POSC 323 - American Elections and Party Power

Focuses closely on the US party system and the electoral area in which the parties struggle for power. In order to develop a strong conception of American parties, students combine scrutiny of the day-to-day media representations of political parties with important comparative perspectives to understand how American parties and elections fit into broader political science frameworks, as well as their long-term and global implications. Students compare the current US party system in three directions: back through history (especially the 20th century) to understand the roots of today’s parties; out to the rest of the world, comparing party systems in other highly democratic countries; and also down to the state level, where students examine to what degree New York State parties and elections reflect national trends. Important topics covered include the effects of redistricting and campaign finance. Students also investigate the importance of issue-framing with units on contrasting party strategies of presenting a “war on women” and President Obama’s “socialism.”

Credits: 1.00
Corequisite: None
Prerequisites: None
Major/Minor Restrictions: None
Class Restriction: None
Area of Inquiry: Social Relations,Inst.& Agents
Liberal Arts CORE: None

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