324 PLS American Legislative Process
Spring 2008 111 Olds Hall MW 12:40 2:00
Dan Lewis 214 S. Kedzie Hall [e-mail] www.msu.edu/~lewisd23 Office Hours: MW 2 4pm
Topic
This course is designed for advanced political science undergraduate students. The catalog description for the course denotes the rules, structures, and procedures affecting policy making as well as the impact of regular elections on legislative behavior. This course examines the primary responsibilities (lawmaking and representation) and relationships (with the president, the media, the public, etc.) of the American Congress. Although this course is entitled American Legislative Process, we will go far beyond the process of lawmaking in the national legislature. We will discuss congressional elections, the behavior of members of Congress in their districts and in Washington, presidential-congressional relations, and the rules and procedures that make Congress a unique form of national legislature. We will also examine legislative institutions and behavior at the state level. By taking a comparative look at the legislative process in the 50 states we are able to gain further insight to more general patterns of lawmaking and representation in the American system.
Course Assignments & Grading
Midterm Exam 1 Midterm Exam 2 Policy Paper Final Exam 25% 25% 20% 30%
Exams Exams will be a mix of multiple choice questions and short answer questions. Each exam will cover roughly a third of the course. The final exam will also include some questions that are cumulative in nature. Policy Paper The Policy Paper assignment will be to track major legislation on its path through the legislative process. Similar to the readings from the Panagopoulos and Schank book,
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students are expected to identify the major players in support and in opposition to the bill, describe and examine how the bill is altered by the process, and discuss the substantive policy implications of the newly enacted law. A list of possible bills will be distributed within the first two weeks of class. If you would like to choose a bill that is not on the list, you must clear it with me first. The paper should be roughly 5-7 pages in length (12 font, double spaced, default margins). The paper is due at the end of the 14th week of the semester.
Student Expectations
Each student is expected to participate in the course in a responsible, diligent manner. This means students are expected to attend all classes, read all the assignments on time, and to be engaged in class and the subject matter. This also means that disruptions to the class will not be tolerated and that students are expected to be respectful of their fellow students. Attendance A word on attendance: There is no explicit attendance policy. I expect you all to take your responsibilities seriously and to attend all classes. Lectures are central to the course and will not be based solely on the required reading. Additional topics discussed in class will be included on the exams. Lecture slides and notes will not be made available outside of class. While attendance is not mandatory, it is necessary to succeed in this course. Course Prerequisites While there is no set prerequisite for the course, a basic understanding the of American political system and the ability to write clearly and concisely are assumed. If you do not have a basic understanding of the American political system, students are encouraged to review a basic American Government textbook (see reference below for an example) prior to the start of the course. In addition, I will be available during office hours to discuss any questions that come up during the semester. Lowi, Theodore J., Benjamin Ginsberg and Kenneth Shepsle. 2002. American Government: Power and Purpose. New York: W.W. Norton & Co.
Course Texts
1. Davidson, Roger H., Walter J. Oleszek and Frances E. Lee. 2008. Congress and Its Members, 11th ed. Washington, DC: CQ Press. (DOL) 2. Panagopoulos, Costas and Joshua Shank. 2008. All Roads Lead to Congress: The $300 Billion Fight Over Highway Funding. Washington, DC: CQ Press. (PS) 3. Squire, Peverill and Keith E. Hamm. 2005. 101 Chambers: Congress, State Legislatures, and the Future of Legislative Studies. Columbus, OH: The Ohio State University Press. (SH)
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Course Schedule* & Reading Assignments
Week One: Introduction & History DOL, Part 1 Article 1, U.S. Constitution: http://www.yale.edu/lawweb/avalon/art1.htm Week Two: Elections Recruitment & Candidacy DOL, Ch. 3 Play the Redistricting Game: http://www.redistrictinggame.org/index.php?pg=resourceguide Week Three: Elections How to Win DOL, Ch. 4 & 5 Goldstein, Ken, and Paul Freedman. 2000. New Evidence for New Arguments: Money and Advertising in the 1996 Senate Elections. Journal of Politics 62: 1087-1108. Fenno, Richard F., Jr. 1977. U.S. House Members in their Constituencies: An Exploration. The American Political Science Review, 71: 883-917.
Week Four: Leaders & Parties DOL, Ch. 6 Aldrich, John W., and David W. Rohde. 1997. The Transition to Republican Rule in the House: Implications for Theories of Congressional Politics. Political Science Quarterly 112 (4): 541-567...