard Hofstader, “The Founding Fathers: An Age of Realism,” The American Political Tradition, Chapter 1 4) Excerpts from – Charles Beard, An Economic Interpretation of the Constitution of the United States

Week 2

Jan 27 – American Political Culture: Tyranny of the Majority

Readings: 1) James Madison, Federalist 10 and 51 2) Robert Dahl, “Madisonian Democracy,” A Preface to Democratic Theory, Chapter 1 3) Alexis De Tocqueville, “Unlimited Power of the Majority in the United States and its Consequences,” Democracy in America, pp. 113-123

Jan 29 – American Political Culture: Competing Ideals (Liberal vs Republican; Freedom vs. Power; Capitalism vs. Democracy)

Readings: 1) Rogers Smith, “Beyond Tocqueville, Mrydal, and Hartz: The Multiple Traditions in America,” American Political Science Review, 87(3): 549-566. READ pp. 549-558

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Jan 31 – American Political Culture: An Alternative View – Who Gets (Got) (is Getting) Left Out

Readings: 1) Rogers Smith, “Beyond Tocqueville, Mrydal, and Hartz: The Multiple Traditions in America” READ pp. 558-563.

Week 3

Feb 3 – The Fruits of Ideas and Interests: Federalism and Separation of Powers

Readings: 1) The Articles of Confederation 2) The Constitution of the United States of America 3) James Bryce, “Dual Federalism” 4) Morton Grodzins, “The ‘Marble Cake’ Theory of Federalism” 5) Records of the Federal Convention

Feb 5 – Congress: Evolution of the Modern Congress and the Issue of Representation

Readings: 1) Look over – Article I, Constitution 2) Excerpts from – David Mayhew, The Electoral Connection 3) Excerpts from – John Kingdon, Congressman’s Voting Decisions, Figure 10-1, p.244 4) Ken Mayer and David Canon, The Dysfunctional Congress? Chapter 1

Feb 7 – Congress: Congressional Organization

HANDOUT

No Readings

Week 4

Feb 10 – Congress: How a Bill Becomes a Law

Readings: 1) Roger Davidson and Walter Olezak, “Congressional Rules and Procedures,” Congress and Its Members, Chp. 8

Feb 12 – Presidency: Constitutional Powers (and Resources) of the Presidency and the Evolution (Beyond These?) of the Modern President

Readings: 1) Look over – Article II, Constitution 2) Steven Skowronek, “Rethinking Presidential ,” The Politics Presidents Make, Chapter 1

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Feb 14 – Friday Conversation – Ragtime, by E.L. Doctorow

Reaction Paper 1 due in class

Week 5

Feb 17– Presidency: Institutional Resources of Presidential Power

Readings: 1) Charles Jones, “Organizing to Govern in a Separated System,” The Presidency in a Separated System, Chapter 3

Feb 19 – Presidency: Political Resources of Presidential Power

Readings: 1) Excerpts from – Richard Neustadt, Presidential Power 2) , “The Two Presidencies”

Feb 21 – Courts: Evolution of the Court

Readings: 1) Look over – Article III, Constitution 2) Federalist 78 3) Robert Dahl, “Decision-Making in a Democracy: The Supreme Court as a National Policy-Maker” 4) David O’Brian, “The Supreme Court: From Warren to Burger to Rehnquist”

Week 6

Feb 24– Courts: How Justices Make Decisions

Readings: 1) Michael Greve, “The Real Division in the Court” 2) Randall Kennedy, “Contempt of Court”

Feb 26 – Bureaucracy

Readings: 1) Excerpts from – James Q. Wilson, Bureaucracy: What Government Agencies Do and Why They Do It 2) James Q. Wilson, “The Bureaucracy Problem” 3) James Q. Wilson, “Presidents,” Bureaucracy: What Government Agencies Do and Why They Do It, Chapter 14

Feb 28 – Inter-branch Relations

No Readings

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Week 7

March 3 – Review for Mid-term

March 5 – Midterm

Part 2 – Political Participation

March 7 – Transition Lecture: Changes in political participation and participants

Readings: 1) “Andrew Jackson and the Rise of Liberal Capitalism,” in Richard Hofstader, The American Political Tradition.

Week 8

March 10– Elections and Voting: Who Votes and Do Elections Matter?

Readings: 1) Gary Jacobson, The Politics of Congressional Elections, Chapter 2 2) Excerpts from – V.O. Key, The Responsible Electorate 3) Paul Freedman, Michael Franz, and Kenneth Goldstein, “Political Advertising and Democratic Citizenship” (NOTE: ARTICLE IS ON WEBSITE ONLY; NOT INCLUDED IN COURSE PACKET) 4) Visit www.FEC.gov; click on “Elections and Voting” – Review the materials and information

March 12 – Elections and Voting

Guest Lecture: Travis Ridout, “Presidential Primaries and Voter Learning”

No Readings

March 14– Open Class

Week 9

Spring Break - No class, Mar 17, 19, 21

Week 10

March 24 – Alternative Forms of Political Behavior: What is Political Action?

No Readings

March 26 – Public Opinion: What is it? How Do You Measure It? What Shapes it? How is it Important?

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Readings: 1) V.O. Key, “Introduction,” Public Opinion and American Democracy, Chapter 1 2) George Gallup, “Polling the Public,” from Public Opinion in a Democracy 3) Sondra Miller Rubenstein, “Finding the Nth Person,” Surveying Public Opinion, Chapter 6

March 28 – Media

Readings: 1) David Paletz, “The Media and Public Policy,” The Politics of News, Chapter 11

Week 11

March 31 – Political Parties: Why Parties and What (Type of) Parties?

Readings: 1) John Aldrich, “Why Parties Form,” Why Parties, Chapter 2 2) E.E. Schattschneider, Party Government, pp. 123-169. 3) Excerpts from – “A Report of the Committee on Political Parties: Toward a More Responsible Two Party System,” American Political Science Association

April 2 – Political Parties: Strong Today?

Readings: 1) Joel Silbey, “From ‘Essential to the Existence of Our Institutions’ to ‘Rapacious Enemies of Honest and Responsible Government’: The Rise and Fall of American Political Parties, 1790-2000,” The Parties Respond, Chapter 1 2) Steven Schier, “One Cheer For Soft Money” 3) 1994 Republican Contract With America

April 4 – Friday Conversation – Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail, by Hunter S. Thompson

Reaction paper 2 due in class

Week 12

April 7 – Interest Groups: Why Interest Groups and What (Type of) Interest Groups?

Readings: 1) Excerpts from – Mancur Olson, The Rise and Decline of Nations 2) Robert Salisbury, “Interest Representation: the Dominance of Institutions”

HANDOUT on Pluralism

April 9 – Interest Groups: Strong Today?

Readings: 1) Diana Dwyre, “Campaigning Outside the Law: Interest Group Issue Advocacy,” Interest Group Politics, Chapter 7

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April 11 – Campaign Finance Reform

No Readings

Week 13

April 14 – Review for Mid-term

April 16 – Midterm Exam

Part 3 – Big Questions in American Politics

April 18 – Transition Lecture: Theories of Political Change

Readings: 1) V.O. Key, “Secular Realignment and the Party System” 2) V.O. Key, “A Theory of Critical Elections” (NOTE: ARTICLES ARE ON WEBSITE ONLY; NOT INCLUDED IN COURSE PACKET)

Week 14

April 21 – Democracy Abroad: Can Democracy Work Everywhere? Is (Should) Democracy (Work) the Same Everywhere?

Readings: 1) Robert Dahl, On Democracy, pp. 36-61 2) F. Schaffer, “The Definition and Study of Democracy,” Democracy in Translation: Understanding Politics in an Unfamiliar Culture, Chapter 1 3) Saeed Razavi-Faqih and Ian Urbina, “The Fight for Iran’s Democratic Ideals,” New York Times, December 10, 2002, p. A31.

April 23 – Terrorism and Civil Liberties

Readings: 1) Thomas Carothers, “Promoting Democracy and Fighting Terror,” Foreign Affairs, January – February 2003 2) Marisa Taylor and Leonel Sanchez, “Muslims Say Detentions Could Hurt INS Effort; At Least Five Men Still Being Held in San Diego,” The San Diego Union- Tribune, December 22, 2002

April 25 – Social Policy and Welfare

Readings: 1) Charles Murray, “Choosing a Future,” Losing Ground, Chapter 17 2) William Julius Wilson, “A Broader Vision,” When Work Disappears, Chapter 8

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Week 15

April 28 – Race in America: Race as Essence or Illusion?

Readings: 1) Pierre L. Van den Berghe, “Does Race Matter?” 2) Michael Omi and Howard Winant, “Racial Formation,” Racial Formation in the United States, Chapter 4

April 30 –Affirmative Action

Readings: 1) Thomas Sugrue, “The Tangled Roots of Affirmative Action”

May 2 – Friday Conversation – The Disuniting of America, by Arthur Schlesinger, Jr.

Reaction paper 3 due in class

Week 16

May 5 – Gay marriage: The Intersection of Privacy Rights and Church/State Distinctions

Readings: 1) The Defense of Marriage Act 2) Andrew Sullivan, “State of the Union,” The New Republic, May 8, 2000. 3) James Q. Wilson, “Against Homosexual Marriage,” Commentary, March 1996.

May 7 – Death Penalty: Fairness and Federalism

Readings: 1) “5 Reasons to Oppose the Death Penalty” 2) “The Color of Death,” National Review 3) David Frum, “The Truth About the Chair,” The Weekly Standard, January 19, 1998 4) Nathan Koppel, “Selective Execution,” The American Lawyer, September 2001

May 9 – Review for Final Exam

Final Exam – Monday, May 12 – 2:45pm