Congress

Gov 1310: Introduction to Congress

Semester: 

Spring

Offered: 

2011

This course seeks to provide students with a comprehensive understanding of Congress as both a representative and policymaking institution.  The course is an ``introduction" in that the material does not require any prior knowledge of the U.S. Congress.  Initially, the readings focus on questions of representation, namely how electoral incentives shape legislative behavior.  With that foundation, the second half of the course examines how the institutional structure translates these representational aspects into policymaking. By the end of the semester students should be...

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Gov 2356: Agenda Setting and Representation in Congress

Semester: 

Fall

Offered: 

2010

Our goal in this course is not only to be exposed to arguments and evidence on various aspects of agenda setting and representation, but more importantly, the goal is to design and conduct original research so that we might contribute to the literature. With this latter goal in mind, the course is a bit of an experiment.  Typically, graduate-level seminars are designed to train students in the critical analysis of a piece of scholarship.  After two or three years of such courses we generally find that we are far more equipped to criticize than we are to contribute.  ...

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Gov 1524: Agenda Setting in Congress

Semester: 

Spring

Offered: 

2009

This course addresses a central question in American politics: Why does Congress pay attention to some issues and ignore others?  We will seek to answer this question by exploring how institutional design privileges the status quo; the politics behind how problems are defined; the role of political entrepreneurs; and the various avenues that are available for citizens to impact the policy process. Rather than focusing solely on the nuts and bolts of how Congress operates in isolation, this course seeks to understand how Congress interacts with other actors -- both inside and outside...

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