The Congress 4219-SF008
This course closely and with detail examines the nature, character and role of the US Congress within the American political system. Focus will be placed on the historical development of congressional powers as well as those powers specifically assigned to it by the Constitution. Special focus will be put on the historical and institutional changes in both houses and upon the overall legislative process.
1. Introduction: Congress and how to Study it -
2. Congress and how to Study it -I
3. The History and Nature of the House and the Senate:
4. The deliberative and political character of Congress:
5. The rational mechanisms of deliberation and making of legislation
6. Committees and Subcommittees and Congressional Leadership I
7. Committees and Subcommittees and Congressional Leadership II
8. Patterns and Dynamics
9. Elections and Constituencies:
10. Elections and Constituencies II:
11. Congress and Other Branches I:
12. Congress and Other Branches II:
13. Congress and Public Policy
14. Political Change and the Congress:
Type of course
Course coordinators
Learning outcomes
Learning outcomes and Competences:
* Ability to comment on or annotate documents appropriately in relation to critical issues about the US Congress
* Ability to communicate orally in English using the appropriate terminology about the US Congress and its role in shaping US Policy and Law.
* An understanding the working of the US Congress both as an institution and the role it plays in American politics.
* Understanding the overall legislative process of the National gov't. and explaining to non-experts.
* Understanding the oversight functions of Congress as compared to parliamentary systems and be able to explain it to non-specialists.
* Examining the how institutions shape the behavior of political actors.
* The role individual decision makers can have on a general legislative process.
* Understanding the way political process and the general democracy pluralist system interact and how and why it produced the outcomes it does produce.
* Understanding the process by which socio-economic and political factors interact to shape how events are to be understood.
* The ability to apply critical thought processes to political processes.
* The ability to compare analogous examples.
Assessment criteria
Grading methods and criteria:
The students will be required to have read all the reading assigned prior to the class they will be addressed in. Also students are expected to be active participants in any class discussions. The teacher reserves the right to modify the average of the above-mentioned assignments by 10% based upon the strength and value of students class participation though out the semester.
Quizzes and Take-Home Assignments:
There will be a number of quizzes and/or take-home assignments tasked throughout this class. Quizzes will focus on the previous week's material, whereas the take-home assignment will be short/brief tasks regarding an issue or topic relevant to that part of the class. There will be between 7 to 12 of these quizzes/take-home assignments (50% of overall class grade)
Course Research Paper (50% of the overall grade for the course). Students will be expected to write up a 12-15 page (double-spaced, standard fonts, excluding cover pages and bibliography) Research paper focusing on a topic regarding or focusing on aspects or things that concern the US Congress. The given topic of the research paper needs to be agreed on with the professor, no later than Week 8.
Bibliography
Joseph Bessette, The Mild Voice of Reason: Deliberative Democracy and American National Government (U of Chicago).
Roger Davidson and Walter, Oleszek, Congress and Its Members (CQ Press).
Lawrence Dodd and Bruce, Oppenheimer, Congress Reconsidered (CQ Press).
Morris Fiorina, Congress: Keystone of the Washington Establishment (Yale)
Ellen Greenberg, The House and Senate Explained
Charles Stewart III, Analyzing Congress (Norton)
Gordon Tullock and James Buchanan The Calculus of Consent: Logical foundations for constitutional democracy. (limited copies in the library but whole book can be found online: http://www.econlib.org/library/Buchanan/buchCv3Contents.html)
Woods Institute. The New Dyanmics of Congress: A Guide to the People and Process in Lawmaking (The Woods Institute)
Additional information
Additional information (registration calendar, class conductors, localization and schedules of classes), might be available in the USOSweb system: