Policy Agenda Settings - Study Materials | POL 109, Lecture notes of Political Science

Download Policy Agenda Settings - Study Materials | POL 109 and more Lecture notes Political Science in PDF only on Docsity! POL 109: Policy Agenda Setting University of California, Davis Winter Quarter, 2013 Class: MW 12:10-1:30pm Discussion: MW 1:40-2:00pm Olson 206 Instructor: Dr. Amber Boydstun Email: aboydstun@ucdavis.edu Office: 684 Kerr Hall Office Hours: M 9:50-11:50am (or by appointment) Teaching Assistant: Jordan Kujala (first point of contact for students with last names A-J) Email: jkujala@ucdavis.edu Office: 666 Kerr Hall Office Hours: M 2:15-4:15pm Teaching Assistant: Matt Lesenyie (first point of contact for students with last names K-Z) Email: mllesenyie@ucdavis.edu Office: 585 Kerr Hall Office Hours: M 2:15-3:15pm This course is about the politics of public policy, agenda-setting, and issue-framing. As a class, we will develop a more sophisticated understanding of these concepts throughout the quarter. But in a nutshell, the term “agenda-setting” refers to the process by which attention (in this case, mainly the attention of the U.S. government, media, and public) gets allocated across policy issues (gas prices, immigration, abortion, war, the spotted owl, and so on). The term “issue-framing” refers to the process by which a specific issue is define from one perspective (as opposed to alternate perspectives). We will discuss the major policy activities of the U.S. federal government with a particular focus on how issues rise and fall on the national political agenda over time and how these issues are framed. Readings will include general treatments of public policy as well as specialized analysis focusing on agenda-setting and issue-framing. Two research assignments will require you to make extensive use of resources available on the Policy Agendas Project website <www.policyagendas.org>, which allows users to trace governmental and public attention to different policy topics from 1947 to present. I encourage you to use these assignments as opportunities to develop your skills in social science research as well as your writing. This is an upper division class, so be prepared to work hard (but hopefully we’ll have some fun along the way too). Most classes will include lectures and computer-based presentations, but the course is also designed to allow for significant student questioning and discussion. Regardless of the size of the class, I expect participation. So come to class ready to discuss things; if things are confusing, come with questions. If you do not participate of your own initiative, be prepared to be called on in class. The more you participate in discussion, the better the class will be and the easier it will be for you to learn more and, ultimately, earn a better grade. Plus, it’s my habit to include questions on exams that can only be answered by people who attended—and participated in—each class. In other words, be forewarned that in order to do well on assignments and exams, you need actively to engage the readings and you need actively to engage the lectures and class discussion. Neither one activity is sufficient on its own. Boydstun: POL 109, Winter 2013 Syllabus (Revised 1/7/13) Page 1 of 11 A syllabus is like a contract, so I’ve tried to specify lots of details in the document to follow, sometimes in relatively harsh language. Don’t be turned off. We’ll read a wide variety of very interesting things and you’ll learn a lot in this class. I am excited to teach it and am looking forward to each week of what follows. I certainly hope it will be one of the best courses you ever take. Class Expectations I expect you to abide by the following classroom etiquette. I have developed this set of expectations not to be draconian, but because outlining these guidelines at the beginning of every course helps me to focus my time and attention less on logistical issues and more on teaching. I find the material I teach tremendously exciting, and I love teaching it. So as an incentive to keep our collective attention focused on the substance of the material we’re studying and on your own thoughts and questions, your participation grade will reflect your ability to follow the expectations set forth below. If you work hard and approach the course in a thoughtful and respectful manner, I will do everything I can to help you see what I find fascinating about the material. Please read the list of expectations below and refer to it as needed throughout the quarter. SmartSite All information for the course can be accessed on the UC Davis SmartSite web page for this course. Go to <https://smartsite.ucdavis.edu> and log in, then select the tab for POL 109. Please do not email questions until you have double-checked these resources documents for the answer. Email I welcome email questions and comments, as do TAs. When you email me or a TA, you should compose your email as you would any piece of professional correspondence. Specifically:  Begin the email with a salutation (e.g., “Dear Professor Boydstun,” “Hi Dr. Boydstun,” or “Dear TA’sFirstName.” It is not appropriate to email without a salutation, and “Hey” does not count).  Use a capital letter to start the first word of each sentence and every proper noun.  Use complete sentences, correct spelling and correct punctuation.  Be courteous and respectful.  At the bottom of the email, sign off with either “Sincerely,” or “Best,” or the equivalent, and below this line write your first and last name in your first email and then just your first name thereafter.  Also include POL109 below your name (and/or in the subject line of the email). To reiterate, all email etiquette applies to emails that you send to a TA as well as those you send to me. Please be conscientious in composing your emails. We will respond to your emails as quickly as possible, but you should not expect an answer on the same day to email sent on weekends or after 5pm on any day. All that being said, remember that the TA(s) and I really are very excited to hear your questions and thoughts about the class or related topics. Lecture Slides Power point slides will be available on SmartSite, usually by the morning of a given lecture though on occasion later in the day. Feel free to print out the slides prior to class (if they are available in time!). Given I make these slides available for you to download, I do not guarantee that I will slow down or stop my lecture simply to allow you to copy down the material on the slide. However, I am always happy to slow down, repeat myself, or explain an idea further if you have questions about the material. Be warned that the material on the slides usually does not include all the important information we will Boydstun: POL 109, Winter 2013 Syllabus (Revised 1/7/13) Page 2 of 11 Participation Your participation grade will be based on the overall effort you put into the class, including the effort you put into your research project assignments, your class attendance (with desk name tag—see above), and your participation in class discussions. Although attendance will only rarely be taken, it’s amazing how quickly an instructor and TAs can differentiate the students who attend and participate from those who do not. Thus, do not assume that you will receive full marks for your participation grade automatically; you must earn every point yourself. Come to class, participate in class discussions, earn a good participation grade, and get more out of the class. It’s a win-win situation. Beware—Everything’s Fair Game for Quiz and Exam Questions Three kinds of information may appear on online quizzes, the midterm exam, and the final exam: 1) Material from the readings, even if we do not discuss it in class 2) Material discussed in class, even if it is not covered in the readings 3) Skills and insights you develop in your research assignments, even if they are not covered in the readings or explicitly discussed in class Online Quizzes As the weekly schedule below shows, you will complete four online, open-note quizzes throughout the course. Each quiz is due by the deadline specified. While the quizzes are open note, they are NOT open friend. Any sharing or discussing of answers constitutes a violation of academic integrity; you’re on your honor to do your work all by yourself. Quizzes will contain multiple choice and/or short answer questions and are designed to help you synthesize the course material and to practice demonstrating your understanding of key concepts. The idea here is that if you force yourself to stay on top of the material in order to do well on the quizzes, your exam grades should be much stronger. While you may use your notes for quizzes, I encourage you to use the quizzes as a way of testing your closed-book understanding of the material, as you will not be allowed to use your notes on the midterm and final exams. Your lowest quiz grade will be dropped at the end of the quarter, meaning your final quiz grade will be calculated using only your three top scores. The main purpose of dropping the lowest quiz is to offer a safety net for those unfortunate technical difficulties that happen to the best of us. And thus, having provided for Murphy’s Law, you will not be allowed to make up a missed quiz under any circumstances, no matter how compelling the glitch—computer malfunction, car breakdown, internet meltdown, girlfriend/boyfriend meltdown, dog ate my laptop, whatever. Exams Both the midterm and final exams are closed-note and must be completed independently. Any attempt to smuggle in answers or copy from another student will constitute a violation of academic integrity. Short of extraordinary circumstances, you will not be allowed to makeup the midterm or final exams. If you have planned circumstances that you believe qualify as extraordinary (e.g., a non-flexible academic commitment), you must contact me regarding these circumstances at least two weeks in advance of the exam in question. Otherwise, you will only be allowed to make up an exam in the event of extreme and unpredictable circumstances (e.g., a hospitalization or a sudden death in the family) and then only if you Boydstun: POL 109, Winter 2013 Syllabus (Revised 1/7/13) Page 5 of 11 provide documentation that verifies—to my personal level of satisfaction—the circumstances that made it impossible for you to take the exam as scheduled. In the event that you do take a makeup exam, be advised that in addition to receiving a different version of the written exam you would have received in class, you may also be required to complete additional essay questions and/or answer oral exam questions that will count toward your make-up exam grade. Research Assignments Two times throughout the quarter, you will be required to hand in a detailed assignment based on your analysis of data from the Policy Agendas Project web site <www.policyagendas.org> as well as additional data of your choosing. Each assignment is due by the beginning of class for that day— whether or not you attend class—both as a hard copy you will hand in to the TA(s) and as an electronic document you will upload to the UC Davis SmartSite web page for this course (go to <https:// smartsite.ucdavis.edu> and log in, select the tab for POL 109). Note that submitting an electronic copy, while required, is not a substitute for submitting a hard copy. If EITHER the electronic copy OR the hard copy is late, the assignment is late. When you submit the hard copy of your second assignment, you must submit it in a folder also containing the graded hard copy of your first assignment so that the TA(s) can track the progress you have made. You must base both assignments on the same policy topic (e.g., energy, education, health care, defense). You will detail the development of your topic from 1947 to present using the Policy Agendas Project datasets as the main sources for your analysis. After identifying specific puzzles related to your topic, you will review relevant academic literature on your topic and analyze the development of your topic over time using the concepts of agenda-setting you will learn about in class. By the end of the quarter, you should be nothing less than an expert on your topic. Complete descriptions of expectations for both assignments will be posted on SmartSite. If you want, you can work with one other student on your research assignments. If you go this route, both students listed on the assignment will receive the same grade, no matter what the circumstances. So choose your collaborator wisely (or work on your own). Late Assignments Research assignments are due (both as a hard copy and as an uploaded electronic document to SmartSite) at the beginning of class on the due date. Period. If you know you are going to miss class when an assignment is due, it is your responsibility to upload your electronic document and to get the hard copy of your assignment to the TA(s) (handed to them in person or time stamped in the Dept. of Political Science main office) before class time. In the absence of extreme circumstances (documented to my personal level of satisfaction), assignments turned in after the beginning of class on the due date will be accepted but marked down five percentage points (i.e., one half letter grade) for each 24 hours or portion thereof after the deadline, including weekends, holidays, school breaks, etc. For example, an assignment due Tuesday at 3pm but not turned in until sometime between 3pm on Thursday and 3pm on Friday of the same week would be marked down 15% (one and a half letter grades) below the earned grade (e.g., from a 90% (A-) to a 75% (C)). Bottom line: Don’t go there. Note: You are responsible for staying in touch with the TA(s) and with me throughout the quarter about your progress on your research project, especially if you experience any difficulties. Boydstun: POL 109, Winter 2013 Syllabus (Revised 1/7/13) Page 6 of 11 Extra Credit Experiment At some point in the quarter, you will be invited to participate in a social science experiment conducted in the Dept. of Political Science. It usually takes only about 15 minutes to participate in this kind of experiment, and doing so offers a neat way of seeing behind the scenes of the social science research that you will read about in this and other classes. Your responses in this experiment are completely anonymous. You will receive 1% extra credit on your final grade simply for showing up and participating. More information about this opportunity will be provided in class. Extra Credit Research Paper At the end of the quarter, you will have the opportunity to submit a final research paper based on the two research assignments you completed earlier in the quarter. As with the two research assignments, you should submit your extra credit final paper both as an electronic document uploaded to the SmartSite course page and as a hard copy submitted in person no later than the beginning of class on the due date. If either format is late, the paper is late. Again, you must submit your final paper in the folder also containing the graded paper copies of your original two assignments so that the TA(s) can track the work you did in your final paper to address the comments you received on your assignments. Your final paper should not simply be a combination of your two shorter assignments, but if you did well on those assignments then it may be close! You will need to revise each section of text based on the written comments you received on your two assignments; organize the entire paper into a single narrative structure combining all the information you used in your assignments with additional information if needed; round out your theory; include an introduction and a conclusion highlighting the central themes of your work; make it look professional, with clean graphs, proper citations, a complete bibliography, section headings, etc. A complete description of expectations for the extra credit final paper will be posted on SmartSite. This extra credit final paper is worth UP TO 3% extra credit on your final grade. Note that while any genuine effort to reformat the two assignments into a unified paper will receive at least ½% of extra credit, only very strong papers will receive 1% or 2% extra credit, and only the rare exceptional paper will receive 3%. Still, even 1% is a lot when considering your final grade (e.g., 89% (B+) + 1% = 90% (A-)). The extra credit paper will not be accepted after this deadline. Keep in mind that this paper could serve as a writing sample for graduate school or job applications! Grade Appeals You may appeal a grade by submitting a written request to the TA(s) in two forms, both electronically and in hard-copy (you should also CC me on the email). Appeals are due within one week of receiving the grade in question. Your written appeal should explain, in logical and concise (and polite) terms, why you believe you should have received a different grade. The TA(s) will take all grade appeals seriously, but be warned that once you appeal a grade they will reconsider that grade with an open mind, and re- grades can happen in either direction. If this reevaluation reveals that you deserved a higher grade than you received, your grade will be changed in your favor. But if this process reveals that you deserved a lower grade than you received, your grade will be changed downward. If your original grade is deemed correct, your grade will remain the same. Boydstun: POL 109, Winter 2013 Syllabus (Revised 1/7/13) Page 7 of 11 Week 4 Mon, Jan 28 Research Project Workshop  Bring your questions Mon, Jan 30 Issue-Framing I  Nelson, Thomas E., Clawson, Rosalee A., and Oxley, Zoe. 1997. Media Framing of a Civil Liberties Controversy and its Effect on Tolerance. American Political Science Review 91(3): 567-84. ADDITIONAL SUGGESTED READINGS:  Chong, Dennis and James N. Druckman. 2007. Framing Theory. American Political Science Review 10: 103-126.  Rose, Max and Frank R. Baumgartner. ND. Framing the Poor. Online Quiz #2 posted by end of day Week 5 Mon, Feb 4 Issue-Framing II  Lakoff, George. 2004. Don’t Think of an Elephant (Excerpt)  Luntz, Frank. 2007. Interview with Katharine Mieszkowski on How To Speak Republican. Online Quiz #2 due by start of class! Wed, Feb 6 Simulation! Midterm Review  Bring your questions Assignment #1 due by start of class! Week 6 Mon, Feb 11 MIDTERM EXAM (Cumulative over all material Weeks 1-5)  Closed Note  Bring: o Blue Book o Scantron o #2 pencil MIDTERM EXAM Wed, Feb 13 The Death Penalty  B,DB&B Ch. 1 (Innocence and the Death Penalty Debate)  B,DB&B Ch. 2 (The Death Penalty in America) Week 7 Mon, Feb 18 President’s Day NO CLASS Wed, Feb 20 Framing the Death Penalty  B,DB&B Ch. 3 (A Chronology of Innocence)  B,DB&B Ch. 4 (The Shifting Terms of Debate) Boydstun: POL 109, Winter 2013 Syllabus (Revised 1/7/13) Page 10 of 11 Week 8 Mon, Feb 25 The Effects of Death Penalty Framing  B,DB&B Ch. 6 (Public Opinion)  B,DB&B Ch. 8 (Conclusion) Wed, Feb 27 Punctuated Equilibrium  B&J Introduction  B&J Theoretical Beginnings  B&J Ch. 1 (Punctuated Equilibria in Politics) Online Quiz #3 posted by end of day Week 9 Mon, Mar 4 Agenda Change B&J Ch. 2 (Policy Images and Institutional Venues) Online Quiz #3 due by start of class! Wed, Mar 6 Two Models of Issue Expansion  B&J Ch. 5 (Two Models of Issue Expansion) Online Quiz #4 posted by end of day Week 10 Mon, Mar 11 The Dynamics of Media Attention  B&J Ch. 6 (The Dynamics of Media Attention)  B&J Ch. 8 (Connecting Solutions to Problems)  Chapter 1 from: Boydstun, Amber E. 2013. Making the News: Politics, the Media, and Agenda Setting. Chicago: University of Chicago Press Online Quiz #4 due by start of class! Wed, Mar 13 Applied Agenda-Setting in Congress Simulation!  B&J Structural and Contextual Change in Politics  B&J Ch. 10 (Congress as a Jurisdictional Battlefield) 5 points extra for turning in Assignment #2 FINALS WEEK Mon, Mar 18 Final Exam Review  Bring your questions Assignment #2 due by start of class! Wednesday, Mar 20 FINAL EXAM (Cumulative over all material Weeks 1-10)  Closed Note  Bring: o Blue Book o Scantron o #2 pencil FINAL EXAM 8-10am (Olson 206) Extra Credit Research Papers due by start of class! Boydstun: POL 109, Winter 2013 Syllabus (Revised 1/7/13) Page 11 of 11