PSCI 315 American Political Parties (Not offered 1998-99; to be offered 1999-2000)

This course examines the essential role of political parties in the American political system. A system of competitive parties is the principal mechanism of popular control in democratic societies. By choosing among competing candidates, most commonly identified with a specific party and party program, voters can influence who controls governments and their policies. The first half of the course begins with a review the birth of American political parties and the impact they had during the early history of the Republic. Thereafter the performance of parties is examined during the major political events of the life of the Republic: slavery and the Civil War, Reconstruction, the emergence of capitalism, and the development of the welfare state. The second half of the course studies the contemporary role of parties in controlling the actions of local, state and national governments. A major aspect of the course is the detailed empirical study of party strength and control of elections at the state level. Each student selects and studies a particular state's electoral history using voting returns and other data to assess: 1) if one of the major parties has had a dominant position in the state: 2) whether that dominance has grown or declined; and, 3) what explains the continuity or change in party strength across the state over the selected time period. Although statistical analyses will be a required element of these analyses no prior training in empirical or statistical methods is required. Requirements: midterm, two exercises that are subsequently included as part of a medium length paper and final exam. American Politics Subfield

MARCUS