GOVT 83.19 American Political Behavior

Do most Americans have real opinions on political issues, or are their opinions transient and heavily influenced by the media and political elites?  What are Americans' opinions on important issues?  Do the media determine the issues people care about, or does public concern about an issue drive media coverage?  How can we measure people's attitudes, preferences, and opinions?  How and why are Democrats, Republicans, and Independents different?  Why do some people vote while others do not?  Do people in "red states" and "blue states" differ in their political attitudes?  If so, why?  We will explore these questions and others from a social science perspective.  We will read answers to these questions from journalists, political practitioners, and academic researchers, formulate our own hypotheses, and test these hypotheses using data that are available or that we will uncover.  Completion of Government 10 or its equivalent is highly recommended before taking this course. 

Instructor

Lacy

Degree Requirement Attributes

Dist:SOC; WCult:W

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