Winthrop University
Spring 2017
Political Science 306-001: The Congress
MW 3:30-4:45 PM, Owens 204
Three credit hours
Dr. John Holder
Course description:
Under the U.S. Constitution, the Congress is the most powerful of the three
branches of the federal government. This class will consider Congress as an
institution. We will explore its membership; reapportionment and redistricting
in the House of Representatives; campaigns and elections; differences between
the House and the Senate; the role of party leadership; committee structure; the
legislative process; congressional relations with other branches of government;
and the public policy “outputs” which all of these produce.
We will spend the last several weeks of the semester, including the final exam
period, doing a simulation exercise of the passage of a bill through Congress.
The bill to be considered will be a current piece of legislation chosen by the
class. The members of the class will role-play several of the actors who are
involved in this process. This will include committee hearings, interest group
testimony, and floor action in both the House and the Senate. You will be
assigned specific roles which will be determined at random. The final paper will
be a substantive analysis of the bill which we consider. You will also write a
number of short reflection papers pertaining to the different roles you play
during the simulation.
The course fulfills a social science requirement in the General
Education program; it satisfies the upper division American Government and
Politics requirement in the Political Science major program, and satisfies an
upper division requirement for Political Science minor program. This course
helps students master general education goals 1.1 (“to read, write and speak
standard English”) and 7 (“to examine values, attitudes, beliefs, and habits
which define the nature and quality of life”).
Student Learning Objectives: At the end of this course, students will be able to
describe and analyze the dual functions of the US Congress (legislative and
representative), identify and evaluate key differences between the two chambers,
and recount the historical development of the institution.
Text:
Roger H. Davidson, Walter J. Oleszek, Frances E. Lee, and Eric Schickler,
Congress and Its Members, Fifteenth
Edition, Washington, DC: SAGE/CQ Press, 2016 (abbreviated in the reading
assignments as DOL&S).
Additional readings will be assigned throughout the semester, and the syllabus
is subject to change at the instructor’s discretion.
Grading factors:
Midterm exam, 20%.
Final paper, 20%.
Class participation including simulation, 20%.
Four writing assignments related to the simulation exercise, 10% each (see below).
The course will use Winthrop University’s +/- grading system. Final grades will
be assigned as follows:
93-100 = A
90-92 = A-
87-89 = B+
83-86 = B
80-82 = B-
77-79 = C+
73-76 = C
70-72 = C-
67-69 = D+
63-66 = D
60-62 = D-
59 or below = F.
Administrative announcements:
Class cancellations, changes in schedule, guest speakers, etc., will be
announced via the class listserv, to which you will be automatically subscribed
through your winthrop.edu e-mail address. Check your WU e-mail frequently. You
may use the listserv for discussion or to share information with classmates,
review for exams, or ask questions about course material.
Note that anything you post to the
listserv will be seen by everyone in the class.
Attendance:
Attendance will be taken by means of a sign-in sheet circulated at the
beginning of each class meeting. In
accordance with Winthrop’s attendance policies, if you are absent without excuse
from one-quarter of the class meetings or more (in this case, seven), you will
receive an N or an F, as appropriate. In this class, signing in an absent
classmate is considered an act of academic dishonesty. I do not require
documentation for absences except for
exams.
Technology:
You are welcome to use a computer to take notes in class. However, this class
follows the College of Arts and Sciences policy on use of technology in the
classroom. Please turn off all cell phones and other electronic communication
devices during class meetings. If you need to leave your phone on during a
particular class for emergency reasons, please let me know in advance.
The use of any kind of electronic device,
including a phone, iPod or Internet access, during an exam constitutes academic
dishonesty.
Academic Honesty and Integrity:
Academic dishonesty will not be tolerated in this class. This class follows the
policies of Winthrop University and the Department of Political Science, which
are linked below, on academic misconduct and plagiarism. Please be aware of
these policies and abide by them. In addition to what is listed in these
policies, it is an act of academic misconduct in this class to sign in an absent
classmate on the attendance sheet. In addition to any penalties imposed by the
instructor, academic misconduct of any kind will result in referral to the Dean
of Students for possible additional sanctions.
Political Science Department policy statement:
http://www.winthrop.edu/cas/politicalscience/default.aspx?id=19401
Office of Academic Affairs policy statement:
http://www2.winthrop.edu/public/policy/fullpolicy.aspx?pid=252
Schedule of Readings and Assignments
Mon., Jan. 9: Introduction to the Course.
Wed., Jan. 11: DOL&S, Ch. 1.
Mon., Jan. 16: No Class – Dr. Martin
Luther King, Jr., Holiday.
Wed., Jan. 18: DOL&S, Ch. 2.
The Articles of Confederation:
http://avalon.law.yale.edu/18th_century/artconf.asp
United States Constitution, Article I,
http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/constitution_transcript.html
Week of Jan. 23: DOL&S, Chs. 3 and 4.
Jennifer E. Manning, “Membership of the 114th Congress: A Profile,” Congressional Research Service, https://fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/R43869.pdf
Judy Schneider and Michael L. Koempel, “The First Day of a New Congress: A Guide
to Proceedings on the House Floor,” Congressional Research Service, Dec. 13,
2016, available at
https://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/RL30725.pdf
and “The First Day of a New Congress: A Guide to Proceedings on the Senate
Floor,” Congressional Research Service, Dec. 13, 2016, available at
https://fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/RS20722.pdf
PowerPoints on Reapportionment and Redistricting
House election data, 2008-2016
Week of Jan. 30: U.S. Bureau of the Census,
Reapportionment and redistricting simulation exercise in class.
Week of Feb. 6: DOL&S, Ch. 5 and 6.
Week of Feb. 13: DOL&S, Ch. 7. Catch up and
review for midterm exam.
Mon., Feb. 20: Midterm Exam.
Wed., Feb. 22: DOL&S, Ch. 8.
Week of Feb. 27: DOL&S, Chs. 9 and 10.
Outline on Decision Making in Congress; Congress and the President
Week of Mar. 6: DOL&S, Chs. 11 and 12.
Week of Mar. 13: No Class – Spring Break.
Week of Mar. 20: DOL&S, Chs. 13 and 14.
Mar. 27: DOL&S, Chs. 15 and 16.
Week of Apr. 3: House Committee Hearing Simulation on H.R. 83
Link to the bill: https://www.congress.gov/bill/115th-congress/house-bill/83?q=%7B%22search%22%3A%5B%22HR+83%22%5D%7D&r=1
Committee and Subcommittee Assignments
Member Research Assignments - Read their individual pages at house.gov
House Judiciary Committee - https://judiciary.house.gov/
House Oversight and Government Reform Committee - https://oversight.house.gov/
House Rules Committee - https://rules.house.gov/
List of Sanctuary Jurisdictions (from Ohio Jobs & Justice PAC) http://www.ojjpac.org/sanctuary.asp
Week of Apr. 10: House Committee and Floor Simulation
Legislative Committees: Committee and subcommittee members should be able to discuss the bill as it pertains to their committee jurisdiction and to the constituencies they represent. They will be able to offer amendments to the bill, which will be adopted by majority vote. (Every House committee/subcommittee is either 4/3 or 3/2 R to D. Check your assignments through the link above.)
Rules Committee: The Rules Committee will structure the debate in the House.
Members of the Rules Committee should be familiar with the committee’s
procedures (watch Webcasts on the Committee site) and how to write a rule. If
committees of multiple jurisdiction report out competing versions of the bill,
the Rules Committee will determine which version to present to the House.
Week of Apr. 17: Senate Committee Simulation
Mon., Apr. 24: Papers Due.
Begin Senate Floor Simulation.
Mon., May 1, 3:00-5:30 PM. Final exam
period. Complete simulation.
Writing Assignments Related to the Simulation:
Each of these will count for ten
percent of your semester grade.
1. Write a four-to-five-minute speech outlining your position on the bill, in
the role of either the House member or the Senator you play. Deliver this speech
during debate in either the House or the Senate. This should be well-researched,
factually-based, and accurately in character. (You personally don’t have to
agree with the argument that you’re making.) Note that you will be expected to
participate in debate, in character, in both the House and the Senate, but you
only have to write this up as a formal exercise for one or the other. You should
cite the sources of your information in your written presentation, but it’s not
necessary to present your sources when you’re giving the speech verbally.
This will be due on the day you present it
either in the House or in the Senate.
2 and 3. Write separate papers (first-person is fine) reflecting on each of your
experiences (1) as a House member, and as a Senator. Include both your committee
work and floor debate. In each case, how did you prepare for this experience?
What resources did you use to research the legislation? What resources did you
use to research the part of the member you portrayed? What role did you play in
this particular part of the simulation?
These will be due in class on Monday, April 24.
4. Reflect on the simulation as a whole.
Again, first person is fine. What did you learn about this issue through your
and your classmates’ discussion? What did you learn about Congressional
procedure? What did this illustrate to you about the way in which different
members of Congress do their jobs? If appropriate, you may consider differences
between Democrats and Republicans, and between the House and the Senate. How
does this process illustrate Davidson, Oleszek, Lee and Schickler’s conception
of “the two Congresses”? These will be due at the final exam meeting on Monday, May 1.