Readings

Course readings.
SES #	TOPICS	READINGS
1	Introduction	Supplementary Reading Silver, Nate. "Election Forecast: Obama Begins With Tenuous Advantage," New York Times, June 7, 2012.
2	Patterns in Political History	Required Readings Sundquist, James L. Dynamics of the Party System: Alignment and Realignment of Political Parties in the United States. Brookings Institution Press, 1983, pp. 1–49. ISBN: 9780815782261. [Preview with Google Books] Norpoth, Helmut, and Jerrold G. Rusk. "Electoral Myth and Reality: Realignments in American Politics." Electoral Studies 26, no. 2 (2007): 392–403. Mayhew, David R. "Incumbency Advantage in U.S. Presidential Elections: The Historical Record." Political Science Quarterly 123, no. 2 (2008): 201–28. Supplementary Readings Key, V. O., Jr. "A Theory of Critical Elections." The Journal of Politics 17, no. 1 (1955): 3–18. Merrill, Samuel III, Bernard Grofman, et al. "Cycles in American National Electoral Politics, 1854–2006: Statistical Evidence and An Explanatory Model." American Political Science Review 102, no. 1 (2008): 1–17. Bensel, Richard. Sectionalism and American Political Development: 1880–1980. The University of Wisconsin Press, 1984. ISBN: 9780299098308. Mayhew, David R. Electoral Realignments: A Critique of an American Genre. Yale University Press, 2002. ISBN: 9780300093360. Carmines, Edward G., and James A. Stimson. Issue Evolution: Race and the Transformation of American Politics. Princeton University Press, 1989. ISBN: 9780691078021. [Preview with Google Books] Campbell, James E. "Party Systems and Realignments in the United States, 1868–2004." Social Science History 30, no. 3 (2006): 359–86. Stoker, Laura, and M. Kent Jennings. "Of Time and The Development of Partisan Polarization." American Journal of Political Science 52, no. 3 (2008): 619–35.
3	Political Geography	Required Readings Erikson, Robert S. "Sources of Partisan Bias in U.S. Congressional Elections: An Update Stimulated by Ron Johnston's Essay." Political Geography 21, no. 1 (2002): 49–54. Glaeser, Edward L., and Bryce A. Ward. "Myths and Realities of American Political Geography." Journal of Economic Perspectives 20, no. 2 (2006): 119–44. Gelman, Andrew, Boris Shor, et al. "Rich State, Poor State, Red State, Blue State: What's The Matter with Connecticut?" Quarterly Journal of Political Science 2, no. 4 (2008): 345–67. Supplementary Reading Rodden, Jonathan. "The Geographic Distribution of Political Preferences." Annual Review of Political Science 13, no. 1 (2010): 321–40.
4	Identities	Required Readings Tesler, Michael, and David O. Sears. Chapters 1, 2, 3, and 6 in Obama's Race: The 2008 Election and the Dream of a Post-Racial America. University Of Chicago Press, 2010. ISBN: 9780226793832. [Preview with Google Books] Campbell, David E., John C. Green, et al. "The Stained Glass Ceiling: Social Contact and Mitt Romney's "Religion Problem"." Political Behavior 34, no. 2 (2012): 277–99. Supplementary Readings Valentino, Nicholas A., and David O. Sears. "Old Times There are Not Forgotten: Race and Partisan Realignment in the Contemporary South." American Journal of Political Science 49, no. 3 (2005): 672–88. Burns, Nancy, and Donald Kinder. "Categorical Politics." Chapter 7 in New Directions in Public Opinion. Edited by Adam J. Berinsky. Routledge, 2011, pp. 139–67. ISBN: 9780415885287. [Preview with Google Books]
5	Parties	Required Readings Green, Donald, Bradley Palmquist, and Eric Schickler. Chapters 1, 2, 6, and 8 in Partisan Hearts and Minds: Political Parties and The Social Identity of Voters. Yale University Press, 2002. ISBN: 9780300092158. Hetherington, Marc. "Partisanship and Polarization." In New Directions in Public Opinion. Edited by Adam J. Berinsky. Routledge, 2011, pp. 101–18. ISBN: 9780415885287. [Preview with Google Books] Supplementary Readings Stanley, Harold W., and Richard G. Niemi. "Partisanship, Party Coalitions, and Group Support, 1952–2004." Presidential Studies Quarterly 36, no. 2 (2006): 172–88. Bawn, Kathleen, Marty Cohen, et al. "A Theory of Political Parties." Perspectives on Politics 10, no. 3 (2012): 571-597. Aldrich, John H. Why Parties? The Origin and Transformation of Party Politics in America (American Politics and Political Economy Series). University of Chicago Press, 1995. ISBN: 9780226012711. [Preview with Google Books] Bafumi, Joseph, and Robert Y. Shapiro. "A New Partisan Voter." Journal of Politics 71, no. 1 (2009): 1–24.
6	Structural Determinants of Elections	Required Readings Lewis-Beck, Michael S., William G. Jacoby, et al. "Economic Antecedents of Political Behavior." Chapter 13 in The American Voter Revisited. University of Michigan Press, 2008, pp. 365–89. ISBN: 9780472070404. [Preview with Google Books] Brady, David W., Morris P. Fiorina, et al. "The 2010 Elections: Why Did Political Science Forecasts Go Awry?" PS: Political Science & Politics 44, no. 2 (2011): 247–50. Teixeira, Ruy, and John Halpin. "The Path to 270: Demographics Versus Economics in the 2012 Presidential Election." Center for American Progress, November 2011. Supplementary Reading Final fivethirtyeight.com forecast of 2012 Presidential Election.
7	Campaigns	Required Readings Sides, John, and Jake Haselswerdt. "Campaigns and Elections." Chapter 11 in New Directions in Public Opinion. Routledge, 2011, pp. 241–57. ISBN: 9780415885287. [Preview with Google Books] Fenno, Richard F., Jr. "U.S. House Members in their Constituencies: An Exploration." American Political Science Review 71, no. 3 (1977): 883–917. Supplementary Readings Vavreck, Lynn. The Message Matters: The Economy and Presidential Campaigns. Princeton University Press, 2009. ISBN: 9780691139623. [Preview with Google Books] Gelman, Andrew, and Gary King. "Why are American Presidential Election Campaign Polls So Variable When Votes are So Predictable?" British Journal of Political Science 23, no. 1 (1993): 409–51.
8	Consequences of Elections	Required Readings Brady, David W., and Craig Volden. Chapters 1, 2, and 4 in Revolving Gridlock: Politics and Policy from Jimmy Carter to George Bush. Westview Press, 2006. [Preview with Google Books] Stanton, Steven J., Jacinta C. Beehner, et al. "Dominance, Politics, and Physiology: Voters' Testosterone Changes on the Night of the 2008 United States Presidential Election." PLoS ONE 4, no. 10 (2009): e7543. Supplementary Readings Krehbiel, Keith. Pivotal Politics: A Theory of U.S. Lawmaking. University Of Chicago Press, 1998. ISBN: 9780226452715. [Preview with Google Books] Dahl, Robert. "Myth of the Presidential Mandate." Political Science Quarterly 105, no. 3 (1990): 355–72. Erikson, Robert S., Michael B. MacKuen, and James A. Stimson. The Macro Polity. Cambridge University Press, 2002. ISBN: 9780521564854. [Preview with Google Books] Eggers, Andrew C., and Jens Hainmueller. "MPs for Sale? Returns to Office in Postwar British Politics." American Political Science Review 103, no. 4 (2009): 513–33.
9	Money in Politics	Required Readings Bailey, Michael. "The Two Sides of Money in Politics: A Synthesis and Framework." Election Law Journal: Rules, Politics, and Policy 3, no. 4 (2004): 653–69. Gimpel, James G., Frances E. Lee, et al. "The Political Geography of Campaign Contributions in American Politics." Journal of Politics 68, no. 3 (2006): 626–39. Jacobson, Gary C. "Campaign Spending Effects in U.S. Senate Elections: Evidence from the National Annenberg Election Survey." Electoral Studies 25, no. 2 (2006): 195–226. Supplementary Readings Coverage of the Supreme Court case Citizens United on scotusblog.com. Ansolabehere, Stephen, John M. de Figueiredo, et al. "Why is There So Little Money in U.S. Politics?" Journal of Economic Perspectives 17, no. 1 (2003): 105–30.
10	Vote Choice	Required Readings Jacoby, William G. "The American Voter." Chapter 15 in The Oxford Handbook of American Elections and Political Behavior. Oxford University Press, 2010, pp. 262–77. ISBN: 9780199235476. [Preview with Google Books] Jessee, Stephen A. "Spatial Voting in the 2004 Presidential Election." American Political Science Review 103, no. 1 (2009): 59–81. Lupia, Arthur. "Shortcuts Versus Encyclopedias: Information and Voting Behavior in California Insurance Reform Elections." American Political Science Review 88, no. 1 (1994): 63–76. Supplementary Readings Lewis-Beck, Michael S., William G. Jacoby, et al. The American Voter Revisited. University of Michigan Press, 2008. ISBN: 9780472070404. Ansolabehere, Stephen, Jonathan Rodden, et al. "The Strength of Issues: Using Multiple Measures to Gauge Preference Stability, Ideological Constraint, and Issue Voting." American Political Science Review 102, no. 2 (2008): 215–32. Fiorina, Morris P. Retrospective Voting in American National Elections. Yale University Press, 1981. ISBN: 9780300025576.
11	Participation	Required Readings Olson, Mancur, Jr. The Logic of Collective Action: Public Goods and the Theory of Groups. Harvard University Press, 1965, pp. 5–16. [Preview with Google Books] Brady, Henry E., Sidney Verba, et al. "Beyond SES: A Resource Model of Political Participation." American Political Science Review 89, no. 2 (1995): 271–94. Citrin, Jack, Eric Schickler, et al. "What If Everyone Voted? Simulating the Impact of Increased Turnout in Senate Elections." American Journal of Political Science 47, no. 1 (2003): 75–90. Supplementary Reading Rosenstone, Steven J., and John Mark Hansen. Mobilization, Participation, and Democracy in America (Longman Classics edition). Pearson, 2002. ISBN: 9780321121868.
12	Representation	Required Readings Gilens, Martin. "Two-thirds Full? Citizen Competence and Democratic Governance." Chapter 3 in New Directions in Public Opinion. Edited by Adam J. Berinsky. Routledge, 2011, pp. 52–76. ISBN: 9780415885287. [Preview with Google Books] Stimson, James A., Michael B. MacKuen, et al. "Dynamic Representation." American Political Science Review 89, no. 3 (1995): 543–65. Supplementary Readings Gilens, Martin. "Inequality and Democratic Responsiveness." The Public Opinion Quarterly 69, no. 5 (2005): 778–96. Canes-Wrone, Brandice, David W. Brady, et al. "Out of Step, Out of Office: Electoral Accountability and House Members' Voting." American Political Science Review 96, no. 1 (2002): 127–40. Bafumi, Joseph, and Michael C. Herron. "Leapfrog Representation and Extremism: A Study of American Voters and Their Members in Congress." American Political Science Review 104, no. 3 (2010): 519–42.
13	Critiques of American Democracy	Required Readings Bartels, Larry M. "Homer Gets a Tax Cut: Inequality and Public Policy in the American Mind." Perspectives on Politics 3, no. 1 (2005): 15–31. Caplan, Bryan. "The Myth of the Rational Voter: Why Democracies Choose Bad Policies." Cato Institute, Policy Analysis #594, 2007. Hajnal, Zoltan L. "Who Loses in American Democracy? A Count of Votes Demonstrates the Limited Representation of African Americans." American Political Science Review 103, no. 1 (2009): 37–57. Gaventa, John. Power and Powerlessness: Quiescence and Rebellion in an Appalachian Valley. University of Illionois Press, 1982, pp. 3–32. ISBN: 9780252009853. [Preview with Google Books] Supplementary Readings Dahl, Robert A. How Democratic is the American Constitution? 2nd ed. Yale University Press, 2003. ISBN: 9780300095241. Key, V. O., Jr. Southern Politics in State and Nation. University of Tennessee Press, 1984. ISBN: 9780870494345. Black, Merle. "The Transformation of the Southern Democratic Party." Journal of Politics 66, no. 4 (2004): 1001–17. Hacker, Jacob S., and Paul Pierson. "Winner-take-all Politics: Public Policy, Political Organization, and The Precipitous Rise of Top Incomes in the United States." Politics & Society 38, no. 2 (2010): 152–204. Lupia, Arthur, Adam Seth Levine, et al. "Were Bush Tax Cut Supporters "Simply Ignorant?" A Second Look at Conservatives and Liberals in "Homer Gets a Tax Cut"." Perspectives on Politics 5, no. 4 (2007): 773–84. Bartels, Larry M. "Homer Gets a Warm Hug: A Note on Ignorance and Extenuation." Perspectives on Politics 5, no. 4 (2007): 785–90. Dahl, Robert A. Who Governs? Democracy and Power in an American City. Yale University Press, 1961. Schattschneider, E. E. The Semi-Sovereign People: A Realist's View of Democracy in America. Dryden Press, 1960. Bachrach, Peter, and Morton S. Baratz. "Two Faces of Power." American Political Science Review 56, no. 4 (1962): 947–52.