POL S 556 A: American Political Development

How has the American political system transformed since the Founding? What explains the growth in presidential power? How do scholars identify and trace the critical periods of state-building? In what ways did the civil rights movement shape the contours of citizenship? What is the role of legal institutions in development? This course will explore critical questions of institutional and ideational development in American politics across time.

Scholarship focused on the historical development of the American state lies primarily in the subfield of American Political Development (APD). APD scholars situate their analyses in a much longer time period than most political scientists. Through this focus, they are able to piece together informative accounts of the institutions that govern America. Important works by APD scholars have produced studies linking institutional development to the processes of American industrialization, bureaucratization, party development, capitalism, and social policy formation. APD scholars are not simply interested in explaining a particular moment in time; their inquiry is about asking big questions concerning how institutions form and in identifying reasons for stability and change. APD’s emphasis on treating conditions as if they are in constant transition (with politics never in equilibrium) sets its research apart from other political science scholarly undertakings.

The goals of this course are threefold. The first is to introduce the major debates that have occupied scholars in this field. These include debates over periodization, institutional power, race, gender, and citizen agency. The second is to discuss the various historical methods scholars use to study American Political Development. The third is to challenge the traditional APD paradigm in terms of what periods to consider, what political actors to study, and the types of scholarship that should be included in the APD cannon