Tue 10-12 Pinni B 1096, except on January 13th Pinni B 1100

This is a course on policymaking in the American government. The course addresses the selection of policy topics, the federal policymaking process, and policy analysis. Through the course, we will examine which issues arise as public policy issues, and who is involved in bringing them to public attention. We will explore the process of policymaking and will analyze the effects of different approaches to individual and group decision making and their implications for democratic governance. Finally, we will focus on some specific policy issues and investigate whether the existing policies are the best in terms of efficiency, fairness, and simply meeting their intended objectives.

Class meetings: The class will meet once a week. Meetings will involve both lectures and discussions. Students should complete the reading assigned in the syllabus before each meeting. A portion of each class period will be devoted to a discussion of the main ideas encountered in the reading and students are expected to participate in the discussions.

Assigned reading: The articles to be used are listed below. Current events will be incorporated into the course discussions and the examinations. Students should read a good newspaper in addition to the text. Suggested sources: The Economist, The New York Times, The Washington Post.

Examinations: There will be one midterm exam and one final exam. Exams will include three types of questions: identification questions, short answer questions, and essay questions.

Grades: Grades will be weighted in the following manner: Midterm 45%, Final 55%.

SYLLABUS (Subject to revision)

13 Jan, Course Introduction - The Policy Approach
20 Jan, The Political Setting and Players
Taylor, Andrew J. 1998. "Domestic Agenda Setting, 1947-1994," Legislative Studies Quarterly, 23: 373-97.
27 Jan, The Economics
3 Feb, Government Decision Making and the Agenda
10 Feb, NO CLASS
17 Feb, Energy and Environmental Policies
24 Feb, Midterm
3 Mar, Health Care
Spring Break: 6.Mar-16. Mar. No Class 17 March
24 Mar, Income Support
31 Mar, Immigration
Burns, Peter and James G. Gimpel. 2000. "Economic Insecurity, Prejudicial Stereotypes, and Public Opinion on Immigration Policy," Political Science Quarterly.
14 April, Crime
Sieberg, Criminal Dilemmas: Understanding and Preventing Crime, Ch 1;
21 April, Drug Policy
Freeman, Richard B., "Why Do So Many Young American Men Commit Crimes and What Might We Do About It?" Journal of Economic Perspectives, 10, 1, Winter, 1996.
28 Apr, School Reform
Dworkin, Gary. 2005. "The No Child Left Behind Act: Accountability, High-Stakes Testing, and Roles for Sociologists," Sociology of Education
5 May, Final Exam

Compensates from VALTA4 Sorensen - Torfing's book or VALTS2b Castles' book.