American Political Development
GOVT 375
Spring 2018 not offered
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This is a course about the big questions in American politics. What is it all about? What does it mean to be living under a text written more than two centuries ago? Is the very concept of development an oxymoron for constitutional government? This course introduces students to a scholarship and a method of analysis that melds the historical with the institutional, applied to understanding the evolving state/society relationship in American political life. We will examine the ways in which developing state institutions constrain and enable policy makers; the ways in which ideas and policy-relevant expertise have impacted the development of new policies; the ways in which societal interests have been organized and integrated into the policy process; and the forces that have shaped the evolution of institutions and policies over time. This seminar will provide an opportunity to survey the literature drawn from several theoretical perspectives in the field and to consider competing arguments and hypotheses concerning the development of the American state and its changing role in the economy and society. |
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| Credit: 1 |
Gen Ed Area Dept:
SBS GOVT |
| Course Format: Lecture / Discussion | Grading Mode: Graded |
| Level: UGRD |
Prerequisites: None |
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Fulfills a Requirement for: (GOVT)(GOVT-American) |
Major Readings:
Karen Orren & Stephen Skowronek, THE SEARCH FOR AMERICAN POLITICAL DEVELOPMENT (Cambridge, 2004). ISBN: 978-0521547642
Richard Valelly, THE TWO RECONSTRUCTIONS: THE STRUGGLE FOR BLACK ENFRANCHISEMENT (University of Chicago, 2004). ISBN: 9780226845302
Jacob Hacker, THE DIVIDED WELFARE STATE: THE BATTLE OVER PUBLIC AND PRIVATE SOCIAL BENEFITS IN THE UNITED STATES (Cambridge, 2002). ISBN: 9780521013284
Brian Balogh, A GOVERNMENT OUT OF SIGHT: THE MYSTERY OF NATIONAL AUTHORITY IN NINETEENTH CENTURY AMERICA (Cambridge, 2009). ISBN: 9780521527866
James A. Marone, HELLFIRE NATION: THE POLITICS OF SIN IN AMERICAN HISTORY (Yale, 2004). ISBN: 9780300105179
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Examinations and Assignments:
2 short papers, 1 final research paper, in-class discussion leading |
Additional Requirements and/or Comments:
Students who wish to be eligible to register for the course during Drop/Add should add themselves to the enrollment request system during on-line registration. They should also fill out a waitlist form from here: https://wesfiles.wesleyan.edu/home/elim/web/Waitlist.htm. |
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