Dr. Michael W. Frank
POSC 3140 - 3 hrs.
Semester II, 2008-2009
Why do people vote the way they do? Do people choose candidates based mostly on party? Or do they fully consider the issues before they vote? Are their votes more rational or more emotional? Why do some people vote while others don't? What factors affect whether someone votes? Is it more of a personal decision or an institutional one? Can the system be reformed to increase turnout? Should it? How well-informed is the public? Does it matter? Can we accurately measure public opinion? What, exactly, is public opinion? Does it have any effect on what government does? Should it?
This course addresses those questions by examining public opinion, political participation, and voting behavior. It is designed to introduce you to the main theoretical, substantive, and methodological trends in political behavior. The course focuses mainly on the individual-level behavior of citizens in the United States and its implications for aggregate behavior and the political system as a whole. The field of political behavior is primarily empirical and quantitative and much of the research involves methodological issues (e.g., research design, measurement, and statistical techniques). Some of the readings for this course use statistical methods or formal models with which you are currently unfamiliar. We will try to make sense of the methods used and come to understand their strengths and weaknesses as they pertain to the substantive question at hand.
Take some time to familiarize yourself with this web site. The links to the left provide you with some basic information about the course: the texts, the course objectives, the requirements, and the class schedule. You will also find information about my policies, how I grade, how to contact me, and what I expect in terms of your writing.
If you are an athlete who has athletic events that conflict with this class, please come see me during the first week of classes so that I am aware of them and you understand how that might affect your performance in the class.
If you have a special problem that might affect your performance in the class, please come see me during the first week of classes. Appropriate arrangements can be made to work closely with the Office of Disabled Student Services or a tutor.
Last Modified: 01/15/09