POLITICAL SCIENCE 3513
 LEGISLATIVE PROCESS

Summer semester, 2007; M-Th,  7:20-10:00 p.m. BA G126
Instructor; Dr. Mike Sharp
Office, SH308; Ph. (918) 456-5511, x3530; E-Mail, sharp@nsuok.edu
Hours, 6:20 p.m.(BA G126)

Course Objectives:

Political Science 3513 provides a general study of the legislative process with special attention given to the role of interest groups, constituency, and party in the formation of public policy in the legislative branch of government.  In addition, the inextricable role of the executive and judicial branches of government are examined vis-a-vis legislative process.  The overall objective of the course is to provide: (1) a description and explanation of  legislative systems in general, (2) an explanation of legislative behavior patterns, and (3) a comparative analysis of different legislatures in operation.  The legislatures to be examined in this course, for the most part, are the American state legislatures and the U.S. Congress.  Comparisons and contrasts, however, will be made from time to time with other legislative systems in order to gain a deeper understanding of the American legislative process.

Research Project:
There is a formal research/presentation requirement for this course.  This assignment will take the form of a personal/professional/political biography of a current member of Congress which will include an analysis of the member's political or partisan philosophy and voting behavior.  The research will be presented in a short oral presentation accompanied by a formal bibliography prepared in accordance with Turiabian's manual for writers.

Grading:
Grades will be determined from three exams given during the semester, the research/presentation assignment, other individual class presentations and participation in class discussions and class exercises.  Two of these exams will be given during the course of the semester; the final will be on Thursday, June 28 at the regular class time.  Provision is made for make-up exams which must be taken within a week of the exam missed.

Required Texts:
The primary text for this course is The American Legislative Process by Keefe and Ogul.
Supplemental required readings will come from:
     Congress: The Electoral Connection by David Mayhew,
     Congress: Keystone of the Washington Establishment by Morris Fiorina,
     Congressional Odyssey by T.R. Reid, and
     Home Style: House Members in Their Districts by Richard Fenno.  Additional reading material will be selected from Congressional Quarterly's Weekly Report, National Journal and Congressional Record.

Special Considerations:
If any member of the class feels that he/she has a disability and needs special considerations please advise the instructor of such disability at the first class attended.  If any student encounters particular difficulty with any aspect of the material being covered, s/he is encouraged to seek individual assistance from the instructor at the designated office hours listed above or by special appointment as arranged.


  Reading Assignment:

Keefe and Ogul, The American Legislative Process

Chapter  1 The Legislative Task
                       Excerpts from Congressional Odyssey
              2  Legislative Structures and Powers
              3  Representation and Apportionment
                      Criteria for Apportionment  (Text, p. 85)
              4  Legislators and the Electoral Process
                       Congress: The Electoral Connection
              5  The Legislators
                       Home Style--Chapters 1 & 2 plus assigned member
              6  The Committee System
                     Committee Staffs (Text, pp. 218-222).
              7  Committees at Work
                      Committee Power (Text, pp. 250-254)
              8  Debate and Decision Making on the Floor
                   First Exam

              9  Political Parties and the Legislative Process
            10  Interest Groups and the Legislative Process
            11  The Chief Executive as Legislator
            12  Legislative Oversight of Bureaucracy
                       Congress: Keystone of the Washington Establishment
            13  Legislative-Judicial Relations
            14  The Legislative Process: Problems and Perspectives
                   Final Exam


Selected readings from Congressional Quarterly's Weekly Report, National Journal, the Congressional Record and various journal articles will be integrated into this overall structure.  All supplemental reading material will be available either from online sources or at the library's Reserve Instructional Materials desk.




Additional course related material:

 Exam Study Guides

 Powers of Congress
 
 


For additional sources on Congress/Legislative Process and related materials see:

ACLU in Congress

ADA and ADA Ed. Fund Homepage

 AFL-CIO Voting Records

American Conservative Union

Congressional Biographical Directory

Congressional Quarterly, Inc.  

League of Conservation Voters

National Security Scorecard

NTU's Annual Rating of Congress

THOMAS -- U.S. Congress on the Internet