POL 2135: Voting and Elections

Abstract

COURSE OVERVIEW: This course is an introduction to political behavior – the ways in which everyday citizens interact with politics. We will focus on the United States of America, but the concepts and skills we learn apply to other countries as well. Our exploration covers three main areas: political participation, campaigns and elections, and voting. Since this course is being offered in the fall of an election year, we discuss the presidential elections and current events at great length. Students are assigned to become resident “experts” on a particular Senate race and cover the race throughout the semester, producing a report about their designated Senate race. One goal of this course is to be able to describe and explain an electoral contest using the sophisticated tools and concepts developed by political scientists.¶ This course is conducted online, using both asynchronous and (optional but recommended) synchronous components, split across thirteen modules. On your own and at your pace, you will read and watch pre-recorded lectures, as well as complete quizzes and exams and write papers. But you will not be entirely on your own. Each module includes discussion boards on which you can post questions for me, as well as respond to prompts I will post. At the end of each module, we will meet for a group discussion on Zoom that will last between 45 and 60 minutes. In many cases, I will post discussion questions for our Zoom meetings in advance, or I may have an activity planned. Attendance at these synchronous meetings is optional but recommended.1 These group discussions will be recorded and posted to Canvas. Of course, I will also hold regular office hours and will be able to meet by appointment or answer your questions via email