Special Topics in Political Science (390-0-28)

Instructors

Tabitha Bonilla

Meeting Info

Annenberg Hall 303: Tues, Thurs 2:00PM - 3:20PM

Overview of class

COURSE TITLE: Civic Engagement

Civic engagement is critical for a functional representative democracy. How do U.S. residents engage with the government, and what do they need to be able to do so effectively? How do political campaigns and elections produce representation? And how do citizens assess how well they are represented? This class addresses these questions by focusing on three domains. First, we will examine how structures matter for understanding the U.S. political environment. Second, we will examine how the process and structures of representation matter for U.S. election participation and outcomes. We will examine voter perceptions of parties and campaigns, how voters are targeted (or not) by political actors, and how voters react to public information. Finally, we will investigate the contributions of key political actors to campaigns: parties, interest groups, and the media, and they interact through elections.

Learning Objectives

• Understand the purpose of parties as organizations, why parties are structured the way they
  are, and how they act as focal points for political systems.
• Identify and analyze how individuals interact with campaigns and how campaigns need to consider their environments to be successful.
• Recognize how individuals engage with and learn in the public sphere.
• Produce analysis of current campaigns.
• Leverage collaborative approaches to increase learning, leadership, and knowledge integration.

Enrollment Requirements

Enrollment Requirements: Pre-registration -- Reserved for Political Science students until the end of preregistration, after which time enrollment will be open to everyone who has taken the prerequisites.