Government 30: American Government—A New Perspective

(Spring 2007)-
Course Description
This course examines the increasingly significant role that electoral pressures and the permanent
campaign play in the workings of American government. Although the course serves as an
introduction to American government, it also shows how well established institutions have been
altered by modern politics.

Meeting Time/Location
The class meets for lectures twice weekly, Mondays and Wednesdays, at 11:00 am in CGIS S010
(the Tsai Auditorium). Mandatory discussion sections will meet once a week (times and rooms to
be announced).

Sectioning
Sectioning will be conducted online, starting on Friday, February 2nd and ending at 1pm on
Wednesday, February 7thth. Sections will start meeting on Wednesday, February 7th. Section
assignments will be emailed to you and posted on the course web site. To section, follow the
directions posted at: http://www.registrar.fas.harvard.edu/section/instructions_student.html

Readings
All readings on the syllabus are required. Students are expected to keep up to date with current
political events by reading a national newspaper (e.g. the New York Times, Wall Street Journal,
Washington Post) each day. Assigned books are on reserve at Hilles and Lamont Libraries;
assigned articles and chapters have been compiled in a sourcebook that is available for purchase at
Gnomon Copy (1304 Mass. Ave.) and on reserve. The following books are available online or at
the Harvard Coop:

Fiorina, Morris and Paul Peterson, The New American Democracy, 5th Edition (Longman,
2006). [be sure to purchase the FIFTH EDITION because other editions do not include
material that we will be covering in this course…]

Hamilton, Madison, Jay, The Federalist Papers. [also available online at several websites, including:
memory.loc.gov/const/fed/fedpapers.html.]

National Commission on Terrorist Attacks, The 9/11 Commission Report: Final Report of the
National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States (2004). [available
online at: www.9-11commission.gov]

Website
There is a course website: www.courses.fas.harvard.edu/~gov 30. Materials posted on the site
include the course syllabus, section lists, links to course readings in the public domain, and essay
assignments.

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 Government 30
Introduction to American Government
Spring 2007
Course Requirements
Two papers (5-7 pages each) on topics to be assigned; due in class March 14 and April 30 (Each
counts for 20% of your final grade.)

Final Exam (40%)

Section attendance and participation (20%)

Instructors
Professor D. Sunshine Hillygus
Email: hillygus@fas.harvard.edu
Office Hours: Tuesdays 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM or by appointment
Office: CGIS North 306, 1737 Cambridge Street
Telephone: 617-496-4220

Professor Paul E. Peterson

*Note that Professor Peterson also holds an office at the John F. Kennedy School of
Government (Taubman 306) and appointments arranged outside the normal office hours listed
above could be made to meet at either office, schedule permitting. For appointments outside
normal office hours please contact Antonio Wendland by phone at (617) 495-7976 or by
emailing (preferred) pepg_administrator@ksg.harvard.edu

Teaching Fellows
Brian Feinstein [Head TF]
Email: bdfeinst@fas.harvard.edu
Office Hours: Monday 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM or by appointment
Location: CGIS North 426, 1737 Cambridge Street

Phil Jones
Email: pjones@fas.harvard.edu
Office Hours: Wednesday, 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM
Location: CGIS Café

Yanev Suissa
Email: ysuissa@law.harvard.edu
Office Hours: Wednesday, 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM
Location: CGIS Café

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 Government 30
Introduction to American Government
Spring 2007
Course Outline
January 31 (W): Introduction: Elections and American Democracy
Fiorina and Peterson, Ch. 1

February 5 (M): Creating a Constitutional Democracy

Roche, John, “The Founding Fathers: A Reform Caucus in Action,” American Political Science
Review (December, 1961)

Beard, Charles, “The Spirit of the Constitution,” in The Supreme Court and the Constitution
(1912)

The Constitution of the United States of America

The Federalist Papers, #10, #47, #48, #51

Fiorina and Peterson, Ch. 2

February 7 (W): The Courts

The Federalist Papers, #78 (#79-#81 are recommended)

Brennan, William, Jr., “Reading the Constitution as 20th-Century Americans”

Marbury v. Madison (1803)

Rosenberg, Gerald, The Hollow Hope, Ch. 1-2

Fiorina and Peterson, Ch. 15

February 12 (M): The American Political Tradition

Huntington, Samuel, American Politics: The Promise of Disharmony (1981), Ch. 2

Steinmo, Sven, “American Exceptionalism Reconsidered: Culture or Institutions?” in Dodd and

Fiorina and Peterson, Ch. 4

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 Government 30
Introduction to American Government
Spring 2007
February 14 (W): Federalism

The Federalist Papers #39, #45, #46

McCulloch v. Maryland (1819)

Derthick, Martha, “Up-to-Date in Kansas City: Reflections on American Federalism,”

Fiorina and Peterson, Ch. 3

February 19 (M): President’s Day [NO LECTURE]

February 21 (W): Civil Liberties

Lochner v. New York (1905)

Roe v. Wade (1973)

Planned Parenthood of Southeastern PA v. Casey (1992)

Bowers v. Hardwick (1986)

Lawrence v. Texas (2003)

Fiorina and Peterson, Ch. 16

February 26 (M): Civil Rights

Milliken v. Bradley (1974)

Regents of the University of California v. Bakke (1978)

Grutter v. Bollinger (2003)

Fiorina and Peterson, Ch. 17 (pp. 518-541)

February 28 (W): Public Opinion

Popkin, Samuel, The Reasoning Voter, pp. 1-17

Page, Benjamin and Robert Shapiro, “The Rational Public and Democracy,” in Marcus and
Hanson (eds.), Reconsidering the Democratic Public (1993)

Fiorina, Culture War?, Ch. 1-3

Fiorina and Peterson, Ch. 5

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 Government 30
Introduction to American Government
Spring 2007
March 5 (M): Political Participation

Rosenstone and Hansen, Mobilization, Participation, and Democracy in America, New York:
Macmillan Publishing Company, 1993, Ch 5

Democracy at Risk (2005) Brookings Institution Press 2005, “Electoral Processes” chapter

Adam Berinsky, The Perverse Consequences of Electoral Reform, American Politics Research, 2004.

Losing the Vote: The Impact of Felony Disenfranchisement Laws in the United States, 1998.

Fiorina and Peterson, Ch. 6

March 7 (W): Interest Groups

Re-read The Federalist Papers, #10

Skocpol, Theda, “Associations without Members” The American Prospect July-August 1999,
pp. 66-73.

Malbin, Wilcox, Rozell and Skinner, “New Interest Group Strategies: A Preview of Post McCain-
Feingold Politics?” Campaign Finance Institute report, 2002.

Brett M. Clifton. 2004. “Romancing the GOP: Assessing the Strategies Used the
Christian Coalition to Influence the Republican Party.” Party Politics, Vol. 10,
No. 5 (September): 475-98)

Fiorina and Peterson, Ch. 7

March 12 (M): Political Parties I

Sundquist, James, Dynamics of the Party System (1983), Ch. 2, 16

Adams, Greg, “Abortion: Evidence of an Issue Evolution,” American Journal of Political

Fiorina and Peterson, Ch. 8

March 14 (W): Political Parties [FIRST PAPER DUE]

Green, Palmquist, Schickler, Partisan Hearts and Minds, Chap. 1, 2

Rosenstone, Behr, and Lazarus. Third Parties in America, chapter 2

Abramowitz, Alan I. and Kyle L. Saunders. 1998. “Ideological Realignment in the U.S. Electorate.”
Journal of Politics 60(3):634-652.

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 Government 30
Introduction to American Government
Spring 2007
March 19 (M): The Media

Davis, Press and American Politics, Chapter 14

Patterson, Out of Order, Chapter 1

Cook, Timothy, and Lyn Ragsdale, “The President and the Press: Negotiating Newsworthiness at
the White House” in Michael Nelson, (ed.), The Presidency and the Political System, 5th
Edition (1998)

Fiorina and Peterson, Ch. 9

March 21 (W): Campaigns and Voter Decisions

Holbrook, Do Campaigns Matter? Chapters 1-2

Hillygus, D.S. and S. Jackman. 2003. “Voter Decision Making in Election 2000:
Campaign Effects, Partisan Activation, and the Clinton Legacy,” American Journal
of Political Science, 47(4): 583-596.

Fiorina and Peterson, Ch. 10 from “Voting Behavior in Presidential Elections” to end

March 24-April 1: Spring Break

April 2 (M): Congressional, State and Local Elections

Jacobson, The Politics of Congressional Elections, Ch 2-3, 5

Dubois, Philip L. 1984. "Voting Cues in Nonpartisan Trial Court Elections: A Multivariate
Assessment." Law & Society Review 18(3):395-436.

William F. Connelly Jr. (2006) "Wall vs. Wave?," The Forum: Vol. 4 : Iss. 3, Article 3

April 4 (W): Congressional Decision-making

Fenno, Richard, “If As Ralph Nader Says, Congress Is ‘The Broken Branch,’ How Come We
Love Our Congressmen So Much?” in Norman Ornstein (ed.), Congress in Change:
Evolution and Reform (1975)

Fiorina and Peterson, Ch. 12

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 Government 30
Introduction to American Government
Spring 2007
April 9 (M): Presidential Elections

Bartels, Larry, Presidential Primaries (1988), Ch. 1-2

The Federalist Papers, #68

Kimberling, William C., “The Electoral College”, Federal Election Commission Report

Fiorina and Peterson, Ch. 10 up to “Voting Behavior in Presidential Elections”

April 11 (W): The President in Office

Neustadt, Richard, Presidential Power (1990), Ch. 1, 3

Howell, William, Power Without Persuasion: The Politics of Direct Presidential Action (2003),
Ch. 1, Conclusion

Fiorina and Peterson, Ch. 13

April 16 (M): Patriot’s Day

No Meeting

April 18 (W): The Executive Branch and Domestic Policymaking

Fiorina and Peterson, Ch. 14

9/11 Commission Report, Ch. 1-6

Kaplan, Fred, “You Call That a Reform Bill?”, Slate (Posted December 7th, 2004)

April 23 (M): The Executive Branch and Foreign Policymaking

The Federalist Papers, #70

Youngstown Sheet & Tube Co. v. Sawyer (1952)

Wildavsky, Aaron, “The Two Presidencies,” in Wildavsky (ed.), The Presidency (1969)

Fiorina and Peterson, Ch. 20

9/11 Commission Report, Ch. 8, 11, 13

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 Government 30
Introduction to American Government
Spring 2007
April 25 (W): Social Policy

Gilens, Martin, Why Americans Hate Welfare (1999), Ch. 1

Campbell, Andrea Louise, “The Political Consequences of Program Design: The Case of Medicare”

Fiorina and Peterson, Ch. 18

April 30 (M): Economic Policy [SECOND PAPER DUE]

Fiorina and Peterson, Ch. 19

Laurence H. Meyer, “The Politics of Monetary Policy: Balancing Independence and Accountability,”
University of Wisconsin, LaCrosse (Remarks Made on October 24, 2000)

Jonathan Rauch, “Is the Deficit Really So Bad?,” Atlantic Monthly (February, 1989)

May 2 (W): Conclusion

The Permanent Campaign, Ch. 1 (Heclo)

Re-read Fiorina and Peterson, Ch. 1