American Political Institutions

GOVT 3362
Professor Brunell Class meets Tue/Thur 9:30-10:45
Phone: 972-883-4963 Classroom: GR 2.302
tbrunell@utdallas.edu Webpage: www.utdallas.edu/~tbrunell
Office : GR 3.818 office hours: T/Th 11 am – 12 noon.

TA INFORMATION: Liz Norell is a Ph.D. student in the political science department

and we are lucky to have her as the teaching assistant for this class. If you have questions
about the class or the material feel free to visit her in her office (GR 3.314) during her
office hours: Monday from 1-2 and Tuesday from 3-4. The phone number in her office is
972-883-6253.

This class is a survey of the national political institutions in America. Typically when we
think of institutions we start with Congress, the Presidency, and the Courts. However,
social scientists use the term institutions in a rather broad sense. The Electoral College is
an institution, primary elections are an institution. It is best to think of institutions not
necessarily as a physical place, but rather a set or rules or norms that guide collective
action. We are going to cover the Electoral College, primary elections, the Supreme
Court, the initiative process, and political polarization in America. The readings are
relatively hard in my opinion, so be prepared to read a lot and be challenged by the
material.

Students are also (strongly) encouraged to read the newspaper each day. Only by being
informed can you make sound judgments about political topics of the day. My
encouragement to read the paper is enforced by including some current events questions
on the exams. The New York Times & the Wall Street Journal are two of the best papers
published today – you can subscribe to one of them; read it free on the internet
(www.nytimes.com, www.wsj.com); or read them in the current periodicals room at the
library. Students are required to check the page for the class via WebCT. I will send out
reminders and any changes via email within the WebCT program. It is your
responsibility to make sure you get and read these messages.

Grading
There will be two examinations and one paper (6-8 pages); the midterm will be worth 30
percent of your final grade, the paper is worth 30 percent, and the final exam is worth 30
percent. The final 10 percent of your grade will come from participating in the online
discussion of class material on WebCT. You are required to post four (4) separate
comments of at least 250 words that will be graded. I encourage you to post as many
comments as you like, but only 4 are required and will be graded. If you are posting a
comment just for intellectual sake and not for a grade be sure to indicate that at the top of
the message (perhaps write DO NOT GRADE). Attendance will not be taken, however
you should absolutely make every effort to come to every class.
WebCT
We will be using WebCT to record grades, send out emails about the course, and conduct
discussion sections. If you do not know how to use WebCT you need to learn! The page
is webct.utdallas.edu. You login with the same name and password as for your UTD
email.

Students with verified excuses for missing the midterm can take a make up exam
during the last week of classes. Make up exams will be comprised entirely of essay
questions (i.e. the make up exam may be very different from the original exam). Papers
will be graded down 5 percent for each day, or fraction of a day, that it is late (this
includes weekends).

Letter grades are assigned as follows:

Grading Scale:
100-97=A+ 87-89=B+ 77-79=C+ 67-69=D+
93-96=A 83-86=B 73-76=C 63-66=D Below 60=F
90-92=A- 80-82=B- 70-72=C- 60-62=D-

Academic honesty
Cheating will not be tolerated in this class. Students who cheat on an exam or plagiarize
a paper will fail the course. If you have any questions as to what constitutes plagiarism
consult the Student Bulletin or the instructor. Students agree that by taking this course all
required papers might be subject to submission for textual similarity review to
Turnitin.com (or its equivalent).

Required Texts

There are five required textbooks for the class, all of which are available at the bookstore
(listed below). We will refer to the books by the first author’s last name in the rest of the
syllabus. We will also be reading other articles that will be available on-line throughout
the semester. The reading load is relatively heavy in this class, if you prefer a lighter
reading load you should take a different class.

Culture War (2nd Edition) by Morris Fiorina

What the Electoral College is Bad for America by George Edwards
Congressional Primaries edited by Galderisi, Ezra, and Lyons
Crafting Law on the Supreme Court by Maltzman, Spriggs, and Wahlbeck
Stealing the Initiative by Gerber, Lupia, McCubbins, and Kiewiet

Week 1 (Jan 10-12)

Introduction & Constitution

Week 2 (Jan 17)

The Presidency & Electoral College
Read Edwards first half
NO CLASS ON JANUARY 19th
Week 3 (Jan 24-26)
The Presidency & Electoral College, Cont.
Read Edwards second half

Week 4 (Jan 31- Feb 2)

Primary Elections
Read Galderisi Ch. 1-5

Week 5 (Feb 7-9)

Primary Elections Continued
Read Galderisi Ch 6-10

Week 6 (Feb 14-16)

Congress and the President

Week 7 (Feb 21-23)

Feb 23: MIDTERM IN CLASS

Week 8 (Feb 28- March 2 )

Initiatives and Referenda
Read first half of Gerber et al

Week 9 (March 7-9)

NO CLASS SPRING BREAK

Week 10 (March 14-16)

Initiatives and Referenda continued
Read second half of Gerber et al

Week 11 (March 21-23)

Federal Courts
Read Maltzman Ch 1-2

Week 12 (March 28-30)

Supreme Court Ch 3-4

Week 13 (April 4-6)

Supreme Court Ch 5-6

Week 14 (April 11-13)

Polarization in America
Read first half of Fiorina

Week 15 (April 18-20)

Read second half of Fiorina and online papers

Final Exam
8:00am Thursday, April 27 GR 2.302