Politics 278 - U.S. Elections

Elections are 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 relatively low turnout, increasing polarization, invisible money, racial and gender inequality, partisan gerrymandering, and new forms of voter disenfranchisement. This course offers students an overview of American elections by placing the November elections in historical and comparative perspective and following their development in real time. Students will also gain on-the-ground experience working in the local community as voter registrants and get-out-the-vote activists in the run-up to the November elections. By then end of the semester, students will have developed an in-depth understanding of the workings of American electoral institutions and behavior as well as transferrable skills for organizing and mobilizing political action.

Prereq: POLIT-104.