Seminar in Political Participation [DRAFT]
POS 6933 (2A41) / POS 4931 (2B41)
Class Periods: Mondays 8-10 periods; 3:00 pm to 6:00 pm ET
Location: Zoom (id circulated in Canvas)
Academic Term:
Fall 2020
Michael D. Martinez
(352) 273-2363 (infrequently monitored in Fall 2020)
Office Hours: Wednesdays, 9:00 am – 11:00 ET, Zoom id 920-434-7071
Completion of or current enrollment in a graduate or undergraduate course in a social science Research Methods course is strongly recommended.
(1) To review the scholarly literature on political participation in the United States and in some non-US settings.
(2) To provide students with empirical tools to conduct basic secondary analysis of data which addresses the conditions that foster (or inhibit) political participation.
·
Fraga, Bernard L. 2018. The Turnout Gap: Race, Ethnicity,
and Political Inequality in a Diversifying America. New York, NY:
Cambridge University Press. ISBN-10: 1108465927
·
Green, Donald P., and Alan S. Gerber. 2019. Get out the
Vote: How to Increase Voter Turnout. 4th ed. Washington, D.C.: Brookings
Institution Press. ISBN-10: 0815736932
·
Holbein, John B., and D. Sunshine Hillygus. 2019. Making
Young Voters: Converting Civic Attitudes into Civic Action. Cambridge:
Cambridge University Press. ISBN-10: 110872633X
· Leighley, Jan E., and Jonathan Nagler. 2013. Who Votes Now?: Demographics, Issues, Inequality and Turnout in the United States. Princeton: Princeton University Press. ISBN-10: 0691159351
·
Wolfinger, Raymond E., and Steven J. Rosenstone. 1980. Who
Votes? New Haven: Yale University Press.
· Verba, Sidney, Kay Lehman Schlozman, and Henry E. Brady. 1995. Voice and Equality: Civic Voluntarism in American Politics. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press.
· Each student is expected to have access to a basic statistical software package (SPSS, Stata, or R) and a familiarity with how to do basic analyses (reading data, frequencies and crosstabs).
· All are available for free on UF Apps.
· R is freely downloadable at https://cloud.r-project.org/
· SPSS is available for lease at https://onthehub.com/spss/
· Stata is available for lease at https://www.stata.com/order/new/edu/gradplans/student-pricing/
Attendance in the Zoom class meetings with camera turned on is required in each seminar meeting. In order to encourage open discussion and out of respect for all students’ privacy, Zoom class meetings will not be recorded.
The weekly meetings of the seminar should be viewed as opportunities for the exchange of ideas among scholars. You may, on occasion, be able to tell that I am the leader of the seminar, but its overall success depends on the informed participation of everyone. Each student is expected to have completed the readings for the week, and to have something to say about those readings when seminar begins. Participation will be evaluated based on listening (attentiveness), preparation for class discussion, quality of the contributions, and impact on the class.
Students who can reasonably anticipate an absence must inform the instructor by email as soon as practical and prior to the anticipated absence. Absences from seminar may be excused with documentation of a University, military, or legal obligation, illness, or bereavement.
This course is divided into a prologue, four modules, and an epilogue. In the first week in each module, we will read a set of articles and chapters that explore different aspects of the main question. In the second week, we will discuss a contemporary book and how well it synthesizes, challenges, or advances the perspectives of the authors in the preceding week. In the third week, students will present some basic empirical analyses of secondary data showing the basic relationships discussed in the previous two weeks.
In the third week of each module, each student will either
· Submit an essay (of about four pages) which synthesizes and critiques the readings addressed in the previous two weeks. Essays should note the major theoretical questions addressed by the book and the articles, substantive or methodological innovations or controversies, and propose research questions that emanate from this set of readings or discuss how the ideas in the book and articles can be applied by government or political actors (including campaigns).
· An empirical analysis of secondary data that focuses on the major questions addressed in the literature, and how the relationships might vary over time, across space, or across different groups.
MA and PhD students will present (on December 7) a final
paper, formatted as one of the following:
·
A research proposal that reviews and synthesizes literature on
aspect of political participation, proposes an empirical research question, and
presents preliminary research findings on that question. This may be a chapter
of an MA thesis or PhD dissertation. (Expected length: 15 to 20 pp, plus tables
and references)
· A mobilization plan for a campaign, outlining a Get-Out-The-Vote strategy and an assessment plan to determine whether the strategy worked.
·
A letter to a campaign consultant, which explains in layman's
terms how the literature on political participation can inform a modern
political campaign or communication strategy. This is not intended to be a
campaign plan, nor is it a memo about how to win a particular campaign.
Rather, it should be constructed as reading material for a major political or
communications consultant who is beginning a reflection after campaign season
on how s/he might use the political participation literature to think about
campaign strategy or message strategy. (12 to 15 pp.)
· In either format, the final paper will be due on December 14 at noon.
Assignment |
Percentage of Final Grade |
Due Date |
|
Participation and attendance in seminars |
20% |
Weekly |
|
Module 1 essay or empirical analysis |
20% |
September 27 |
|
Module 2 essay or empirical analysis |
20% |
October 18 |
|
Module 3 essay or empirical analysis |
20% |
November 8 |
|
Module 4 essay or empirical analysis |
20% |
November 29 |
|
Total |
100% |
|
Assignment |
Percentage of Final Grade |
Due Date |
|
Participation and attendance in seminars |
20% |
Weekly |
|
Module 1 essay or empirical analysis |
15% |
September 27 |
|
Module 2 essay or empirical analysis |
15% |
October 18 |
|
Module 3 essay or empirical analysis |
15% |
November 8 |
|
Module 4 essay or empirical analysis |
15% |
November 29 |
|
Presentation of research paper / letter / plan |
5% |
December 7 |
|
Final submission of research paper / letter / plan |
15% |
December 14 |
|
Total |
100% |
|
Percent |
Grade |
Grade Points |
|
Percent |
Grade |
Grade Points |
|
90.0 - 100.0 |
A |
4.00 |
|
72.0 – 74.9 |
C |
2.00 |
|
87.0 - 89.9 |
A- |
3.67 |
|
69.0 - 71.9 |
C- |
1.67 |
|
84.0 - 86.9 |
B+ |
3.33 |
|
66.0 - 68.9 |
D+ |
1.33 |
|
81.0 - 83.9 |
B |
3.00 |
|
63.0 - 65.9 |
D |
1.00 |
|
78.0 - 80.9 |
B- |
2.67 |
|
60.0 - 62.9 |
D- |
0.67 |
|
75.0 - 79.9 |
C+ |
2.33 |
|
0 - 59.9 |
E |
0.00 |
More information on UF grading policy may be found at:
UF
Graduate Catalog
Grades
and Grading Policies
Prologue: What is political participation?
August 31:
McDonald, Michael P. and Samuel L. Popkin. 2001. "The Myth of the Vanishing Voter." American Political Science Review 95 (4, December): 963-974.
Verba, Sidney, Kay Lehman Schlozman, and Henry E. Brady. 1995. Voice and Equality: Civic Voluntarism in American Politics. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press. Chapter 2.
Introduction to Datasets
September 7: Labor Day Holiday
Module 1: Does education matter?
In this module, we will review the empirical relationships between formal levels of education and political participation, arguments about whether that relationship is spurious, and which aspects of education are most important in promoting civic participation.
September 14: Articles and chapters
Verba, Sidney, Kay Lehman Schlozman, and Henry E. Brady. 1995. Voice and Equality: Civic Voluntarism in American Politics. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press. Chapters 11-12.
Kam, Cindy D. and Carl L. Palmer. 2008. "Reconsidering the Effects of Education on Political Participation," Journal of Politics 70 (3, July): 612-631.
Condon, M. 2015. "Voice Lessons: Rethinking the Relationship between Education and Political Participation." Political Behavior 37: 819-43.
Mendelberg, Tali, Vittorio Mérola, Tanika Raychaudhuri, and Adam Thal. 2020. "When Poor Students Attend Rich Schools: Do Affluent Social Environments Increase or Decrease Participation?". Perspectives on Politics.
Croke, K., G. Grossman, H. A. Larreguy, and J. Marshall. 2016. "Deliberate Disengagement: How Education Can Decrease Political Participation in Electoral Authoritarian Regimes." American Political Science Review 110: 579-600.
September 21: Book discussion
Holbein and Hillygus. 2019. Making Young Voters: Converting Civic Attitudes into Civic Action.
September 28: Empirical analyses
Pick a dataset, and show the basic bivariate relationship between formal education and participation in that dataset. Answer one other question: Does that relationship vary …?
· Across time? Is the relationship between education and participation getting stronger or weaker?
· Across space? Is the relationship between education and participation stronger in some countries or states than others?
· Across people? Is the relationship stronger for men than women, older people than younger people, whites or minorities?
· Across modes of participation? Is the relationship stronger for voting than it is for other forms of participation?
Module 2: Do institutions matter?
In this module, we will review the literature on how institutions, registration laws, and recent “reforms” affect rates of participation.
October 5: Articles
Wolfinger, Raymond E. and Steven J. Rosenstone. 1980. Who Votes? New Haven: Yale University Press. Chapter 4.
Powell, G. Bingham, Jr. 1986. "American Turnout in Comparative Perspective." American Political Science Review 80 (1, March): 17-44.
Berinsky, Adam J. 2005. "The Perverse Consequences of Electoral Reform in the United States." American Politics Research 33: 471-91.
Gerber, Alan S., Gregory A. Huber, David Doherty, Conor M. Dowling, and Seth J. Hill. 2013. "Do Perceptions of Ballot Secrecy Influence Turnout? Results from a Field Experiment." American Journal of Political Science 57 (3):537-551.
Engstrom, Erik J. .2012. "The Rise and Decline of Turnout in Congressional Elections: Electoral Institutions, Competition, and Strategic Mobilization." American Journal of Political Science 56 (2, April): 373–386.
October 12: Book discussion
Leighley and Nagler. 2013. Who Votes Now?
October 19: Empirical analyses
Pick a dataset, and show the basic bivariate relationship between institutions or laws and participation rates in that dataset. Answer one other question: Does that relationship vary …?
· Across time? Is the relationship between institutions or laws and participation rates getting stronger or weaker?
· Across space? Is the relationship between institutions or laws and participation rates stronger in some countries or states than others?
· Across people? Do institutions or laws have greater effects on poorer people than richer people, on minorities or whites, on men or women?
· Across modes of participation? Do institutions affect participation other than voting?
Module 3: Do campaigns matter?
In this module, we will explore whether campaigns are effective in mobilizing their supporters, how they do it, and whether social media are effective modes of mobilization.
October 26: Articles
Holbrook, Thomas M., and Scott D. McClurg. 2005. "The
Mobilization of Core Supporters: Campaigns, Turnout, and Electoral Composition
in United States Presidential Elections." American Journal of Political
Science 49 (4):689-703.
Gray, Mark and Miki Caul. 2000. "Declining voter turnout in advanced
industrial democracies, 1950 to 1997 - The effects of declining group
mobilization." Comparative Political Studies 33 (9, November):
1091-1122.
Valenzuela, A. A., and M. R. Michelson. 2016. "Turnout,
Status, and Identity: Mobilizing Latinos to Vote with Group
Appeals." American Political Science Review 110: 615-30.
Bond, R.M. et al. 2012. “A 61-million-person experiment in social influence and political mobilization” Nature 489 (Issue 7415): 295-298. link
Larson, Jennifer M., Jonathan Nagler, Jonathan Ronen, and Joshua A. Tucker. 2019. "Social Networks and Protest Participation: Evidence from 130 Million Twitter Users." American Journal of Political Science 63: 690-705.
November 2: Book Discussion
Green and Gerber. 2019. Get out the Vote: How to Increase Voter Turnout.
November 9: Empirical analyses
Pick a dataset, and show the basic bivariate relationship between mobilization (or being contacted) and participation rates in that dataset. Answer one other question: Does that relationship vary …?
· Across time? Is the relationship between mobilization and participation getting stronger or weaker?
· Across space? Is the relationship between mobilization and participation stronger in some settings than in others?
· Across people? Does mobilization have greater effects on poorer people than richer people, on less or more educated people, on minorities or whites, on partisans or independents?
· Across modes of participation? Does mobilization affect participation other than voting?
Module 4: Does race matter?
November 16: Articles
Bobo, Lawrence and Franklin D. Gilliam. 1990. "Race, Sociopolitical Participation, and Black Empowerment." American Political Science Review 84 (2, June): 377-393.
Banducci, S. A., T. Donovan, and J. A. Karp. 2004. "Minority representation, empowerment, and participation." Journal of Politics 66 (2, May): 534-556.
Keele, Luke J., et al. 2017. "Black Candidates and Black Turnout: A Study of Viability in Louisiana Mayoral Elections." Journal of Politics 79: 780-91.
Anoll, A. P. 2018. "What Makes a Good Neighbor? Race, Place, and Norms of Political Participation." American Political Science Review 112: 494-508.
Shaw, Todd C., Kirk A. Foster, and Barbara Harris Combs. 2019. "Race and Poverty Matters: Black and Latino Linked Fate, Neighborhood Effects, and Political Participation." Politics, Groups, and Identities 7: 663-72.
November 23: Book discussion
Fraga. 2018. The Turnout Gap: Race, Ethnicity, and Political Inequality in a Diversifying America.
November 30: Empirical analyses
Pick a dataset, and show the basic bivariate relationship between race or ethnicity and participation rates in that dataset. Answer one other question: Does that relationship vary …?
· Across time? Is the relationship between race or ethnicity and participation getting stronger or weaker?
· Across space? Is the relationship between race or ethnicity and participation stronger in some countries or states than others?
· Across people? Is the relationship between race or ethnicity and participation stronger or weaker among less or more educated people, among older people than younger people, among men or women?
· Across modes of participation? Does race affect participation other than voting?
Epilogue: Does Participation Matter?
December 7: Articles
Lijphart, Arend. 1997. "Unequal Participation: Democracy's Unresolved Dilemma." American Political Science Review 91 (1, March): 1-14.
Martinez, Michael D. and Jeff Gill. 2005. “The Effects of Turnout on Partisan Outcomes in U.S. Presidential Elections 1960-2000.” Journal of Politics 67 (4, November): 1248-1274.
Graduate student presentations.
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