SGIA3531: Democratic Practice in the United States: Campaigns, Elections and Voter Behaviour

• Any Level 2 SGIA module

• None

• None

• This module aims to enable students to gain detailed and specific knowledge and understanding from institutional, strategic and individual perspectives of how the United States of America elects its leaders.

• Students will be tasked with investigating the roots and assessing the present significance of key dynamics and contemporary political developments in US electoral politics. Indicative content may include:
• The historical and political development of electoral involvement of various American political institutions, which may include the US presidency, the Congress, the judiciary, and other important institutions;
• The relationship between the executive, legislative and judicial branches of government;
• Important traditions of political thought in American politics and how they are discussed during political campaigns;
• The historical development of American political culture;
• Ongoing political controversies over e.g. abortion, racial conflict, gun control, and crime;
• The socio-demographic structure of the US;
• The role of the media in US politics;
• The evolving role of the US on the world stage;
• The US constitution and its role in American political development;
• The logic behind how each branch of American government operates;
• The logic of American political behavior, including voting, campaigns and elections, and political identity.

Subject-specific Knowledge:

• Show detailed and systematic knowledge of contemporary US political institutions and debates in appropriate theoretical context;
• Be aware of the principal dynamics shaping developments, including specific current political controversies in US politics;
• Have an appropriate understanding of key debates in the scholarly literature surrounding US politics, drawing on material at or close to the forefront of current scholarly work;
• Understand the significance of the contested and dynamic nature of US politics as both a field of human activity and an academic subject.

Subject-specific Skills:

• Describe, analyse and evaluate key institutions and debates in US politics;
• Utilise advanced scholarly resources effectively to support sound academic judgement on US politics;
• Show an understanding of the institutional, Constitutional and other appropriate political, social or cultural factors influencing contemporary US politics;
• Describe, interpret and evaluate political theories, concepts and processes in the American context, as they bear on current political controversies;
• Flexibly adjust and adapt their use of knowledge and the application of intellectual skills to different forms of study.

Key Skills:

• Through the module students should further develop key skills including:
• Identification, selection and assessment of resources in support of their studies;
• Effective planning and delivery of assessed work within time and length constraints;
• Taking responsibility for their learning and work, balancing competing demands to complete a range of tasks.

• Teaching is through 20 lectures to introduce key ideas and concepts, and 10 seminars structured to ensure discussion of assigned readings and coverage of the full range of content of the module. These may use student presentations to provide a basis for subsequent discussion and debate, enabling students to survey key issues and present initial assessments of the competing positions in the literature. This encourages students to demonstrate their acquisition of knowledge and to develop and defend analytical assessments and judgements in a guided and supported teaching environment.
• Formative assessment will come in the form of an essay exploring the history of a prominent political topic in American politics. This will prepare students for the summative assessment by having them engage critically with a political topic, conduct research into its history and current importance, and present these findings in an objective manner. Achieving this also tests their ability to independently identify, assess and organise resources in support of a consistent academic argument, by a deadline and to a word-limit, requiring students to take responsibility for their learning.
• The summative assessments will test a students analytical skills as well as require the student to incorporate the full range of material in the module, so that all aspects of subject specific knowledge must be addressed and skills displayed. Essay 1 will require students to develop a proposal for how to reform election administration in the United States. Drawing upon the readings, lectures and seminars students will have to propose one significant change to the electoral system that will address a current defect, explain how this will make an improvement in the system, and discuss the likelihood of its implementation. Essay two will similarly require students to draw upon the readings, lectures and seminars in order to develop a campaign plan. Students will select a congressional district or state within the USA and sketch out how they would target voters, develop campaign messages and reach out to select voting blocs.

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