Syllabus
Course Topics
1. Basic design of the American constitutional system and political parties The origins of American political parties; the American two-party system; the party structures and functions Tuesday, March 10
2. Permeability and stability of the party system Alignments and realignments, their stability and change; party identification Tuesday, March 10
3. The challenges for third parties Third parties, their successes and failures; Ralph Nader, Ross Perot; independent candidates Thursday, March 12
4. The Tea Party as a faction Republican Party and its development; party platform; grass root movement; Tea Party Thursday, March 12
5. Nominations and candidates: the role of parties State and local nominations; presidential nominations; money, media, minions Tuesday, March 17
6. Polarization in the electorate Issues and values; polarization and dysfunctional government Tuesday, March 17
7. Elections of 2010, 2012, 2014: lessons the parties learn Thursday, March 19
8. Looking forward to 2016; final test Thursday, March 19
Annotation
The course aims to present the US party system, its development and current structure. It provides the analysis of party structures and functions and examines the attempts of third parties to enter the system.
It looks into the origins of the Tea Party movement, its impact on American politics, and on Republican Party in particular. Through the account of issues and values among polarizing US electorate, the course explains the party politics of nominating candidates in recent elections and lessons the parties learn for the future.