| Syllabus This course examines U.S. national
elections and political parties. Topics to be
discussed (among others) include electoral realignments throughout history, voting for
President and Congress, party competition, voter turnout, incumbency advantage, and the
electoral foundations of divided party control of government.
The course has several objectives—
To introduce students to important
literature in the field, developing familiarity with basic theories of party organization,
election mechanics, and voting behavior;
To apply these concepts to recent
electoral strategies in both presidential and congressional campaigns;
To assess the current state of
American electoral politics by probing deeper questions surrounding electoral systems and
policy response, democratic accountability, and collective responsibility for political
outcomes.
Required
Reading
For your convenience, the
following books may be purchased at the college bookstore.
Marjorie Randon Hershey, Party
Politics in America, 12th edition. New York: Pearson/Longman (2007).
ISBN: 0321414918
Gary C. Jacobson, The Politics of
Congressional Elections, 6th Edition. New York: Allyn & Bacon/Longman (2004).
ISBN: 0321100409
Stephen J. Wayne, The Road to the
White House 2004: The Politics of Presidential Elections, 7th edition. New York:
Thomson/Wadsworth (2004).
ISBN: 0534614256
William H. Flanigan and Nancy H.
Zingale, Political Behavior of the American Electorate, 11th edition. Washington,
DC: CQ Press (2005).
ISBN: 1933116676
Additional reading assignments are
available online. Hyperlinks are provided on our class web page under the
“Calendar” heading
Course
Requirements
Our emphasis throughout the semester
will be on critical thinking and the development of strong, analytical writing skills.
Graded assignments are designed to evaluate your growth in these areas. Assignments are
also designed to give you many opportunities, using different skills, to build a strong
grade in this course.
The bulk of your grade will be
determined by two take-home papers. The first will be due on Wednesday, October
10 Monday, October 15, and the second by
4:00 PM on Friday, December 7. Each of these papers will be weighted as 25% of your
final grade.
Two essay-based exams will be
administered in class, each worth 20% of your final grade. The dates for these are Monday,
September 24, and Friday, November 30.
Finally, your attendance and active
participation is essential to the effectiveness and enjoyment of this class. It will
account for the remaining 10% of your grade. Opportunities here abound, and include
classroom discussion of the exercises outlined below. Your comments and opinions in class
are always encouraged, but you may also improve this area of your grade by talking with me
privately during office hours and by sending me your thoughts on course topics via e-mail.
The following rules regarding assigned
work are important. Please read this syllabus carefully before deciding to enroll in
class. All students are expected to read, understand, and abide by these policies:
In fairness to others, students are not
permitted to do “extra credit,” either to compensate for a poor grade or a
missed class. Since a total of five grades cumulate to determine your final grade (and no
one assignment dominates), there are plenty of opportunities to improve your standing.
Students must complete all assigned work
in this course in order to receive a passing grade. This is a firm policy of mine, as well
as a university policy described in the course catalog. In other words, students who
intend to take this class “pass / no pass” must still complete all of the
required work in order to receive academic credit. No assignment may be skipped.
If a student misses a quiz or midterm
exam, students may (with written documentation of an appropriate excuse) make-up that
work, but that opportunity is usually limited to a set day and time at the end of the
semester. During the Fall 2007 term, make-up work is scheduled for Friday, November 30
from 1:00-3:00 p.m.
Due dates on final papers are set by the
Registrar’s Office at the beginning of the term and cannot be rescheduled, except
under the conditions described in the course catalog. Written documentation of need must
be provided.
Grading
Standards
The grades I assign are based on the following criteria:
|
Excellent (A range): Grades
in the "A" range are reserved for work that is superior in quality.
"A" papers are lively, interesting, and intellectually sophisticated. The writer
develops a clear and creative thesis, and supports their argument with solid and
persuasive evidence. The paper itself is polished and beautifully written, free of
grammatical and typographical errors. Above all, "A" papers reflect originality.
The writer's own voice and logic are present on the page. |
| 88-89 |
B+ |
| 82-87 |
B |
| 80-81 |
B- |
|
Good (B range): Grades
in the "B" range reflect work that is good to very good in
quality. The paper completes all of the requirements of the assignment at hand. It may
have minor errors and flaws, but the foundation of the work is solid, clear, and
reasonably well-organized. "B" papers address topics in a thoughtful way, but
offer less insight and originality than "A" papers. |
| 78-79 |
C+ |
| 72-77 |
C |
| 70-71 |
C- |
|
Fair (C range):
A "C" paper represents work that is satisfactory. The writer offers a
thesis, but it is usually too broad, or too vague. The paper tends to make assertions
without offering specific examples or supporting evidence from class lectures,
discussions, and reading assignments. The overall impression of the paper is that of a
rough draft. More effort at revision is encouraged, and spelling and grammatical errors
often require correction. |
| 68-69 |
D+ |
| 62-67 |
D |
| 60-61 |
D- |
|
Poor (D range):
"D" paper is a unsatisfactory paper. It is sloppy, incoherent
and poorly written, marred by mechanical faults (e.g., errors in grammar, punctuation, and
spelling), and/or factual errors. The writer has difficulty developing an idea, and
holding a paragraph together. The thesis of the paper—that is, what the paper is
arguing—is usually absent or incomplete. |
|
Failing (F): A
failing grade is given for work that is exceedingly poor, cannot be understood,
or has little relevance to the course. |
| 0 |
No
Credit (0): A grade of "zero" is given for any work that is not
completed |
Work produced by cheating, collaboration, plagiarism or
other violations of academic honesty will be subject to disciplinary actions described in
the UVM student handbook.
Class
Attendance
Class attendance accounts for 10% of
your final grade in this class. It is recorded by your signature on the attendance sheets
passed around in class each day. All students receive two “free” absences to use
as they see fit (without need for excuse), but these absences are intended for illness and
emergencies and should be saved for such. Note that 10 points will be deducted from your
attendance grade for each class you miss in addition.
You need also to be aware of the
following:
You are solely responsible for making
sure you sign the attendance sheet before leaving class. If you do not, your name cannot
be added at a later point.
Any student involved in the forgery of
signatures—either on the “giving” or “receiving” end—will
receive an automatic zero for that entire portion of their grade, and will in addition be
subject to the university’s policy on academic honesty.
Beyond the two “free” absences
described above, I do not grant excused absences unless the
circumstances are exceptional, you travel out of town as a member of a UVM club or sports
team, or you receive a waiver from the Dean’s office for medical or personal reasons.
Both of those situations require written documentation. If you are a member of a sports
team, please be sure to forward a copy of your schedule to me in writing as soon as it
becomes available, so that attendance sheets can be marked accordingly on those days when
your team travels out of town.
In addition to daily attendance, you are
also encouraged to participate actively in class discussions. Thoughtful and frequent
participation in class is typically rewarded as a “tie-breaker,” in the event
that your final score is close to the next higher grade.
Accommodations
for Students with Disabilities
If you have a
physical or learning disability, please come by my office within the first two weeks
of class so that we can consult with the ACCESS office to determine an appropriate
accommodation for your needs. It is important
that you consult with me early in the semester. It
may not be possible for me to provide an accommodation if I am informed of the request
less than three days before an assignment is due.
Classroom
Protocol
In
coordination with the Department of Political Science, I have adopted the following
protocol for classroom behavior:
Students
are expected to attend and be prepared for all regularly scheduled classes.
Students
are expected to arrive on time and stay in class until the class period ends. If a
students knows in advance that he or she will need to leave early, he or she must notify
the instructor before the class period begins.
Students
are expected to treat faculty and fellow students with respect. For example, students must
not disrupt class by leaving and reentering during class, must not distract class by
making noise, and must be attentive to comments being made by the instructors and by
peers.
Students who
violate any of these rules may be subject to whatever grade penalty I deem appropriate.
Asking for Help
Be sure to
ask questions whenever you need to. Here is how:
I am
generally available to answer quick questions both before and after class.
I hold
office hours on a first-come, first-serve basis every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from
12:30-2:00 PM. If those hours are not compatible with your schedule, please do not
hesitate to ask for an appointment. My office is located on the 5th floor of Old Mill,
room 519.
While you
can reach me by telephone at (802) 656-4062, e-mail is generally faster. I check e-mail on
a regular basis, but please understand that I may not be able to respond immediately to
those sent in the evening or on weekends. My e-mail address is: Deborah.Guber@uvm.edu
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