PL SC 427: Political Opinion
Instructor: Dr. Nicholas Pyeatt
Class Time: T/TH 2:40-3:55PM
Class Location: 102C Smith
Office Hours: 11AM-12PM T/TH, 1-4W and by appointment
Office Location: 129H Smith
nlp11@psu.edu (Preferred contact method)
814-949-5752 (Office hours only)
“There is no such thing as public opinion. There is only published
opinion.”
Winston Churchill
Introduction
Political opinion is an upper level political science course focused on the
academic examination of the sources, nature, measurement and evolution of
opinions held by the public. An emphasis of the course is on the process and
method of polling with the central assignment being the creation and analysis of
a survey.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------General Class Format
The class will be taught with a mixture of lecture and class discussion, with the
majority of the class following the latter method. Most weeks there will be some
organized presentation by the instructor but a significant amount of class time
will be devoted to class discussion of the assigned readings.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Academic Integrity
Academic honesty and integrity is the most important single expectation for this
course. Cases of academic dishonesty—cheating, plagiarism, fraud, etc.—will be
dealt with directly and severely. Consequences for such behavior may include
receiving a failing grade on an exam, essay, or the course; in more serious
instances, academic dishonesty may result in permanent expulsion from the
University. For additional details, see The Student Guide to University Policies
and Rules.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Class Cancellation
2
In the event of snow or other inclement weather, please visit the following
website for information about any delays or closings of the campus:
www.altoona.psu.edu/now/cancel.asp. Cancellations due to instructor illness
will be posted on Angel and students will receive an email as well.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Disclaimer
Political science deals with issues that can challenge individual’s personal and
ethical positions. Please be advised that we will encounter material in this
course that may seem offensive to some students in terms of subject matter or
language.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Note to Students with Disabilities
Penn State University welcomes students with disabilities into its educational
programs. If you have a disability-related need for modifications or reasonable
accommodations in this course, please contact the Health & Wellness Center,
Disability Services, located in the Sheetz Family Health Center. For more
information, call (814) 949-5540 or visit the Disability Services website at
www.altoona.psu.edu/healthwellness. Your instructors should be notified as
early in the semester as possible regarding the need for modifications or
reasonable accommodations.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Texts
This course has one required text:
Erikson, Robert and Kent Tedin. 2011. American Public Opinion, Eighth
Edition. Boston: Longman. (ISBN 0-205-74543-1)
The required text is available in both the student bookstore as well as numerous
online retailers. Make sure to purchase the appropriate edition as this book has
many editions. Any additional readings will be available from the instructor or
posted on the web through Angel. After the first week, all reading assignments
are mandatory and should be completed prior to class.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Course Requirements and Evaluation
The course requirements include creating a rough and final draft of survey
questions, writing a paper using that survey, presenting the results of that
paper, a final exam and class participation. Your final grade will be calculated
using the following formula:
3
 Rough Draft of Survey Questions
5%
 Final Survey Questions
10%
 Survey Paper
25%
 Paper Presentation
10%
 Final Exam
25%
 Class Participation
25%
Grade Calculation
A (94-100); A- (90-93); B+ (87-89); B (84-86); B- (80-83); C+ (77-79); C (70-76); D
(60-69); F (0-59).
Survey Question Creation (Rough Draft and Final)
Each student will create a series of survey questions on a topic of interest as
part of a class-wide survey. This survey will be created using a free, web-based
program and then will be sent to students in introductory political science
classes and possibly other courses as well. Throughout the class, we will be
working on observing and reacting to surveys reflecting the political world. With
this background, each student should gain the skills necessary to create survey
questions independently. Full instructions will be provided.
Survey Paper
After the survey is created and completed by respondents, each student will
write a paper discussing the results. This paper will be 10-15 pages long and
will discuss previous research on the topic, evaluate the survey questions used
and discuss the final results. Full instructions will be provided.
Paper Presentation
In addition to the survey paper, each student will present to the class a
summary of their findings. Full instructions will be provided.
Final Exam
The final examination will be held on May 8th from 10:10-12:00PM in 102C
Smith. The final exam will be a combination of short answer and essay
questions covering information and themes from the entire semester.
Class Participation (Including Discussion Group Leadership)
As this is an upper level course, a key component of the class is the ability to
synthesize and critically evaluate academic material. In order to do that each
student will need to complete and consider all of the readings prior to class.
4
Starting in the sixth week of class, a small group of students (generally two or
three), will take leadership of discussion for that class meeting. This discussion
will focus on two areas. The first area is the academic reading for that day; the
student group will need to summarize and generate discussion on the assigned
reading. The second area is a student-provided survey or public opinion story;
the student group will need to identify and provide a survey or a public opinion
related story from The New York Times. Students in the discussion leadership
group will need to submit their summary, discussion questions and public
opinion article as a single document to the professor prior to class. During the
discussion group’s presentation, students are expected to actively participate
and the instructor will keep track of those students that are active. Full
instructions will be provided.
Related to the discussion leadership assignment, I expect each student to
actively read The New York Times, specifically focusing on the coverage of public
opinion. The print version of the newspaper is freely available to students at a
variety of campus locations (the paper is available online as well). As the paper
is closest thing that the United States has to a national newspaper it will give
the class current common material with which to discuss. When we discuss in
class, I expect students to reference specific stories relating to public opinion as
a way to improve the quality of discussion.
Any other small written assignments will be added to this portion of the grade.
While attendance will not be taken in this class, a strong class participation
grade (B or higher) is not possible without consistent attendance and
participation throughout the semester.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Late Papers
Late papers will be accepted for one week after the due date. Each day late will
result in a deduction of ten points. Under extreme cases, extensions without
penalties will be offered, but they must be approved by the instructor in
advance. Any concerns about completing assignments should be addressed with
instructor as early as possible.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Submitting Assignments
Assignments will only be accepted as single sided printed copies. Late papers
should be emailed as soon as possible with paper copies delivered the next class
period. Electronic copies will only be accepted as proof of completing the
assignment on time. Electronic copies will not be graded and should be followed
up quickly with paper copies.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Instructor Expectations
5
The instructor expects all students to come to class having completed and
considered the readings. Students should attend all class sessions, pay attention
to the lectures and actively participate in any small group discussions/activities.
Students are expected to complete the written assignments by their respective
deadlines. In order to achieve a satisfactory grade, the instructor expects that
student will need to devote 10-12 hours a week of out of class course work.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Student Expectations
Students should expect the instructor to be prepared for each class period with
a clear and defined lesson plan. The instructor will grade all papers equitably
and as promptly as possible (generally 1-2 weeks). The instructor will be
available during pre-set office hours and also by appointment. All students will
be treated with respect and concern. Under those exceedingly rare occasions
where conflicts cannot be solved between the instructor and the student, the
matter will be referred to the departmental coordinator or the division head.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Readings and Assignments
The schedule of the course and the readings from the primary text are listed
below. Additional readings may be added during the course and will be posted
on Angel. Please note that this is the expected schedule of the course but
changes may be necessary at a later date.
Week 1: What is Public Opinion?
1/14: Introduction, a Survey and Public Opinion
1/16: The Idea of Public Opinion
E & T Chap. 1
Week 2: Polling
1/21: The Nature of Survey Research
WKB Intro and Chap. 1 (A)
1/23: Polling and the Public
E & T Chap. 2
Asher Chap. 1 (A)
Week 3: Surveys—Creation and Use Part 1
1/28: The Survey Process
WKB Chap. 2 (A)
1/30: Sampling Procedures and Techniques
Asher Chap. 4 (A)
WKB Chap. 3, particularly pgs. 48-73 (A)
Week 4: Surveys—Creation and Use Part 2
6
2/4: Questionnaire Construction
WKB Chap. 4 (A)
Asher Chap. 3 (A)
2/6: Designing Surveys
WKB Chap. 6 and 7 (A)
Week 5: Surveys—Creation and Use Part 3
2/11: Evaluating Surveys and Interpreting Surveys
WKB Chap. 16 (A)
2/13: Evaluating Surveys and Interpreting Surveys
Asher Chap. 8 (A)
Rough Draft of Survey Questions Due
Week 6: Micro Level Opinions
2/18 Micro Level Opinion
E & T Chap. 3
DLG 1
2/20- No Class, Instructor Absence for an Academic Conference
Week 7: Nonattitudes and Macrolevel Opinions
2/25: Nonattitudes
Bishop Chaps. 2 and 3 (A)
Final Draft of Survey Questions Due
DLG 2
2/27: Macro Level Opinions
E & T Chap. 4
DLG 3
Week 8: Survey Creation and Political Socialization
3/4: In Class Survey Creation Workshop
3/6: Political Socialization
E& T Chap. 5
Jennings & Niemi 1968 (A)
DLG 4
3/11 and 3/13: No Class Spring Break
Week 9: Opinion Stability and Tolerance
3/18: Opinion and Stability
E & T Chap. 6
DLG 5
3/20: Tolerance and Democracy
Sullivan, Pierson and Marcus, Chapters. 3, 4 and 9 (A)
DLG 6
7
Week 10: Group Differences and the Media
3/25: Group Differences
E & T Chap. 7
16 Ways (A)
DLG 7
3/27: Media and Opinions
E & T Chap. 8
DLG 8
Week 11: The Media and Polling
4/1: In Class Paper Writing and Analysis Workshop
4/3: Elections and Control
E & T Chap. 9
DLG 9
Week 12: Democratic Performance and Dynamic Representation
4/8: Democratic Performance
E & T Chap. 10
DLG 10
4/10: Democratic Performance and Dynamic Representation
E & T Chap. 11
Stimson, Erikson and MacKuen (A)
DLG 11
Week 13: Gay Marriage and TBD
4/15: Gay Marriage and Gay Rights
Pew 2013 (A)
Craig, Martinez and Kane (A)
Dyck and Pearson-Merkowitz (A)
DLG 12
4/17: Topic TBD/Makeup Day
Week 14: Final Paper Presentations
4/22: Paper Presentations 1
Final Paper Due in Class
4/24: Paper Presentations 2
Week 15: Final Paper Presentations
4/29: Paper Presentations 3
5/1: Paper Presentations 4 (if needed) and Final Exam Review
Final Exam: Thursday, May 8th, 10:10-12:00PM