This course, Elections and Participation, will examine the
electoral process in the United States at all levels of government,
focusing on citizen mobilization, political participation, campaign
financing, and television advertising. We will also examine social
movements and other means of civic engagement. The class will
provide students with a richer understanding of citizen and elite
involvement in American politics over time. Campaigns and elections
will also be a central focus of the course, with students engaging
in a campus-wide participation project on environmental
sustainability. In addition, the 2020 presidential election cycle
will provide the practical application for the theories, where
students will be responsible for analyzing the American political
landscape. Students will deepen their understandings of the
interplay between political elites and the general electorate for
political mobilization, gain a historical context of the low US
voter turnouts (and the multiple reasons for this), sharpen their
ability to critically analyze as well as produce political
rhetoric, as well as learn the fundamental mechanics of campaign
management.
- Teacher: Sara Angevine