POS 313:  Congress

Spring 2005

TTH 9:15 - 10:30 SS 226

 

Instructor:  Karen Shafer

E-Mail:  Karen.Shafer@asu.edu

Office: Coors Hall 6693

Office Hours:  TTH 10:30 – 11:30 and by appointment

Phone:  727-8287

 

Purposes of the Course

 

Students will be introduced to how Congress functions as an institution and how Members of Congress behave both in Washington D.C. and at home.  We will pay special attention to how congressional elections impact the activities of Members of Congress.  Also, we will focus on the processes used to pass substantive policy initiatives in ways that go beyond the standard “textbook” presentation of how a bill becomes a law.  At the end of the semester, class participants should have a solid understanding of how Congress functions and why Members of Congress behave as they do.

 

Required Reading

 

Three books are required for this course and are available at the ASU Bookstore.

 

Jacobson, Gary C.  2004.  The Politics of Congressional Elections, 6th edition.  Boston:  Longman. 

 

Loomis, Burdett A. and Wendy J. Schiller. 2004. The Contemporary Congress, 4th edition. Belmont, CA: Thomson Wadsworth.

 

Sinclair, Barbara.  2000.  Unorthodox Lawmaking, 2nd edition. Washington D.C.: CQ Press.

 

Optional Reading

 

Students should read the New York Times [on-line or in print] paying particular attention to articles regarding congressional activities.  At the beginning of each class we will discuss the latest news regarding Congress.  Also, extra credit questions on the exams will include current congressional events. Home delivery of the Times is $2.00 a week (Monday through Friday editions) for students. See information posted on Blackboard for more information. Hard copies of the Times are also available in Hayden Library.

 

Course Requirements and Grade Allocation

 

Course requirements include 2 mid-term exams, a final exam and a research paper.  The 2 mid-term and final exams will be closed-book and consist of both multiple-choice and short answer questions.  There will be no make-up exams (except for extraordinary reasons substantiated with proper documentation), and each student must complete every exam and turn in a research paper to pass the course.

 

In the required research paper, students will select a new member of the 109th Congress and analyze the member’s constituency and 2004 electoral success in order to provide advice to the member on how they should conduct themselves in Washington D.C. to best represent their constituents.  This paper should be approximately ten pages long.  Important details regarding the content of the research paper as well as on proper documentation will be distributed on February 15.  This paper is due on April 21 in class or by 9:00 a.m. in my mailbox. Papers will be considered “turned in” when they are handed to me, put in my mailbox with a date/time stamp, or without such a stamp, when I pick up my mail.  Papers will not be accepted via E-Mail.  Late papers will be downgraded by 10% for each day late (including weekends). 

 

Regular and punctual class attendance is strongly encouraged and participation will be duly noted by the instructor.  Course lectures will cover information not addressed in readings.  Students will be held accountable for knowledge of all material covered in class and all announcements delivered in class whether or not they are in attendance.  Please bring reading assignments to class as they will be helpful when we go over tables and charts.

 

Course Requirement                    Percentage of Grade                 Date  

Exam #1                                                    20%                              February 17

Exam #2                                                    20%                              March 31

Research Paper                                       30%                              April 21

Final Examination                                     30%                              May 5 (7:40 am)

 

Footnote 18 Honors Credit

 

See the instructor for additional course requirements. 

 

Grade Scale

 

A+ = 97 – 100

B+ = 87 – 89   

C+ = 77 – 79

D = 60 - 69

A  = 93 – 96   

B   = 83 – 86

C   = 73 – 76

E = 59 or less

A- = 90 – 92

B-  = 80 – 82

C-  = 70 – 72

 

 

Academic Honesty

 

Cheating of any kind will result in an automatic failing grade (0 points) for the requirement in question and quite possibly the entire course. All students must work independently on their research papers.  Students need to be aware of what constitutes academic dishonesty and the consequences thereof.  Refer to the relevant ASU policy, particularly the Student Academic Integrity policy, at the following website: http://www.asu.edu/studentlife/judicial/integrity.html

 

Course Schedule

 

Week 1 – January 18 and 20:  Introduction; What is Representation?; Historical Congress

The Contemporary Congress – Chapter 1

 

Week 2 – January 25 and 27: Congress Then and Now

The Contemporary Congress – Chapters 2 and 3

 

Week 3 – February 1 and 3:  Congressional Elections

The Politics of Congressional Elections – Chapters 1 & 2

The Contemporary Congress – Chapter 4 (pages 58 – 69 only)

 

Week 4 – February 8 and 10: Congressional Candidates

The Politics of Congressional Elections – Chapter 3 & Chapter 4

The Contemporary Congress – Chapter 9

 

Week 5 – February 15:  Congressional Candidates Wrap-up; Distribute Research Paper Assignment; Review

 

Exam 1 – February 17

 

Week 6 – February 22 and 24: Campaigns and Voting Behavior

The Politics of Congressional Elections – Chapters 5

The Contemporary Congress – Chapter 4 (pages 70-80 only)

 

Week 7 – March 1 and 3: National Influences in Congressional Elections and Impact of  Elections on Representation and the Institution of Congress

The Politics of Congressional Elections – Chapters 6 & 7

 

Week 8 – March 8 and 10: Parties and Partisanship in Congress

The Contemporary Congress – Chapters 5 & 10

 

Week 9:  Spring Break No Classes

 

Week 10 – March 22 and 24: Committees and Congressional Relationships with the President

The Contemporary Congress – Chapters 6 & 8

 

Week 11 – March 29:  Congress and the Bureaucracy; Review

 

Exam 2 – March 31

 

Week 12 – April 5 and 7: Informal versus Formal Rules and How a Bill Becomes a Law (The House)

Unorthodox Lawmaking – Chapters 1 & 2

The Contemporary Congress – Chapter 7

 

Week 13 – April 12 and 14:  How a Bill Becomes a Law (The Senate) and Reconciliation

Unorthodox Lawmaking – Chapters 3 & 4

 

Week 14 – April 19 and April 21:  Variations on the Process; Why Members Vote as They Do; Types of Policies

Unorthodox Lawmaking – Chapters 5 & 6

 

Research Paper Due – April 21

 

Week 15 – April 26 and 28:  Case Studies

Unorthodox Lawmaking – Chapters 7 through 11

 

Week 16 – May 3 Last day of class: Does Unorthodox Lawmaking Matter?; Review for Final

Unorthodox Lawmaking – Chapter 12

 

Final Exam – May 5 from 7:40 am to 9:30 am