POS 4424
 LEGISLATIVE POLITICS
Summer A 2008

 David Hedge 
 218 Anderson 
273-2367 
 E-Mail: dhedge@polisci.ufl.edu
 Course Web Page: www.clas.ufl.edu/users/dhedge/congress.htm
 Office Hours: T,TH 1-3.

COURSE OVERVIEW

     The U.S. Congress has undergone fundamental change in the last two decades.  Many of those changes are the result of Republican control of the Congress over the period 1995-2006.  Others changes (e.g. increased partisanship) were already taking  place well before the 1994 election.  And still others are likely to emerge as Democrats reestabish themselves as the majority party in the House and Senate.  Throughout the semester, we will look at how these and other developments have shaped the organization and behavior of the Congress.  Among the topics we will consider are:  (a) recruitment and election of  members;    (b) congressional organization;  (c)  executive-legislative  relations; (d) legislative policy-making; and    (e) congressional reform.  In doing that, a number of issues will be addressed, including:

     * What kinds of changes have occurred in the basic operations of the Congress in recent decades?  What are the implications of those changes for the quality of congressional life?

     * What forces operate in congressional elections?   How have congressional elections changed in recent years?   What changes, if any, need to  be made in how congressional elections are financed and contested?

     * What should be the respective roles of Congress and the President?  Have we moved into an era of presidential dominance?  Is that a bad thing?

     * To what extent is the Congress able to produce effective public policies that are responsive to the needs and demands of  the American people?  What institutional characteristics contribute to and detract from Congress' ability to govern and govern wisely?

     * What changes are needed to make Congress a viable democratic institution?  To what extent, and in what ways, are those changes likely to occur in the first decades of the new century?

THE COURSE WEB PAGE -- I have created a web page for this course at the address listed above.   It includes links to the course syllabus and a   number of relevant web sites.  Students should view the announcement page regularly for reading and writing assignments, information on exams, and other course information.

TEXTS -- Students are expected to purchase the following texts:

   Davidson, Oleszek and Lee,  Congress and its Members, 11th ed. (CQ Press, 2007).
   Maraniss and Weisskopf,   "Tell Newt to Shut Up!"  (Touchstone, 1998).

      I have (or will) also created links (labeled @) to a series of articles on the on-line version of the course syllabus and the announcement page .

COURSE REQUIREMENTS\EXPECTATIONS 

   1. Students with disabilities and special needs are encouraged to contact the instructor to discuss appropriate accommodations.

   2. Students are expected to attend class regularly and participate in class discussion.

   3. The level of readings for this course is moderately heavy.  Nonetheless, I expect you to read all of the assignments (on schedule) and be prepared to discuss those materials in class.

   4.  Current events in Washington provide an exciting backdrop for the course.  The New York Times,  The Washington Post,the Washington Times,  The Newshour with Jim Lehrer, and the Sunday talk shows are excellent sources of information on current political developments.

   5. There will be two exams.  The first exam is tentatively scheduled for Monday, June 2.  The second exam will take place during class on Friday, June 20.  Makeup exams are allowed only in rare and deserving case and at the discretion of the instructor.

   6. Throughout the semester you will be assigned 5-6 short written Assignments/exercises.   Those assignments are frequently the basis for class discussion and represent 10% of your grade.

   7. The final grade will be apportioned as follows:

      Short written assignments         10%
      Exam # 1                                   45%
     Exam # 2                                   45%

     Incompletes are discouraged and given solely at the discretion of the instructor.

   8. Students are expected to comply with UF's Academic Honesty Guidelines.   Students who commit an act of academic dishonesty will suffer the appropriate sanction.

COURSE OUTLINE AND READING ASSIGNMENTS 

Congress:  An Overview

       Topic: A Changing Congress

Readings: Davidson, Oleszek and Lee Chapters 1 and 2.
                       Davidson, "Building a Republican Regime on Capitol Hill" (class handout)

Reading: Rieselbach, 1994, "Congress and American Politics." (class handout)

Selection of Legislators

      Topics: Districting and Apportionment
                   Nomination Politics
                   Campaign Finance
                   The Voter
                   Election Outcomes
                   Campaign Reform

Readings:     Davidson, Oleszek and Lee, Chapters 3 and 4.

Thomas Mann.  2008. "A Collapse of the Campaign Finance Regime?"  @

The Legislator

      Topics: Membership Profiles
Members and Their Districts

Readings:  Davidson, Oleszek and Lee, Ch. 5.

                      Term Limits:  A case for limits.  A case against term limits @

Organizing Congress 

     Topic: Informal Norms, Informal Groups

Readings:   Davidson, Oleszek and Lee pp. 363-64

Topic: The Committee System

Readings:   Davidson, Oleszek and Lee, Chapter 7.

      Topic: The Party System

Readings: Davidson, Oleszek and Lee, Chapter 6.
                      "Tell Newt To Shut Up!"  ALL

Executive-Legislative Relations 

        Topic:   Congress and the President

Readings: Davidson, Oleszek and Lee, Chapters 10 and 14.

        Topic:   Congress and the Bureaucracy

Readings:  Davidson, Oleszek and Lee, Chapter 11.

Congressional Decision-Making 

         Topic: Collective Decision Making

Readings: Davidson and Oleszek, Chapters 8 and 13

                  Topics: Individual Decision Making
                       The Role of Lobbyists