Professor Peter Woll
Politics 112b
Democracy in America
Spring, 2008
The text for this course is America's Democratic Republic, Penguin Academics Series, 2nd Edition
By Edward S. Greenberg, Benjamin I. Page
Students should go to the PearsonLongman Student Support Center and follow the multiple links to online sites, research, and support to be used in conjunctioni with the text. Students should create an account here that will be give you discounts and access to the Pearson site.
In addition this site gives links to additional required readings for the course.
Text and research assignments will be given as we go along.
The course requires a final paper and presentation to the class on selected topics that define democracy in America. The paper and presentation count for 65 per cent of the final grade.
Class participation will count for 10% of the final grade. A mid-term examination will be given and count for 25 per cent of the final grade.
Weeks 1 and 2
An examination of the meaning of democracy in political theory, in the Anglo-American political heritage.
The Lockean social contract
John Locke, Second Treatise, Of Civil Government
Overview of John Locke's Philosophy
Parliamentary Supremacy, the Glorious Revolution of 1688.
The American Revolutionary experience
Louis Hartz, The Liberal Tradition in America
Review: Hartz on American Liberal Tradition
Author(s) of Review: Ralph H. Gabriel
Alexis de Tocqueville, Democracy in America
Chapter 13:
GOVERNMENT OF THE DEMOCRACY IN AMERICA
Chapter 14:
WHAT ARE THE REAL ADVANTAGES WHICH AMERICAN SOCIETY DERIVES FROM A DEMOCRATIC GOVERNMENT
Week 3 & 4
Democracy and the Constitution
• Balanced government
James Madison, The Federalist, papers 47-51
• Representative government
James Madison, Federalist Paper 10
James Madison, Federalist Papers 52-58
Bernard Yack review, A Fresh Look at Representation
• The role of the Senate
• The Supreme Court, Judicial Review, and Democracy
• The Rule of Law and the Higher Law
• Civil Liberties and Civil Rights
Week 5. & 6
Political Parties and Democracy
Nineteenth century expansion of the franchise
Rise of Political Parties –Milkis?
Parties in the American Constitutional System
Parties as conduits of popular participation
The Party Model of Government
• Barker Reflections on Government-government by discussion
• APSA Committee on Political Parties 1950—need to strengthen parties for effective democracy
Constitutional Protection of Parties
Theories of Elections in American Democracy
V.O. Key, Jr., A Theory of Critical Elections
Gerald Pomper, Classification of Presidential Elections
Week 7
Interest Groups and the Group Theory of democracy
Arthur Bentley, The Process of Government (1935)
Overview of Bentley's Scholarship
Pendleton Herring, Group Representation Before Congress (1928)
*Constitutional and Historical Context of Lobbying
Robert Dahl's Theory of Democracy
Roberto Michels, Political Parties (1911) and the "iron law of oligarchy"
David Truman, The Governmental Process (1951)
Money and Interest Group Power
Democratic Theory and Campaign Finance Reform
Should There Be Public Financing of Congressional Campaigns?
Constitutional Context of Interest Group Regulation’
FEC v. Wisconsin Right to Life (2007)
Governmental Institutions and Democratic Effectiveness
Week 8.
Congress
• Overview of the constitutional and political context of Congress.
• Evolution from citizen legislators to professional politicians
• Wilson Congressional Government
• Fragmentation of Congress-nineteenth century
• Democratic "Reforms"-- The Revolt of 1910
• Legislative Reorganization Act of 1946
• Budget and Impoundment Control Act of 1974
•The Congressional Initiative in Budget Making
Conclusion: How democratic is Congress? Democratic effectiveness and Congress
• Thinking about Reform: The World View of Congressional Reformers
Week 9 & 10
The Presidency
Perspectives on the Presidency
Hamiltonian Vision-Energy in the Executive is the Definition of Good Government
The Presidency, Democratic Reform, and Constitutional Change
Author(s): Sidney M. Milkis
Presidential governance v. campaigning
Presidential incentives
Leadership and Democracy
The President and Party Politics
• The President as Party leader
• Issues
Weeks 11 &12
The Administrative Branch and Constitutional Democracy
Hamilton's View of Government and Administration
Congressional Attempts to Control Administrative Agencies
Administrative procedures and democracy
• Rule making and democratic participation
• The Courts and the Agencies :The Administrative Procedure Act
Administrative Responsibility and Accountability
• Federalist 72
Week 13
The Supreme Court and the Judiciary
Courts, the Constitution, and democratic effectiveness
Caroline Products footnote 1938
• Judicial review and democracy
• John Hart Ely’s thesis—Democracy and Distrust
• Doctrine of standing and access to the courts
• Taxpayer lawsuits—keeping government responsible
Weeks 14
Summing Up
Increasing Democratic Effectiveness—Reform of the System
Elections, the electoral college
Reforming Congress
The Role of the Media—informing the public