U.S. Campaigns and Elections (U01606)

? Credit Points : 20 ? SCQF Level : 10 ? Acronym : SPS-3-POUSCAMP

Elections drive the political system of the United States. This means that to understand fully the political process in the United States, one must have an appreciation of the electoral process. This course is designed to survey American electoral institutions, processes and behaviour, with particular emphasis on presidential elections. To do so, this course covers such topics as primary and general elections, roles of federal and state governments, voter turnout, campaign finance, and electoral reforms adopted following the troubled election of 2000.

Entry Requirements

? Costs : n/a

Subject Areas

Home subject area

Politics, (School of Social and Political Studies, Schedule J)

Delivery Information

? Normal year taken : 3rd year

? Delivery Period : Not being delivered

? Contact Teaching Time : 2 hour(s) per week for 10 weeks

All of the following classes

Type	Day	Start	End	Area
Lecture	Monday	12:10	13:00	Central

? Additional Class Information : Plus 1 hour seminar.

Summary of Intended Learning Outcomes

At the conclusion of this course, students will be
able to:
-Understand the relationship between the national and
state governments in structuring elections in the
United States
-Understand the role of institutional design in U.S.
elections (particularly the electoral college)
-Identify the significant differences between primary
and general elections
-Explain the significant findings in the study of
electoral behaviour in the U.S.
-Critically assess the process of election reform in
the U.S.
-Critically assess the controversial election of 2000
-Critically assess the election of 2004