COURSE:
Government 370L
Campaigns and Elections
COURSE OVERVIEW:
This course is designed to introduce you to American political campaigns and elections through lectures and readings. It is not designed to serve as a “how to” manual for aspiring politicians or consultants. More often than not, it is more theoretical than practical. Still, some nuts and bolts information is essential and will be part of the curriculum. My main focus is on federal elections, though references are made to state and local elections. We spend some time revisiting past campaigns and elections in order to contrast and explicate contemporary American electoral politics. The lectures and readings pay particular attention to the presidential elections of 2004, 2008, and 2012. The races between Barack Obama and John McCain and Mitt Romney (respectively) and between George W. Bush and John Kerry are not only the most recent, but provide vivid details supplementing the theoretical and descriptive points raised in the course.
As with the lower division version of this course, there are three primary objectives. The first is to provide basic information about American elections and electioneering by examining both the rules of the game and the players. The second is to develop analytical skills with which to analyze complex relationships and phenomena. The third is to introduce you to the work of the political scientist by concentrating on paradigms and techniques of the discipline. Unlike the lower division course, the emphasis is on the latter two goals.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS
Midterm Examinations
Midterm #1 50 points (25%)
Midterm #2 50 points (25%)
Campaign Simulation
Group Presentation 40 points (20%)
Individual Paper 50 points (25%)
Participation and Attendance 10 points (5%)
There are two main requirements for this course. First, there will be two exams. The first is worth twenty-five percent (25%) of your grade and will probably be given in early October. The second will also be worth twenty-five percent of your grade and will probably be given in early December, on the last day of class. The examinations are not cumulative; exam #1 covers material through week 6, while exam #2 covers material from weeks 7-14. They will feature a mixed format, with multiple choice, short answer, and essay questions. The exams draw roughly equally from lecture and the readings. When taking the exams, you are not allowed to talk or use your notes, books or neighbor's test. Anyone caught cheating will be treated per University guidelines. Study groups, on the other hand, are encouraged. Failure to take either of the exams at the appointed times results in a grade of F. I allow cumulative exams for those with compelling excuses, but I am the sole arbiter of what constitutes a compelling excuse. You need medical or extreme personal difficulties before I will consent to such an action. There will be no early exams, nor can exams be taken at any place other than the scheduled room. If you cannot take the exams at the scheduled time and place, you should not enroll in the course.
Second, there will be a campaign simulation. I will select several candidates from competitive U.S. Senate elections. Each candidate will have a team of five students, each of whom will be responsible for a report on a selected aspect of the campaign. The individual reports will be 8-10 pages long and will count for twenty-five percent (25%) of your grade. Details on the expectations for the report will be provided in class, but suffice it to say that you are expected to provide a plan detailing how your candidate will deal with one of the following aspects of the campaign: (1) budget, resource allocation, and fundraising, (2) polling and GOTV, (3) paid advertising, (4) scheduling, advance, and media, and (5) online and social media outreach.
Each campaign team will also be responsible for a twelve (12) minute presentation. Presentations will be held during a Saturday session in mid-November. The audience will include myself, other professors and political consultants, and several graduate students currently studying campaigns and elections. The point of the presentation is to present a strategic overview of the candidate’s prospects. Unlike the reports, the grade for the presentation will be collective (everyone on the team gets the same mark), and will constitute twenty percent (20%) of your overall grade.
Finally, attendance and participation are strongly encouraged. I reserve the right to give pop quizzes at any time, and these quizzes are worth five percent of your final grade.
READINGS
There is one required text for the course, which will be available at the University Co-Op bookstore.
John Sides, Daron Shaw, Keena Lipsitz, and Matt Grossman. 2013 (2012 election update). “Campaigns and Elections: Rules, Reality, Strategy, Choice.” Norton Publishing.