Special 2-Credit Class about Party Polarization, Spring 2010
This course is a unique opportunity for W&M undergraduates to be directly exposed to the views of leading scholars on perhaps the most central feature of contemporary American politics – the striking polarization that exists between the two political parties. The course is structured around six recent scholarly books about the causes and consequences of party polarization. As part of the class, each of the authors of these books is visiting W&M and delivering a public lecture to the students enrolled in the class about the relevant book, with plenty of give-and-take between the visiting authors and the student audience. Professor Evans of the W&M government department is coordinator of the course.
This class is open to all interested undergraduate students. There are no prerequisites and no permissions are required. Students from all majors and classes (freshmen to seniors) are participating. There are no expectations about prior background, just an interest in the topic. Our hope is to provide an interesting opportunity for students to engage meaningfully with leading scholars about a critically important topic in current American politics.
The course is meeting formally just seven times, with one session devoted to each book (the six public lectures) and to an organizational meeting with Professor Evans. Unless other arrangements are made, each meeting is in 150 Millington Hall. The schedule is the following.
Thursday, January 28, 7:00-9:00 PM
Lecturer: Sean Theriault, Associate Professor of Government, University of Texas
Book: Party Polarization in Congress
Thursday, February 4, 7:00-8:00 PM
Organizational meeting about the course with Professor Evans
Thursday, February 18, 7:00-9:00 PM
Lecturer: Marc Hetherington, Professor of Political Science, Vanderbilt University
Book: Authoritarianism and Polarization in American Politics
Wednesday, March 17, 7:00-9:00 PM
Lecturer: John Carey, John Wentworth Professor in the Social Sciences and Chair of the Government Department, Dartmouth College
Book: Legislative Voting and Accountability
Thursday, April 8, 7:00-9:00 PM
Lecturer: Jeff Grynaviski, Assistant Professor of Political Science, University of Chicago
Book: Political Reputations and Legislative Accountability
Thursday, April 15, 7:00-9:00 PM
Lecturer: Alan Abramowitz, Alben W. Barkley Professor of Political Science, Emory University
Book: The Disappearing Center: Engaged Citizens, Polarization, and American Democracy
Thursday, April 22, 7:00-9:00 PM
Lecturer: Frances Lee, Associate Professor of Political Science, University of Maryland
Book: Beyond Ideology: Politics, Principles, and Partisanship in the U.S. Senate
The books for the course are available for purchase in the W&M bookstore, except for the volumes by Grynaviski and Abramowitz, which will not be published until later in the year. Instead, pdf’s of these two books will be available on the Blackboard site for the class.
GOVT 390-04 is for 2 units of academic credit. The expectations for students enrolled in the course include the following.
1. Read significant portions of all six of the books (details about reading expectations will be provided at the organizational session on February 4).
2. Attend the organizational session and at least five of the six public lectures.
3. Write a 10-12 page analytical essay (double spaced) that addresses an important question about party polarization by integrating material from the books and public lectures. Professor Evans will provide several essay questions from which students can choose and the paper will not require additional reading or research beyond the course books, lectures, and discussions. The paper will be due by 5:00 PM on Thursday, April 29.
If you have questions about the course, or have suggestions for future class opportunities that feature visiting lecturers, please contact Professor Evans (clevan@wm.edu).