CONTEMPORARY AMERICAN POLITICS SYLLABUS
E. GRASSY (
[email protected]) & G. POTRIQUET (
[email protected]) TD Groupe 1 : Mercredi de 8h à 9h, A. 10 (Platane), G. Potriquet Groupe 2 : Mercredi de 9h à 10h, A. 13 (Platane), G. Potriquet Groupe 3 : Jeudi de 14 à 15h, s. 5146 (Patio), E. Grassy Groupe 4 : Jeudi de 15 à 16h, s. 5146 (Patio), E. Grassy CM Mercredi de 14h à 15h, Amphi 5 (Patio), G. Potriquet This course consists of a series of twelve lectures designed to complete the historical and political background of third-year undergraduate students. After a brief overview of political and institutional developments since the 1930’s, the lectures will closely examine all major federal institutions: the Congress, the Supreme Court and the Presidency. American politics, national and local, will also be covered this semester. The tutorial course is meant to enable students to confront their theoretical knowledge to contemporary issues. In each class, secondary source documents will be used to initiate a discussion of current topics ranging from the presidential election, the future of political parties to recent trends in American federalism.
I. REQUIRED READING American Politics and Society (8 revised edition) by David McKay. Wiley Blackwell, 2013. (ISBN-10: 0470672633) th
II. LECTURES—TENTATIVE SCHEDULE Lecture 1: Introduction: the American political culture Lecture 2: American political parties: purpose and core values Lecture 3: Elections and general trends in voting behavior Lecture 4: Primary elections and caucuses Lecture 5: How powerful is the American President? Lecture 6: How Congress (sometimes) works Lecture 7: The U.S. Supreme Court and American politics Lecture 8: Interest groups and lobbies Lecture 9: The executive powers of the federal bureaucracy Lecture 10: Domestic policies: implementation and evaluation Lecture 11: Who makes foreign policy? Lecture 12: Review session, Q&A.
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III. TUTORIAL COURSE We will meet every week to study a “dossier” composed of one newspaper article, one excerpt from an academic book and one audio or video clipping. Each dossier deals with one topic covered in the lectures. Jan. 21
Introduction
Jan. 28
Case study 1—overview
Feb. 4
Case study 1—article commentary
Feb. 11
Case study 2—overview
Feb. 18
Winter break
Feb 25
Case study 2—article commentary
March 3
Case study 3—article commentary
March 10
Case-study 4—overview
March 17
Case study 4—article commentary (optional DM due)
March 23
MID-TERM EXAM No class on March 24
March 31
Case study 5—overview
April 7
Case study 5— article commentary
April 14 T.B.A.—April
Easter break FINAL EXAM
Tutorial courses will start with a brief news review. Students are expected to keep wellinformed at all time through a careful reading of the press. Listening to NPR Politics podcast’s “Weekly Roundup” is highly recommended. This program is available for free on iTunes & online on the NPR website (http://www.npr.org/podcasts/510310/npr-politicspodcast). IV. COURSE EVALUATION - mid-term written quiz (1/3 of the final grade) - final exam (2/3 of the final grade) The final exam will be based on a newspaper article published recently in a national daily newspaper such as The New York Times or the Washington Post. V. COURSE POLICIES Attendance: Attendance is mandatory. If you miss class, it is your responsibility to contact another student before the next class meeting, find out what we did in class and make sure you understand the assignment for the next class. Tardiness: Once the door is closed, please do not interrupt the class. If you are to arrive late exceptionally due to an official appointment, please email me in advance. Homework, assignments & out-of-class preparation: I expect you to come to class prepared, which means having read the assigned readings, with assigned homework finished, and ready to participate in class discussion and activities. Electronics: Cell-phones need to be on airplane mode and tucked away in bags/out of view during class. No laptops in class; the main point of TDs is to enable us to have a conversation – not to have you take down every single word the professor says. I am not a Luddite by any means, but I’ve noticed that having no electronic devices in class did help everyone stay focused. VI. MOODLE PAGE Course full name: American Government and Politics Today. Short name: LV2CFWC1 AmericanGov. Key: amgov
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VII. SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY Aldrich, John H. Why Parties? A Second Look. University of Chicago Press, 2011. Beland, Daniel and Alex Waddan. The Politics of Policy Change: Welfare, Medicare, and Social Security Reform in the United States. Georgetown University Press, 2012. Cronin, Thomas and Michael A. Genovese. The Paradoxes of the American Presidency. Oxford University Press, 2009. Fiorina, Morris P. et. al. Culture War? The Myth of a Polarized America (3rd ed.). Longman, 2010. Flaningan, William and Nancy H. Zingale. Political Behavior of the American Electorate (12th ed.). CQ Press, 2009. Holyoke, Thomas T. Competitive Interests: Competition and Compromise in American Interest Group Politics. Georgetown University Press, 2011. Medvic, Stephen K. New Directions in Campaigns and Elections. O’Brien, David M. Storm Center: the Supreme Court in American Politics. W. W. Norton, 2011. Peters, Guy B. American Public Policy: Promise and Performance (8th ed.). CQ Press, 2009. Skocpol, Theda and Vanessa Williamson. The Tea Party and the Remaking of Republican Conservatism. Oxford University Press, 2012. Stonecash, Jeffrey M. (ed.) New Directions in American Political Parties. Routledge, 2010. Smith, Steven M. The American Congress (7th ed.). Cambridge University Press, 2011. Thurber, James A. and Candice J. Nelson (ed.). Campaigns and Elections American Style (3rd ed.). Westview Press, 2009. Tushnet, Mark. The Constitution of the United States of America: a Contextual Analysis. Hart Publishing, 2009. VIII. RECOMMENDED WEBSITES Students are referred to the page created for this course on the Moodle platform. In addition, they are advised to consult academic journals available through the following portals: -
Jstor: http://www.jstor.org.scd-rproxy.u-strasbg.fr/
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Periodicals Archive strasbg.fr/home.do
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Taylor & Francis online: http:/www.tandfonline.com.scd-rproxy.u-strasbg.fr/
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Wiley Online Library: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com.scd-rproxy.u-strasbg.fr/
Online:
http://pao.chadwyck.co.uk.scd-rproxy.u-
IX. CONTACT E. Grassy. Office hour: Thursdays 4:00-5:00 p.m. (4219 Patio). Appointments can be scheduled by email (
[email protected]). G. Potriquet. Appointments can be scheduled by email (
[email protected]).
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