U.S. Campaigns and Elections

Catalog description

This course is an introduction to the processes and impact of political campaigns. Our primary goal over the next several weeks is to systematically examine elections in the United States. We will act as social science researchers to answer some interesting questions: What is the role of voters, campaigns and elections in a democracy? Why are campaigns and elections important in a democracy? We will examine in detail how voters decide to choose a representative. We will examine election campaigns, focusing specifically on whether campaigns matter, how they can be studied systematically, and how candidates strategize in modern elections. Prerequisite: POL 241 or POL 243 .