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UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA
Introduction to American Politics
Political Science 130
Spring Semester 2014
Instructor: Professor John DiIulio [powerjr@sas.upenn.edu]
Course Administrator and Head of Recitations: Mr. Matt Mongiello [mongiell@sas.upenn.edu]
Recitation Leaders: Mr. Anthony Grasso [agrasso@sas.upenn.edu]; Mr. Matt Mongiello
[mongiell@sas.upenn.edu]; Mr. James Morone [jmorone@sas.upenn.edu]; Ms. Ashley Tallevi
[tallevi@sas.upenn.edu]; and Ms. Carly Regina [caregina@sas.upenn.edu]
Mission: To help Penn undergraduates who study hard and participate actively in the course to
learn considerably more than they already know about American politics and government; to
encourage each student to become more discerning about the historical, constitutional,
electoral, legislative, administrative, and other facets of the subject; and to stimulate within
each student a life-long interest in how the U.S. political system works and how, if at all, it might
be improved in ways that benefit Americans and the peoples of other nations.
Required Books: The six books listed below are available for purchase at the Penn Bookstore, but
students are free to obtain them from whatever sources they choose. There are a limited number of
copies of each book on reserve at Van Pelt Library. Please note:
**Any unabridged edition of THE FEDERALIST PAPERS will do.
**The second edition of the Green and Gerber book, and the fourteenth edition of the now 20-chapter
Wilson textbook, is the edition of each book that will be referenced in lectures and recitations and
tested for on the multiple-choice, short-answer, or essay portions of examinations.
**Each of the other three books is in its first and only edition.
**The course instructor, a co-author of the Wilson textbook, donates an amount greater than all
royalties earned on course-related book purchases to Penn’s School of Arts and Sciences.
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James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and John Jay, THE FEDERALIST PAPERS. Any unabridged edition will do.
James Q. Wilson et al, AMERICAN GOVERNMENT: INSTITUTIONS AND POLICIES, 14th Edition (Cengage, 2014).
Donald Green and Alan Gerber, GET OUT THE VOTE: HOW TO INCREASE VOTER TURNOUT, 2nd Edition (Brookings
Institution, 2008).
Thomas Mann and Norman Ornstein, IT’S EVEN WORSE THAN IT LOOKS: HOW THE AMERICAN CONSTITUTIONAL
SYSTEM COLLIDED WITH THE NEW POLITICS OF EXTREMISM (Basic Books, 2012).
Andrew J. Taylor, CONGRESS: A PERFORMANCE APPRAISAL (Westview Press, 2013).
Jeffrey Birnbaum and Alan Murray, SHOWDOWN AT GUCCI GULCH: LAWYERS, LOBBYISTS, AND THE UNLIKELY
TIUMPH OF TAX REFORM (Vintage, 1988).
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Grading: Final course grades are curved: B+ begins just below the median point total. There are
no extra-credit options. The four graded course components total 1,000 points as follows:
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Recitations 20% (200 points): There are sixteen weeks in the semester. In this course,
recitations begin during the second week of the semester. Recitations for this course do not
meet week 1 (first week), week 9 (spring break week), or week 16 (last week) of the semester.
Thus, recitations for this course meet thirteen times this semester. Each student must attend
the recitation section to which he or she has been assigned by the registrar (no switching at any
point during the semester). Recitation attendance is strictly required. The rules of the College
of Arts and Sciences that govern class attendance apply to this requirement. Even for a student
that performs at “A” level in all other components of the course, unexcused absences from
recitation may result in a reduced grade or a failing final grade. Recitations are small-group
discussion sessions that relate to assigned course material. While current events and “what’s in
the headlines” might be germane to certain recitation sessions, recitations are a forum to
discuss specific questions related to particular readings. A week-by-week list of recitation focus
questions appears on pages 9 and 10 of this syllabus. Recitation leaders facilitate discussion.
Recitation leaders also serve as graders for the papers and exams of the students in their
respective recitations. But recitation leaders do not have any discretion over the content or
scheduling of course assignments. Lively discussion among students is one hallmark of a good
recitation. Per the rules of the College, students are expected to be courteous and civil.
Recitations are settings where students should actively listen to one another and participate in
a group discussion: except in emergencies, no electronic communications devices of any type
may be used by students while in recitation. There is a maximum of 20 points allotted for each
recitation. A student’s final recitation grade is the sum of his or her ten best point totals.
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Papers 25% (250 points): Each student writes two essays. The first essay is worth 10% (100
points) and is due March 6. The second essay is worth 15% (150 points) and is due April 30. The
two essay topics and related instructions appear on page 11 of this syllabus. Except in
documented (before or after the fact) cases of health problems or other circumstances that the
College recognizes as legitimate reasons for missing a paper deadline, each essay must be
submitted when it is due (no extensions). Recitation leaders do not have the discretion to grant
extensions on papers. Late papers are not accepted. Before writing the first paper, students are
encouraged to review the College’s policies regarding plagiarism.
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Note on Plagiarism: One may be tempted to use material from assorted online summaries or
“paper writing” services. Resist! The course staff is aware of what is out there on the books and
topics in question. Methods of checking for Internet-related and fee-for-service plagiarism have
become more sophisticated. Per the rules of the College, to commit plagiarism in any form is to
risk penalties that could include temporary or permanent loss of degree candidacy. Plagiarism,
like all academic cheating, undermines a student’s educational development (and at these
prices!) And, morally speaking, it is just plain wrong.
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Three Midterm/In-Class Examinations 30% (300 points—100 points each):
February 4: A multiple-choice exam covering weeks 1-3.
February 27: A half objective-answer and half essay exam covering weeks 4-7.
March 27: An essay exam covering weeks 8-11.
There will be no “review sessions,” but recitation leaders will hold additional office hours the
week before each midterm/in-class examination.
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Final Examination 25% (250 points): Final examination period is May 5-13. At a time and
place to be assigned by the registrar, the final examination for this course will be administered.
It will cover all post-midterm examination material, and it will also cover bits of pre-midterm
examination material (which bits will be specified in advance of the final examination). With the
exception of students with special needs that are certified by the Weingarten Center, be advised
that students must take the final examination at the time and place that is assigned by the
registrar. The instructor and course staff may not administer the final examination at any other
time or place. The final examination will have three parts. Part one will consist of multiplechoice questions. Part two will consist of a few brief essay questions. Part three will consist of a
single major essay question to which all students respond. There will be no “review sessions,”
but recitation leaders will have additional office hours in the week before the final examination.
Details about the final exam will be provided during the final lecture.
Class/Recitation Communications: This course will not be on “Blackboard” or other online
platforms, but throughout the semester, the instructor and/or the course administrator will initiate
class-wide communications (memos, teaching notes, links to certain materials, course announcements)
via emails. Recitation leaders will also initiate recitation-wide communications via email. Look for the
subject “PSCI 130.” Each student is responsible for staying current and complying with all class-wide
and recitation-wide email communications. The instructor may be reached by any PSCI 130 student via
email (powerjr @ sas.upenn.edu), and is available for student visits by appointment on Wednesday
mornings and many other days/times that could be arranged most weeks.
Week 1
January 16
Orientation: What is “politics”? Why bother to study American politics and its “ABCs”?
**Political Science 130 Syllabus, Spring 2014
**Wilson, chapter 1
**Federalist, Nos. 1 and 10
**Mann and Ornstein, introduction
**Taylor, preface and chapter 1
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PART ONE: Constitutionalism, Federalism, and Political Culture
Week 2
January 21
American Constitutionalism: Unbalanced, unfair, undemocratic, and unholy?
**Wilson, chapter 2 and Appendixes (Declaration of Independence, The Constitution, “I Have a Dream”)
**Federalist, Nos. 2, 9, 10, 23, 47, 51, and 55
January 23
The Federalists versus the Antifederalists: James Madison won, but was Patrick Henry right?
**Wilson, page 99 only, section on “Applying the Bill of Rights to the States”
**Federalist, Nos. 6, 8, 9, 10, 14, 15, 21, 37, 38, 39, 44, 45, 46, 51, 78, and 84
Week 3
January 28
Federalism I: Should who gets what depend on who lives where?
**Wilson, chapter 3
**Federalist, Nos. 10, 39, 44, 45, and 46
January 30
Federalism II: How, if at all, can “big inter-government by proxy” be improved?
**Wilson, chapters 15 and Chapter 20 (pages 515-523 only)
**Federalist, Nos. 23 and 70
Week 4
February 4: First In-Class Examination: Weeks 1-3 (Multiple-Choice)
February 6
Political Culture: Is there a single key to understanding the U.S. political experience?
**Wilson, chapter 4
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PART TWO: Opinions, Interests, and Participation
Week 5
February 11
Public Opinion: Who or what’s the “majority,” and does it suffer from “errors and delusions”?
**Wilson, chapter 7
**Federalist, Nos. 10 and 63
February 13
The Media: What’s the Jeffersonian case for a “free press” now?
**Wilson, chapters 5 (pages 103-107 only) and 12
Week 6
February 18
Political Participation: What is “youth voter turnout,” and how does it matter?
**Wilson, chapter 8
**Green and Gerber, chapters 1-5
February 20
Campaigns and Elections I: What works to “GOTV”?
**Wilson, chapter 10
**Green and Gerber, chapters 6-10
Week 7
February 25
Campaigns and Elections II: Live GOTV case study—“Project Applecart”
**Alan S. Gerber et al, “Social Pressure and Voter Turnout: Evidence from a Large-Scale Field
Experiment,” American Political Science Review, February 2008: link to be provided
**Matt Kalmans and Sacha Samotin, Materials on “Project Applecart”: links to be provided
February 27
Second In-Class Examination (Weeks 4-7): Half Objective-Answer, Half Essay
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Week 8
March 4
Interest Groups: “Factions” all, then and now?
**Wilson, chapters 9 and 11
**Federalist, No. 10
March 6 (FIRST PAPER DUE IN CLASS: see page 11)
Political Parties: Is the “baneful spirit” alive—and is the “party over”?
**Wilson, chapter 9
Week 9
March 11 and March 13: SPRING BREAK, CLASS DOES NOT MEET
PART III: Institutions of Government
Week 10
March 18
Congress I: Why is it “the first branch”?
**Wilson, chapter 13 and Appendix, Article I of the U.S. Constitution
**Federalist, Nos. 10, 47-57, and 62-66
**Mann and Ornstein, chapters 1-2
**Taylor, chapters 2-3
March 20
Congress II: Is it now “the broken branch”?
**Mann and Ornstein, chapters 3-5
**Taylor, chapters 4-6
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Week 11
March 25
Congress III: What’s your preliminary verdict?
**Mann and Ornstein, chapters 6-7
**Taylor, chapters 7-9
March 27
Third In-Class Examination (Weeks 8-11): All essays
Week 12
April 1
The Presidency I: Traditional, Modern, or Hyper-Rhetorical?
**Wilson, chapter 14 and Appendix, Article II of the U.S. Constitution
**Federalist, Nos. 67-77
April 3
The Presidency II: Executive Orders, Signing Statements, and War-Making: Wither checks and
balances?
**Wilson, chapter 19
**Federalist, Nos. 23-26, 41-42, 64
Week 13
April 8
Federal Judiciary: Representative democracy’s “least dangerous branch”?
**Wilson, chapter 16 and page A10 (Article III of the U.S. Constitution)
**Federalist, Nos. 78-83
April 10
Civil Rights and Civil Liberties: So you want to be a judge?
**Wilson, chapters 5 and 6 and Appendix, Amendments to the U.S. Constitution
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PART IV: Policymaking, Constitutionalism, and Reform
Week 14
April 15
Legislative-Executive Relations I: “Separated institutions sharing powers”?
**Birnbaum and Murray, chapters 1-6
April 17
Legislative-Executive Relations II: Can the system still yield “general interest” legislation?
**Birnbaum and Murray, chapters 7-11
**Wilson, chapter 18
Week 15
April 22
Policymaking: Live “policy entrepreneur” case study—“faith-based” from Clinton to GWB to Obama
**Wilson, chapter 17
April 24
Mr. Madison’s “communion suit”: Are you ready for far-reaching reforms—which, and why?
**Wilson, chapter 13 (page 333, “What’s Your Issue?” only) and chapter 20 (pages 523-527 only)
**The Brookings Institution and Robert H. Smith Center for the Constitution at James Madison’s
Montpelier, essays by J. DiIulio, P. Nivola, J. Raush, and R. S. Melnick (2013): links to be provided
Week 16
April 29
American Constitutionalism revisited: Will you embrace Madison on Bourbon Street?
**Website of the City of New Orleans, Louisiana
**Pennsylvania Gazette article on “Penn in the Gulf Coast”: link to be provided
SECOND PAPER: WEDNESDAY, APRIL 30, HARD COPY DUE TO YOUR RECITATION LEADER BEFORE 5:00 p.m.
READING PERIOD: May 1-2
FINAL EXAMINATION PERIOD: May 5-13
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Weekly Recitation Focus Questions
Klenias: Somehow or other, stranger, you are once again belittling our lawmakers.
Athenian: No! But if I am, I am not doing it intentionally…Let’s follow wherever the argument carries
us, if you will.
--Plato, The Laws, Book II
PART I: Constitutionalism, Federalism, and Political Culture
Week 1: Recitations in this course do not meet during week 1.
Week 2: Exactly what does Madison argue in Federalist No. 10 regarding “factions,” the “public good,” and the case for a large
and diverse “republic”?
Week 3: What is “federalism”? How does Madison describe America’s “compound republic”? What is the “selective
incorporation” of the Bill of Rights? How much (if at all) do you think state laws should be allowed to vary with respect to
minors’ access to abortions, the death penalty, funding for local public schools, environmental protection regulations, and
other matters? How do intergovernmental relations and “proxy government” define the everyday implementation of most
national policies and programs?
Week 4: What is “political culture” and what are the main elements of American political culture? Do you think it is true that
Americans are now polarized by party and ideology, or is such polarization confined mainly to political officeholders and other
political elites? In any case, do you reckon that an increase in mass political polarization would be tantamount to a change in
American political culture?
PART II: Opinions, Interests, and Participation
Week 5: What role did the Framers of the Constitution think “public opinion” ought to play in America’s representative
democracy? What, if any, type of “majority” was supposed “to rule,” and subject to what conditions? How much faith did they
have in “the people,” with or without “enlightened statesmen” at “the helm” in government (or in the Senate, specifically)? Did
they make a case for a “free press”—and just how “free” did they think the press ought to be? If the Madison of No. 10 could
see America today and knew all about instant communications technology, what do you suppose he might Tweet to Jefferson
about the influence of “mass media” on American civic life?
Week 6: What are the “VAP” and “VEP” methods for measuring voter turnout? What is your take on why turnout rates for
persons age 18 to 29 are considerably lower than turnout rates for persons age 65 and older? What do you make of the
evidence that more personalized “get out the vote” (GOTV) tactics are generally more effective (including more cost-effective)
than less personalized ones? Do you think most people your age spend lots or little time gathering hard news about politics
and public policy? Do you think most of them consider volunteering/community service, but not voting, to be a “civic duty”?
Week 7: If you had to come up with a way to use social media to help increase voter turnout among young adults, what
options or tactics might you consider? Do you think people your age might vote at higher rates if they felt that other people
your age “were watching”—that is, would know whether they voted or not?
Week 8: Why did the authors of the U.S. Constitution disparage political parties? In terms of how each seeks to influence
government, what is the main difference between a political party and an interest group? You probably like some interest
groups more than others. How do you distinguish among and between interest groups? Which, if any, interest groups do you
consider to be “single-issue” or “special-issue” groups (or “factions”!) and which do you consider to be “public interest lobbies”
or the like?
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PART III: Institutions of Government
Week 9: Recitations in this course do not meet during week 9 (spring break week).
Weeks 10 and 11: Why did the authors of the Constitution make Congress “the first branch”? How, exactly, does a congress
differ from a parliament? What powers does Article I of the Constitution give to the Congress? How have the powers of
Congress increased over time? How does “a bill become law,” and why do most bills never become law? How does the
representative function of Congress relate to its lawmaking function? Are the two functions in tension, and, if so, how might
changes in how Congress is organized affect which function predominates? Even when the body is not as highly polarized as it
is today, Congress can rarely either stick to a long-term plan or act quickly. What is the evidence that “the American
constitutional system” has “collided” with “the new politics of extremism”? To the extent that you are persuaded by that
evidence, do you think presidents and leaders in Congress, Democrats and Republicans alike, are equally to blame? What, if
any, arguments might you make for changing Congress in ways that enable it to legislate for the long-term, legislate more
expeditiously, or both? What arguments might you make for/against such changes?
Week 12: In the words of the late, great presidency scholar, Richard Neustadt, Article II of the Constitution makes the
president more like a “clerk” than a “king.” But how have presidential powers evolved since the Constitution was ratified?
How does a president differ from a prime minister? The president’s constitutional footing remains firmest when it comes to
foreign and military affairs and “emergencies.” But have “signing statements” and other devices increased presidential power
in domestic policy as well? Do you think most people think of the presidency, not the Congress, as “the first branch”? How, if
at all, has the shift toward a presidency-centered popular understanding of the constitutional system altered what Neustadt
termed America’s system of “separated institutions sharing powers”?
Week 13: How does Article III of the U.S. Constitution situate the federal judiciary vis-à-vis the other two branches of the
national government? What is Hamilton’s argument regarding the federal judiciary being “the least dangerous branch”? How
has the U.S. Supreme Court exercised its appellate jurisdiction in cases involving civil rights and civil liberties? Ponder the First
Amendment’s two religion clauses: how has the Court interpreted these clauses over time, and how would you characterize
present-day “church and state” doctrine? Is the “establishment” clause in any obvious tension with the “free exercise” clause?
More generally, if there are tradeoffs that must be made among and between civil rights, civil liberties, and other civic values,
should decisions about those tradeoffs be left ultimately to the courts? And, understanding that you do not have the requisite
legal education or experience (at least not yet!), do you think that you might one day make a good federal judge, and why—or
why not?
PART IV: Policymaking, Constitutionalism, and Reform
Week 14: What is the story of the “Tax Reform Bill of 1986”? Who at each end of Pennsylvania Avenue mattered most to the
bill becoming law, and could you name their present-day counterparts? To what extent was the “unlikely triumph” made
possible by leaders being able and willing to meet in private and cut deals (including “side deals”) without either the media or
the mass public knowing who bargained over or compromised on what? Could you name two national political officeholders in
each party who you think preach and practice the “ABCs of American politics” in Washington today? Who?
Week 15: Review each of the Wilson textbook “Inside/Outside the Box” features. What explains “political migration” from one
type of policy to another over time? Why are some social welfare policies (like Medicare) safely “majoritarian” while others
(like TANF/AFDC) are not, and still others (like Medicaid) are mixed? Do you think the politics of same-sex marriage is on the
way to becoming “majoritarian”? How about the politics of global warming? And how would you characterize the politics of
gun control? Finally, do you think you have what it takes to be a “policy entrepreneur,” in which area or areas of policy might
you be most likely to try or ply that trade, and do you think you might ever seek to function as a “policy entrepreneur” inside
government (as an elected legislator or executive, a judge, or an appointed/civil service official)?
Week 16: Recitations in this course do not meet this week (the final week of the semester).
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TWO PAPERS: March 6 and April 30
Please read carefully and follow ALL the instructions to the letter: Intra-class equity considerations mandate that all students be
subject to the same rules, standards, and expectations regarding all graded course components including papers. Imagine two equally busy
students. One busy student (he or she has lots of work to do and due for other courses, heavy extra-curricular obligations, and so on) follows
the instructions to the letter and submits the paper on time. The other busy student submits the paper late, does not include the word count
and other identification information, emails or hands it off to the instructor or the recitation leader rather than handing it in to his or her
recitation leader, and references or cites material other than the relevant assigned course material. The former busy student is unfairly
disadvantaged if the latter busy student is not graded down. Intra-student equity considerations aside, it is important to learn to follow such
seemingly nit-picky instructions and formalities (just ask seniors or recent graduates who are on the job market!) So, again, please read and
follow ALL the instructions to the letter.
FIRST ESSAY (10%, 100 points): DUE to Your RECITATION LEADER Tuesday, March 6 IN LECTURE
Drawing only on the most relevant assigned course materials and your own notes from lectures and recitations, describe,
analyze, and assess the evidence regarding different “get out the vote” (GOTV) tactics. Which GOTV tactics work best, under
what conditions, and according to what criteria? How, if at all, does “social pressure” influence voter turnout? Whether
effective as a GOTV tactic or not, what, if any, normative (ethical or moral) concerns might you have about employing “social
pressure” via social media or other means?
This is not an independent research assignment. You have your Green and Gerber book, your Wilson textbook, your other
relevant readings, and your own notes from lectures and recitations. What you have to do is read, reason, reflect, and write.
Write and edit, edit, edit before you submit the essay. If you cite from the assigned course materials, use a standard citation
system (it matters not which one). Just be consistent. Again, there is absolutely no need to read or reference any other
articles, books, or publicly available commentaries: do not do so!
Your essay must be between 800 and 1,200 words. You must put the word count, your name, your recitation leader’s name,
and the day and time of your recitation at the top of your paper’s first page. Any paper that does not provide this information
as instructed will be penalized 10 points. Any essay that is fewer than 800 words or more than 1,200 words will be penalized 20
points.
A hard copy of the essay is due to your recitation leader on March 6, and is to be handed to him or her in lecture. The
recitation leader must receive it from your hand. He or she will log in your submission as on time. As explained on page 2 of
this syllabus, late papers are not accepted. If you have any questions regarding the rules of the College as they pertain to
plagiarism, you should consult them before you write.
SECOND ESSAY (15%, 150 points): DUE to Your RECITATION LEADER April 30 BEFORE 5:00 p.m.
Drawing only on the most relevant assigned course materials and your own notes from lectures and recitations (no other
articles, books, or publicly available commentaries), address the following questions in an essay of not fewer than 1,000
words or more than 1,400 words:
Are you now more inclined than you were at the start of the semester to agree with critics of American constitutionalism who
think the nation would be better off with a parliamentary or quasi-parliamentary system? Why—or why not? What, if any,
other critiques of American constitutionalism do you now find more persuasive than you did at the start of the semester?
What, if any, specific constitutional reforms would you prescribe, and why?
As instructed on the first essay, you must put the word count, your name, your recitation leader’s name, and the day and
time of your recitation at the top of your paper’s first page. For the second essay, however, any essay that does not provide
this information as instructed will be penalized not 10 points, but 25 points. And any second essay that ignores the word-count
boundaries (i.e., is fewer than 1,000 words or more than 1,400 words) will be penalized not 20 points, but 50 points. A hard
copy of the essay is due to your recitation leader before 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday, April 30. The recitation leader must
receive it from your hand. He or she will log in your submission as on time.
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