POL 365 TuTh 11:10 111MaharProfessor Bruce Altschuler

U.S. Political PartiesFall 2011

Many commentators have spoken of the decline of American political parties. Compared to parties in most other democracies, they appear weak; lacking a large dues paying membership, an active visible organization, a clearly articulated program, and a way of ensuring that office holders elected under their label follow that program. At the same time, there have been such major changes as televised campaign events and advertisements, huge increases in the cost of campaigns, the decline of the traditional party “machine,” the growth of campaign consultants, the development of the internet and increases in independent and ticket splitting voters. Yet a growing number of scholars believe that, by adapting to these changes, American parties are in the process of emerging with new strength. This course will try to make sense out of this, looking at the current functioning of political parties. We will examine the role parties ought to play so as to evaluate both how well the current parties are doing and suggested reforms.

American parties can be seen in different guises. There is the party organization which is what most of us picture when we think of the political party. But there is also the party in the electorate, that is those voters who consider themselves Democrats or Republicans even if they neither attend meetings nor pay dues. And there is the party in government, which may or may not carry out the promises made during the campaign. These three aspects of the political party and the connections between them will constitute the subject matter of this course.

REQUIRED TEXTS

1. Marjorie Randon Hershey, Party Politics in America, Fourteenth Edition, Longman, 2011.

2. Stephen K. Medvic (ed.), New Directions in Campaigns and Elections, Routledge, 2011.

3. Bruce E. Altschuler, “Selecting Presidential Nominees by National Primary: An Idea Whose Time Has Come?” The Forum: Vol. 5 (2008). This article can be downloaded for free at:

COURSE OUTLINE AND READING ASSIGNMENTS

I. Introduction

A. What Parties Do: Hershey Chap. 1

B. The American Party System: Hershey pp. 26-37, 117-121 and 129-136

II. Party Organization

A. The National Party: Hershey Chap. 4

B. State and Local Parties: Hershey Chap. 3 and Medvic Chaps. 7 and 13

C. Third Parties: Hershey pp. 37-44

D. Party Activists: Hershey Chap. 5

III. Voters and Non-voters

A. Voter Turnout: Hershey Chap. 8 and Medvic Chap. 6

B. Party Identification: Hershey Chap. 6 and pp. 121-129 and Medvic Chap. 10

IV. Election Campaigns

A. Election Laws and Procedures: Hershey Chap. 9 and Medvic Chaps. 1 and 14

B. Presidential Selection

1. Getting the nomination: Hershey Chap. 10 and Altschuler

2. The general election: Medvic Chap. 12

C. Running for Office

1. Campaign strategy: Hershey pp. 198-202, 204-215 and Medvic Chaps. 3 and 11

2. The media: Hershey pp. 202-204 and Medvic Chaps. 5 and 9

3. Interest groups and money: Hershey Chap. 12 and Medvic Chaps. 2 and 8

V. Party in Government

A. The Legislature: Hershey Chap. 13

B. Responsible Parties: Hershey Chap. 15

C. President and Courts: Hershey Chap. 14

VI. The Future: Hershey Chap. 16

GRADES

Grades will be assigned based on the following:

1. EXAMS. There will be two essay examinations. The mid-term will count for 25% of your grade; the final for 30%. The final exam is scheduled for Dec. 13 at 10:30.

2. PAPER. Each student will write a paper. Details will be given out in a separate handout that will be distributed later in the semester. This paper will count for 25% of your grade.

3. CLASS PARTICIPATION. During the first class each week I will ask if anyone has read anything interesting about political parties in the news. Your article can be from a newspaper, magazine or the internet but must be relevant to the course. All you need to do is give a brief summary of the article (but do not read it to us), tell us why you found it interesting, then give your opinion about it. Each student must present AT LEAST THREE ARTICLES during the semester. I hope that this will make the course a bit more fun as it gives you the opportunity to discuss topics of interest to you and to connect the course material to important current events.

In addition there will be regular class discussion of the course material. I expect every student to keep up to date on the reading and will ask questions about it. In order to ensure that everyone has a chance to participate, I will call on students whether or not they volunteer.

Because class participation of these two types will count for 20% of your grade, attendance is mandatory. Missing a significant number of classes will reduce your participation grade.

My office is 123 Mahar (phone 3451). Office hours are TuTh 2-3 and Wed. 1-3. I encourage you to stop in to see me if you have problems, want to discuss anything related to the course, or simply want to talk about something you feel is important such as a political event, careers in political science, other courses etc. If you want to ask me a brief question, email works very well (my address is ) and you don’t have to worry about whether I am in my office when you think of the question.

If you have a disabling condition that may interfere with your ability to successfully complete this course, please contact the Disability Services Office.

SUNY Oswego is committed to intellectual integrity. Any form ofintellectual dishonesty is a serious concern and therefore prohibited. The full policy can be found at