Marc  Hetherington,  Vanderbilt  University,  (undergraduate)  Political  Parties   (undated)    

Department of Political Science PSCI 240 Political Parties Professor: Marc Hetherington Office: 332 Commons Phone: 322-6240 Office Hours: M 10-12, F 10-11, or by appt. Email: [email protected]

TA: Jennifer Selin 310D Commons M 11-12, Th. 1-2 [email protected]

Course Description Not long ago, political scientists and pundits alike argued that political parties meant very little in American politics. They noted that Americans held parties in low esteem and did not identify with them strongly. Starting in 1992, third party presidential candidates began a run of three impressive showings, in one case (Perot 92) garnering a higher percentage of the vote than any third party candidate since 1912. In 2000, Ralph Nader’s candidacy, despite attracting only 3 percent of the vote, cost Al Gore the presidency. Signs like this of party in decline suggested trouble to many political scientists, given that parties have traditionally been the institutions most adept at organizing and channeling conflict in American politics. Usually slow to pick up on things, even political scientists now realize that parties are resurgent. Talk of party polarization has replaced talk of party decline. Party strength is evident at all levels. The national party organizations are in better financial shape than ever. The parties in Congress pursue ideologically distinct policies, making it easy for ordinary Americans to distinguish between them. And, although the public still claims to dislike parties, ordinary Americans are identifying more closely with them than they have since the 1950s. In fact, in the 2004 and 2008 presidential elections, partisans were more faithful to their party’s candidates than at any time in the history of polling. Although pundits and ordinary citizens complain about partisan feuding, the resurgence of parties can be seen as a good thing in many ways. Political parties facilitate cooperation across the many levels and branches of government in our federal system. They provide the continuity necessary to allow a political system rigged against change to operate. They allow ordinary people who don’t care much about politics the ability to hold politicians responsible for successes and failures. By their size, scope, and inclusiveness, they also allow citizens greater access to the political process. However, the things that divide partisans these days seem to be undermining the political process in certain respects. The minority party often provides no support to majority party initiatives in Congress. Anti-majoritarian measures like the filibuster have never been more popular in the legislative process. And mass partisans of one stripe seemingly

fail to understand how people on the other side of the partisan divide see the world. For good or for ill, parties are important political institutions that are worthy of our interest. Required Texts Marc J. Hetherington and Bruce A. Larson 2010. Parties, Politics, and Public Policy in America. 11th Edition. Washington: CQ Press. John C. Green and Daniel J. Coffey. 2010. The State of the Parties. 6th Editon. Lanthan, MD. Rowman and Littlefield. Mark D. Brewer and Jeffrey M. Stonecash. 2009. Dynamics of American Political Parties. New York: Cambridge University Press. Fiorina, Morris P. 2010. Culture War? The Myth of a Polarized America, 3rd Edition. New York: Pearson. Marc J. Hetherington and Jonathan D. Weiler. 2009. Authoritarianism and Polarization in American Politics. New York: Cambridge University Press. In addition to these required books, each person ought to read a national newspaper, such as the New York Times or the Washington Post. A number of articles and book excerpts referenced below will be available electronically on OAK. They are denoted by a “*”. Course Format, Attendance, and Participation Although this is a lecture-centered course, I hope the material will generate considerable discussion. With only about forty students in the class, everyone should be prepared to participate. It goes without saying that attendance is expected. Exams will be drawn from both lecture and reading materials, but primarily from lectures. Should you have questions, concerns, or comments, I will be available during my office hours and by appointment. You can also reach me by electronic mail at the above address. Course Requirements I will determine grades for the course in the following manner: Attendance and Participation (10%), Unannounced Quizzes on the readings (10%), Midterm Exam (25%), Final Exam (35%), and a Research Paper on a topic of your choice that I have approved (20%). PLEASE NOTE: I will not allow people to take exams except on designated exam days unless circumstances are extraordinary. A note from a doctor, clergyperson, or some other appropriate source is required. Of course, those with Vanderbilt sponsored activities on an exam day can reschedule an exam. Examples of circumstances that are not extraordinary include, but are not limited to, 1) you bought a non-refundable plane ticket for the day of (or sometime before) the exam

2) you have another exam or two on the same day as this exam. Mark it on your calendar now; the Final Exam is on Wednesday December 14 at 3PM. I will not give an exam on the alternate date because it is too difficult to construct two equally challenging exams. Research papers should be 12-15 pages long and scholarly in approach, with research properly documented. Since I have taken great care to develop the themes of this course, you should attempt to relate your inquiry to these themes when possible. I want to make clear, however, that you need not agree with my point of view. In fact, you should feel comfortable challenging it. Research papers are due on the last class day for the University, which is December 8. I will penalize late papers by a half letter grade for each late day. Oftentimes, particularly at the end of the term, students have a number of papers due in a short period of time. As a consequence, they often approach professors about an extension for one or another of the papers. Unless your circumstances are particularly acute (e.g. personal crisis, family emergency, serious illness), I will not grant extensions. Part of college is learning to manage time effectively, a skill that I believe is important to develop. In addition, you will be asked to participate in experiments that are being run by members of the Political Science department at Vanderbilt. You will receive some extra credit for doing so -- about 3 points on an exam. Moreover, it will be a great opportunity for you to learn about experimental methods and their value in studying political behavior. You will also be contributing to the larger body of knowledge, which is exciting in its own right. I will provide more details as the class goes along. Course Outline Week 1 – August 25 Introduction -- Party Competition Today * Barone, Michael, “The 49 Percent Nation,” National Journal. * Judis, John and Ruy Tiexiera, “Majority Rules - The Coming Democratic Dominance.” The New Republic. * Brooks, David. 2003. “People Like Us”. Atlantic Monthly. Week 2 - August 29 Party Competition Today (Con’t) I WILL BE IN SEATTLE FOR A CONFERENCE ON THURSDAY, NO CLASS * Petrocik, John R. “Was 2008 a Watershed Election? Observing the State of the Parties in the Election Results” Week 3 – September 5 The Roles Parties Play Hetherington and Larson, Chapter 1 Week 4 – September 12

Political Parties in the U.S. – Decentralized, Centrist, and Generally Weak Parties Hetherington and Larson, Chapter 2 Green and Coffey, Chapter 3 * Downs, An Economic Theory of Democracy, Excerpt Week 5 – September 19 The Nomination Process Hetherington and Larson, Chapter 3 Green and Coffey, Chapters 4, 6, and 8 Week 6 – September 26 Campaign Finance – Who Pays for Campaigns and Why It Matters Hetherington and Larson, Chapter 4 Green and Coffey, Chapters 11-13 Week 7 – October 3 Parties in Congress Hetherington and Larson, Chapter 5 Green and Coffey, Chapters 19-20 * Aldrich and Rohde, “The Logic of Conditional Party Government” FALL BREAK IS OCTOBER 6-7 Week 8 – October 10 Inevitable Catch Up and Midterm Exam (Probably Oct. 13) Week 9 – October 17 Parties in the Electorate Hetherington and Larson, Chapter 6 Green and Coffey, Chapters 15-16 Week 10 – October 24 Elections * Shaw, Road to 270 (Excerpt) * Readings on Congressional Elections Week 11 – October 31 Are Americans Polarized? Fiorina, Entire * Jacobson, A Divider Not a Uniter, Excerpt * Abramowitz and Saunders, “Is Polarization a Myth?” Week 12 – November 7 Are Americans Polarized in a Different Way? Hetherington and Weiler, Entire

Week 13 – November 14 Historical Perspectives – Realignment Theory/Issue Evolution Brewer and Stonecash, Chapters 1-5 * Sundquist, Dynamics of the Party System, Excerpt * Skowronek, The Politics Presidents Make, Excerpt WEEK OF NOVEMBER 20 IS THANKSGIVING BREAK Week 14 – November 28 Historical Perspectives Continued Brewer and Stonecash, Chapters 6-11 *Carmines and Stimson, Issue Evolution, Excerpt * Patterson, Out of Order, Excerpt Week 15 – December 5 Responsible Party Government? - The Role of Parties in the 21st Century Hetherington and Larson, Chapter 7 RESEARCH PAPER DUE ON DECEMBER 8 BY 4PM IN COMMONS 332 (MY OFFICE) FINAL EXAM IS DECEMBER 14, 3PM