Campaigns & Elections

Catalog description

The Campaigns and Elections course is an examination of modern American political campaigns, with a focus on the dramatic changes that have occurred in electoral politics in recent years. The course will have three distinct, but overlapping emphases: 1. The Strategic Campaign: How are campaigns carried on and managed? How should they be? What are the new technologies that have so drastically changed the nature of political campaigns? 2. Voting Behavior; what are the deep and fundamental changes that have occurred in voting behaviors and attitudes in recent years? What are the implications of these changes for the electoral process? 3. The Media and Campaigns: How do the media influence campaigns and electoral outcomes? What are the implications of the pervasive relationship between politics and the mass media? To assist in learning about the real world of politics, several guest speakers with considerable experience in political campaigns will address the class. In addition, at various points during the semester, the class will be formed into a focus group to discuss various campaign-related issues.