Course Overview:
The purpose of the course is to learn about the history and development of the U.S. Congress, in addition to study the current state of Congress. The course explores various internal (i.e. institutional rules and procedures) and external dimensions (i.e. campaigns and elections, interest groups, public opinion) of Congress. A large segment of the course will also focus on the policy process, gridlock, polarization, and dysfunction. Latter parts of the course examine the purpose of political parties and leaders, committees, oversight, and the interaction of the legislative branch with other political actors. Additional topics include representation, redistricting, organization within the Congress, and recent legislation and policy debates.
Required Books:
The United States Congress, 2nd Edition, E. Scott Adler, Jeffrey A. Jenkins, and Charles R. Shipan, Norton, 2021,
Congress Reconsidered, 13th Edition, Lawrence Dodd, Bruce Oppenheimer, C. Lawrence Evans, and Ruth Bloch Rubin, CQ Press 2024
The books may be purchased at the university bookstore. You are welcome to purchase print, kindle, or e-versions of the books that are available in these editions.
Renting a book, used copies, and e-versions are all considerably cheaper than new paperback versions of the texts. You may find these books in these formats available at significantly reduced price from websites (such as Amazon or directly from Norton or Sage/CQ Press). The campus bookstore may also have used copies of these books or e-versions that are similarly priced.