Southern Utah University

Course Syllabus

Southern Utah University
Southern Utah University
Fall Semester 2025

Parties, Elections, and Voting Behavior (Face-to-Face)

POLS 3100-01

Course: POLS 3100-01
Credits: 3
Term: Fall Semester 2025
Department: PSCJ
CRN: 32468

Course Description

The study of political parties, elections, voting behavior, campaigns, and electoral systems with an emphasis on the electoral rules of both the U.S. and non-U.S. systems. (Fall - Odd Years) [Graded (Standard Letter)] Registration Restriction(s): None

Required Texts

Jacobson, Gary C., and Jamie L. Carson. The politics of congressional elections. Bloomsbury Publishing PLC, 2019.

Learning Outcomes

Explain the fundamental theories and concepts that govern congressional electoral politics, including the electoral connection between representatives and constituents

Identify and describe key factors that influence congressional election outcomes, including incumbency advantages, strategic politician behavior, and campaign finance effects

Compare and contrast the electoral dynamics between House and Senate races

Analyze the role of political parties in congressional primaries and general elections

Course Requirements

Engagement 15%:

Students are expected to attend as many class sessions as possible, and to contribute
to the class by an active combination of asking questions during lecture and seminar style sessions, participating in classwide discussions and debates, and staying proactively in communication with the instructor to discuss learning obstacles and how to overcome them.

The goal is to be engaged, not just to talk all the time; showing that you're taking thoughtful notes (and not just transcribing lectures), asking about ways to be more involved in discussions, working with your classmates---these are all useful forms of participation, especially for 1st and 2nd year students and/or people who feel more introverted.

Quizzes 10%


Short, open book quizzes on lecture material
These are intended to be quick chances to recall and process important points rather than a test of memory.

Leading Discussion 15%

Students are expected to lead a seminar style discussion once in the semester and write a 2-3 page summary that summaries the key points discussed in their focus article and during our discussion (to be shared with the class)

Slides are optional, but keep in mind this is a discussion, not a  presentation--try to ensure that the class is talking more than you're talking.

Sign up for your preferred topic by the end of the second week. 

Submit you summary within one week of your assigned decision. 

Response Papers 20%


Students will write a 500 word response reflecting 4 readings that capture your interest. Textbook chapters cannot be included in this. The first one is due within the first 3 weeks of the course.

Syllabus 20%

Students will generate a list of learning outcomes and readings as if they were to plan an independent study course on a more specific topic of interest. 


Group paper 20%


Students will work in small groups to write an evidenced-based paper over one of the theories covered in the course. 

Course Outline

Week | Readings
1 | TBD
2  Electoral systems | Todd, Jason Douglas, Curtis Bram, and Arvind Krishnamurthy. "Do at-large elections reduce black representation? A new baseline for county legislatures." Electoral Studies 88 (2024): 102750.
Trounstine, Jessica, and Melody E. Valdini. "The context matters: The effects of single‐member versus at‐large districts on city council diversity." American Journal of Political Science 52, no. 3 (2008): 554-569.
3 Electoral Accountability | Carson and Jacobson Ch 1
Canes-Wrone, Brandice, David W. Brady, and John F. Cogan. 2002. “Out of Step,  Out of Office: Electoral Accountability and House Members’ Voting.” American Political Science Review 96(March): 127-140.
Carson, Jamie, Gregory Koger, Matthew Lebo, and Everett Young. 2010. “The Electoral Costs of Party Loyalty in Congress.” American Journal of Political Science 54(July): 598-616.
4 Primaries  | TBD
5 Strategic Politicians | Krasno, Jonathan S. and Donald Philip Green. 1988. “Preempting Quality Challengers in House Elections.” Journal of Politics 50(4): 920-936.
Jacobson, Gary C. 1989. “Strategic Politicians and the Dynamics of U.S. House Elections, 1946-86.” American Political Science Review 83(September): 773-793.
6 Incumbency advantage | Carson and Jacobson ch 3
Ansolabehere, Stephen, James M. Snyder, Jr., and Charles Stewart, III. 2000. “Old Voters, New Voters, and the Personal Vote: Using Redistricting to Measure the Incumbency Advantage.” American Journal of Political Science 44(January): 17-34.
7 Nationalization | Jacobson, Gary C. 2015. “It’s Nothing Personal: The Decline of the Incumbency Advantage in U.S. House Elections.” Journal of Politics 3(July): 861-873.
Dancey, Logan, John Henderson, and Geoffrey Sheagley. 2023. “The Personalized Vote in a Polarized Era.” American Journal of Political Science
8 Nationalization | TBD
9 Media  | Carson and Jacobson ppgs 117-138
Levendusky, Matthew S. 2013. “Why do Partisan Media Polarize Viewers?” American Journal of Political Science 57(July): 611-623.
Arceneaux, Kevin, Johanna Dunaway, Martin Johnson, and Ryan J. Vander Wielen.  2020. “Strategic Candidate Entry and Congressional Elections in the Era of Fox News.” American Journal of Political Science 64(2): 398-415.
10 Elections | Carson and Jacobson Ch 5
TBD
11 Senate | Carson and Jacobson ppgs 138-144 & 225-245
Johnson, Gbemende, Bruce I. Oppenheimer, and Jennifer L. Selin. 2012. “The House as a Stepping Stone to the Senate: Why Do So Few African American House Members Run?” American Journal of Political Science 56(April): 387-399.
Lublin, David I. 1994. “Quality, Not Quantity: Strategic Politicians in U.S. Senate Elections, 1952-1990.” Journal of Politics 56(February): 228-241.
12 Representation | Carson and Jacobson ch 7
Grimmer, Justin. 2013. “Appropriators not Position Takers: The Distorting Effects of Electoral Incentives on Congressional Representation.” American Journal of Political Science 57(July): 624-642.

Instructor's policies on late assignments and/or makeup work

Any in class work cannot be made up. 

All else will receive a 5% penalty per day

Attendance Policy

Attendance is required, but it's ok to miss once in a while and it's really not a big deal (and you don't need an excuse for an occasional absence). 

ADA Statement

Students with medical, psychological, learning, or other disabilities desiring academic adjustments, accommodations, or auxiliary aids will need to contact the Disability Resource Center, located in Room 206F of the Sharwan Smith Center or by phone at (435) 865-8042. The Disability Resource Center determines eligibility for and authorizes the provision of services.

If your instructor requires attendance, you may need to seek an ADA accommodation to request an exception to this attendance policy. Please contact the Disability Resource Center to determine what, if any, ADA accommodations are reasonable and appropriate.

Academic Credit

According to the federal definition of a Carnegie credit hour: A credit hour of work is the equivalent of approximately 60 minutes of class time or independent study work. A minimum of 45 hours of work by each student is required for each unit of credit. Credit is earned only when course requirements are met. One (1) credit hour is equivalent to 15 contact hours of lecture, discussion, testing, evaluation, or seminar, as well as 30 hours of student homework. An equivalent amount of work is expected for laboratory work, internships, practica, studio, and other academic work leading to the awarding of credit hours. Credit granted for individual courses, labs, or studio classes ranges from 0.5 to 15 credit hours per semester.

Academic Freedom

SUU is operated for the common good of the greater community it serves. The common good depends upon the free search for truth and its free exposition. Academic Freedom is the right of faculty to study, discuss, investigate, teach, and publish. Academic Freedom is essential to these purposes and applies to both teaching and research.

Academic Freedom in the realm of teaching is fundamental for the protection of the rights of the faculty member and of you, the student, with respect to the free pursuit of learning and discovery. Faculty members possess the right to full freedom in the classroom in discussing their subjects. They may present any controversial material relevant to their courses and their intended learning outcomes, but they shall take care not to introduce into their teaching controversial materials which have no relation to the subject being taught or the intended learning outcomes for the course.

As such, students enrolled in any course at SUU may encounter topics, perspectives, and ideas that are unfamiliar or controversial, with the educational intent of providing a meaningful learning environment that fosters your growth and development. These parameters related to Academic Freedom are included in SUU Policy 6.6.

Academic Misconduct

Scholastic honesty is expected of all students. Dishonesty will not be tolerated and will be prosecuted to the fullest extent (see SUU Policy 6.33). You are expected to have read and understood the current SUU student conduct code (SUU Policy 11.2) regarding student responsibilities and rights, the intellectual property policy (SUU Policy 5.52), information about procedures, and what constitutes acceptable behavior.

Please Note: The use of websites or services that sell essays is a violation of these policies; likewise, the use of websites or services that provide answers to assignments, quizzes, or tests is also a violation of these policies. Regarding the use of Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI), you should check with your individual course instructor.

Emergency Management Statement

In case of an emergency, the University's Emergency Notification System (ENS) will be activated. Students are encouraged to maintain updated contact information using the link on the homepage of the mySUU portal. In addition, students are encouraged to familiarize themselves with the Emergency Response Protocols posted in each classroom. Detailed information about the University's emergency management plan can be found at https://www.suu.edu/emergency.

HEOA Compliance Statement

For a full set of Higher Education Opportunity Act (HEOA) compliance statements, please visit https://www.suu.edu/heoa. The sharing of copyrighted material through peer-to-peer (P2P) file sharing, except as provided under U.S. copyright law, is prohibited by law; additional information can be found at https://my.suu.edu/help/article/1096/heoa-compliance-plan.

You are also expected to comply with policies regarding intellectual property (SUU Policy 5.52) and copyright (SUU Policy 5.54).

Mandatory Reporting

University policy (SUU Policy 5.60) requires instructors to report disclosures received from students that indicate they have been subjected to sexual misconduct/harassment. The University defines sexual harassment consistent with Federal Regulations (34 C.F.R. Part 106, Subpart D) to include quid pro quo, hostile environment harassment, sexual assault, dating violence, domestic violence, and stalking. When students communicate this information to an instructor in-person, by email, or within writing assignments, the instructor will report that to the Title IX Coordinator to ensure students receive support from the Title IX Office. A reporting form is available at https://cm.maxient.com/reportingform.php?SouthernUtahUniv

Non-Discrimination Statement

SUU is committed to fostering an inclusive community of lifelong learners and believes our university's encompassing of different views, beliefs, and identities makes us stronger, more innovative, and better prepared for the global society.

SUU does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, citizenship, sex (including sex discrimination and sexual harassment), sexual orientation, gender identity, age, ancestry, disability status, pregnancy, pregnancy-related conditions, genetic information, military status, veteran status, or other bases protected by applicable law in employment, treatment, admission, access to educational programs and activities, or other University benefits or services.

SUU strives to cultivate a campus environment that encourages freedom of expression from diverse viewpoints. We encourage all to dialogue within a spirit of respect, civility, and decency.

For additional information on non-discrimination, please see SUU Policy 5.27 and/or visit https://www.suu.edu/nondiscrimination.

Pregnancy

Students who are or become pregnant during this course may receive reasonable modifications to facilitate continued access and participation in the course. Pregnancy and related conditions are broadly defined to include pregnancy, childbirth, termination of pregnancy, lactation, related medical conditions, and recovery. To obtain reasonable modifications, please make a request to title9@suu.edu. To learn more visit: https://www.suu.edu/titleix/pregnancy.html.

Disclaimer Statement

Information contained in this syllabus, other than the grading, late assignments, makeup work, and attendance policies, may be subject to change with advance notice, as deemed appropriate by the instructor.