Southern Utah University

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Southern Utah University
Southern Utah University
Fall Semester 2025

ST: Public Opinion (Face-to-Face)

POLS 4100-01

Course: POLS 4100-01
Credits: 3
Term: Fall Semester 2025
Department: PSCJ
CRN: 32475

Course Description

An examination of specific issues and topics in political science such as social choice theory, American political thought, ethics and politics, and public policy. This course will vary in substantive content and may be repeated for credit. (As Needed) [Graded (Standard Letter)] Repeatable for Add’l Credit? Yes - Total Credits: 6 Registration Restriction(s): None

Required Texts

None. All readings will come from academic journal articles which will be available through the SUU Library's website and will be posted on canvas for convenience. 

Learning Outcomes

Analyze the structure and dynamics of public opinion in democratic systems
Critically evaluate different approaches to studying political behavior
Explain how citizens process and use political information
Design appropriate research strategies to investigate political behavior questions

Course Requirements

PARTICIPATION (25% of your final grade)  One important prerequisite of participation is class attendance.  Class attendance is vital and required.    It is essential to read all of the assigned readings and think carefully about what you have read in advance of the class session.  Frantically skimming the articles in the minutes before class begins will limit the quality of our class discussion and impede your ability to learn anything useful.  Your education and our class discussion of the readings will both benefit from your careful reading of the articles as well as the time you spend in advance of class reflecting on what you have read and learned.   You will also be expected to actively participate in class discussions in a thoughtful way. 

 LEADERSHIP OF CLASS DISCUSSION (15% of your final grade) For three weeks during the semester, you will be responsible for leading class discussion.  Your goal is to ensure that the class engages in thoughtful reflection about what we can learn from that week’s readings.  How you do this is up to you and your fellow discussion leader.  You could spend time discussing the articles individually, engaging the themes that cross different articles, connecting that week’s topic to prior readings, or discussing ways to extend and elaborate on the week’s readings. Your grade will reflect the quality of your preparation, as well as the quantity and quality of class discussion you generate.

You will be graded on your class participation and discussion leadership, which will count toward 40% of your final grade.  You can choose which assignments will compose the remainder of your grade from the following options:

AN EXTRA WEEK OF DISCUSSION LEADERSHIP  (each worth 5% of final grade, if selected)
RESPONSE PAPERS  (each is worth 5% of your final grade, if selected) In these response papers, you will use the week’s readings as inspiration for a possible future research project.  In your memo, develop a plan for how you could empirically extend ideas raised in that week’s readings.  Your proposal might extend ideas raised in the studies, or you might propose an interesting question that the authors do not consider.  Describe your research question, why it is important and how it would contribute to the literature, the central hypotheses you would want to test, and how you would test your hypotheses.  These papers should be single-spaced and two to three pages in length.   Turn them in at the beginning of class on the day we discuss that topic.
BOOK REVIEW AND CRITIQUE (each is worth 10% of your final grade, if selected) If there is a book on public opinion or political participation that you are interested in that is not on this syllabus, you can choose to read it and write up a book report (list of suggested books provided).  When we cover the most closely related topic in class, you will present a short summary of the book to the class and engage some of the strengths and weaknesses of the text.  You should also turn in a book review essay (two to four pages) on the same matters, as a hard copy and as an electronic copy for distribution to the rest of the class via the course website. 
LITERATURE REVIEW (each is worth 20% of your final grade, if selected) Another option is to write an essay that assesses the current literature on a topic of your choosing (given instructor approval).  This essay should be five to eight single spaced pages in length and is due the last week of the semester.  The central goal of the paper will be to assess and summarize the research about a particular topic – to identify the central question or questions, highlight the most important literature related to the topic, and provide commentary about the strengths and weaknesses of the current research in the area.   More details will be outlined on a separate handout.
RESEARCH PAPER (worth 50% of your final grade, if selected) You can also choose to develop a research paper that tests an interesting question about public opinion or political behavior.  This paper should follow the format of the kinds of academic papers read in class – including development of a research question, a review of relevant literature, theory, tests of these explanations, and interpretation of what you find.  Expectations for the research paper are outlined in a separate handout. 

Course Outline

Sampling Methods 

Trust 


 Wolak, Jennifer. "Why do people trust their state government?." State Politics & Policy Quarterly 20, no. 3 (2020): 313-329.

Carlin, Ryan E., and Gregory J. Love. "The politics of interpersonal trust and reciprocity: An experimental approach." Political behavior 35, no. 1 (2013): 43-63.

CH 1-3 Hetherington, Marc J., and Thomas J. Rudolph. Why Washington Won't Work. University of Chicago Press, 2015.

Partisanship 

 
Philip E. Converse (2006) The nature of belief systems in mass publics (1964), Critical Review, 18:1-3, 1-74

Ellis, Christopher, and James A. Stimson. "Symbolic ideology in the American electorate." Electoral Studies 28, no. 3 (2009): 388-402.

Iyengar, Shanto, Gaurav Sood, and Yphtach Lelkes. "Affect, not ideology: A social identity perspective on polarization." Public opinion quarterly 76, no. 3 (2012): 405-431.

Polarization 


Barber, Michael J., and Nolan McCarty. "Causes and consequences of polarization." Solutions to political polarization in America 15 (2015): 50

Grossmann, Matt, and David A. Hopkins. "Ideological republicans and group interest democrats: The asymmetry of American party politics." Perspectives on Politics 13, no. 1 (2015): 119-139.

Chong, Dennis, and James N. Druckman. "Counterframing effects." The Journal of Politics 75, no. 1 (2013): 1-16.

Media 


Gerber, Alan S., Dean Karlan, and Daniel Bergan. "Does the media matter? A field experiment measuring the effect of newspapers on voting behavior and political opinions." American Economic Journal: Applied Economics 1, no. 2 (2009): 35-52.

Druckman, James N., Matthew S. Levendusky, and Audrey McLain. "No need to watch: How the effects of partisan media can spread via interpersonal discussions." American Journal of Political Science 62, no. 1 (2018): 99-112.

Arceneaux, Kevin, Johanna Dunaway, Martin Johnson, and Ryan J. Vander Wielen. "Strategic candidate entry and congressional elections in the era of fox news." American Journal of Political Science 64, no. 2 (2020): 398-415.

Race 

 
Enos, Ryan D. "What the demolition of public housing teaches us about the impact of racial threat on political behavior." American Journal of Political Science 60, no. 1 (2016): 123-142.

Dawkins, Ryan, Zoe Nemerever, B. Kal Munis, and Francesca Verville. "Place, race, and the geographic politics of white grievance." Political behavior 46, no. 3 (2024): 1813-1835.

White, Ismail K., Chryl N. Laird, and Troy D. Allen. "Selling Out?: The politics of navigating conflicts between racial group interest and self-interest." American Political Science Review 108, no. 4 (2014): 783-800.

Inequality 

 
Healy, Andrew, Katrina Kosec, and Cecilia Hyunjung Mo. "Economic development, mobility, and political discontent: An experimental test of Tocqueville’s thesis in Pakistan." American Political Science Review 111, no. 3 (2017): 605-621.

Bartels, Larry M. "Homer gets a tax cut: Inequality and public policy in the American mind." Perspectives on politics 3, no. 1 (2005): 15-31.

Gilens, Martin, and Benjamin I. Page. "Testing theories of American politics: Elites, interest groups, and average citizens." Perspectives on politics 12, no. 3 (2014): 564-581.

Political Knowledge 


 Lau, Richard R., David J. Andersen, and David P. Redlawsk. "An exploration of correct voting in recent US presidential elections." American Journal of Political Science 52, no. 2 (2008): 395-411.

Lupia, Arthur. "Shortcuts versus encyclopedias: Information and voting behavior in California insurance reform elections." American Political Science Review 88, no. 1 (1994): 63-76.

Goldthwaite Young, Dannagal. "Late-night comedy in election 2000: Its influence on candidate trait ratings and the moderating effects of political knowledge and partisanship." Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media 48, no. 1 (2004): 1-22.

Democracy for realists and cutting edge studies: Week 1

 
Ch 1-3

Littvay, Levente, Jennifer L. McCoy, and Gabor Simonovits. "It’s not just Trump: Americans of both parties support liberal democratic norm violations more under their own president." Public Opinion Quarterly 88, no. 3 (2024): 1044-1058.

Baum, Matthew A., James N. Druckman, Matthew D. Simonson, Jennifer Lin, and Roy H. Perlis. "The political consequences of depression: how conspiracy beliefs, participatory inclinations, and depression affect support for political violence." American journal of political science 68, no. 2 (2024): 575-594.

Democracy for realists and cutting edge studies: Week 2

 
CH 4-5

Kim, Eunji. "Entertaining beliefs in economic mobility." American Journal of Political Science 67, no. 1 (2023): 39-54.

Walgrave, Stefaan, Arno Jansen, Julie Sevenans, Karolin Soontjens, Jean-Benoit Pilet, Nathalie Brack, Frédéric Varone et al. "Inaccurate politicians: Elected representatives’ estimations of public opinion in four countries." The Journal of Politics 85, no. 1 (2023): 209-222.


Democracy for realists and cutting edge studies: Week 3


 Ch 6-7

Mutz, Diana C. "(Mis) attributing the causes of American job loss: The consequences of getting it wrong." Public Opinion Quarterly 85, no. 1 (2021): 101-122.

Peterson, Erik, and Maxwell B. Allamong. "The influence of unknown media on public opinion: Evidence from local and foreign news sources." American Political Science Review 116, no. 2 (2022): 719-733.


Democracy for realists and cutting edge studies: Week 4


 Ch 8-9

Marie, Antoine, and Michael Bang Petersen. "Motivations to connect with like-minded audiences increase partisan sharing on social media." PNAS nexus (2025): pgaf197.

Arechar, Antonio A., Jennifer Allen, Adam J. Berinsky, Rocky Cole, Ziv Epstein, Kiran Garimella, Andrew Gully et al. "Understanding and combatting misinformation across 16 countries on six continents." Nature Human Behaviour 7, no. 9 (2023): 1502-1513.

Democracy for realists and cutting edge studies: Week 5


 Ch 10-11

Djourelova, Milena. "Persuasion through slanted language: Evidence from the media coverage of immigration." American economic review 113, no. 3 (2023): 800-835.

Barron, Kai, Anna Becker, and Steffen Huck. "Motivated political reasoning: On the emergence of belief-value constellations." European Economic Review 172 (2025): 104929.

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

Given that students are allowed to pick their own assignments, it is assumed that they will only pick assignments that are due when their schedule permits. Therefore, late assignments will not be accepted. 

Attendance Policy

In person attendance is expected. 

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.