PE 320-01 CONGRESS
Spring 2006
Dr. Anne Hallum
Office Hours: MWF 1:30-2:30
Thursday: 9 - 3:00
Office: 318A Eliz.Hall
email: ahallum@stetson.edu
Required Books:
Recommended:
MWF: 9 - 9:50 a.m.
Eliz.Hall 319
Dodd and Oppenheimer, Congress Reconsidered, 8th edition
Dwyre, Diana & Victoria Farrar-Myers, Legislative Labyrinth
Model Senate materials and research
Davidson & Oleszek, Congress and Its Members, 9th edition; also see
reading list, attached
The objectives of the course are (1) to analyze how Congress operates as an institution and how it
has changed historically and continues to develop; (2) to analyze the widespread distrust of Congress that
most scholars agree “far outruns the institution’s actual defects and shortcomings” (Davidson and
Oleszek, p. xii); (3) to examine a few major political science theories of Congress; and (4) to prepare for
the competitive Floyd M. Riddick U.S. Model Senate, hosted here at Stetson, March 16th-18th.
Additional objectives are to improve research, writing, leadership, and oral presentation abilities
throughout the semester. The Model Senate simulation is an excellent opportunity for such
improvement.
Our national legislature has been described as “Two Congresses” because of its simultaneous dual
nature: a group of career-minded politicians seeking to serve re-election constituencies; and a forum for
shaping and refining national policy. Given this complexity, what are the patterns of change in Congress
since the founding? What are the internal workings of Congress and what are their purposes? How do
external forces-- such as the media, presidential power, and the “electoral connection”-- strengthen or
impede congressional effectiveness?
Course Evaluation: You will be evaluated based on two exams, two papers, and Model Senate
participation, as follows:
First examination - 25%
Second exam 25%
First paper 20%
Second paper 20%
Model Senate10%
Class attendance and participation is important for your own learning process and for the rest of
us. Therefore, roll will be taken each meeting, and attendance will influence your grade. Dates to
submit paper assignments are given below. You will be penalized by half a letter grade (five points) for
each day an assignment is late. Make-up examinations will be given for emergency reasons only.
Finally, remember that you are responsible for knowing any changes made to this syllabus that are
announced in class.
COURSE OUTLINE
I.
Course Introduction; studying Congress
II.
Evolution of Congress
Assignment: In Dodd & Oppenheimer (D & O), read Barbara Sinclair, “The New World
of U.S. Senators”; video; and U.S. Constitution, esp. Article I
III.
Leadership, Committee Politics, Institutional Change, and Theory
Assignment: D & O. ch. 8, “Dynamics of Party Government in Congress,” and Ch.
11,
by Aldrich & Rohde, “Congressional Committees in a Partisan Era”
FIRST EXAMINATION:
IV.
Friday, February 17th
Congressional Rules and Procedures
Assignment: Class handouts; D & O, Ch. 3, “What the American Public Wants
Congress to Be;” and Ch. 10, “Obstruction & Leadership in the U.S.
Senate”
Receive Senator and bill assignments— class practice for Model Senate
First Paper Due:
Monday, February 27th
This paper should be in two parts: (1) in-depth research on your bill for Model Senate,
including statistics explaining the need for the legislation, the cost of the legislation, and the
rationale for the legislation in terms of meeting the need (2) the paper should address the
political strategy for winning passage of the bill, including names of allies and opponents in the
Congress and in the country. You also must include a one-page speech that you will use at
Model Senate introducing the bill in committee.
The paper should be 6 - 7 pages, single-spaced (double-space between paragraphs), plus
bibliography & one-page speech.
SPRING BREAK:
March 6th - 10th
MODEL SENATE!
March 16th - 18th h
V.
The Bicameral Congress
Legislative Labyrinth by Dwyre & Farrar-Myers - all
Second Paper Due: Friday, April 14th
This paper is a legislative and political history of legislation which you select, in the general
format of the Legislative Labyrinth book. That is, explain the perceived need for the legislation, then
identify the various phases toward the bill’s passage, how it was revised, and as much as possible, who
the key players were. This will involve research of reputable periodical sources, such as
Congressional Quarterly, Washington Post, New York Times, National Journal, as well as the daily
Congressional Record. (Be wary of internet or periodical sources that are sponsored by interest groups
or are highly partisan). Also, include one book or academic journal article which offers theoretical
perspective for understanding the process of this legislation In your conclusion, assess whether the
public interest was well-served by the legislation or not (within the context of democratic compromise)
and why or why not.
The paper should be 8 - 10 pages, single-spaced (double-space between paragraphs), plus bib.
VI.
The Electoral Connection
Assignment: D & O, Ch. 5 on BCRA; Ch. 6, “Deep Red & Blue Congressional
Districts” and Ch. 7, “Keystone Reconsidered”
(No class Friday, April 7th )
VII.
Review and Analysis Assignment: D & O, Ch. 15, “Congress & Policymaking in an Age of
Terrorism;” and D & O, Ch. 16, “From Congressional to Presidential Preeminence”
FINAL EXAMINATION:
Friday, April 28th, 9:00 - 11:00 a.m.
Studying Congress:
The American Congress is the most extensively studied political institution in the world. Journalistic
coverage is detailed and colorful, but political science adds the dimension of explanatory theory to these
descriptions. Here is a list of some major scholarly works and their styles of research:
1.
Voting data and election analysis
Fiorina, Morris, Congress: Keystone of the Washington Establishment, 1979
(we will read a current assessment by Fiorina in the Dodd & Oppenheimer book)
Canon, William, Race, Redistricting and Representation, 1999
2. Elections and Public Opinion Analysis
Cooper, Joseph, Congress and the Decline of Public Trust
Hibbing, John R. and Elizabeth Theiss-Morse, Congress as Public Enemy, 1995.
Hibbing and Smith, “What the American Public Wants Congress to Be,” Congress Reconsidered, 7th ed.
Jacobson, Gary and Samuel Kernell, Strategy and Choice in Congressional Elections, 2nd ed.
Jacobson, Gary, The Politics of Congressional Elections
Jacobson, Gary, The Electoral Origins of Divided Government
3. Case Studies and Participant-observation
Dwyre, Diana & Victoria Farrar-Myers, Legislative Labyrinth: Congress & Campaign Finance
Cohen, Richard, Washington at Work: Clean Air Act Amendments, 1992
Redman, Eric, The Dance of Legislation, 1973
Fenno Richard F., Congress in Committee, 1962
Fenno, Richard F., The Power of the Purse: The Appropriations Committee
Fenno, Richard F., Home Style: Congressmen in their Districts, 2nd edition
Fenno, Richard F., Congress at the Grassroots, 2000
Fenno, Richard F. and Rosenthal, Cindy Simon, Women Transforming Congress, 2003
4. Legislative Activity Analysis
Wilson, Woodrow, Congressional Government, 1890s.
Matthews, Donald, U.S. Senators and Their World, 1959
Mayhew, David, Divided We Govern, 1991.
Sundquist, James, Decline and Resurgence of Congress, 1976.
Several selections from the Dodd and Oppenheimer collections, now in 8th edition
5. Roll-call Analysis
Key, V.O., Southern Politics, 1955.
And anything by Paul Beck.
6. Theory construction and formal modeling
Aldrich, John, and David Rohde, “Congressional Committees in a Partisan Era” in text, 2005; and any
earlier articles by this team who write on “CPG” (conditional party government)
Dodd, Lawrence, “Congress and the Quest for Power”; and “Re-Envisioning Congress” in
Congress Reconsidered, 8th ed.
Stewart, Charles III, Analyzing Congress.
Jacobson and Kernell, above; and Fiorina, above.