POL S 550 A: American Politics Core

This course is a broad overview of the field of American Politics across a range of topics and methodological approaches. A considerable amount of time in the course will be spent engaging and discussing the scholarly work on American political institutions and political behavior. Themes throughout the course include representation, power, influence, and identities. The goals of the course are to familiarize students with both canonical works and newer approaches to the field, as well as augment students’ ability to assess methodologies and evidence presented and utilized by the authors we read.