About The Course
This seminar provides a general overview of the literature on American Politics at the graduate level. It is designed to introduce you to many of the principal debates in political science. It may not satisfy any of your particular interests in American Politics which would be best addressed in substantively more focused coursework. I hope many of you will have the opportunity to complete such courses in the future.
Required Textbooks: The following books (all in paperback) should be purchased:
Given the difficulty with acquiring copyright permissions, I have placed copies of each required article in the American Center (Ketchum 130). Please don't take these for more than two hours. Xerox and return the article or book chapter if you want a personal copy. Realize each can also be found in the original journal. (All of the journals are available in Norlin Library. Some are also available in the hallway to Ketchum 130. Please reshelve journals when you are done so your classmates can access these materials. For your convenience, a list of Norlin Library journal locations is appended to this syllabus. See the "Resources" page.)
W. Riker (1982) Liberalism against Populism., Prospect Heights, IL: Waveland Press.
J. Sundquist (1983) The Dynamics of the Party System(revised edition)
, Washington, DC: Brookings.
J. Aldrich (1995) Why Parties? The Origin and Transformation of Political Parties in America
, Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
C. Jones (1994/2005) The Presidency in a Separated System (2nd edition), Washington, DC: Brookings.
T. Mann & N. Ornstein (2006) The Broken Branch: How Congress Is Failing America and How to Get It Back on Track., New York: Oxford University Press.
M. Fiorina (1992/1996/2003) Divided Government (2nd edition), New York: Pearson Longman.
G. Rosenberg (1991/2008) The Hollow Hope: Can Courts Bring About Social Change? (2nd edition), Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
T. Cook (1998/2005) Governing the News: The News Media as a Political Institution. (2nd edition), Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
S. Verba et al. (1995) Voice and Equality, Cambrisge, MA: Harvard University Press.
J. Stimson (2004) Tides of Consent New YorK: Cambridge University Press.
M. Fiorina with S. Abrams & J. Pope (2001/2006) Culture War? The Myth of a Polarized America. (2nd edition), New York: Pearson Longman.