Political Behaviour
-Class meets Saturdays, 10:00-12:45
Dr. W. T. Casey, Ph.D.
caesaigh@utdallas.edu
PSCI 3333.002 ---
Spring 2010
Classroom: JO 4.614
Phone: 972-883-4596
Office : GR 3.808
Nota Bene: This syllabus is tentative and subject to change
I. Course Description- This course addresses the questions of why some people vote but others do not, how individuals
make political choices, and how people participate in other ways. It examines the behavioural approach to the study of
government and politics, the major theories of political behaviour; and, the effects of: long-term changes, socialisation
processes, media uses, and political attitudes and institutions. (3 credit hours)
II. Student Learning Objectives/Outcomes. Upon completing this course students will be able to:
A. analyse and apply important theoretical and scholarly approaches to explaining citizen behavior, citizen
involvement, and interaction between citizens and institutions of government.
B. identify, describe, and analyse various mechanisms of citizen political involvement.
C. identify, describe, apply and analyse examples of political behaviours.
III. Prerequisites: None, but this course is reading intensive, with substantial written components. Therefore, students
must have competency in written and spoken English. Moreover, being that this is a PSCI core course, statistical
competency is expected.
IV. Required Textbooks- There are four (4) books required for this class:

Citizen Politics: Public Opinion and Political Parties in Advanced Industrial Democracies ~Russell J. Dalton. CQ
Press; 5th edition. ISBN-10: 0872895378 , ISBN-13: 978-0872895379
 Making Votes Count: Strategic Coordination in the World's Electoral Systems
~ Gary W. Cox. Cambridge University Press. ISBN-10: 0521585279 , ISBN-13: 978-0521585279
 Political Behavior of the American Electorate ~ William H. Flanigan and Nancy H. Zingale . CQ Press; 12th
edition. ISBN-10: 1604265213 , ISBN-13: 978-1604265217
 Moved to Action: Motivation, Participation, and Inequality in American Politics
~ Hahrie Han. Stanford University Press. ISBN-10: 0804762252, ISBN-13: 978-0804762250
These should be available at the UTD bookstore, Off Campus Books, and you can probably buy a copy online somewhere
as well. You are required to read ahead.
V. Other assigned materiél – you will need to acquire additional readings from the UTD Libraries; some of which will be
on reserve and the remainder of which you will need to access online. You are responsible for all assigned readings.
You can learn a great deal about political behaviour merely by digesting the news. I * highly* recommend reading the NY
Times, Washington Post, Guardian (UK), L.A. Times, Wall Street Journal, or even the Dallas Morning News. All of these
have free online editions.
VI. Office Hours –Fridays, 14:00-16:00, Saturdays, 13:00-14:00, and by appointment
VII. Attendance A. UTD requires "Regular and Punctual attendance". It has been my experience that poor attendance DOES result
in a lackluster performance. Nonetheless, you are adults, so I feel no need to take attendance- Come only if you
intend to learn.
B. Verification of Enrollment: UTD requires that all persons enrolled in coursework carry an identification card,
and:
1) have on their person this card, and
2) be ready to surrender it for examination to any duly constituted authority.
For our purposes, this means I may ask for your I.D. when you turn in your work. Not having one on you means I
will not grade that work until I see an ID. This is not meant to belittle or insult you, but with as many students as
there are, getting to know all by sight is very difficult- but I'll try.
C. Tardies: Class is scheduled to begin at 1000, thus, I will begin class at that time. There is not much leeway
allowed due to the amount of material being covered. You are adults, you signed up for this class at this time. I
will not repeat material for the benefit of those without the incentive to arrive promptly. If you know you will be
late, please do your classmates the courtesy of not entering the room. Excessive tardiness will be penalized
through your final grade.
D. Leaving Early: Due to the amount of material being covered, leaving before class is complete will hurt your
interactive note-taking. Moreover, doing so is an unnecessary breach of etiquette and a distraction to your
colleagues. If you must leave early, inform me before class, or else your leaving will be treated as if a tardy and
your grade will be penalised.
E. WITHDRAWING FROM THIS COURSE1) If you decide that you must drop the course, it is your responsibility to fill out the appropriate form in
the college office on campus. Withdrawal from the course after the official day of record will result in a
final grade of “W” on the student transcript and no credit will be awarded. Prior to the official day of
record, it is the student’s responsibility to initiate and complete a request for withdrawal from any
course. I do not automatically drop students. You do your own paperwork.
2) The administration of this institution has set deadlines for withdrawal of any college-level courses.
These dates and times are published in that semester's course catalog. Administration procedures must be
followed. It is the student's responsibility to handle withdrawal requirements from any class. I will not
drop or withdraw any student. You must do the proper paperwork to ensure that you will not receive a
final grade of "F" in a course if you choose not to attend the class once you are enrolled.
Translation: If you stop attending and do not fill out the drop form, you will receive an "F" in the course.
VIII. Off-Campus Instruction and Course Activities
Off-campus, out-of-state, and foreign instruction and activities are subject to state law and University policies and
procedures regarding travel and risk-related activities. Information regarding these rules and regulations may be found at
the website address given below. Additional information is available from the office of the school dean.
(http://www.utdallas.edu/Business Affairs/Travel_Risk_Activities.htm)
IX. Academic Calendar- Please Consult
http://www.utdallas.edu/student/registrar/calendar/documents/Spring2010calendar_000.pdf
X. Assignments A. Prior to class (excluding the first class, but including the final one), you will submit via e-mail from your UTD
account 3 questions about the topical readings for that class. These are due no later than 5:00 p.m. the Friday
before class.
B. Following class (excluding the final class, but including the first one), you will submit a one-page, (MS
Word,12pt font, Times New Roman, 1” margins, single spaced, no title, header = “Integrative Summary # X for
PSCI 3333”, name at the bottom) integrative summary of the
i) class discussion
ii) class lecture, and
iii) assigned readings.
These are due no later than 5:00 p.m. on Monday following class.
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C. a final Literature Review of the contemporary thinking with an, due NLT Saturday 1 May, 10:00- approx 15
pps (MS Word,12pt font, Times New Roman, 1” margins, doublespaced, no title, header = “Literature Review for
PSCI 3333”, name on last page at the bottom).
D. A Presentation of a group Research Design on a modern puzzle in Political Behaviour, on May 8th. More
details on this later, but for now check out http://www.socialresearchmethods.net/ .
B. & C. will be also sent as an e-mail attachment in .doc format (.doc only), and will be scanned through
TurnItIn.com
XI. Participation - The views of the instructor are not dogma, and are open to question and discussion. Please feel free to
disagree, but be prepared to logically and empirically back up your argument!
A. Please remember the basic courtesies when disagreeing with others in the room- Speak clearly, concisely, and
do not engage in shouting matches. At the same time, if you merely sit there and absorb without examining the
issues critically, you are missing out. The college campus is truly one of the last places in this country to voice
your ideas in a public forum, and these issues DO affect you for the rest of your lives.
B. Your participation is expected, and will be a consideration on your final grade.
XII. Grading – Standard 100-point scale, conformed to Letter grades. I DO NOT CURVE GRADES- such only rewards
those lacking incentive to perform better, and punishes those who strive to achieve.
Grading Scale:
100-98=A+
93-97=A
90-92=A-
87-89=B+
83-86=B
80-82=B-
77-79=C+
73-76=C
70-72=C-
67-69=D+
63-66=D
60-62=D
Below 60=F
You will be assigned grades based upon your performance in your assignments. The pre- and post- class assignments are
worth 15% each, the Literature Review and Group Presentation are worth 35% each for a total of 100%. There is Extra
Credit available, a handout explaining such accompanies.
XIII. E-mail Use: The University of Texas at Dallas recognizes the value and efficiency of communication between
faculty/staff and students through electronic mail. At the same time, email raises some issues concerning security and the
identity of each individual in an email exchange. The university requires all official student email correspondence be sent
only to a student’s U.T. Dallas email address and that faculty and staff consider email from students official only if it
originates from a UTD student account. This allows the university to maintain a high degree of confidence in the identity
of all individual corresponding and the security of the transmitted information. UTD furnishes each student with a free
email account that is to be used in all communication with university personnel.
XIV. Classroom Conduct; Student Conduct & Discipline –
The University of Texas System and The University of Texas at Dallas have rules and regulations for the orderly
and efficient conduct of their business. It is the students’ responsibility to know them. Such may be found in the UTD
publication, A to Z Guide, provided to all registered students each academic year. The University of Texas at Dallas
administers student discipline within the procedures of recognized and established due process. These are defined and
described in the Rules and Regulations, Board of Regents, The University of Texas System, Part 1, Chapter VI, Section 3 ,
and in Title V, Rules on Student Services and Activities of the university’s Handbook of Operating Procedures. Copies of
these rules and regulations are available to students in the Office of the Dean of Students, where staff members will assist
students in interpreting the rules and regulations (SU 1.602, 972-883-6391).
A student at the university neither loses the rights nor escapes the responsibilities of citizenship. You are
expected to obey federal, state, and local laws as well as the Regents’ Rules, university regulations, and administrative
rules. You are subject to discipline for violating the standards of conduct whether such conduct takes place on or off
campus, or whether civil or criminal penalties are also imposed for such conduct.
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More specifically: We are all adults, at least legally. Adult behaviour is thus expected. Disrespectful language,
gestures, shouting, insults, et cetera, are all improper and will be handled through the Dean of Students office, and most
likely will result in a grade of F.
Some Details:
A. Turn off and put away all electronic devices: Cell Phones, Pagers, iPods, Laptops, etc. I reserve the right to
have you removed from the classroom if this turns out to be a persistent problem, and your grade will be
penalised.
B. No hats permitted to be worn while in the classroom, nor headphones.
C. I do not care if you eat or drink; simply do so quietly and unobtrusively.
In other words: I fully expect you to behave as if you are mature, reasonable, sane people.
XV. Academic Integrity and Scholastic Dishonesty - UTD is committed to a high standard of academic integrity in the
academic community. In becoming a part of the academic community, UTD students are responsible for honesty and
independent effort. The faculty expects from its students a high level of responsibility and academic honesty. Because the
value of an academic degree depends upon the absolute integrity of the work done by the student for that degree, it is
imperative that a student demonstrate a high standard of individual honor in his or her scholastic work. Failure to uphold
these standards includes, but is not limited to, the following: cheating, plagiarism, collusion and/or falsifying academic
records. Students suspected of academic dishonesty are subject to disciplinary proceedings. Plagiarism, especially from the
web, from portions of papers for other classes, and from any other source is unacceptable and will be dealt with under the
university’s policy on plagiarism (see general catalog for details). This course will use the resources of turnitin.com (and
other resources) for searches on the web for possible plagiarism.
Some Definitions:
A. Cheating includes looking at or copying from another student's exam, orally communicating or receiving
answers during an exam, having another person take an exam or complete a project or assignment, using
unauthorized notes, texts, or other materials for an exam, and obtaining or distributing an unauthorized copy of
an exam or any part of an exam.
B. Plagiarism means passing off as his/her own the ideas or writings of another (that is, without giving proper
credit by documenting sources). Plagiarism includes submitting a paper, report or project that someone else has
prepared, in whole or in part.
C. Collusion is inappropriately collaborating on assignments designed to be completed independently. These
definitions are not exhaustive.
With instructor permission only, audio recording devices may be used during lectures only for the purpose of helping
students take notes. The use of such devices for any other purpose may result in loss of device use for remainder of
semester, system charges of academic dishonesty, and administrative drop from the course. No other electronic devices
will be allowed during class without specific written instructor approval. All lectures are copyrighted material and may
not be disseminated without the express written consent of the instructor.
When there is any scholastic dishonesty, I will assign an “F” for the course, and additional
sanctions may include being expelled from UTD and the UT System, and punishments
appropriate under State of Texas Criminal Code, Penal Section §32.49, (HB 0762).
XVI. Student Grievance Procedures. Procedures for student grievances are found in Title V, Rules on Student Services
and Activities, of UTD’s Handbook of Operating Procedures.
In attempting to resolve any student grievance regarding grades, evaluations, or other fulfillments of academic
responsibility, it is the obligation of the student first to make a serious effort to resolve the matter with the instructor,
supervisor, administrator, or committee with whom the grievance. Individual faculty members retain primary
responsibility for assigning grades and evaluations. If the matter cannot be resolved at that level, the grievance must be
submitted in writing to the respondent with a copy of the respondent’s School Dean. If the matter is not resolved by the
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written response provided by the respondent, the student may submit a written appeal to the School Dean. If the
grievance is not resolved by the School Dean’s decision, the student may make a written appeal to the Dean of Graduate or
Undergraduate Education, and the deal will appoint and convene an Academic Appeals Panel. The decision of the
Academic Appeals Panel is final. The results of the academic appeals process will be distributed to all involved parties.
Copies of these rules and regulations are available to students in the Office of the Dean of Students, where staff members
are available to assist students in interpreting the rules and regulations.
XVII. Incomplete Grade Policy. As per UTD policy, incomplete grades will be granted only for work unavoidably missed
at the semester’s end and only if 70% of the course work has been completed. An incomplete grade must be resolved
within eight (8) weeks from the first day of the subsequent long semester. If the required work to complete the course and
to remove the incomplete grade is not submitted by the specified deadline, the incomplete grade changes automatically to
a grade of F.
XVIII. ADA Statement and Disability Services
The University of Texas at Dallas is dedicated to providing the least restrictive learning environment for all students. UTD
promotes equity in academic access through the implementation of reasonable accommodations as required by the
Vocational Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Title V, Section 504 and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) which
will enable students with disabilities to participate in and benefit from all post-secondary educational activities.
If you have any special needs which affect your ability to learn in this class, please inform me. Appropriate steps will be
taken to assist you with your needs. Any student with a documented disability (physical, learning, psychiatric, vision,
hearing, etc.) who needs to arrange reasonable accommodations is required to contact the Office of Disability Services, Ms.
Kerry Tate, Coordinator, in the Student Union, Room 1.804.
Faculty members are authorized to provide only the accommodations requested by the Office of Disability Services.
(http://www.utdallas.edu/legal/title9/contactada.html ) The goal of Disability Services is to provide students with
disabilities educational opportunities equal to those of their non-disabled peers. Disability Services is located in room
1.610 in the Student Union. Office hours are Monday and Thursday, 8:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.; Tuesday and Wednesday, 8:30
a.m. to 7:30 p.m.; and Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
The contact information for the Office of Disability Services is:
The University of Texas at Dallas, SU 22
PO Box 830688
Richardson, Texas 75083-0688
(972) 883-2098 (voice or TTY)
In essence the law requires that colleges and universities make those reasonable adjustments necessary to eliminate
discrimination on the basis of disability. For example, it may be necessary to remove classroom prohibitions against tape
recorders or animals (in the case of dog guides) for students who are blind. Occasionally an assignment requirement may
be substituted (for example, a research paper versus an oral presentation for a student who is hearing impaired). Classes
enrolled students with mobility impairments may have to be rescheduled in accessible facilities. The college or university
may need to provide special services such as registration, note-taking, or mobility assistance. It is the student’s
responsibility to notify his or her professors of the need for such an accommodation. Disability Services provides students
with letters to present to faculty members to verify that the student has a disability and needs accommodations.
Individuals requiring special accommodation should contact the professor after class or during office hours.
XIX. Religious Holy Days. UTD will excuse a student from class for the travel to and observance of a religious holy day
for a religion whose places of worship are exempt from property tax under Section 11.20, Tax Code, Texas Code
Annotated. You are encouraged to notify me as soon as possible regarding the absence, in advance of the assignment. The
student, if excused, will be allowed to complete the assignment within a reasonable time after the absence: a period equal
to the length of the absence, up to a maximum of one week. A student who notifies the instructor and completes any
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missed exam or assignment may not be penalized for the absence. A student who fails to complete the exam or assignment
within the prescribed period may receive a failing grade for that exam or assignment. If a student or an instructor
disagrees about the nature of the absence [i.e., for the purpose of observing a religious holy day] or if there is similar
disagreement about whether the student has been given a reasonable time to complete any missed assignments or
examinations, either the student or the instructor may request a ruling from the chief executive officer of the institution,
or his or her designee. The chief executive officer or designee must take into account the legislative intent of TEC
51.911(b), and the student and instructor will abide by the decision of the chief executive officer or designee.
XX. Course topics and tentative schedule:
“O” = online via UTD Libraries (you’ll need to be logged in to a campus computer)
“R” = course Reserve, at McDermott Library
January 16th and 23rd- -  Part 1: Introduction- “What is “political behavior”, how do we study it? And: How much do Americans really
know about their government, or politics (or anything, really)?
 Part 2: Socialization- What it is, what it does to us.
Readings: Dalton 1 and 2; F&Z 1, 4, and appendix;
- Converse, Philip E. 2000. Assessing the Capacity of Mass Electorates. Annual Review of Political Science 3: 331-353.
O, http://arjournals.annualreviews.org/doi/pdf/10.1146/annurev.polisci.3.1.331
- Easton, David and Jack Dennis. 1967. “The Child's Acquisition of Regime Norms: Political Efficacy”, American Political
Science Review 61 (1, March): 25-38.
O, http://www.jstor.org/stable/pdfplus/1953873.pdf
- Searing, Donald D., Joel J. Schwartz, and Allen E. Lind. 1973. "The Structuring Principle: Political Socialization and
Belief Systems", American Political Science Review 67: 415-32.
O, http://www.jstor.org/stable/pdfplus/1958774.pdf
- Sears, David O. and Carolyn L. Funk. 1999. "Evidence of the Long-Term Persistence of Adults' Political Predispositions"
Journal of Politics 61 (1, February): 1-28.
O, http://www.jstor.org/stable/pdfplus/2647773.pdf
- Pateman, Carole, 1984 Participation and Democratic Theory, 1, 2, 6. R
- Kavanagh, Dennis, 1983. Political Science and Political Behavior. 1 R
We will also discuss what comprises a Literature Review and a Research Design. Examples will be made available.
January 30th and February 7th - - - Participation-CPA and UPA, Who participates, and why.
Readings: Dalton 3 & 4, F&Z, 2, Han (All)
- Putnum, Robert. 1996. "The Strange Disappearance of Civic America", The American Prospect, 7:24.
O, http://www.prospect.org/cs/articles?articleId=4972
- Sunstein, Cass, 2003. Why Societies Need Dissent, Ch 1-3, 6. R
- Moore, Kelly, 2007. Disrupting Science Ch 1 R
- Ozler, Ilgu, 2008. “The Relationship between Political Party System and Social Movements” Paper prepared for the
Annual Meeting of the Western Political Science Association. O, http://lasa.international.pitt.edu/members/congresspapers/lasa2009/files/OzlerSerifeIlgu.pdf
- Norris, Pippa, 2001. Democratic Phoenix: Political Activism Worldwide. Ch 10 R
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February 14th - - - Voting & the rationality of participation, Voter turnout- Why it declines, attempts to raise it.
Readings: Cox, Parts I and II.
- McDonald, Michael P. and Samuel L. Popkin. 2001. “The Myth of the Vanishing Voter.” American Political Science
Review 95 (4, December): 963-974. O, http://www.jstor.org/stable/pdfplus/3117725.pdf
February 21st - - - Doing Political Science 1- Examples of Vote Studies from the US and Great Britain
- Casey, Walter T. Engendering Differences: Exploring and Testing Theories of Representation in Modern Democracies,
(2009) Chapters 2 & 3. (will be sent to your e-mail as an attachment)
February 28th - - -Ideology and Values
Readings: Dalton 5 & 6, F&Z 5-7
March 6th - - - Influences on behavior & participation: The Media.
- Zaller, John 1992. The Nature and Origins of Mass Opinion. 3, 10-12 R
-andInterest Groups and Political Behaviour:
- Classics of Interest Group Behavior- Intro, 9, 11, 13, 17 and 22. R
March 13th - - - Influences on behavior & participation: Religion
Readings: Dalton 8
- Wald, Owen and Hill, "Churches as Political Communities," American Political Science Review 82 (1988):531-548. O,
http://www.jstor.org/stable/pdfplus/1957399.pdf
- Kosmin and Keysar, Religion in a Free Market, chapters 1, 2, 13, and 16. R
MARCH 20th - - - SPRING BREAK - - - No Class
March 27th and April 3rd- - -Political Parties: Who belongs, and why, and; How do parties influence political behavior?
Readings: Dalton 7 -10, 12; F&Z 3-5, 8
- Franklin, Charles, and John Jackson, 1983. "The Dynamics of Party Identification." American Political Science Review 77
(4): 957-73
(Nota Bene: This is a pretty tough article. But concentrate on the introductory section and the conclusion. Especially the
conclusion!)
O http://www.jstor.org/stable/pdfplus/1957569.pdf
- Niemi, Richard G. and M. Kent Jennings. 1991. "Issues and Inheritance in the Formation of Party Identification."
American Journal of Political Science 35 (4): 970-988.
O http://www.jstor.org/stable/pdfplus/2111502.pdf
- Livant, William, 1963. “Cumulative Distortion of Judgement”, pp274-278 in David Singer, Human Behaviour and
International Relations. R
April 10th - - - Doing Political Science 2- Examples of Party Activity
- Casey, Walter T. Engendering Differences: Exploring and Testing Theories of Representation in Modern Democracies,
(2009) Chapter 1. (will be sent to your e-mail as an attachment)
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April 17th - - - Parties and Voting
Cox, Parts III-VI
April 24th - - - what is a Lit Review? a Research Design?
Literature Review Examples
-
“Women and Congress: An Examination of the Literature”.
“Losing Ground: Democracy, Women, and Under-Representation in Eastern Europe”
“Discontent and Faction: A Short Compendium of the Issues and Approaches to the Study of Partisan and Group
Political Activities and Behaviors”
“The Sacred and the Profane: Comparing Electoral Structures and Unconventional Political Activity”
Research Design Examples-
“Smarter than the Average Bear- The Swing Activist’s Role in Elections”
“An Exploration of the Emotive Roots of Terrorism”
All will be sent to your e-mail as an attachment prior.
(No Lecture this dateAn excellent time for the groups to meet and work on their presentations)
May 1st - - - Wrap up- What do we really know and understand about proximate, indirect, and interactive effects upon
behaviour?
Literature Review due at the beginning of class.
May 8th - - - Research Design presentations. Hard copy, and presentation notes due NLT than 10:00 a.m. prior.
Grades available ONLY after the last paper has been graded.
XXI: CAVEAT: I reserve the right to amend or append this syllabus as need dictates. Any and all changes will be
announced in sufficient time to allow for your personal adjustment.
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----�-------�-------�--------�--------�-------�--detach here --�-------�-------�-------�-------�------�---UNIVERSITY of TEXAS at DALLAS
By my signature affixed, I acknowledge that I have read, understood, and will comply with all terms
and conditions of this syllabus, including but not limited to ‘withdrawing’, ‘conduct’, and ‘scholastic
honesty’, and that the explanations of the syllabus offered by the instructor were sufficient for
comprehension of the syllabus:
_________________________________________________,____________________________
(Printed name)
(UTD Student ID)
___________________________________________________________,__________________
(Signature)
(Date)
(Last updated: 4 Jan 2010)
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