Brandeis University
Politics 14b
Syllabus
Fall 2006
Brandeis University
Politics 14b
Syllabus
Fall 2006
Assignments from the following texts will be posted on the WebCt course calendar each week.
Texts:
Table of Contents
I. THE SETTING OF THE AMERICAN SYSTEM.
1. Constitutional Government.
John Locke, Second Treatise, Of Civil Government.
John P. Roche, The Founding Fathers: A Reform Caucus in Action.
Charles A. Beard, Framing the Constitution.
James Madison, Federalist 47, 48, 51.
Laurence H. Tribe and Michael C. Dorf, How Not to Read the Constitution.
2. Federalism.
Alexander Hamilton, Federalist 16, 17.
The Anti-Federalist Papers No. 17.
James Bryce, The Merits of the Federal System.
McCulloch v. Maryland, 4 Wheaton 316 (1819).
Gibbons v. Ogden, 9 Wheaton 1 (1824).
Morton Grodzins, The Federal System.
David Broder, A Republic Subverted.
United States v. Morrison (2000).
3. Civil Liberties and Civil Rights.
Background of the Bill of Rights
Alexander Hamilton, Federalist 84
Anti-Federalist Paper 84, On the Lack of a Bill of Rights
Barron v. Mayor and the City Council of Baltimore 32 U.S. 243 (1833).
Gideon v. Wainwright 372 U.S. 335 (1963).
Oliver Wendell Holmes, The Need to Maintain a Free Marketplace of Ideas.
New York Times Co. v. Sullivan 376 U.S 254 (1964).
Free Speech-Constitutional Conflicts
Plessy v. Ferguson 163 U.S. 537 (1896).
Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka 347 U.S. 483 (1954).
Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka 349 U.S. 294 (1955).
Engel v. Vitale 370 U.S. 421 (1962).
Zelman v. Simmons-Harris Supreme Court of the United States (2002).
Roe v. Wade 410 U.S. 113 (1973).
Adarand Constructors, Inc. v. Pena 515 U.S. 200 (1995).
II. POLITICAL PARTIES, ELECTORAL BEHAVIOR, AND INTEREST GROUPS.
4. Political Parties and the Electorate.
E. E. Schattschneider, Party Government.
California Democratic Party et al. V. Jones, Secretary of State of California, et al. Supreme Court of the United States (2000).
Martin P. Wattenberg, Perspectives on American Political Parties.
David R. Mayhew, Divided We Govern.
V.O. Key, Jr., A Theory of Critical Elections.
Benjamin Ginsberg and Martin Schefter, Politics by Other Means.
V.O. Key, Jr., The Responsible Electorate.
Buckley V. Vaelo 263 424 U.S. (1976).
McConnell v. Federal Election Commission, United States Supreme Court.
Bradley A. Smith, Unfree Speech: The Future of Regulatory “Reform”.
Thomas E. Mann and Norman J. Ornstein, Myths and Realities about the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002..
5. Interest Groups.
If you can't find your representative on Capitol Hill, you better check The Palm. Since 1972, political powerhouses have made The Palm the spot for negotiating and deal making over a juicy steak and an infamous Palm martini. It's not only politicians that make their way to the Washington Palm; Larry King and Tim Russert can be seen among the hordes of loyal Palm customers.
Readings:
Jeffrey M. Berry, Madison's Dilemma.
David B. Truman, The Governmental Process.
See also John C. Calhoun, Disquisition on Government
John Kenneth Galbraith, The Theory of Countervailing Power.
Theodore J. Lowi, The End of Liberalism: The Indictment.
Mark J. Rozell and Clyde Wilcox, Interest Groups and the American Political System.
Larry J. Sabato, The Misplaced Obsession with PACs.
6. The Presidency.
Alexander Hamilton, Federalist 70.
Clinton Rossiter, The Presidency-Focus of Leadership.
Richard E. Neustadt, Presidential Power.
Thomas E. Cronin and Michael A. Genovese, Presidential Paradoxes.
James David Barber, The Presidential Character.
Sidney M. Milkis, The Presidency and Political Parties.
David Brooks, How to Run for President.
Ex Parte Merryman (April, 1861).
Ex Parte Milligan, 71 U.S. 2 (1866).
Tony Mauro, A Mixed Precedent for Military Tribunals.
Ex Parte Quirin, 317 U.S. 1 (1942).
Hamdi v. Rumsfeld, United States Supreme Court (2004).
7. The Bureaucracy.
Peter Woll, Constitutional Democracy and Bureaucratic Power.
James Q. Wilson, The Rise of the Bureaucratic State.
8. Congress.
James Madison, Federalist 53, 56, 57, 58, 62, 63.
Woodrow Wilson, Congressional Government (1885).
Morris P. Fiorina, The Rise of the Washington Establishment.
Lawrence C. Dodd, Congress and the Quest for Power.
Edmund Burke, Speech to the Electors of Bristol.
Richard F. Fenno, Jr., If, As Ralph Nader Says, Congress Is “The Broken Branch,” How Come We Love Our Congressmen So Much?
Nelson W. Polsby, Congress-Bashing for Beginners.
David R. Mayhew, Congress: The Electoral Connection.
Richard F. Fenno, Jr., Home Style and Washington Career.
9. The Judiciary.
Alexander Hamilton, Federalist 78.
Marbury v. Madison 1 Cranch 137 (1803).
John P. Roche, Judicial Self-Restraint.
Elk Grove Unified School District v. Newdow (2004).
William J. Brennan, Jr., How the Supreme Court Arrives at Decisions.
Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, Constitutional Liberty and the Right to Abortion.
Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist, Liberty, Privacy, and the Right to Abortion.
Justice Antonin Scalia, Liberty and Abortion: A Strict Constructionist's View.
Appendix 1: The Declaration of Independence.
Appendix 2: The Constitution of the United States.
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Text
Chapter 1
American Political Culture: Seeking a More Perfect Union
Chapter 2
Constitutional Democracy: Promoting Liberty and Self Government
Chapter 3
Federalism: Forging a Nation
Chapter 4
Civil Liberties: Protecting Individual Rights
Chapter 5
Equal Rights: Struggling Toward Fairness
Chapter 6
Public Opinion and Political Socialization: Shaping the People's Voice
Chapter 7
Political Participation and Voting: Expressing the Popular Will
Chapter 8
Political Parties, Candidates, and Campaigns: Defining the Voters Choice
Chapter 9
Interest Groups: Organizing for Influence
Chapter 10
The News Media: Communicating Political Images
Chapter 11
Congress
Chapter 12
The Presidency: Leading a Nation
Chapter 13
The Federal Bureaucracy: Administering a Government
Chapter 14
The Judiciary
Chapter 15
Economic and Environmental Policy: Contributing To Prosperity
Chapter 16
Welfare and Education Policy
Chapter 17
Foreign and Defense Policy