American Political Institutions Seminar (PSCI 4314)

Fall 2018

Professor Nick Goedert

Contact: ngoedert@vt.edu Office Hours: Wednesday 1:00-4:00
Meeting Times: 3:30-4:45 TR Office: Major Williams 529

Description and Objectives

This is a course about the study of American political institutions, those structures, formal and
informal, that operate on the way electoral and policy decisions are made in the United States. This
course is not intended to provide a broad overview of all, or even the most important, political
institutions in the US. We will approach this study mainly by digging deeply into three topics of
contemporary political focus and impact: (a) ideological polarization; (b) judicial selections; and (c)
evaluation of partisan gerrymanders. These three topics have been chosen for two reasons. First, they
are of relevant both to our immediate political situation and the American historical context. And
second, each involves the intersections of several institutions, including all branches of the federal
government, state governments, electoral systems, and outside groups such as parties and the media, in
different combinations. In doing so, we will learn not just about the issues surround these three
specific subtopics, but how many institutions are inseparably intertwined, and how we should go about
studying, evaluating, and reforming our electoral and policy processes. Additionally, students will be
encouraged to cultivate their own scholarly interests, both as part of small groups and through
independent study, throughout the semester, developing skills in both analyzing outside research and
communicating that research to others in the class.

Readings

The course has five required books:

• Polarized America: The Dance of Ideology and Unequal Riches, McCarty, Poole, and
Rosenthal, 2nd ed. (2016), ISBN: 978-0262528627
• Political Polarization in American Politics, Hopkins and Sides (2015), ISBN 978-1501306273
• Advice and Consent: The Politics of Judicial Appointments, Epstein and Segal (2005),
ISBN: 978-0195300215
• Ratf**ked: Why Your Vote Doesn't Count, David Daley (2017), ISBN: 978-1631493218
• Gerrymandering in America, McGann et al. (2016) ISBN: 978-1316507674

The books should be available from the campus bookstore and online. Additional articles and book
excerpts will be posted on Canvas as noted in the syllabus.

Requirements

The course grade consists of the following:

1. Three Essay Assignments at the end of each unit: 30% total (10% each)
2. Group Teaching Exercise: 10%
3. Other minor assignments or exercises: 20% total
4. Final Paper: 20%
5. Class Participation: 20%

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Unit Essay Assignment: At the end of each of the three subtopics in the course, you will be given a
take-home essay assignment asking you to synthesize what you have learned in the unit. You will
have one week to complete each assignment, and I expect each will involve about 4-5 pages of writing.
There is no outside research expected for these essays beyond what we have covered in class.

Group Teaching Exercise: Early in the semester, each student will be assigned to a small group based
on his or her individual interests. The small groups will serve two functions. First, group members will
work together on stages of assembling each individual final paper, brainstorming ideas and critiquing
drafts. Second, each group will be assigned on day in the last several weeks of the semester in which
they will be responsible for teaching the class on a topic of their choosing. This will involve choosing
readings for the rest of the class, lecturing on relevant background, and leading class discussion of
those readings. Groups may choose to divide teaching responsibilities among members however they
wish, but a common grade will be assigned to all members of the group. These presentations will
occur in late October, between our second and third major units.

Final Papers: Each student will write a final research paper on a topic of their choosing. The paper
should explore existing academic research on the topic, identify existing gaps in the research or
potential extension, and propose a strategy for addressing those gaps or extensions. I would expect
papers to be 10-12 pages in length. Students should also prepare to discuss their topics for about 10
minutes in front of the class. Further details will be distributed as the semester progresses.

Minor Assignments: These will be assigned as steps towards working with your small groups, both
with respect to the group teaching assignment and your final paper. The first such assignment will be
assigned during the first week of class, and ask you to write about your own background; it is intended
to help in the initial assembly of small groups.

Participation: This is your attendance and participation in class discussions. Our class will be quite
small, so its success will depend on the consistent preparation of every student. All students are
expected to keep up with course materials, and come to class prepared to discuss both the details of
readings and cases and the principles involved. It is especially important to come to class prepared on
days in which we will meet in small groups. For each class session, students are expect to:
• Attend all classes, having read the designated material from syllabus;
• Be well-prepared to discuss and answer questions about the week’s readings
• If you cannot attend a class, please let me know ahead of time

A Note About Grades

All students receive a total score out of 200 points, with each assignment/exam being worth 2 points
for each % of the final grade (so a paper worth 20% of the final grade is scored out of 40 points).
Points will correspond to final grades as follows:

180-200: A 130-139: C+
170-179: A- 120-129: C-
160-169: B+ 110-119: D+
150-159: B 100-109: D
140-149: B- <100: F

I hope that all students will demonstrate sufficient mastery of class concepts and completion of
assignments to earn a satisfactory grade.

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 Class Schedule

Unit 1: Ideological Polarization

• August 21: Introduction

o McCarty, Poole, and Rosenthal, Ch. 1
o Sides and Hopkins, Ch. 1-2

• August 23: Measuring Polarization

o McCarty, Poole, and Rosenthal, Ch. 2
o Poole & Rosenthal, Ideology & Congress, Ch. 2 & 3 (Skim)

• August 28: Other Polarization Measures

o Fivethirtyeight.com, “Introducing the Trump Score”
https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/introducing-the-trump-score/
o ADA 2016 Congressional Voting Record
o Adam Bonica, “Mapping the Ideological Marketplace”
o Assignment #1 Due

• September 4: Public Polarization

o Sides & Hopkins, 4-7
o Pew Research Center, “Political Polarization in the American Public” (Skim)
o Hill & Tausanovich, “A Disconnect in Representation”

• September 6: Polarization vs. Sorting

o Fiorina & Abrams, “Political Polarization in the American Public”
o Levendusky, The Partisan Sort, Ch. 1 & 2
o Small Group Introductions

• September 11: Polarization in the States and Other Countries / Benefits?

o Shor, Berry, & McCarty, “A Bridge to Somewhere: Mapping State and Congressional
Ideology”
o Sides & Hopkins, 3, 18-19

• September 13: Benefits and Drawbacks

o McCarty, Poole, and Rosenthal, Ch. 6
o Hopkins & Sides, 10 & 11
o Ranney, The Doctrine of Responsible Party Government, Ch. 1 & 2
o Excerpt from Thomas Brunell, Redistricing and Representation: Why Competitive
Elections are Bad for America

• September 18: Solutions

o McCarty, Poole, and Rosenthal, Ch. 7
o Hopkins & Sides, 15-17, 21-24
o Polarization Essay Assigned

• September 20: Small Group Meetings

• September 25: Polarization Essay Due

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Unit 2: Selecting the Judiciary
September 25 through October 11

Likely Readings include:

U.S. Supreme Court:
• Advice and Consent: The Politics of Judicial Appointments, Epstein and Segal (2005)
• “Constitutional Politics, Court Packing, and Judicial Appointments Reform”, Seligman (2018)
• “Polarizing the Electoral Connection: Partisan Representation in Supreme Court Confirmation
Politics”, Kastellec at al. (2015)
• “From Abe Fortas to Zoe Baird: Why Some Presidential Nominations Fail in the Senate”,
Krutz et al. (2008)
• “A special model of roll call voting: Senators, constituents, presidents, and interest groups in
Supreme Court confirmations”, Segal et al. (1989)
State and Lower Courts:
• “Revival of Roosevelt: Analyzing Expansion of the Supreme Court of North Carolina”,
Robinson (2018)
• “Judicial Independence and Retention Elections”, Canes-Wrone et al. (2010)
• “Judicial Selection and Death Penalty Decisions”, Canes-Wrone et al. (2014)
• “Selection Systems and Judicial Characteristics”, Glick & Emmert (1987)
• “Measuring the Preferences of State Supreme Court Judges”, Brace at al. (2000)

October 16 through October 23: Small Group Teaching

Unit 3: Evaluating Partisan Gerrymanders

October 25 through November 15

Likely Readings include:

• Ratf**ked: Why Your Vote Doesn't Count, David Daley (2017)
• Gerrymandering in America, McGann et al. (2016)
• The Art of the Dummymander, Groffman & Brunell (2005)
• “Partisan gerrymandering and the efficiency gap”, Stephanopolous & McGhee (2015)
• “Partisan Tides and the Efficiency Gap”, Goedert (2018)
• “Cutting through the Thicket: Redistricting Simulations and the Detection of Partisan
Gerrymanders”, Chen & Rodden (2015)
• “Measures of partisan bias for legislating fair elections”, Nagel (2015)
• “Reevaluating the effects of redistricting on electoral competition”, Carson & Crespin (2014)
• “The Limits of Partisan Gerrymandering: Looking Ahead to the 2010 Congressional
Redistricting Cycle.”, Seabrook (2010)
• “A Comparative Analysis of Redistricting Institutions in the United States, 2001-02.”,
McDonald (2004)

NO CLASS Nov. 20 or Nov. 22 (Thanksgiving)

November 27 through December 4: Individual Presentations & Wrap-Up

NO CLASS Dec. 6 (Reading Day)

Final Papers Due Monday, Dec. 10

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 Academic Honesty

The Undergraduate Honor Code pledge that each member of the university community agrees to abide
by states: “As a Hokie, I will conduct myself with honor and integrity at all times. I will not lie,
cheat, or steal, nor will I accept the actions of those who do.”

Students enrolled in this course are responsible for abiding by the Honor Code. A student who has
doubts about how the Honor Code applies to any assignment is responsible for obtaining specific
guidance from the course instructor before submitting the assignment for evaluation. Ignorance of the
rules does not exclude any member of the University community from the requirements and
expectations of the Honor Code. For additional information about the Honor Code, please visit:
www.honorsystem.vt.edu.