AMERICAN PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGNS:
THE 1996 NOMINATING PROCESS
(PolSc 217.03 Section 001)
Dr. David Caputo
- Course Hours and Location:
- Tuesday and Friday, 8:10 - 9:25 AM
- Hunter West 415
- Office Hours and Location:
- Tuesday and Friday, 9:30 - 10:00 AM
- By appointment
- Hunter East 1700
Welcome to the presidential primary campaign class.
Should be an interesting spring as the nominating process unfolds. I
am looking forward to the class and what we can learn together about
the nominating process and its role in American politics. Since the
process has already begun, we will have to "catch up" with it
throughout the semester.
This course is designed to achieve several objectives:
- to introduce and explain various aspects of the United States
presidential nominating process and its significance on presidential
selection;
- to understand the nominating process within the context of
American federalism;
- to place the 1996 presidential nominating process in an appropriate
historical context;
- and to compare, when possible, the American process with other
presidential nominating processes throughout the world.
For the course to be successful, you need to keep up on current news
and to watch CSPAN presentations when you can. Reading a
comprehensive daily paper (New York Times, Washington Post, Wall
Street Journal) is essential. You may be asked to prepare short
presentations for the class. I hope to have several guest speakers in
the class as well as using phone interviews in a few cases. The
reading should be completed when assigned and your active class
participation is required. I am available to answer questions or
provide assistance as needed. Students should consult with me if any
problems develop.
I am also trying something new. Using email, you will be able to
communicate with me and others in the class. More on how we will use
that as we go through the course. No prior computer experience or
equipment is needed.
Requirements: You are expected to attend all scheduled classes. There
will be a midterm and final examination (combination of essay and
short answer) as well as two short written assignments (less than five
typed pages). The examinations cannot be made up. All of the dates
for these are listed in the next section.
Late papers receive a 5% deduction for each class they are late.
Semester grades will be based on the following:
- Midterm examination (25%)
- Papers (15% each)
- Class participation (10%)
- Final examination (35%)
Required Reading (Recommended for purchase and available in campus
bookstore.)
- Stephen J. Wayne, The Road to the White House, 1996 (St. Martins,
paper)
- Various class handouts as well as reserve reading including a special
issue of Congressional Quarterly which is on reserve.
- Class Assignments (Lecture topics may change as developments do.
Reading assignments will not.)
- 2/6 - Course Overview
- 2/9 - Rules of the game: an overview
- Iowa Caucuses explained
- Wayne Preface, About the Author, Chapter 1 pp. xiii-26
- CQ 2483-2488
- 2/13 - No class Monday schedule is in effect.
- 2/16 - Results of the Iowa caucuses discussed
- Rules of the game continued
- Wayne Chapter 3 pp. 59-88
- CQ 2489-2504
- 2/20 - New Hampshire and its importance
- Presidential financing
- Wayne Chapter 2 pp. 27-58
- Wayne Chapter 4 pp. 91-148
- 2/23 - New Hampshire and its results
- Candidate profile: Lamar Alexander
- Alexander's speech and NYT handout
- 2/27 - Candidate profile Patrick Buchanan
- CQ pp. 2506-2533
- Buchanan's speech and NYT handout
- 3/1 - New York and the 3/7 Primary
- 3/5 - Candidate profile Robert Dole
- Read Dole's speech and NYT handout
- 3/8 - An assessment of the process to now
- Candidate profile: Steve Forbes
- Read NYT handout
- CQ pp. 2549-2565
- 3/12 - Importance of Super Tuesday
- Candidate profile: Phil Gramm
- Read Gramm's speech and NYT handout
- FIRST PAPER DUE AT BEGINNING OF CLASS
- 3/15 - Is there a race after Super Tuesday?
- Candidate profile: Alan Keyes
- Wayne, pp. 149-184
- Read Keyes speech and NYT handout
- 3/19 - Candidate profile: Richard Lugar
- Read Lugar's speech and NYT handout
- 3/22 - Review and discussion
- 3/26 - Midterm Examination in class
- 3/29 - The nominating process at midstreamis it over?
- CQ pp. 2566-2602
- 4/2 - 4/5 - Midterm Break/No Classes
- 4/9 - Reporting and the nominating process
- Wayne Chapter 7 pp. 219-258
- Masters, "The Body Language of Leadership" (on reserve)
- 4/12 - Use and role of commercials
- Jamieson, Duty Politics, Chapter 78 (on reserve)
- 4/16 - Negative campaigning and its impact
- Wayne Chapter 6 pp. 185-218
- Jamieson, Packaging the Presidency pp. xx, 337, 459-492. (on
reserve)
- 4/19 - Third Party Candidates and Their Impact
- 4/23 - Candidate profile: Bill Clinton
- Read NYT handout
- 4/26 - 1992 Democratic presidential nominating process
- 4/30 - The electoral college and its impact on American presidential
campaigns
- Wayne: Chapter 8 pp. 259-292
- 5/3 - Proposed reforms of the electoral college
- SECOND PAPER DUE AT THE BEGINNING OF CLASS
- 5/7 - The 1992 Campaign
- Wayne, Chapter 9 pp, 293-318
- Trent and Trent, The Incumbent and His Challengers (on reserve)
- 5/10 - Political Ads in 1992
- 5/14 - Update on the 96 nominating campaign and a look ahead to the fall
- CQ p. 2602
- Berke, "Long Costly Prelude Does Little to Alter Plot of Presidential Race," handout
- 5/17 - Nominations, elections, and federalism
- 5/21 - Review session
- 5/24 - Final examination
- 9:11 AM in Hunter West 415