Class: Political Science: American National, State, and Local Governments
Detailed study of the structures and functions of the national government, and California state and local governments. Special attention is given to the legislative and executive branches in the policy-making and administrative processes, as well as the constitutional bases.
This course satisfies the Title V United States Constitution requirement and the California State and local governments requirement.
This class satisfies the University’s General Education Writing policy, which requires students to complete writing assignments totaling a minimum of 2,500 words. This class uses a plus/minus grading scheme.
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Textbook(s)
1. James A. Morone and Rogan Kersh. 2019. By the People, Brief Fourth Edition (Links to an external site.). Oxford University, New York. ISBN-9780190298728.
2. J. Theodore Anagnoson, et al. 2021. Governing California in the Twenty-first Century, 8th ed (Links to an external site.). W. W. Norton. ISBN-978-0-3 93532524.
Introduction to American and California Democracy
Readings: Morone & Kersh, Chapter 1; Anagnoson, et al., Chapter 1
Suggested Readings: Rogers M. Smith, “Beyond Tocqueville, Myrdal, and Hartz: The Multiple Traditions in America;” Daniel J. Elazar, “Harmonizing Government Organization with the Political Tradition;” Samuel P. Huntington, “American Ideals versus American Institutions;” Gordon S. Wood, “Ideology and the Origins of Liberal America;” Robert A. Dahl, “A Critique of the Ruling Elite Model;” Daniel Bell, “The Power Elite-Reconsidered”; Stanley Lieberson, “An Empirical Study of Military-Industrial Linkages”; “Elites, the Capitalist Class, and Political Power”
The U.S. and California Constitutions
Readings: Morone & Kersh, Chapter 2 and Appendices; and Anagnoson, et al., Chapter 2.
Suggested readings: Donald S. Lutz, “The Articles of Confederation as the Background to the Federal Republic;” Robert A. McGuire and Robert L. Ohsfeldt, “Economic Interests and the American Constitution: A Quantitative Rehabilitation of Charles A. Beard;” Charles A. Beard, “Framing the Constitution”; Robert E. Thomas, “A Reappraisal of Charles A. Beard’s An Economic Interpretation of the Constitution of the United States”; David Brian Robertson, “Madison’s Opponents and Constitutional Design;” Dennis J. Goldford, “The Political Character of Constitutional Interpretation;” Dworkin’s “Originalism”; Keith E. Whittington, “The Role of Intentions in Constitutional Interpretation;” Richard Bellamy and Dario Castiglione, “Constitutionalism and Democracy – Political Theory and the American Constitution;” Vincent Ostrom, “Hobbes, Covenant, and Constitution;”
Federalism
Readings: Morone & Kersh, Chapter 3
Suggested readings: Paul Peterson, “Federalism at the American Founding: In Defense of the Diamond Theses;” Paul Posner, “The Politics of Coercive Federalism in the Bush Era;” Nelson Lund, “Federalism and the Constitutional Right to Keep and Bear Arms;” Robert F. Nagel, “Judicial Power and the Restoration of Federalism;” Alice M. Rivlin, “A New Vision of American Federalism;” Samuel H. Beer, “Federalism, Nationalism, and Democracy in America;” Daniel J. Elazar, “Opening the Third Century of American Federalism: Issues and Prospects;”
Political Participation
Readings: Morone & Kersh, Chapter 6
Suggested readings: Jason Brennon, “Can Epistocracy, or Knowledge-based Voting, Fix Democracy?”; Philip E. Converse, “Review: The Responsible Electorate: Rationality in Presidential Voting, 1936-1960 by V. 0. Key Jr. with the assistance of Milton C. Cummings, Jr.;” Robert A. Dahl, “What Political Institutions Does Large-Scale Democracy Require?” Larry Sabato, “Political Influence, the News Media and Campaign Consultants;” James L. Sundquist, “Whither the American Party System?–Revisited”; Lee Sigelman and Emmett H. Buell, Jr., “You Take the High Road and I’ll Take the Low Road? The Interplay of Attack Strategies andTactics in Presidential Campaigns” ; Marjorie Randon Hershey, “Citizens’ Groups and Political Parties in the United States” ,
Campaigns and Elections
Readings: Morone & Kersh, Chapter 8.
Suggested readings: “Gender and Citizen Participation: Is There a Different Voice?”; Sidney Verba, Nancy Burns and Kay Lehman Schlozman, “Knowing and Caring about Politics: Gender and Political Engagement”; Jan E. Leighley and Arnold Vedlitz, “Race, Ethnicity, and Political Participation: Competing Models and Contrasting Explanations”; Kim Quaile Hill, Jan E. Leighley and Angela Hinton-Andersson, “Lower-Class Mobilization and Policy Linkage in the U.S. States”; Mark D. Brewer, “The Rise of Partisanship and the Expansion of Partisan Conflict within the American Electorate”; Barbara Norrander, “Ideological Representativeness of Presidential Primary Voters”
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– Will need a bibliography
– Add at least 5 sources from the ‘suggested reading’ material – but will need 10 in total. Other sources could be from the textbook or another source.
Last Completed Projects
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