Political Science 5350
Congress and the Legislative Process
Spring 2010
Office hours: TTH 1:00-1:45; TH 5:45-6:30
Dr. Cynthia Opheim
Phone: 245-2143
E-mail: co01@txstate.edu
COURSE DESCRIPTION
We will examine the American legislative process with a focus on Congress. The
framework for the course is based on three themes: 1) the “dual Congress,” i.e., the
notions of deliberation versus representation; 2) the distribution of power in Congress
and its consequences; and 3) the bicameral nature of Congress.
A number of “big questions” will animate our meetings: What are the key
theoretical and methodological approaches for studying Congress? What does
representation mean? How does the electoral process affect who gets elected and how
they will serve? How is Congress organized and how does that organization influence
the nature of the policy-making process? What kinds of institutional changes, in both
the House and Senate, have occurred over the past century? What is the nature of the
relationship of Congress and the other branches of our federal government? How well
does the institution collectively (or its members individually) meet democratic
standards of leadership, accountability, and representation? What reforms are needed,
if any, and with what effect?
COURSE OBJECTIVES
As a result of this course, students will:
(1) explain the process of legislative leadership and policymaking.
(2) describe leading theories and findings the field.
(3) name leading scholars in the field.
(3) identify important research questions in the literature on Congress.
(4) develop research, analytical and communication skills through a variety of
written and oral assignments.
REQUIRED TEXTS AND MATERIALS
Lawrence Dodd and Bruce I. Oppenheimer (eds.) 2009. Congress Reconsidered, 9th ed.
Washington D.C.: CQ Press.
Stephen S. Smith, Jason M. Roberts, and Ryan J. Vander Wielen (eds.) 2009. The
American Congress Reader. Cambridge University Press.
Robert A. Caro. 2002. The Years of Lyndon Johnson: Master of the Senate. (New York:
Vintage Books).
M. Ling Pan. 2004. Preparing Literature Reviews: Qualitative and Quantitative Approaches,
2nd ed., Pyrczak Publishing (assigned sections on electronic reserve).
Selected articles and book chapters will also be placed on the library’s electronic
reserve.
COURSE PROCEDURES AND GRADING
15%- Class Participation: Students are expected to come to class prepared. This
means that readings are to be completed in advance of class and students should be
prepared to meaningfully (as opposed to superficially) discuss the important issues
stemming from the readings. Also, please be prepared to address the questions at the
end of the chapters assigned in Pan’s Preparing Literature Reivews. The format of this
course is primarily a seminar, that is, thoughtful discussion of ideas and assigned
readings. Therefore, evaluation of your performance is based on how well you
contribute to these discussions.
30%- Written responses to readings: Each week, by midnight on Wed., students
will e-mail me a one page single spaced response to the readings. The response should
consist of 1) summary of the main themes of the reading; 2) questions you would most
like to see discussed in class; and 3) answers to specifically assigned questions from
Pan’s Preparing Literature Reviews.
40%- Literature Review- Students will write an 12-15 page paper which examines
the important literature on a topic in congressional or state legislative research. The
student (reviewer) will evaluate the available evidence as well as relevant theories
(while noting gaps in the literature) and create a synthesis that points readers in the
direction of what seems likely to be true about the topic. While the literature review
will be primarily a qualitative review, the student will also include the results of
relevant quantitative studies. The review is due April 10. See other deadlines in the
Course Outline.
15%- Oral Presentations- Each week we will discuss questions and themes that
could be included in a MA comprehensive exam. Thus you will have a specific list of
questions from which the comprehensive exam is taken. Each student will be assigned
questions from this list. Students will present the answers to their assigned question(s)
in the last two weeks of the semester and distribute a handwritten summary of the
answer to his/her classmates.
COURSE OUTLINE AND ASSIGNMENTS
Week 1- Jan. 21
Introduction to the Class
Week 2- Jan. 28
An Overview of Congress
Sinclair, “The New World of U.S. Senators,” (in Dodd and
Oppenheimer), Chapter 1
Dodd and Oppenheimer, “The Politics of the Contemporary
House: From Gingrich to Pelosi,” (in Dodd and
Oppenheimer), Chapter 2
U.S. Constitution (in Smith, et al., pp. 31-34)
Week 3- Feb. 4
Recruitment and Representation
Fenno, “U.S. House Members in Their Constituencies” (in
Smith, et al., pp. 51-58, 66-76)
David Rohde, “Risk-Bearing and Progressive Ambition.” (in
Smith, et al, pp. 152-161).
Pan, Chapters 1
See Gary Moncrief, "Recruitment and Retention in U.S.
Legislatures," Legislative Studies Quarterly, May 1999,Vol. 24,
No. 2, pp. 173-208, for an excellent example of a literature
review. Access this article through the library’s database JStore. Use the “Article Locator.”
Week 4- Feb. 11
Legislative Apportionment and Districting
Davidson, Oleszek, and Lee, Congress and Its Members, 12th
ed., pp. 42-58.
Abramowitz, Alexander, and Gunning, “Incumbency,
Redistricting, and the Decline of Competition in U.S. House
Elections,” Journal of Politics 68 (1): 75-88.
Pan, Chapter 2
Week 5- Feb. 18
Legislative Elections: Candidates and Issues
Lawrence Dodd, “Comments on David Mayhew’s
‘Congress: The Electoral Connection.’” PS: Political Science
and Politics, Vol. 34, No. 2 (June, 2001, pp. 262-264.
David Mayhew, Congress: The Electoral Connection, Forward,
Preface to the Second Edition, and Excerpt pp. 1-77.
Pan, Chapter 6
Week 6- Feb. 25
Modern Trends in Congress
Library Demonstration
John Hibbing and Elizabeth Theiss-Morse, “What is Wrong
with the American Political System?” (in Smith, et al., pp.3-6.
David Brady and Sean Theriaut, “Who’s to Blame: A
Positive Case for the Public Evaluation of Congress” (in
Smith, et al., pp. 7-15.
Week 7- Mar. 4
The Congressional Policy Process
Diana Evans, “Greasing the Wheels,” (in Smith, et al., pp.
279-291)
Daniel Lipinski, “Navigating Congressional Policy
Processes: the Inside Perspective on How Laws are Made,”
(in Dodd and Oppenheimer, pp. 337-360).
Pan, Chapter 8
Deadline: Topic selected for Literature Review
Week 8- Mar. 8-12
Spring Break
Week 9- Mar. 18
Congress and the President
William G. Howell and Douglas L. Kriner, “Congress, the
President, and the Iraq War’s Domestic Political Front (in
Dodd and Oppenheimer, pp. 311-335)
Krutz, et al., “From Abe Fortas to Zoe Baird: Why Some
Presidential Nominations Fail in the Senate,” (in Smith, et
al., pp. 389-398.
Caro, Chapter 43
Week 10- Mar. 25
Theories of Party Government and Change
Steven S. Smith and Gerald Gamm, “The Dynamics of Party
Government in Congress,” (in Dodd and Oppenheimer, pp.
141-164.)
C. Lawrence Evans and Claire E. Gandy, “The Whip Systems
of Congress,” (pp. 189-215).
Pan, Model Review 1 (pp. 173-176)
Week 11- April 1
Power and Politics: Lyndon Johnson in the Senate
Caro, Chapters 5, 6, 15, 17, 20
Week 12- April 8
Committees, Subcommittees, and Rules
Aldrich and Rohde (in Dodd and Oppenheimer), Chapter 11
Caro, Chapter 16
Pan, Chapters 13, 14
Week 13- April 15
Guest Speaker
Literature Review due
Week 14- April 22
Student Presentations
Week 15- April 29
Student Presentations
ATTENDANCE AND OTHER POLICIES
Students should attend every class. Indeed, attendance is counted as part of the
participation grade. Any student who misses class more than twice fails the course.
Late assignments will be accepted only within the week of their due date with a letter
grade penalty.