COURSE SYLLABUS

Political Science 3333: Political Behavior

5:30-6:45 p.m., Monday and Wednesday, Spring Semester, 2011

Contact Information
Professor: (Dr.) Marianne Stewart
Office E-Mail: mstewart@utdallas.edu
Office Hours: 4:00-5:30 p.m., Monday and Wednesday; and by appointment
Office Location: 3.226 GR
Office Phone: (972) 883-2011

Teaching Assistant: (Mr.) Eddie Feng

Office E-Mail: yef090020@utdallas.edu
Office Hours: 4:00-5:30 p.m., Monday and Wednesday
Office Location: 3.416 GR
Office Phone: (972) 883-6286

Course Information
In general, this undergraduate course focuses on the sources, distribution, and consequences of
why some people vote but others do not, how people make political choices, and how they
participate in politics in other ways. In particular, the course objectives are to help students learn
to:
describe the behavioral approach to the study of politics, as well as the key concepts and
major measures of various types of political behavior;
evaluate several explanations of the sources and distribution of voting, political choice, and
other types of political behavior;
assess the consequences of political behavior for the making of public policy and the viability
of democratic regimes.

Required Books
Clarke, Harold D., Allan Kornberg, and Thomas J. Scotto. 2009. Making Political Choices:
Canada and The United States. Toronto: University of Toronto Press. ISBN 978-0-8020-9674-6
(pbk)
Dalton, Russell J. 2008. Citizen Politics: Public Opinion and Political Parties in Advanced
Industrial Democracies, 5th edition. Washington: Congressional Quarterly Press. ISBN 978-0-
87289-537-9 (pbk)

Course Schedule
January 10. An Introduction to The Course.

January 12-19-24. Studying Political Behavior: The Behavioral Approach, Two Participation
Theories.
Required Reading
Dalton, Citizen Politics, chs. 1-2
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January 17. Martin Luther King Day - No Class.

January 26/February 2-7. Defining Political Behavior: Electoral, Communal, and Protest
Participation.
Required Reading
Dalton, Citizen Politics, ch. 3.

February 9. Exercise #1.

February 14-16-21. Explaining The Participation Decision: Alternative Models.

Required Reading
Dalton, Citizen Politics, ch. 4.
Clarke, Kornberg and Scotto, Making Political Choices, ch. 8.

February 23-28/March 2. Explaining The Participation Decision: Society and Ideology.

Required Reading
Dalton, Citizen Politics, chs. 5-6.

March 7-9-21. Explaining The Participation Decision: Mass Media and Political Learning.

March 14-19. Spring Break - No Classes.

March 23. Exercise #2.

March 28-30. Explaining Political Choice: Alternative Models.

Required Reading
Clarke, Kornberg and Scotto, Making Political Choices, ch. 1.

April 4-6-11. Explaining Political Choice: Social Bases and Political Partisanship.
Required Reading
Dalton, Citizen Politics, chs. 8-9.

April 13-18-20. Explaining Political Choice: Political Attitudes and Valence Politics.
Required Reading
Dalton, Citizen Politics, ch. 10.
Clarke, Kornberg and Scotto, Making Political Choices, chs. 2-7.

April 25. Exercise #3.

April 27. Explaining Political Choice: Political Institutions.

Required Reading
Dalton, Citizen Politics, ch. 7.

May 2. The Consequences of Political Behavior in Contemporary Democracies.

Required Reading
Dalton, Citizen Politics, chs. 11-12.
Clarke, Kornberg and Scotto, Making Political Choices, ch. 9.
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Grading Criteria and Requirements

Class Participation = 10%. Regular attendance, assigned reading prior to class meetings when
they will be discussed, and constructive contributions to class discussions.
3 In-Class Written Exercises @ 30%: Each exercise is-class, closed-note, and consists of 3-5
straightforward questions based on assigned readings and class lectures. The three exercises are
scheduled for February 9, March 23, and April 25. All students are expected to comply with
these dates – no makeups will be given.

A+: 97-100%; A: 93-96%; A-: 90-92%; B+: 84-89%; B: 77-83%; B-: 70-76%; C+: 67-69%; C:
64-66%; C-: 60-63%; D+: 57-59%; D: 54-56%; D-: 50-53%; F: Below 50%.

Note
In addition the above, students are expected to:
know that this syllabus, including course schedule, is subject to change at the discretion of the
Professor;
read related policy material at http://go.utdallas.edu/syllabus-policies.