CAMPAIGNS AND ELECTIONS

Catalog description

This American Politics seminar covers elections, one of the primary means of linking the public to government outputs in democratic societies. In this course we will describe, explain and evaluate campaigns and elections in the United States. This course will challenge you to consider some of the following issues: Do we have free, fair and open elections? How are congressional and presidential campaigns run and how do they impact election outcomes? What role do parties and interest groups play in elections? Who votes, who doesn't and why? How do people make voting decisions and are these decisions informed? How and to what extent do elections facilitate linkage between public preferences and government outputs? What kinds of reforms are available and are they really needed?