Uniwersytet Warszawski - Centralny System Uwierzytelniania
Strona główna

U.S. Presidential Elections: Workshop

Informacje ogólne

Kod przedmiotu: 2100-MON-USPE
Kod Erasmus / ISCED: 14.1 Kod klasyfikacyjny przedmiotu składa się z trzech do pięciu cyfr, przy czym trzy pierwsze oznaczają klasyfikację dziedziny wg. Listy kodów dziedzin obowiązującej w programie Socrates/Erasmus, czwarta (dotąd na ogół 0) – ewentualne uszczegółowienie informacji o dyscyplinie, piąta – stopień zaawansowania przedmiotu ustalony na podstawie roku studiów, dla którego przedmiot jest przeznaczony. / (0312) Politologia i wiedza o społeczeństwie Kod ISCED - Międzynarodowa Standardowa Klasyfikacja Kształcenia (International Standard Classification of Education) została opracowana przez UNESCO.
Nazwa przedmiotu: U.S. Presidential Elections: Workshop
Jednostka: Wydział Nauk Politycznych i Studiów Międzynarodowych
Grupy: Monografy i fakultety WNPiSM - semestr zimowy
Punkty ECTS i inne: (brak) Podstawowe informacje o zasadach przyporządkowania punktów ECTS:
  • roczny wymiar godzinowy nakładu pracy studenta konieczny do osiągnięcia zakładanych efektów uczenia się dla danego etapu studiów wynosi 1500-1800 h, co odpowiada 60 ECTS;
  • tygodniowy wymiar godzinowy nakładu pracy studenta wynosi 45 h;
  • 1 punkt ECTS odpowiada 25-30 godzinom pracy studenta potrzebnej do osiągnięcia zakładanych efektów uczenia się;
  • tygodniowy nakład pracy studenta konieczny do osiągnięcia zakładanych efektów uczenia się pozwala uzyskać 1,5 ECTS;
  • nakład pracy potrzebny do zaliczenia przedmiotu, któremu przypisano 3 ECTS, stanowi 10% semestralnego obciążenia studenta.

zobacz reguły punktacji
Język prowadzenia: angielski
Rodzaj przedmiotu:

fakultatywne
monograficzne
ogólnouniwersyteckie

Założenia (opisowo):

(tylko po angielsku) It is recommended that students enrolled for the course should already have basic knowledge about the U.S. constitutional system. Extended level of interest in the political history and socio-political and economic geography of the United States of America, contemporary U.S. politics, voting behaviour would be an advantage.

Tryb prowadzenia:

w sali

Skrócony opis: (tylko po angielsku)

This course provides the in-depth analysis of the of the U.S. presidential elections in 2012, 2016 and 2020, as well as the general historical overview of the genesis and evolution of the presidential, congressional and gubernatorial electoral system.

This course sets forth to present not only the detailed political, geographical, sociological and psychological aspects of the results of the U.S. presidential elections and its relation to other types of elections in America, but also offers to dive into the political landscape of particular states, districts and counties (parishes in Louisiana/boroughs in Alaska).

In effect the course offers deeper understanding of both political and cultural meaning of elections in American society.

Pełny opis: (tylko po angielsku)

Once Upon a Time in America: a brief history of the U.S. politics

- ideas that shape American politics: freedom, democracy, individualism

- between federalism and unionism: the evolution of the American statehood

- civil liberties and civil rights: from exceptionalism to equality

State of Play: an introduction to the U.S. political system

- an overview of the Constitution of the United States

- separate branches of government and allocation of power: Congress, President and U.S. Courts

- checks and balances: how legislative, executive and judiciary limit each other

- non-constitutional actors: interest groups and media

We, the People: general rules of the U.S. elections

- voting traditions in the Thirteen Colonies

- amending the Constitution: evolution of the American electoral system

- right to vote and ballot access: history and contemporaneity

- Republicans vs Democrats: evolution of the two-party system

- organisation of the election: voter registration and verification

- polling vs convenience voting: how the votes are cast

POTUS: electing the President of the United States

- the Electoral College: history and evolution

- winning the nomination: from presidential primaries to the national convention

- running for president: strategy and finance of the campaign

- "the winner takes it all": from general elections to the electoral count

- presidential vs other important elections: congressional, state and local

The Land of the Free: introduction to the American political geography and demography

- introduction to the general geography of the United States: the general characteristics of the area

- introduction to the general demographics of the United States: population, race and ethnicity, religion, social classes, minorities

- socio-cultural and economic map of the United States: from Alabama to Wyoming

Stars and Stripes: case study analysis of U.S. presidential results by state

- introduction to analysis of the election results: using interactive maps and Google Spreadsheets

- rules and boundries: census and redistricting

- Red vs Blue: political characteristics of each U.S. state

- safe vs swing/battleground: dynamics of change in U.S. presidential results

- levels of analysis: state, district, county/parish/borough, precinct

- cross-over voting: presidential elections vs congressional elections

- "Stop the count!": controversies over the integrity of electoral process (2000 and 2020)

Literatura: (tylko po angielsku)

Students are expected to read selected chapters of at least one of the books and selected articles from the basic literature listed below adequate to the topic of particular classes. Yearbook and guides are to be used respectively. All the basic and additional literature is available online on the course's Google Classroom profile.

Students are also expected to keep up to date with current events of U.S. politics by watching national news television, reading online political press and following key politicians and commentators on social media - all of students' relevant choice.

Basic literature:

Alexander S. Belenky, Who Will Be the Next President? A Guide to the U.S. Presidential Elections, Springer 2013 (2nd edition)

John R. Bond, Kevin B. Smith, Analyzing American Democracy: Politics and Political Science, Routledge 2019 (3rd edition)

Rhodes Cook (ed.), America Votes 30: 2011-2012, Election Returns by State, CQ Press 2014

Rhodes Cook (ed.), America Votes 31: 2013-2014, Election Returns by State, CQ Press 2015

Rhodes Cook (ed.), America Votes 32: 2015-2016, Election Returns by State, CQ Press 2017

Rhodes Cook (ed.), America Votes 33: 2017-2018, Election Returns by State, CQ Press 2019

David Darmofal, The political geography of macro-level turnout in American political development, "Political Geography" 2006, vol. 25 no. 2, pp. 123-150

James E. Gimpel, Francis E. Lee, Joshua Kaminski, The Political Geography of Campaign Contributions in American Politics, "The Journal of Politics" 2006, vol. 68 no. 3, pp. 626-639

Benjamin Ginsberg, Theodore J. Lowi, Margaret Weir, Caroline J. Tolbert, Andrea L. Campbell, We The People: an Introduction to American Politics, W.W. Norton & Company 2019 (12th edition)

Edward L. Glaeser, Bryce A. Ward, Myths and Realities of American Political Geography, "The Journal of Economic Perspectives" 2006, vol. 20, no. 2, pp. 119-144

Stacey Hunter Hetch, David Schultz (eds.), Presidential Swing States: Why Only Ten Matter, Lexington Books 2017

John C. Hudson, Across This Land: A Regional Geography of the United States and Canada, Johns Hopkins University Press 2020 (2nd edition)

Deborah Kalb (ed.), Guide to U.S. Elections, CQ Press 2016 (7th edition)

Diane S. Kaplan, An Introduction to the American Legal System, Government, and Constitution, Wolters Kluwer 2015

Jan E. Leighley (ed.), The Oxford Handbook of American Elections and Political Behavior, Oxford University Press 2010

Michael P. McDonald, From Pandemic to Insurrection: Voting in the 2020 US Presidential Elections, De Gruyter 2020

L. Sandy Meisel, Jeffrey M. Berry (eds.), The Oxford Handbook of American Political Parties and Interest Groups, Oxford University Press 2010

James A. Morone, Rogan Kersh, By the People: Debating American Government, Oxford University Press 2018 (3rd edition)

Michael Nelson (ed.), Guide to the Presidency and the Executive Branch, CQ Press 2012

Thomas E. Patterson, We The People: an Introduction to American Government, McGraw-Hill Education 2019 (13th edition)

James Q. Wilson, American Government: Institutions & Policies. Brief Version, Cengage Learning 2018 (13th edition)

Additional literature:

Robert A. Dahl, How Democratic is the American Constitution?, Yale University Press 2003 (2nd edition)

Jill Lepore, These Truths: A History of the United States, W.W. Norton & Company 2018

Efekty uczenia się: (tylko po angielsku)

Knowledge

Student should:

- know and understand the institutional framework of American democracy and the main mechanisms of the U.S. political system, especially the constitutional position and political power of the President of the United States (K_W04)

- know and understand the intellectual and ideological basis of American democracy and its values, as well as the cultural meanings of the U.S. election processes (K_W05)

- know and understand the key features and mechanisms of U.S. politics (K_W06)

Skills

Student should:

- be able to watch and interpret the key aspects of political processes in the United States of America, as well as to analyse it using both theoretical and practical apparatus (K_U02, K_U03)

- be able to identify the main values of the American democracy and judge particular aspects of American political culture (K_U04)

- be able to access and analyse complex data on the outcomes of different U.S. elections using different source of information and innovative technologies (K_U08)

- be able to collect, prioritise and convert data on the U.S. elections, as well as to present own interpretation of that data through individual or collective projects (K_U09, K_U10)

- be able to use English at least on B2 level to analyse and explain the main features of the U.S. politics (K_U11, K_U12)

Social competences

Student should:

- be ready to perform simple research activities related to the results of U.S. presidential elections individually or in collaboration and prioritise research task (K_K02)

Metody i kryteria oceniania: (tylko po angielsku)

Grading scale:

The final grade of the course will result from the total number of earned points:

46-50 points: 5

41-45 points: 4+

36-40 points: 4

31-35 points: 3+

26-30 points: 3

25 points and below: 2

Total number of 0-50 points = 0-25 points for the project + 0-25 points for active participation

Project

Each student will be drawn to one of the 50 states and will be expected to prepare its detailed political profile based on the detailed demographic data and 2010-2020 election results. The format template for the project will be provided by the conductor of the course.

Project will be evaluated basing on the criteria of: adequacy of data, scientific rigour, creativity of independent conclusions, timing and academic integrity. The final evaluation of each criterion of the project will expressed as the academic grade with the number of points assessed:

5 (5 points)

4+ (4 points)

4 (3 points)

3+ (2 points)

3 (1 point)

2 (0 points)

Important note: any kind of academic dishonesty (especially intellectual property infringement) will be immediately reported to the disciplinary bodies of the University of Warsaw and will result in a final course grade of 2.

Active participation

For the purpose of the general outcome of the course, student's active participation is required. Participants of the course are expected to attend the classes prepared and ready for active discussions with thoughtful remarks and productive comments.

Active participation of each student will be constantly monitored throughout the semestr, as well as instantly evaluated and publicly announced at the end of each classes. Course conductor's judgement of student's activity is final and will not be disputed. The final evaluation of the level of performance of each student during the classes will be expressed in the following manner:

25 points: active participation in 10 or more classes

20 points: active participation in 8 or more classes

15 points: active participation in 6 or more classes

10 points: active participation in 4 or more classes

5 points: active participation in 2 or more classes

Important note: Attendance throughout the semester is required. Maximum 2 absences are allowed. Every next unjustified absence results in deduction of 5 points out of the total number of earned points.

Make-up exam:

Any student who fail to meet the requirements to pass the course will receive the grade of 2 in first term and will be allowed to take the make-up written exam consisting of set of different types of questions related to the substance of the course.

The second and final grade of the course will result from the total number of earned points on the make-up exam:

46-50 points: 5

41-45 points: 4+

36-40 points: 4

31-35 points: 3+

26-30 points: 3

25 points and below: 2

Przedmiot nie jest oferowany w żadnym z aktualnych cykli dydaktycznych.
Opisy przedmiotów w USOS i USOSweb są chronione prawem autorskim.
Właścicielem praw autorskich jest Uniwersytet Warszawski.
ul. Banacha 2
02-097 Warszawa
tel: +48 22 55 44 214 https://www.mimuw.edu.pl/
kontakt deklaracja dostępności USOSweb 7.0.3.0-2b06adb1e (2024-03-27)