PSC 3192W: Local News and American Democracy (Fall 2021 syllabus)
This class focuses on the ongoing local news crisis in the United States. We will consider the importance of local media to American democracy; how the internet has reshaped the market for local political news; the current difficulties facing in local journalism; how the loss of local news affects civic engagement and political attitudes; and the future prospects for political accountability in local politics.
PSC 8286 (Graduate): Campaigns, Elections, and Political Communication (Fall 2021 syllabus)
This course surveys major theoretical approaches and empirical research in the study of campaigns, elections, and political communication. We will focus primarily on American politics, although many of the theoretical perspectives are applicable outside the United States. Among the topics we will address: voting behavior, campaign strategy and effects, the role of groups and identity in elections, media effects, why people run for office, and voter turnout.
PSC 1002: Introduction to American Politics and Government (Spring 2020 syllabus)
This course provides a survey of the political processes and institutions of American government. In years past, I had a line at this point in the syllabus that said: “I know what you might be thinking—that sounds boring.” And then I would try to persuade you that it would be more interesting than you might assume. That doesn’t really seem necessary any more. “Boring” isn’t a word that many of us use to describe American politics today. But “confusing” might be. So my goal in this class is to help explain our current politics by examining how the American political system has developed over time and operates today. Lectures, readings, and discussion will address the Constitution, federalism, Congress, the presidency, the judiciary, political parties, the media, and public opinion, among other topics. Throughout the course, we will focus on how these features of American government help us understand stories in the news—whether these involve the impeachment of Donald Trump, debates over racial equality and immigration, congressional polarization, the 2020 presidential primaries, or other topics.
PSC 2229: Media and Politics (Spring 2019 syllabus)
This course is about the media in American politics. We will work toward answers to several questions: What is the role of the media in a democracy? How is the changing media landscape altering the way citizens consume news and the way journalists report it? How do economic incentives and journalistic values influence the way the media cover politics? To what extent do the media shape public opinion? Are cable television the internet, and social media corroding American democracy? Our readings, lectures, and class discussions will draw on research in the fields of political science and communication, but we will also pay attention to the news as it happens during the semester.
PSC 3192W: Women, Politics, and the Media (Spring 2018 syllabus)
This class focuses on women’s political representation in the United States. We will consider why women hold fewer elected offices in the United States than men, and compared to women in many other countries; whether men and women have distinctive political attitudes and levels of political engagement; why women are less likely to run for office than men; how women fare when they do run; and whether women govern differently than men. Throughout the course, we will pay special attention to the media’s portrayal of women in politics.
PSC 2220: Public Opinion (Fall 2015 syllabus)
In a democracy, the views of citizens are expected to guide government activity and the creation of public policy. That makes public opinion a central concern in the study of democratic politics. In this course, we will endeavor to answer a variety of questions related to U.S. public opinion: Where do political attitudes come from, and how much do people really know about politics anyway? Do people make political judgments on the basis of their material self-interest, or do more abstract values shape their attitudes? Do Sean Hannity, Rachel Maddow, and their media ilk influence public opinion? If so, how so? Is the American public polarized? What explains people’s views of war, climate change, and other prominent issues? And finally, what is the connection between mass opinion, on one hand, and public policy outcomes, on the other? Does the government listen to the governed?
PSC 8220 (Graduate): Political Behavior (Spring 2014 syllabus)
This course surveys major theoretical approaches and empirical research in the field of political behavior. It focuses on psychological approaches to understanding individual citizens’ attitudes and actions, and on the implications of individual choices for both collective outcomes and for the quality of representative democracy. We will also encounter other theories, including personality, rational choice, information-processing, social influence, and group identity and conflict. Among the many substantive topics we will investigate are political socialization, ideology, the media, and voting behavior. The majority of empirical research that we will discuss centers on American politics, although we will also read and discuss research that is cross-national or comparative in scope.
This class focuses on the ongoing local news crisis in the United States. We will consider the importance of local media to American democracy; how the internet has reshaped the market for local political news; the current difficulties facing in local journalism; how the loss of local news affects civic engagement and political attitudes; and the future prospects for political accountability in local politics.
PSC 8286 (Graduate): Campaigns, Elections, and Political Communication (Fall 2021 syllabus)
This course surveys major theoretical approaches and empirical research in the study of campaigns, elections, and political communication. We will focus primarily on American politics, although many of the theoretical perspectives are applicable outside the United States. Among the topics we will address: voting behavior, campaign strategy and effects, the role of groups and identity in elections, media effects, why people run for office, and voter turnout.
PSC 1002: Introduction to American Politics and Government (Spring 2020 syllabus)
This course provides a survey of the political processes and institutions of American government. In years past, I had a line at this point in the syllabus that said: “I know what you might be thinking—that sounds boring.” And then I would try to persuade you that it would be more interesting than you might assume. That doesn’t really seem necessary any more. “Boring” isn’t a word that many of us use to describe American politics today. But “confusing” might be. So my goal in this class is to help explain our current politics by examining how the American political system has developed over time and operates today. Lectures, readings, and discussion will address the Constitution, federalism, Congress, the presidency, the judiciary, political parties, the media, and public opinion, among other topics. Throughout the course, we will focus on how these features of American government help us understand stories in the news—whether these involve the impeachment of Donald Trump, debates over racial equality and immigration, congressional polarization, the 2020 presidential primaries, or other topics.
PSC 2229: Media and Politics (Spring 2019 syllabus)
This course is about the media in American politics. We will work toward answers to several questions: What is the role of the media in a democracy? How is the changing media landscape altering the way citizens consume news and the way journalists report it? How do economic incentives and journalistic values influence the way the media cover politics? To what extent do the media shape public opinion? Are cable television the internet, and social media corroding American democracy? Our readings, lectures, and class discussions will draw on research in the fields of political science and communication, but we will also pay attention to the news as it happens during the semester.
PSC 3192W: Women, Politics, and the Media (Spring 2018 syllabus)
This class focuses on women’s political representation in the United States. We will consider why women hold fewer elected offices in the United States than men, and compared to women in many other countries; whether men and women have distinctive political attitudes and levels of political engagement; why women are less likely to run for office than men; how women fare when they do run; and whether women govern differently than men. Throughout the course, we will pay special attention to the media’s portrayal of women in politics.
PSC 2220: Public Opinion (Fall 2015 syllabus)
In a democracy, the views of citizens are expected to guide government activity and the creation of public policy. That makes public opinion a central concern in the study of democratic politics. In this course, we will endeavor to answer a variety of questions related to U.S. public opinion: Where do political attitudes come from, and how much do people really know about politics anyway? Do people make political judgments on the basis of their material self-interest, or do more abstract values shape their attitudes? Do Sean Hannity, Rachel Maddow, and their media ilk influence public opinion? If so, how so? Is the American public polarized? What explains people’s views of war, climate change, and other prominent issues? And finally, what is the connection between mass opinion, on one hand, and public policy outcomes, on the other? Does the government listen to the governed?
PSC 8220 (Graduate): Political Behavior (Spring 2014 syllabus)
This course surveys major theoretical approaches and empirical research in the field of political behavior. It focuses on psychological approaches to understanding individual citizens’ attitudes and actions, and on the implications of individual choices for both collective outcomes and for the quality of representative democracy. We will also encounter other theories, including personality, rational choice, information-processing, social influence, and group identity and conflict. Among the many substantive topics we will investigate are political socialization, ideology, the media, and voting behavior. The majority of empirical research that we will discuss centers on American politics, although we will also read and discuss research that is cross-national or comparative in scope.