- The Politics of Congress

Catalog description

The U.S. Congress is often considered the 'First Branch" of the federal government, and by its construction is easily the most complex. In this course we will consider the politics that underlie the development and operation of the contemporary Congress, detail the legislative process and its organization. We will consider how various institutions such as parties, committees, and procedures help legislators reach their goals and help solve problems such as collective action, voting cycles, and ambition. While we begin by looking at Congress at its inception and the electoral goals of members, the course will quickly move to the development of these institutions and in the early Twentieth Century (pre-1974) and their use today. Over the course of the semester, we will apply our institutional study of Congress to current events and through a multi-week simulation of the legislative process. Since many of the readings make use of existing quantitative data and existing research prior experience with this type of material is recommended.