POLS 434: Political Participation in the United States

3 credits
BAL 3068
Monday and Wednesday 2-3 pm and Friday 10-11 am or by appointment

The purpose of this course is to help students better understand the dynamics of political participation and the democratic process in the United States. The course examines the social characteristics associated with participation, the psychology of political action, the modes of conventional and unconventional participation and public policy. Although the course is concerned primarily with political behavior in the U.S., we will at times examine participation in other countries for the purpose of comparison and analysis. We conclude our exploration into political behavior of the American public with a discussion of citizen participation and the democratic ideal.

Course Requirements

1. Two exams consisting of short answer and essay questions.
2. Research paper and presentation. See section on the "Research Paper" and "Research Paper Presentation."
3. Class survey project. See section on "Class Survey Project."
4. Class discussion about survey project.  See section on "Class Survey Project."
5. Participation in class discussions.
6. Office visit. Each student is required to visit the instructor in his office at least one time prior to the midterm exam for the purpose of consultation and to ensure a healthy academic dialogue (5 points). Students are, of course, encouraged to visit anytime during the semester.

Course Goals

E-mail Communication

Course Evaluations

Student course evaluations are now conducted on-line. You will receive reminders from the University encouraging you to complete evaluations of your courses during the last three weeks of the semester. Student course evaluations are helpful to the instructors and the university. Please be mindful of the reminders from the University so I also encourage you to complete the course evaluations for all of your classes.