2000 - 3000 words paper on Political Science - Public Opinion and Citizen Action.

1

POLITICAL SCIENCE 213

PUBLIC OPINION AND CITIZEN ACTION

FALL 2016

Class: MWF 10:00, Gaylord 500 Office Hours: MWRF 11-1 & by appt.

Office: Gaylord 212 Office Phone: 402-826-8676

Email: [email protected] Cell Phone: 402-202-1210

Facebook: facebook.com/DoanePoliSci Twitter: @poliscihill

COURSE DESCRIPTION

The material in this class is predicated on one simple claim—that the beliefs and actions of the

American people matter. As a democratic republic, our system rests on the authority of the

people. And if that’s true, then one can’t understand America without understanding how her

people make decisions. To that end, we’ll be covering a great deal of theory within the political

science sub-disciplines of American public opinion and political participation. You’ll also be

putting that theory to work in a pair of analytical projects that will give you a deeper appreciation

for some of the concepts we’ll be discussing. By the end of the semester you should have a

handle on the course material. You should also understand how polls are built and feel more

confident in analyzing and critiquing them.

COURSE READING

Berinsky, Adam J., ed. 2016. New Directions in Public Opinion, 2 nd

edition. New York:

Routledge.

Sides, John, Michael Tesler, and Lynn Vavreck. 2018. Identity Crisis: The 2016 Presidential

Campaign and the Battle for the Meaning of America. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University

Press.

Other readings as listed in the syllabus (available on Blackboard); brief additions possible if

something relevant happens in the world

Current Events: I expect you to keep up with current events in this class. The source you use is

up to you, but be sure it is 1) reputable and 2) contains at least as much steak as it does sizzle.

Upon request, I am happy to provide you with a lovely infographic that will give you a good

sense of what is and is not a useful news source.

2

STUDENT RESPONSIBILITIES

Your final grade in this class will be based on a combination of two exams, two papers, four

minor homework exercises, and your active participation in class.

Midterm Exam 15%

Final Exam 15%

Midterm Paper 20%

Final Paper 20%

Homework (total) 10%

Participation 20%

TOTAL

100%

Exams: There will be two exams: a midterm and a final. The final will focus more heavily on the

material from the second half of the semester, but you should be prepared to think

comprehensively. Both exams will contain both closed-ended and open-ended elements, possibly

including matching, identification, and essay. More information about the structure of exams will

be provided as they approach. (For the policy on make-up exams, see the section on attendance

below.)

Midterm Paper: For the midterm paper, you have a choice:

a. Find a survey by a reputable firm on a political issue of interest to you. Examine how

attitudes on the issue vary by partisanship, ideology, gender, race, age, religion, and/or

any other relevant factors. If possible, examine how attitudes have shifted over time. In

what ways do the results conform to the expectations political science has developed? In

what ways do they deviate from these expectations? And (if relevant) in what ways is the

survey itself ill-prepared to help with this sort of analysis, either because it doesn’t ask

the right questions or the questions are poorly worded?

b. Choose a topic from the Total Survey Error, Requirements of Democracy, or Attitude

Formation portions of the class. Prepare a book review (not a book report) on a scholarly

book of your choice relating to that topic. I can provide help locating appropriate books,

and in many cases even lend them to you from my personal library. (I want them back,

though.) Your review should summarize the book’s basic argument, critique what is and

is not persuasive about it, and provide the reader with an assessment of whether it is

worth his/her time and money.

In either case, I will grade your papers on the depth and cogency of your analysis and your

attention to grammar, structure, and syntax. I’m not terribly concerned about paper length, but a

paper of about 1000-1500 words should cover these topics in the depth I am expecting.

3

Final Paper: For the final paper, you also have a choice:

a. Work with me on a quantitative project exploring how fictional media affects political

attitudes by manipulating emotion. You would help design the questionnaire and work on

the IRB (research ethics board) proposal prior to putting the experiment in the field. Once

there is data, you would be responsible for your own analysis and for writing the results

in such a way as to connect them to material we have covered in class.

b. Perform your own qualitative research. Specifically, attend a political rally, protest, or

other political event in the role of researcher. Interview other attendees on how they got

involved in politics, why they are attending the event, their hopes and fears regarding the

political system, and so on. Use these interviews to critically examine one or more

theories we have covered in class. If you choose this option, you should talk to me about

your thesis and your methodology before you go into the field. Otherwise, your project is

much less likely to come together in a way that will be kind to your final grade.

In either case, I will grade your papers on the depth and cogency of your analysis and your

attention to grammar, structure, and syntax. I’m not terribly concerned about paper length, but a

paper of about 2000-3000 words should cover these topics in the depth I am expecting. Those

choosing to work with me will receive credit in the paper when it is taken to conference, and

should attend to their responsibilities as part of a research team. I will ask you to choose between

(a) and (b) above in the first two weeks of class.

Participation: This is based entirely upon your constructive participation in the class. You all

have something to add to the conversation—add it, and be sure to let others add theirs too. Also

(more on this in the attendance section), please remember that you can’t participate if you’re not

here.

LAPTOPS, ETC.

All the research I have seen suggests that laptops, smartphones, and other such devices are much

more likely to distract students than help them learn, that students who use them end up with

lower grades than students who do not, and that they contribute to a less-engaged atmosphere in

the classroom. So I am asking you keep all your devices stowed during class time unless I

specifically ask you to use them. Science tells us you’ll remember things better for having to

physically write them down anyway, and you won’t be tempted to check your Instagram account

instead of paying attention.

GRADING

I adhere to fairly traditional grading scheme:

 A+: 97-100

 A: 93-96

 A-: 90-92

 B+: 87-89

 B: 83-86

 B-: 80-82…

4

…And so on. All the standard rules of rounding apply. When assigning letter grades to papers, their

numerical value lies in the center of this range—for example, a B+ will be recorded as an 88.5, a C as a

75. (An F is a 50.) It is extremely unlikely I will provide any kind of curve to the exams, but if a student

is working above and beyond what I expect of all of you, I will take that into account when assigning

his/her final grade.

ATTENDANCE

Attendance is only mandatory at the exams and the day we have a guest speaker. This means that make-

up exams will only be available if you have a school-sponsored event, are actively vomiting, or have

been admitted to the hospital. If you have a school-sponsored event, it is your responsibility to let me

know about it at least one week prior to the exam so we can schedule a make-up time before Test Day.

Failure to do so demonstrates your lack of interest in taking the exam.

Beyond that, you’re adults, so class is optional. However, you can’t participate if you’re not here. It

doesn’t matter if you’re missing class for a field trip, a job interview, or a skip day. Participation

requires your presence. Therefore, people with more than five absences of any kind will see an erosion

in their participation grade. So be aware of how much class you’re missing.

THE NON-NEGOTIABLES

We’re going to be talking about some controversial ideas in here, which may lead you to disagree with

me and/or each other. That is natural, proper, and necessary to the learning process. In the normal course

of political conversation, we should all be able to provide each other the courtesy of listening

respectfully and engaging in good faith. That said, please keep two things in mind at all times. 1) Facts

remain facts even when they’re inconvenient or don’t support one’s prior worldview. If you believe the

facts as presented by me, by the authors of the reading, or by your classmates are bogus or present a

distorted picture of reality, it is your responsibility to contribute to the dialogue by making a reasoned,

fact-based argument to that effect. And please do! We all stand to learn something from your efforts. 2)

No human being should be denied dignity or respect based on their location in some arbitrary

categorization scheme, including (but not limited to) the color of their skin, the god they worship (or

don’t), the people they are romantically attracted to, or the gender with which they identify. If I hear or

see people being treated or discussed as less than fully human because they are Hispanic or gay or

Christian or trans or anything else that divides people into categories for the purposes of tearing down

the group that is Not Like Us, I will call that behavior out for the bigotry it is, and I expect you to do the

same. That’s true whether it happens in the classroom or the world outside, up to and including the

words and action of the president of the United States. Decency requires no less.

ACADEMIC HONESTY

All the work you do for this class is expected to be your own and performed exclusively for this class.

Outside sources should always be cited, and if you copy the wording of an outside source it should also

be offset by quotation marks. Not doing so is plagiarism (the claiming of someone else’s thoughts or

5

words as your own; for a complete definition, see the Student Handbook). I will report anyone

plagiarizing in this class to the Academic Misconduct Committee.

If you have any doubts about what should or should not receive citation, please feel free to talk to me

about it, and the sooner, the better. Of course, when in doubt, it’s always better to cite it. I will assume

all plagiarism is intentional, so be sure to document all sources correctly the first time!

STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES AND SPECIAL NEEDS

If you feel you may need an accommodation based upon the impact of a disability, you should contact

me privately to discuss your specific needs. If you think you need such an accommodation and have a

documented disability, please contact the office of Disability Services for students with disabilities in

room CM 180, or call Anita Harkins at 826-8586 to coordinate reasonable accommodations as early in

the semester as possible. All discussions will remain confidential.

CONTACTING ME

I have set office hours during which I can guarantee I’ll be in my office. However, I am always willing

to set up a time to meet with you outside of those regular hours. Feel free, of course, to drop in without a

prior appointment, but I’m more likely to be there if I know you’re coming.

As an alternative to talking to me in person, you have numerous ways to reach me listed on the front

page of this syllabus (but please no calls or texts between 10 PM and 5 AM). I always do my best to

respond to emails within 24 hours, and it will usually be much faster than that.

CLASS SCHEDULE

All readings should be completed prior to the class session for which they are listed.

8-22 INTRODUCTION

8-24 WHAT IS PUBLIC OPINION?

Berinsky, Introduction and chapter 1

8-27 TOTAL SURVEY ERROR, PART I: SAMPLING AND MEASUREMENT ERROR

Berinsky, chapter 2

Jackson, N. 2016. “It’s Time to Change the Way We Think About Political Polling.”

Huffington Post, May 26.

Cohn, N. 2017. “A 2016 Review: Why Key State Polls Were Wrong About Trump.”

The Upshot blog, New York Times, May 31.

8-29 TOTAL SURVEY ERROR, PART II: QUESTION WORDING

Asher, H. 2017. “Wording and Context of Questions.” Chapter 3 in Polling and the

Public: What Every Citizen Should Know. Thousand Oaks, CA: CQ Press.

Homework #1 issued

6

8-31 TOTAL SURVEY ERROR, PART III: MORE QUESTION WORDING

Sparks, G. 2018. “Support for Abortion Rights Depends on How You Ask the

Question.” CNN.com, July 18.

9-5 REQUIREMENTS OF DEMOCRACY, PART I: KNOWLEDGE VS. IGNORANCE

Berinsky, chapter 3

Bernstein, J. 2016. “The Myth of the Ignorant Voter.” BloombergView, May 10.

Homework #1 due

Homework #2 issued

9-7 REQUIREMENTS OF DEMOCRACY, PART II: KNOWLEDGE VS. MISINFORMATION

Guess, A., B. Nyhan, and J. Reifler. 2018. “Selective Exposure to Misinformation:

Evidence from the Consumption of Fake News During the 2016 US Presidential

Campaign.” Unpublished manuscript.

Konnikova, M. 2014. “I Don’t Want to Be Right.” The New Yorker, May 16.

9-10 REQUIREMENTS OF DEMOCRACY, PART III: SEARCHING FOR CONSISTENCY

Converse, P. 1964. “The Nature of Belief Systems in Mass Publics.” Chapter 7 in

Ideology and Discontent, D.E. Apter, ed. New York: Free Press of Glencoe. Pages

206-238.

9-12 REQUIREMENTS OF DEMOCRACY, PART IV: NONATTITUDES EVERYWHERE?

Converse, P. 1964. “The Nature of Belief Systems in Mass Publics.” Chapter 7 in

Ideology and Discontent, D.E. Apter, ed. New York: Free Press of Glencoe. Pages

238-256.

9-14 REQUIREMENTS OF DEMOCRACY, PART V: TOLERANCE

Hutson, M. 2017. “Why Liberals Aren’t as Tolerant as They Think.” Politico, May 9.

Lewis, A.R., P.A. Djupe, and J. Neiheisel. 2016. “Trump Doesn’t Have a Monopoly on

Intolerant Supporters.” FiveThirtyEight, Apr. 21.

9-17 ATTITUDE FORMATION, PART I: BIOLOGY AND PERSONALITY

Berinsky, chapters 8-9

Homework #2 due

9-19 ATTITUDE FORMATION, PART II: EMOTION

Berinsky, chapter 10

9-21 ATTITUDE FORMATION, PART III: SOCIALIZATION, PARTY ID, AND IDEOLOGY

Berinsky, chapters 4 and 7

9-24 ATTITUDE FORMATION, PART IV: GENDER AND RACE

Berinsky, chapters 5-6

9-26 ATTITUDE FORMATION, PART V: RELIGION

Berinsky, chapter 11

7

9-28 ATTITUDE FORMATION, PART VI: MEDIA (ROLE, HISTORY, AND BIASES)

Stray, J. 2012. “How Do You Tell When the News Is Biased? It Depends on How You

See Yourself.” Blog of Harvard’s Nieman Journalism Lab, June 27.

Garfield, B. 2017. “Objectivity: What Is it Good For?” WNYC’s On the Media, Feb. 2.

10-1 ATTITUDE FORMATION, PART VII: MEDIA (EFFECTS AND FICTIONAL MEDIA)

Berinsky, chapter 15

Hill, T.G. and A.R. Van Fleet. 2018. “Jump Scare Politics: The Political Impact of

Nonpolitical Horror Films.” Chapter 9 in The Hollywood Connection: The Influence of

Fictional Media and Celebrity Politics on American Public Opinion, H.E. Yates and

T.G. Hill, eds. Lanham, MD: Lexington Books.

10-3 MODELS OF OPINION FORMATION

Feldman, S., L. Huddy, and G.E. Marcus. 2012. “Limits of Elite Influence on Public

Opinion.” Critical Review 24(4): 489-503.

Kam, Cindy. 2012. “The Psychological Veracity of Zaller’s Model.” Critical Review

24(4): 545-567.

10-5 ISSUES

Berinsky, chapters 13 and 16

10-8 ATTITUDES ABOUT RACE

Take the race-based Implicit Association Test.

Bartlett, Tom. 2017. “Can We Really Measure Implicit Bias? Maybe Not.” The

Chronicle of Higher Education, Jan. 5.

Tesler, Michael. 2013. “The Return of Old-Fashioned Racism to White Americans’

Partisan Preferences in the Early Obama Era.” Journal of Politics 75(1): 110-23.

10-10 MIDTERM

10-17

DARK MONEY (MEET IN EVENING; SPECIFICS TBA)

Sides, Tesler, and Vavreck, chapters 1-2

*Note: May be some topic-specific reading TBA*

10-19 NO CLASS

10-22 BASIC STATISTICS, PART I: DEFINING VARIABLES

Sides, Tesler, and Vavreck, chapters 3-4

Gonick, L. and W. Smith. 1993. “Data Description.” Chapter 2 in The Cartoon Guide to

Statistics. New York: HarperPerennial.

Homework #3 issued

10-24 BASIC STATISTICS, PART II: CENTRAL TENDENCY AND SPREAD

Midterm Paper Due

8

10-26 VYING FOR THE NOMINATION

Sides, Tesler, and Vavreck, chapter 5

10-29 ALL EYES ON NOVEMBER (THE GENERAL CAMPAIGN)

Sides and Vavreck, chapter 6

Homework #3 due

10-31 ELECTION TURNOUT

Sides, Tesler, and Vavreck, chapter 7

Flanigan, W.H. et al. “Turnout and Elections.” Chapter 3 in Political Behavior of the

American Electorate, 13 th

ed. Thousand Oaks, CA: CQ Press.

11-2 ELECTION VOTE CHOICE

Achen, C.H. and L.M. Bartels. 2016. “Groups and Power: Toward a Realist Theory of

Democracy.” Chapter 11 in Democracy for Realists: Why Elections Do Not Produce

Responsive Government. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.

Huddy, L. 2018. “The Group Foundations of Democratic Political Behavior.” Critical

Review forthcoming.

11-5 ELECTORAL COLLEGE

Sides, Tesler, and Vavreck, chapter 8

Beinart, P. 2016. “The Electoral College Was Meant to Stop Men Like Trump from

Being President.” The Atlantic, Nov. 21.

Olsen, M. and B. Haas. 2017. “The Electoral College Is a National Security Threat.”

Politico, Sept. 20.

11-7 ELECTION 2016 POST-MORTEM

Sides, Tesler, and Vavreck, chapter 9

Watch the election returns and be prepared to discuss them in the context of the Sides

and Vavreck book.

11-9 ENTERING DATA INTO SPSS (MEET IN LEARNING COMMONS CLASSROOM)

Homework #4 issued

11-12 DATA ANALYSIS IN SPSS (MEET IN LEARNING COMMONS CLASSROOM)

11-14 MACROPARTISANSHIP

Bartels, L. 2013. “Americans Are More Conservative Than They Have Been in

Decades.” Monkey Cage blog, Washington Post, Sept. 30.

Yglesias, M. 2017. “Trump’s Reverse Midas Touch Is Making Everything He Hates

Popular.” Vox, Oct. 4.

Martherus, J.L. et al. 2018. “Party Animals? Party Identity and Dehumanization.”

Unpublished manuscript.

9

11-16 STATE AND LOCAL POLITICS

Shor, B. 2014. “How US State Legislators are Polarized and Getting More Polarized (in

2 Graphs).” Monkey Cage blog, Washington Post, Jan. 14.

Calhoun, B. 2011. “War of Northern Aggression.” Act One of “A House Divided,” This

American Life, WBEZ Chicago, June 24.

11-19 GUEST SPEAKER: PHIL WEITL

Homework #4 due

11-26 DATA ANALYSIS FREE HELP PERIOD (MEET IN LEARNING COMMONS COMPUTER LAB)

11-28 RIGHT TO VOTE?

Yglesias, M. 2014. “Americans Don’t Have a Constitutional Right to Vote – It’s Time

for That to Change.” Vox, Oct. 20.

LeMieux, S. 2014. “The Big Problem with a Right-to-Vote Constitutional Amendment.”

The Week, Nov. 4.

Lopez, German. 2017. “The Simple Truth About Voter Fraud.” Vox, Jan. 24.

Healy, J. 2018. “Arrested, Jailed, and Charged With a Felony. For Voting.” The New

York Times, Aug. 2.

Lind, D. 2016. “The Supreme Court Just Shut Down the Demographic Equivalent of

Gerrymandering.” Vox, Apr. 4.

11-30 PARTICIPATION BEYOND VOTING, PART I: TRADITIONAL METHODS

Smith, A. 2013. “Civic Engagement in the Digital Age.” Pew Research Center Report,

Apr. 25.

Deckman, M. 2018. “A New Poll Shows How Younger Women Could Help Drive a

Democratic Wave in 2018.” Monkey Cage blog, Washington Post, Mar. 5.

12-3 PARTICIPATION BEYOND VOTING, PART II: NON-TRADITIONAL METHODS

Heaney, M.T. 2017. “Activism in an Era of Partisan Polarization.” PS: Political Science

and Politics 50(4): 1000-3.

Cobb, J. 2016. “The Matter of Black Lives.” The New Yorker, Mar. 14.

12-5 PARTICIPATION BEYOND VOTING, PART III: POLITICAL VIOLENCE

Dray, P. 2002. “‘A Negro’s Life Is a Very Cheap Thing in Georgia.’” Chapter 1 in At

the Hands of Persons Unknown: The Lynching of Black America. New York: Random

House.

Shaver, A. 2015. “You’re More Likely to Be Fatally Crushed by Furniture Than Killed

by a Terrorist.” Monkey Cage blog, Washington Post, Nov. 23.

12-7 WRAP-UP/ FINAL EXAM REVIEW

Lenz, G. 2018. “Time for a Change.” Critical Review forthcoming.

Final Paper Due

12-12 FINAL EXAM, 8 AM (PER THE REGISTRAR’S SCHEDULE)