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Class number:
2935
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Title: Polarization and Policy-Making |
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Department: Political Science |
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Career: Undergraduate |
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Component: Seminar |
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Session: Regular |
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Instructor's Permission Required: No |
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Grading Basis: Regular |
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Units: 1.00 |
| Enrollment limited to 19 |
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Current enrollment: 17 |
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Available seats: 2 |
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Start date: Tuesday, September 2, 2025 |
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End date: Wednesday, December 17, 2025 |
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Mode of Instruction: In Person |
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Schedule: MW: 11:30AM-12:45PM, LSC - 132 |
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Instructor(s): Dudas, Mary |
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Prerequisite(s): None |
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Distribution Requirement: Meets Social Sciences Requirement |
Course Description:
This course will examine the consequences of partisan sorting and polarization on American democracy. We will first define polarization by considering competing definitions. We will then consider whether polarization is an elite phenomenon or a mass phenomenon. Throughout we will be attentive to the asymmetry of the two main parties. The Republican Party is a vehicle for a well financed extended party network on the right while the Democratic Party is a policy-making party that needs a wider base of support. Finally, we will examine how elite polarization has contributed to democratic backsliding the US. |