Politics 278 - U.S. Elections

Elections have been at the core of both the;vitality and fragility of American democracy.;Free and responsive government is hard to imagine;without elections, yet U.S. elections suffer from;low turnout, increasing polarization, invisible;money, gender inequality, partisan;gerrymandering, and new forms of voter;disenfranchisement. This course offers an;overview of American elections by placing them in;historical and comparative perspective. We will;look at how the institutions that structure the;electoral process developed, how they differ from;those in other democratic countries, and how they;shape the behavior of candidates, voters, and;activists, and influence the policymaking process.

Prereq: POLIT-104.