Dr. Matt Streb
Office: Zulauf
407
EMAIL: mstreb@niu.edu
Office Hours:
Tuesday, 2:00-3:00; Wednesday, 8:30-11:30;
Thursday, 2:00-3:00
UTA: John Peterson
Email:
jpeterson10@niu.edu
Office
Hours: M and W, 12:00-
1:00 in ZU 402
POLS 305: Parties and Elections
Fall 2008
T and R, 9:30-10:45
DuSable 459
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Course
Description:
The 2008 presidential election was historic for several reasons. Not only did it result in the nation’s first
African-American president, but the election saw an unprecedented amount of
money spent on it, an unparalleled competitive primary on the Democratic side,
an economic crisis that the country had not seen in a generation, and the
nomination of only the second female vice-presidential candidate. This election followed two of the closest and
most contentious presidential elections in history. We will study these elections (and
presidential elections in general) in detail and examine how the result of previous
presidential elections has influenced the American political landscape.
In a representative democracy,
political parties and elections are essential.
Citizens must vote for our political system to truly work and parties
provide some semblance to a complicated process. It is important then for us to understand
political parties, voting, and elections.
This course will begin by examining theories of voting. We will discuss who votes, why they vote, and
how they vote. Next, we will turn to political
parties. Why are they essential for
democracy? What roles do parties
play? Why do we only have two major
parties in the U.S? Should we have
more? Finally, we will analyze
presidential elections. We will cover
topics including candidate recruitment, the nomination process, the impact of
party organizations and interest groups on elections, the electoral process,
the influence of money on elections, and campaign strategy. We will relate all
of these topics to the previous presidential elections and to what we can
expect in 2012.
Grading: Depending
on your decision, either three or four grades will be given over the course of
the semester. A midterm exam to be taken
on Thursday, October 15th and
a final exam to be taken on Thursday, December
10th at 10:00 a.m. are required.
The exams will consist of several multiple-choice and short answer
questions as well as five identification terms.
I will distribute review sheets to the class including possible
identification terms a week before each exam. The final will not be cumulative
and will cover only the material discussed after the midterm. You must bring a bluebook with you to take
your exam.
You must also write at least one paper (6-8 pages in
length) and have the option of writing a second. There are three paper topics from which to
choose, each due on a different day. You
must write a persuasive paper on one of the following:
1) Is
2)
The presidential nomination process has become increasingly
controversial because of the frontloading of states’ primaries and
caucuses. What is the solution? Put forth and defend a reform to the
nomination process. (Due 10/29)
3)
Perhaps the most controversial aspect of the U.S. Constitution is the electoral college.
Should the electoral college be kept in place
or be abolished? If it should be
retained, then are there any reforms to it that should be made? (Due 11/24)
Although
each of these subjects will be discussed in class, students are expected to
conduct their own research outside of class.
If
you choose to write a second paper, you may write on any of the three topics
above or you have a fourth option. You
can run a presidential simulation using the game President Forever 2008 and write a paper on your strategy (Due
12/1). The simulation can
be downloaded from http://www.theoryspark.com/index.htm for $19.95. For those interested in the simulation option,
you must attend class on Tuesday,
September 22nd. The simulation paper can
be completed only if you have handed in a persuasive paper on one
of the three topics listed above.
It cannot be substituted as the required paper for the class.
Depending the number of papers you write, each assignment will be worth the
following percentage of your final grade:
Write one paper: Write
two papers:
Midterm 35% Midterm
30%
Final
35% Final 30%
Paper 30% Paper #1 20%
Paper
#2 20%
Some
things to keep in mind when writing your paper:
- Unless you are
downloading a journal article or accessing a newspaper or news magazine
article electronically, the Internet is not to be used for
research. If you have any
questions, please see me.
- PROOFREAD YOUR PAPERS!!! You will be graded based on the persuasiveness
of your argument, but also on how well the paper is written. Students whose papers are replete with
typos, grammatical mistakes, and awkward sentences will receive a
substantial grade reduction. A
persuasively argued but poorly written paper will not receive a grade higher
than a C. You should read your
paper several times before handing it in.
- The paper cannot be
written in a night. It will take a
significant amount of research. You
do not want to put it off to the last minute. Start thinking about your papers now!!
- When making an
argument, it is imperative that you address and refute the other side’s argument. For example, if you are going to argue
that the
- I will not accept late papers. The paper is due at the beginning of class. If you miss the deadline for the first two papers, you may simply write one of the remaining papers. If you miss the deadline for the third paper (electoral college) and have not turned in a paper previously, you will receive a 0 for the paper portion of your grade.
- In addition to handing in a hard copy of their paper, students must submit their papers through SafeAssign via Blackboard. I will not consider a paper to be turned in if it has not been submitted to SafeAssign.
- You must provide a “Works Cited” page at the end of your paper. Any source listed on this page should be cited in the paper.
- There is no required number of sources, although good papers usually have around 8 sources.
- I will not accept the paper unless it is stapled. Please do not turn the paper in with a cover or in a folder.
PAC Money: Political Action Committees
are organizations that provide presidential candidates with campaign money in
order to help those candidates become elected.
Just as PACs are said to “buy” influence over
legislation (although we will discuss whether this claim is true), you will
have the opportunity to “buy” your grade. The way you accumulate PAC money is quite
simple: by attending class and getting “PAC quizzes” correct. Ten times during the semester, I will ask you
a simple question on the readings or lectures.
If you answer the question correctly, your “PAC” will make a
contribution to me. If you miss no more
than four classes and get at least 7 of the 10 PAC quizzes correct, you qualify for PAC Money. If you are late for class or leave class
early, you will receive ½ of an absence; in other words, two lates equal one absence. Class begins at 9:30 and you are expected to
be here on time.
So what can PAC money do for you? If you qualify for PAC money you can raise
the weight of one of your grades by 10% and lower the weight of another by
10%. Or, you can simply add 5 points to
one of your grades. You must let me know
how you want your PAC money spent before you take your final exam and cannot
change the percentage of more than two grades. PAC money will be explained in
greater detail on the first day of class.
Examples of How PAC Money
Can Be Used:
Midterm 90
Final ??
Paper 70
You
could then make the Midterm count as 45% of your final grade and your paper
count as 20%. Or, you could add 5 points
to one of your grades. If you do not
qualify for PAC money, the weight of each grade is simply 30% for the paper and
35% for each exam. In other words, not
qualifying for PAC money can’t hurt you.
Grading Scale:
93%-100%
A 90%-92.9% A- 87.5%-89.9% B+
83%-87.4% B 80%-82.9% B- 77.5%-79.9% C+
73%-77.4% C 70%-72.9% C- 67.5%-69.9% D+
63%-67.4% D 60%-62.9% D- Less
than 60% F
In
rare instances, I will raise a final grade slightly if the student regularly
attends class, participates, writes a second paper, and shows progress.
Required Course Materials:
Four
books are required for this course:
- Mark D. Brewer’s Party Images in the American Electorate.
- James W. Ceaser, Andrew Busch, and John J. Pitney, Jr.’s Epic
Journey: The 2008 Elections and American Politics
- Martin P. Wattenberg’s Is Voting for Young People?
- Richard Wolffe’s Renegade
These
books are available at the NIU Bookstore.
Students are strongly encouraged to visit sites such as www.campusi.com to find cheaper, used
versions of these books. Renegade was recently on sale at
Amazon.com.
Additionally,
I will occasionally post articles on BlackBoard for
which students are responsible. We will
discuss some in class, but all are fair game for exams.
Finally,
the following books are not required, but it is strongly recommended that
students purchase them. The books will
help fill in details of the lectures and prepare students for the exams.
- Stephen J. Wayne’s The Road to the White House 2008
- John F. Bibby and Brian F. Schaffner’s Politics, Parties, & Elections in
America, 6th ed.
Course Policies:
1. Attendance: Simply put, you are expected to be
here. If you want to have any hope of
passing the class or doing well, you will need to be in class. I have met few people who have regularly
missed my class and passed the course.
2. Be on time: Class begins promptly at
3. Cell
phones must be on vibrate!: Because of February 14th, I
will allow students to keep their cell phones on vibrate. Unless the student has an
extenuating circumstance (e.g., pregnant spouse, day care, etc.), under no
circumstance should he/she answer the phone. If you have an extenuating circumstance,
please let me know. Any student who is
text messaging during class will be told to leave.
4. Makeup
exams: I will only give a makeup
examination under extraordinary circumstances.
If such circumstances arise, please contact me as soon as possible and before the scheduled exam. If you fail to contact me before the
scheduled exam, you will receive a 0 for the exam. Students may be asked to support requests for
makeup exams with documentation.
5. Late papers: I do not accept late papers. The paper is due at the beginning of class. If you miss the deadline for the first two papers, you may simply write one of the remaining papers. If you miss the deadline for the third paper (electoral college) and have not turned in a paper previously, you will receive a 0 for the paper portion of your grade.
6. Incomplete
Requests: Such petitions will be
granted only in extraordinary circumstances.
I reserve the right to ask for documentation to verify the problem
preventing completion of the course by the normal deadlines. If the student does not present documentation
from a university office or official, the matter will be left to the
professor’s discretion.
7. Contacting me: The best way to get in touch with me is
to come to my office hours. If you cannot
make my office hours, then please send me an email with several dates and times
that you are available to meet and I will be happy to set something up. If you send me an email, I will respond as
quickly as possible. However, I will
only respond to emails that use capitalization and punctuation and are not
replete with grammatical errors. i will not rspnd
2 u if i recve a messge that look like this lol
8. Extra credit: I do not allow for extra credit.
9. Academic
dishonesty: In preparing for your
work and meeting the requirements of this course, you are expected to adhere to
all the rules, regulations, and standards set forth by the Department of
Political Science,
Good academic
work must be based on honesty. The attempt of any student to present as his or
her own work that which he or she has not produced is regarded by the faculty
and administration as a serious offense. Students are considered to have
cheated if they copy the work of another during an examination or turn in a
paper or an assignment written, in whole or in part, by someone else. Students
are guilty of plagiarism, intentional or not, if they copy material from books,
magazines, or other sources without identifying and acknowledging those sources
or if they paraphrase ideas from such sources without acknowledging them.
Students guilty of, or assisting others in, either cheating or plagiarism on an
assignment, quiz, or examination may receive a grade of F for the course
involved and may be suspended or dismissed from the university. (Undergraduate
Catalog)
Don’t
plagiarize or cheat. I will catch you! If you are not sure what constitutes
plagiarism, ask. Ignorance will not be
tolerated as an excuse. If you are
unaware of how to cite properly, visit http://polisci.niu.edu/polisci/audience/plagiarism.shtml.
10. Students
with disabilities: Under Section 504
of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, NIU is committed to making reasonable
accommodations for persons with documented disabilities. Those students with disabilities that may
have some impact on their coursework and for which they may require
accommodations should notify the Center for Access-Ability Resources (CARR) on
the fourth floor of the
How Can I Do Well in this
Course?
This course
is no more difficult than most other 300 level courses you have had, if
you keep up with the work!! It
is essential
that you are regularly in class, take good notes, do all of the readings, and
spend some time reflecting on what you have read. Because there is a significant amount of
reading in the course, make sure you keep up with it. Doing all of the assigned reading the night
before the class will keep you from contributing much to the class. More importantly, it will keep you from
getting the most out of the course. If
you do not do the readings, you will not do well in this class.
Each
class you will be introduced to “key terms.”
I highly recommend that you make notecards
after class that include the definition and
significance of the term. These are the
terms that may appear on your tests.
Making notecards after each class may seem
like more work now, but it will actually cut your work time in the end and
allow you to write much stronger IDs.
Instead of preparing for the IDs before the exam (they start to add up),
you will already have the IDs ready to go and can begin studying earlier. Writing out the IDs after class will allow
you to write higher quality IDs because the information will be fresh in your
mind, and if you don’t understand something it will become apparent quickly.
Also, I will post Powerpoint slides on Blackboard before each class
period. However, the slides are only a
guide to where we are going in that day’s class. Students who only rely on the Powerpoint slides and do not take detailed notes will not
do well in the class.
Finally, I strongly encourage students to visit me or
John during our office hours if you have questions about the course
material.
Department of Political
Science Web Site:
Undergraduates are encouraged to consult the
Department of Political Science web site on a regular basis. This up-to-date,
central source of information will assist students in contacting faculty and
staff, reviewing course requirements and syllabi, exploring graduate study,
researching career options, tracking department events, and accessing important
details related to undergraduate programs and activities. To reach the site, go
to http://polisci.niu.edu. Also, if you would like to receive the
department’s e-announcements that feature information on internships,
scholarships, lectures, POLS club activities, and other important information
via email, please send me an email asking to be added to the list.
Course Outline:
NOTE:
*Req=Required. Rec=Recommended
*I reserve the right to change the course outline.
August
25th T Introduction
to the Course
Voting
August
27th R Where
is the American Voter?
(Req: Ceaser,
Busch, and Pitney chps 1-
2; Rec: Wayne, chp 3; Bibby and Schaffner,
pp. 212-225)
September
1st T Where is the American
Voter?, cont.
September
3rd R Theories
of Voting
(Req: Wattenberg, Preface-chp
4)
September
8th T Is
the American Voter Informed?
September
10th R Is
Voting for Young People?
(Req: Wattenberg, chps 5-8)
Political Parties
September
15th T What is a Party?
The History of American
Parties
(Rec:
Bibby and Schaffner, chps
1-2)
September
17th R The
Party in Government
(Req:
Brewer, Preface-chp 2; Rec:
Bibby
and Schaffner, chp 9)
September
22nd T Presidential Election
Simulation Demonstration
September
24th R The Party Organization
(Rec:
Bibby and Schaffner, chp 4)
September
29th T The Party in the Electorate
(Req:
Brewer, chps 3-4; Rec: Bibby
and Schaffner, pp. 225-254)
October
1st R The Party in the Electorate, cont.
October
6th T How
Americans’ Evaluate Parties
(Req:
Brewer, chps. 5-7)
October
8th R Third Parties
(Rec: Bibby and Schaffner, chp 3)
Two
party/multi party paper due!
October
13th T Politics without Parties
(Rec: Bibby and Schaffner, chp 10)
October
15th R Midterm
Presidential Elections
October
20th T The
Nomination Process
(Req: Ceaser, Busch,
Pitney, chps 3-4; Rec: Bibby and Schaffner, chp 6;
Wayne, chps 1, 4-5)
October
22nd R The Nomination Process, cont.
October
27th T The
New Hampshire Spectacle and What the
Heck Is a Caucus?
(Req: Wolffe, chps 1-2)
October
29th R Reforming the Nomination
Process
Reforming
the nomination process paper due!
November
3rd T Campaign
Finance and Presidential Elections
(Req: Wolffe,
chps 3-4; Rec: Wayne, chp 2)
November 5th R Campaign Finance and
Presidential Elections, cont.
November
10th T One
Big Party: The Nominating Convention
(Req: Ceaser, Busch, Pitney, chp
5; Wolffe,
chps 5-6;
Rec:Wayne, chp 6)
November
12th R How to Run a Winning
Campaign
November
17th T The
Role of the Media in Presidential Elections
(Req: Wolffe,
chps 7-8; Rec: Wayne, chps
7-8)
November
19th R Presidential Debates: Is
Anyone Paying Attention?
(Rec: Bibby and Schaffner, pp. 291-292)
November
24th T Movie: War Room
(Rec: Wolffe, chp
9 and afterword)
Electoral College paper due!
November 26th R No
class. Happy Thanksgiving!
December
1st T Movie:
War Room, cont.
Presidential
simulation paper due!
December
3rd R The Electoral College
(Req: Ceaser, Busch, Pitney, chp 7;
Rec: Bibby and Schaffner,
pp. 274-284; Wayne, chps 9-10)
December 10th R Final (10:00-11:50)