Political Science 410: American Policy Processes
Winter, 1999
Tuesday/Thursday 8:30-10:00
Mason Hall 2402

Assistant Professor Chris Fastnow
6635 Haven Hall
763-2216
cfastnow@umich.edu
Office Hours: Tuesdays 1-3
and by appointment
Course Grader: Tony DiGiovanni

About the course
Grades, Expectations, and Assignments
Readings
Information for Students with Disabilities
Contacting me
Course Schedule
Guidelines for writing papers in this course
The Undergraduate Political Science Association
Some Web Resources on Impeachment
Links to pages on Congress
Group assignments for term project


FINAL EXAM IN ANGELL HALL, AUDITORIUM D
THURSDAY, APRIL 22, 10:30AM - 12:30PM

 




















About the course

This is a course about how policy is made and implemented in the United States.  The purpose of the course is to help you understand the actors and institutions that participate in the policy process.  It is my goal that at the end of the class you will be at a minimum a better consumer of politics, whatever your chosen vocation.  In a more ambitious vein, it will prepare you to work in the public policy arena as a participant yourself.

It is critical to understand the institutions that make policy before understanding policy itself.  Therefore, we will spend considerable time learning about the federal government and its varied roles in the policy process.  Your written work will integrate the institutions with a specific policy area, examining the interaction of the actors, rules, subjects, and outcomes of the specific subject.

The course is divided into several sections.  The introduction sets the stage for the rest of the term.  The remaining sections examine in depth the actors and institutions involved in the federal policy process - Congress, the president, the courts, the bureaucracy, non-governmental and other governmental actors (e.g. the public or state and local governments).  The end of the course will serve as a wrap up of the policy process in full.

Grades, Expectations, and Assignments

This is a relatively large class, but I believe we can have some fruitful discussion.  However, we can't learn from each other if you are not prepared.  Therefore, I expect you to come to class, read the assigned material before class on the date listed below, and be prepared to discuss the given topic.  I also expect you to keep up with current U.S. political news.  Please read a national newspaper, such as the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, the Christian Science Monitor, the Washington Post, or the Los Angeles Times.  Most if not all of these newspapers have free web access for students.  If you prefer, please regularly (daily) listen to or watch the news. I suggest Monitor Radio, National Public Radio's Morning Edition or All Things Considered, or the News Hour with Jim Lehrer on PBS.

In addition to attendance, participation, and careful attention to the news, your grade in this course consists of two exams, several short written assignments, and one group project.  Please see the information on how I grade papers in this course.

1.  The midterm will be given in class and will consist of both short answer and essay questions.  The midterm exam is worth 25% of your grade.  The final is scheduled for Thursday, April 22, 10:30-12:30 in ANGELL AUDITORIUM D.  Like the midterm, the final exam consists of written responses to short answer and essay questions.  The final is worth 35% of your grade.  I weight the final more heavily to reward progress during the course.

2.  In class, I will assign several short assignments that will be due within about a week.  These will be both individual and small group projects.  These assignments are designed to integrate current events into the course discussion, making our learning of the policy process contemporary and applied.  All of these assignments should follow the guidelines for writing papers in this course.  All of the short assignments together are worth 20% of your grade.

3.  Finally, you will work in a small group to complete the last component of your grade.  As a group, you will study a single policy area in depth, applying what you have learned in class and pointing out where your subject differs from those we have studied together.  Groups will be assigned in early February, and I will give you detailed assignment information then.  Projects are due Thursday, April 15, in class.

Readings

There are several books assigned for this course.  All are available at area bookstores. In addition, there is a coursepack now available at Dollar Bill Copying (611 Church St.).
Required Texts:
John Kingdon.  Agendas, Alternatives, and Public Policy, 2nd edition. Harper Collins Publishers.
David Mayhew.  Congress: the Electoral Connection.  Yale University Press.
Robert Dewhirst. Rites of Passage.  Prentice Hall.
Charles Jones.  The Presidency in a Separated System.  Brookings Press.
Cornelius Kerwin.  Rulemaking, 2nd edition.  Congressional Quarterly Press.
Bradley Canon and Charles Johnson.  Judicial Policies, 2nd edition.  Congressional Quarterly Press.
I also recommend you read at least one of the following texts as reference for your group project.  Ideally, each member of your group will read a different book.  You may choose to share copies of these books rather than buy your own.
Recommended Texts:
Ronald Elving.  Conflict and Conpromise.  Simon and Schuster Publishers.
Lee Fristchler. Smoking and Politics, 4th edition.  Prentice-Hall Publishers.
Janet Martin.  Lessons from the Hill.  St. Martin's Press.
Barbara Craig and David O'Brien.  Abortion and American Politics.  Chatham House Publishers.

Information for Students with Disabilities

Students with disabilities who will be taking this course and who need disability-related classroom or testing accommodations are encouraged to see me as soon as possible. I also encourage you to visit and take advantage of the Services for Students with Disabilities office, located at G625 Haven Hall (3-3000).

Contacting Me

For questions about exams, please come see me in person.  I will always be in my office during office hours specifically to see you. You do not need an appointment to see me during office hours.  You are welcome to make an appointment with me outside of those times.  To schedule an appointment, please email me with a proposed time as I do not bring my calendar to lecture.

You may also wish to get in touch with the course grader, Tony DiGiovanni.  He will hold announced office hours whenever exams or assignments are returned.  You may also email him.

For other matters, you can either email (cfastnow@umich.edu), call (763-2216), or stop by my office.  I will usually respond promptly to emails and voicemails (unless it's a weekend).  Please do not call me at home.

Course Schedule - this schedule is subject to change with notice.

I.  Introduction
A.  1/7: Welcome, introductions, preparations

B.  1/12: How should we approach this subject?  Agendas, Alternatives, Choices, and Implementation
Read Kingdon, chapter 1 and appendix.

1. 1/14: Who is involved?
Read Kingdon, chapters 2 and 3.
Small group media assignment given in class.

2.  1/19: Defining Problems and Getting on the Agenda
Read Kingdon, chapter 5.

3.  1/21: Refining the Alternatives
Read Kingdon, chapters 6 and 7.

4.  1/26: Policy Windows
Read Kingdon, chapters 8 and 9.
Small group media assignment due in class.

II.  Congress as a Policy Making Institution
A. 1/28: Actors in Congress - goals and behavior
Read Mayhew, Part I.

B.  2/2: Rules of the game in Congress
Read Mayhew, Part II.
Article response assignment given in class.

1.  2/4: committees
Read chapter 16, "What Affects Committee Power and Success?" in Weisberg, et al, Classics in Congressional Politics (coursepack)
Read chapter 19, "Controlling the Legislative Agenda," in Weisberg et al. (coursepack)
Term Project Assignment given in class.

2.  2/9: party leaders
Read chapter 13, "The Folkways of the Senate," in Weisberg et al. (coursepack)
Read chapter 23, "The Changing Role and Impact of Party Leaders," in Weisberg, et al. (coursepack)
Group assignments given in class.

C.  2/11: Another game: Appropriations (click here for the Budget Process notes)
Read Dewhirst, chapter 7.
Article response assignment due in class.

D.  2/16: Who wins the Congress Game?
Read Dewhirst, chapter 5.

Midterm Exam: Thursday, February 18, in class.

 III.  The President and the Presidency as Policy Making Institutions

A.  2/23: The president himself
Read Jones, chapter 1.

B. 2/25: The Presidency
Read Jones, chapter 2.

Spring Break!

1.  3/9: Appointments
Read Jones, chapter 3.
Read Waterman, chapter 9 in The Presidency Reconsidered (coursepack).
Dewhirst chapter 4 response assignment given in class.

2.  3/11: Ties to interested actors

3.  3/16: The Presidency and Congress
Read Jones, chapters 6 and 7.

3/18: class cancelled - gotta go out of town!  work on your Dewhirst assignment instead.

4.  3/23: Constraints on the presidency
Read Oppenheimer, chapter 4 in The Presidency Reconsidered (coursepack).
Dewhirst response due in class.


IV.  The Bureaucracy's Dual Role: Policy Maker and Policy Implementer

A.  3/25: Rulemaking
Read Kerwin, chapters 1 and 2.
Web assignment given in class.

B.  3/30: Too Much Discretion?
Read Kerwin, chapters 3 and 4.

C.  4/1: The Bureaucracy and the Other Branches
Read Kerwin, chapter 6.
Web assignment due in class.


V.  The Courts as Policy Makers

A.  4/6: The Courts Make Policy?
Read Canon and Johnson, chapter 1.

B.  4/8: Yes, the Courts Make Policy.
Read Canon and Johnson, chapters 2 and 3.

C.  4/13: Response to Court Policy
Read Canon and Johnson, chapter 7.

VI.  4/15, 4/20 Wrap-up.  Presentation of findings.
Group projects due in class.

Final Exam: Thursday, April 22, 10:30-12:30
    Angell Auditorium D


This page created and copyrighted by Chris Fastnow.
Created on January 4, 1999.
Last updated on April 19, 1999.
This site will change often.  Please check back regularly!

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