GOVT311: Public Opinion and Electoral Behavior

Available on this page

• Class handouts 
• On-Line class readings
• Class assignments
• Dr. McDonald contact Information

Class Materials

• Syllabus

On-Line Class Readings

Readings with "optional" are recommended, all other readings are required.

Week 1

• Optional: Glynn, Herbst, O'Keefe, Shapiro, and Lindeman. Public Opinion, Second Edition. Chpt 1, 2

Week 3

• Alexandar Keyssar. "The Right to Vote: Chapter 1"

Week 4

• Robert Putnam. "Bowling Alone"
• Michael McDonald. 2010 update: "Voter Turnout in the 2010 Midterm Election."
• Norrander and Wilcox Chapter 10: Brady, Schlozman, Verba, and Elms. "Who Bowls?"
• Optional: McDonald and Popkin. "The Myth of the Vanishing Voter." 
• Optional: 2008 update. "The Return of the Voter."

Week 7

• Norrander and Wilcox Chapter 8: Jacoby. "Core Values and Political Attitudes."
• Norrander and Wilcox Chapter 13: Rahn and Rudolph. "Trust in Local Government"
• Norrander and Wilcox Chapter 15: Mishler and Rose. "Trust in Former Communist Countries"

Week 9

• Norrander and Wilcox Chapter 1: Sapiro. "The Gender Bias of Public Opinion."
• Norrander and Wilcox Chapter 6: Wilcox and Norrander. "Abortion and Gay Rights."

Week 10

• Norrander and Wilcox Chapter 11: Paul Brewer. "Public Opinion, Economic Issues, and the Vote."

Week 13

• Norrander and Wilcox Chapter 4: Uhlahner and Garcia. "Latino Public Opinion."
• Gelman Red State, Blue State, Rich State, Poor State Chapter 4.

Other Useful Links

• Mason Votes
• American National Election Study
• CNN exit polls
• NY Times exit polls

Paper Assignment #1

To encourage pratical applictions of what you have learned in class, you are required to perform an election-related civic activity. This could be volunteering for a campaign, being a poll worker, or attending a political event (a list on-campus events and . You must confirm with the instructor that your activity of choice will count. Your paper assignment is to write a short 2-3 page paper describing your activity and how some element of the activity relates to what you have learned in class. To facilitate your engagement in a campaign event, class will not be held on the Tuesday, Nov. 6 (Election Day).

Paper Assignment #2

We will dissect the 2012 election using the exit poll. All of the media organizations pool their resources to run one exit poll -- although they often call the exit poll "their" poll when they report on it. All of the media websites report the same information, so you can use any of them. I recommend using the NY Times website, as they have easy-to-use comparisons of the 2012, 2008, and 2004 exit polls (for the state level polls only).

Analyzing the exit polls, address the following questions in an essay format:

1. Much has been discussed about the changing racial and ethnic composition of the United States. Compare the change in the racial and ethnic composition (i.e., the percent of the electorate that was White, Black, Hispanic, and Asian) of the electorate from 2008 to 2012 both nationally and within Virginia, Iowa, and Indiana. What were the support levels of these groups for the presidential candidates in 2008 and 2012? Was the racial and ethnic change alone responsible for who won these states in 2012?

2. Looking at the national numbers, describe the age composition of the electorate and who the different age groups voted for. Interpret the change in the 2008 to 2012 numbers in light of what we have learned about generational effects.

3. Finally, what confidence do you have in your analysis, given that the margin of error of the exit polls are +/- 4 percentage points nationally and from +/- 4 to 5 percentage points within each state?

Your paper should be 6 pages long, double spaced, 12 pt. Times Roman font, with normal margins. You may use any citation style you wish as long as it is consistent and allows the reader to confirm your sources.

Professor McDonald Contact Info

Office Hours for Fall 2012: T 1-3pm or by appointment.
Office: Robinson A 234
Phone: 703-993-4191
email: mmcdon@gmu.edu