PLS
304: Political Parties and Interest Groups
GVSU / Winter 2007
Office hours: Tuesday / Thursday
Website: http://www4.gvsu.edu/dendulkk
E-mail: dendulkk@gvsu.edu
Phone: 331-2991
This course explores the
place of political parties and interest groups in American politics. Both types of organizations are frequently
objects of scorn and derision, but they are just as often seen as central
ingredients in making American democracy work.
We will try to explain this apparent ambivalence by focusing on the key
features of both types of political organization, their impact on the political
system, and how their importance has waxed and waned over the course of
American history. We will also look at
some contemporary efforts at political reform that may have important
implications for parties and interest groups.
Both types of political
organization attempt to mobilize citizens in pursuit of political goals, but
parties and interest groups differ in structure, functions, historical
development, and favored strategies. In
the parties section of the course, we will explore the reasons for two-party
government, the importance of parties to voters and candidates for political
office, and the role of parties in influencing the policy-making process. In the section on interest groups, we will
distinguish interest groups from parties, examine group formation and
strategies, and consider several case studies of interest group participation
in politics.
The following required
texts are available for purchase at the University Book Store or Brian’s Books.
Other readings will be available online
or via course e-reserve.
(1)
White and
Shea, New Party Politics, 2nd ed.
(2)
I’m happy to meet with
any of you during office hours, by appointment, or via email. You should also consult the course website
for suggestions about readings, exams, assignments, etc. If you would like extra help with writing, I strongly
encourage you to make use of the
The course website is http://www4.gvsu.edu/dendulkk/pls304/pls304.htm. The site contains copies of most of the
materials distributed in class, written assignment descriptions, and exam prep
aids.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS
Your grade for the course
is determined by your performance in three areas: a midterm exam, two written
assignments, and participation. Failure to complete any single requirement
will result in a failing grade for the course. Deadlines are etched in stone, except in
documented cases of very serious illness, family emergencies, or other
occurrences that are both dire and unavoidable. Exams and papers will be penalized a full
letter grade for each day they are late.
(1)
EXAM: There will be a midterm exam, worth 30% of the final grade.
(2)
PAPERS: There are two written assignments, the first worth 20 % and the
second worth 30% of your final grade. Details
are appended .
(3)
PARTICIPATION: This course demands your active and serious participation
(15%). This means two things:
a.
Attend. Students who miss more than three sessions
during the semester will generally lose their participation points. Barring unavoidable and dire circumstances,
students should also be in class on time and stay for the duration of
our sessions, and they should not listen to music, read unrelated material, or
surf the net while class is in session.
And please turn off cell phones before class begins!
b.
Ask questions
and make arguments. You’ll find plenty of opportunities to
participate during presentations, simulations, the Blackboard discussion list,
and ordinary class sessions. I realize
that speaking in public is intimidating for some of you, but now is your chance
to take the plunge while the water is warm.
Academic dishonesty is a
serious issue, and plagiarism – the failure to give credit to others for their
words or ideas – is particularly tempting in this course. Any instance of academic dishonesty
will result in a failing grade for the assignment and, at my discretion,
failure of the course and notification of the Dean. There is an enormous price to your reputation
and integrity for such acts of stupidity, and it will likely dog you for years
to come. If you have questions about
what counts as academic misconduct, talk to me or consult GVSU’s Student Code (http://www.gvsu.edu/students/student-code.pdf),
especially Article II, Sect. 223.
OUTLINE OF THE COURSE AND READING SCHEDULE
I.
Introduction
to Political Parties: Goals, Functions, and Historical Development
·
Why political
parties? (January 9, 11)
o
Madison, Federalist Papers,
#10; Washington,
Farewell Address; Jefferson,
First Inaugural Address (all online)
o
White/Shea,
Chapter 1, entire
·
Why these political parties? Why not third
parties? (January 16, 18, 23)
o
White/Shea,
Chapter 2, entire; Chapter 3, 64-87; Chapter 10, entire
·
Party
decline? Resurgence? Polarization (a.k.a., Red and Blue America)?
(January 25)
o
Rauch,
“Bipolar Disorder,” The Atlantic Monthly (e-reserve);
Handouts given in class
II.
Parties in
the Electoral Process
·
Do parties
matter to voters? (January 30, February 1)
o
White / Shea,
Chapter 6, entire
·
Do parties
matter to candidates in election campaigns? (February 6, 8)
o
White / Shea,
Chapter 4, entire; “The Hidden Network,” Campaigns
and Elections (e-reserve)
·
Special
issue: What’s so controversial about the role of parties in campaign finance?
(February 13, 15)
o
White / Shea,
Chapter 8, entire
III.
Parties in
Government
·
How do
parties attempt to influence the president? Congress? Bureaucracy?
Courts? (February 20, 22, 27)
o
White / Shea,
Chapter 9, entire
I.
The
Mobilization of “Interest”: Group Formation and Maintenance
·
What explains
the role of interest groups in American politics? (March 13, 15)
o
·
How do groups
address the “collective action” problem?
How do they maintain themselves over time? (March 20, 22)
o
Olson, From Logic of Collective Action (e-reserve)
o
II.
Strategies and
Effectiveness of Interest Groups
·
What
strategies do groups use to influence elections? (March 27)
o
Hernnson,
“Interest Groups and Campaigns: The Electoral Connection” (e-reserve)
·
What
strategies do groups use to influence government, and are they effective? (March 29, April 1, 5)
o
Green and
Bigelow, “The Christian Right Goes to
o
III.
Case Studies:
Reports of Group Projects (April 10, 12, 17)
IV.
Conclusions
(April 19)
You must complete both
of the following written assignments.
READ THE INSTRUCTIONS CAREFULLY.
For important
information about style, citation, and other matters that I consider in
assessing student papers, please visit http://www4.gvsu.edu/dendulkk/papers.htm.
The Center for Responsive Politics, through its
website at www.opensecrets.org,
tracks the relationship of money and politics in many of its forms. Browse through its breakdown of donations to
parties at the following site: http://www.opensecrets.org/parties/index.asp. Take note of the top four or five sectors,
industries, and individuals that have given to each of the major parties in the
past election cycle. Now look at the
Center’s analysis of what it calls “payback,” i.e., instances where elected
officials make policy consistent with the demands of top donors. Go to http://www.opensecrets.org/payback/index.asp
and choose an issue from the list on the right.
(NOTE: It is acceptable to choose an issue other than those on the list,
but please let me know in advance of writing the paper.) Read the Center’s description of the issue,
paying special attention to the political parties’ positions on the
matter. You will also want to consult other sources as well, such as media
discussions of the issue, party platforms (summary handed out in class), or party websites (links at the course
site). Use the various resources of
opensecrets.org, especially “Industries,” “PACs,” and other trends under the
Who Gives tab, and take note of major contributors with a stake in your issue
area.
In light of the
information you collect from the website and elsewhere, explain in NO MORE
THAN FOUR DOUBLE-SPACED pages whether you think there really has been “payback”
to powerful donors for the issue you’ve chosen.
Address the following in your paper:
·
First,
describe the issue, the parties’ positions, and the basic trends in giving.
·
Second,
describe any direct correlations between donations to one or both parties and
the parties’ treatment of the issue.
·
Third,
explain whether you think “payback” or some alternative perspective best
explains any correlations.
·
Fourth,
discuss whether you think the recent campaign finance law (a.k.a.,
McCain-Feingold or the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act) has any implications for
your findings.
(Just for fun, you can
also look up the donation amounts of people who’ve given to campaigns and/or
parties in the last few years. Try your
rich uncle or a favorite entertainer. Go
to http://www.opensecrets.org/indivs/index.asp
and type in, for example, “hanks, t” and you’ll see where Tom Hanks has been
spending his pocket change. Despite my
own giving in the past, you won’t find your professor’s name listed here, so no
use trying it. I have ways of hiding my
contributions from prying eyes.)
DUE February 8 (in class)
Each of you will take
part in a project in the second half of the semester in which you will design a
new interest group with your fellow students.
This paper asks you to compare and contrast your interest group with
others that focus on the same issue. In
no more than SIX double-spaced pages, respond to the following:
·
First, choose
two real-world interest groups – one mostly supportive of your group’s
position, the other mostly opposed.
Briefly describe them.
·
Second,
discuss how these groups address the “collective action problem” and why they
choose this approach, and then compare their approaches to your own
group’s. Do you think your group would
be more or less successful at developing and maintaining itself than the
real-world organizations? Why or why
not?
·
Third,
discuss what these organizations do in terms of political strategies and
tactics. Why do they choose these
tactics? How are they similar or
different from the approach your group took to political advocacy? Do you think they are more or less
influential than your group would be?
Why?
The best papers will also
critically engage the arguments in
DUE: April 25,