Professor Wattier's POL 480 Course Syllabus (2004 Version)

Update Notice: Study Guide for first examination has been added!!!

 

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Department: Government, Law, and International Affairs

Course Number: POL 480 Credit Hours: 3 Semester: Fall, 2004

I.  Title: Topical Seminar--Presidential Elections

II. Instructor: Mark J. Wattier

Office: 5A-9FH

Telephone: 762-2695

E-mail: Mark.Wattier@MurrayState.Edu 

Office hours:

III. Class location and meeting times: 12:30 - 1:20 am MWF in FH-500

IV.  Catalog description: Inquiry into selected topics and problems in the field of political science.  May be repeated for a maximum of six hours provided topics vary.

V.   Purpose: POL 480 is a course on presidential elections with an emphasis on the 2004 contest.  Its purpose is to help citizens understand, and participate in, the presidential election process.  

VI.  Course objectives: This course has several specific learning objectives.

  1. To provide you knowledge of the essential aspects of presidential campaigns;
  2. To encourage you to participate in this year's campaign;
  3. To review the range of academic and journalistic source material on campaigns; 
  4. To provide you conceptual skills with which to analyze the 2004 campaign.

VII. Course outline

Course Introduction: 8/25

I.  Presidential Fever

II.  Forecasting the Outcome of the 2004 Presidential Election

Required Readings:  

Suggested Readings--Forecasting Models in 2004:

Suggested Readings--Forecasting Models in 2000:

III.  The Research Paper

In addition to the links in other sections of the syllabus, please consult some of the following sites.  To access some you may need to register (e.g., NYT and Washington Post). 

Suggested articles include:

IV.  The Candidates and Their Convention Speeches

  1. The Overview 
  2. John Kerry Speaks
  3. Kerry's Big Speech
  4. Strong Show of 'Strength'
  5. Tender Stories
  6. Democratic Convention Generally Well Received 
  7. A Speech Without Wings
  8. After Convention Kerry Catches Up with Bush 
  9. Online NewsHour:  Terence Smith on the Democratic National Convention 
  10. Democratic Convention 2004 

 

  1. Bush Planning August Attack Against Kerry
  2. GOP Prism Distorts Some Kerry Positions
  3. Bush Promises to Offer Detailed Plans at Convention 
  4. Bush Outlines Plan for a 2nd Term and Attacks Kerry's Record
  5. GOP Convention 2004  
  6. Social Conservatives Wield Influence on Platform
  7. GOP Convention 'Leadership' Theme Plays to Bush's Strength
  8. Cheney and G.O.P. Mount Vigorous Assault on Kerry
  9. A Speech That Delivered the Goods
  10. Bush Gets Small Convention Bounce 
  11. New Poll Shows Bush Bounce Fading
  12. Bush Bounce Keeps on Going
  13. $3 Trillion Price Tag Left Out as Bush Details his Agenda
  1. Edwards is No Cheney--And That's the Plan 
  2. Cheney's Popularity at New Low 
  3. Edwards Fields Questions on Vice-Presidential Nomination
  4. Kerry Embraces Former Rival, Citing "Courage and Conviction"

    

More Places to Visit for the Research Paper: 

 

 

9/6:  Classes dismissed for Labor Day

Visit:

The Strategic Environment:  Voters

Read:  

Visit: 

The Strategic Environment:  Groups

Read:  P & W, Chap. 2

Party Coalitions

 

The Strategic Environment:  Rules and Resources

Read:  P & W, Chap. 3

 

First Examination:  Study Guide with Examination Dates ( P & W, Chaps. 1 -3) and Scott Morgan's Essay[PDF]

Sequences:  The Nomination Process

Read:  P & W, Chap. 4

Suggested Readings:

Sequences:  The Campaign

Read:  

The Campaign:  Debates

The Campaign:  Public Opinion Polls

The Campaign:  Issues

The Campaign:  Ad Wars

  1. Wolves (a "killer" ad?)
Ad Wars--Suggested Readings:  

 

The Campaign:  News Coverage, Films, and other Campaign Communications

Election Results and Interpretations

Election Special Editions

Editorials

Studies by Scholars

Public Opinion Polls 

The 2004 Election Mandate?


The "Field" for 2008?

12/15:  Second Examination:  Study Guide (P & W, Chaps. 4 & 5; assigned readings, films, New York Times articles, documentaries, and class discussions)

Oral Presentations:

Term Paper Due:  12/10 during class (see late policy)

Make-Up Examinations: 12/9 (starting at 2:00 p.m.)

VIII. Instructional activities: We shall study presidential elections in multiple ways, including but not limited to lectures, class discussions, reports, assigned readings, films, and web sites.

IX. Field and clinical experiences: Some, provided a campaign event occcurs nearby.

X. Resources: Course resources include an instructor with over twenty years experience, excellent reading and viewing materials, and students ready, willing, and able to have fun while learning.

XI. Grading procedures

Course grade: The course grade is based on the accumulation of points from course requirements--two examinations (100 points each), a campaign research paper (100 points), class participation (80 points), and class attendance (40 points).  Points will be added and course grades assigned on the basis of the following table:   

Grade Point Range
A 449 - 500
B 399 - 448
C 349 - 398
D 299 - 348
E 00 - 298

Examinations: This course has two in-class, essay examinations. Each examination will cover only the assigned reading and lecture material for each unit of the course. In other words, the tests are not comprehensive, although each test will cover its unit comprehensively. Each examination will have three major sections: (1) concept identification, (2) conceptual distinctions, and (3) an analytical essay.   

Make-up examinations: Each student is expected to take examinations on the regularly scheduled day (see examination dates in the course outline). If an examination cannot be taken on the scheduled day, the instructor must be notified in writing at least twenty-four hours before the examination. If you follow this procedure, you may take a make-up examination, which will be similar to the missed examination, on Thursday, December 9.  If you do not follow this procedure, you may take a make-up examination without any choice of topics on the same day. Make-up examinations will only be given on December 9, which means that if you miss more than one examination you will take more than one make-up on December 9. If you miss both the regularly scheduled examination and its make-up, a grade of E will be assigned the examination(s) in question. Exceptions to these policies will only be granted when extremely extenuating circumstances are evident.

Term Paper:  This course requires a term paper. This paper should compare the 2004 campaign with at least one other presidential campaign since 1960.  The term paper must follow a standard format. If you are not familiar with a standard format, consult either a manual such as Turabian, A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses, and Dissertations or the Bibliography Styles Handbook on the World Wide Web at:

http://www.english.uiuc.edu/cws/wworkshop/bibliostyles.htm  

The term paper must be typed; no hand-written ones will be accepted. A recommended minimum length is 15 pages.  The paper should be your own work (see Statement on Plagiarism [PDF]) and be well written (see The Write Stuff [PDF]).

The paper is due on Friday, December 10, during class. Late papers will be penalized 15 points each day the paper is late.  The paper is worth 100 points.  Exceptionally well researched and well written papers may receive additional points.  See more specific guidelines for the paper in the campaign research section.  

Oral presentation:  Students will make an oral presentation of their term paper on one of the scheduled "presentation days" at the end of the semester.  Non-presenters are expected to attend class.  Non-presenters also are expected to ask questions.  The oral presentation is worth 80 points.  Students who do make an oral presentation will receive no points on this course requirement.   

Class participation: Students are expected to participate in class.  Class participation should center in the assigned reading material.  Students who ask and answer questions based on this material will sign a class participation sheet.  Students are expected to participate successfully at least four times (i.e., to earn 80 points) during the semester.  Class participation is worth 20 points for each recorded act of participation.  

XII. Attendance policy: Students are expected to attend class.  Class attendance will be recorded with a sign-in sheet.  Class attendance is worth 40 points (1 point for each class).  If you miss a day or the sign-in sheet write a brief note on the next day's sheet explaining the absence.  

XIII. Textbook: The textbooks are Presidential Elections, by Polsby and Wildavsky, and Deadlines Past, by Mears. Many other reading assignments will be available in PDF format.  

XIV. Prerequisites: None.

XV. Academic Dishonesty policy--This policy is posted in each classroom in the Business Building and also is available at Academic Dishonesty (PDF).