Gowen 201
Lecture MWF
Sections TTH Room locations , Campus map
Professor John Wilkerson
Office: WF 11:30-12:20, Smith 221a
Emily Neff-Sharum (Sections AB, AD) Section Syllabus
Christopher Roberts (Sections AA, AC) Section Syllabus
This class centers on a full term legislative simulation. The 100 students in this class will organize and operate a virtual legislature. The class decides who serves in which positions, sets the agenda, and is responsible for what the legislature accomplishes and does not accomplish. The simulation is intended to be engaging and fun, but it is also the basis for evaluating student performance. To succeed, you must meet deadlines, participate, demonstrate comprehension of subjects covered in the lectures and readings, and (to a lesser degree) demonstrate legislative ability. Additional information about the simulation component can be found here.
This class requires require more day to day involvement than some others you have taken. Most of this activity takes place outside of the classroom and much of it is self-initiated. As in true in most things, the more you invest, the more you will come to appreciate the dynamics of legislative politics.
When you receive an assignment as part of the simulation, treat it as seriously as you would any other class assignment. Pay close attention to the grading rubric that your section instructor will distribute. If the assignment requires you to write an essay, we expect it to answer all parts of the questions, be well organized, free of spelling and grammatical errors, and to incorporate evidence and cite relevant materials where applicable.
MWF will be devoted to lectures, guests, and some simulation related activities. TTH sections will not normally involve a review of materials covered in lecture but instead will encourage discussion of related topics or allow time for simulation-related activities.
The Teaching Assistants (Emily, Chris) are normally your first point of contact for questions about add codes, assignments and grading. However, feel free to contact me (Professor Wilkerson) about any subject. I often look like I in a hurry (often true!) but this class is also important to me and I am always pleased to plot strategy or discuss politics.
Podcasting:
The
100 percent of your grade in this course is based on simulation-related activities. Many of the assignments ask you to connect what you have read or studied about Congress to what you are doing or intend to do in your capacity as a legislator. For example, an assignment might ask you to review what you have read about the electoral connection in Congress, and discuss how your own legislative agenda will be shaped by the electoral district that you represent. This means that completing the readings and attending lecture are important components of what is required to succeed in this class and in the simulation.
All assignments will be submitted via the simulation website. These assignments are posted on the LegSim website under ‘Members/My Assignments.’
Late assignments are automatically stamped ‘late’ by the system. Very late assignments will not be accepted by the system. Students are responsible for confirming that an assignment has been submitted before the specified deadline. Assignments are NOT submitted automatically – you must “submit” them. Never draft a long document (Journal assignment, bill, committee report etc) on-line. Browsers crash. Draft and save it as a file on your home or school computer, and then copy and paste it to the website.
Participation
15% Completion of tasks (e.g. district description, minor bill) by assigned dates (quality counts!)
10% Contribution to collective learning experience (in class and virtually)
Writing Assignments
30% Journal Assignments (3 of 4)
10% Original Bill or Committee Report
30% Final Report (including posters)
Legislative Effectiveness
5%
100% Total
This schedule is subject to change. Changes will be
updated on this website. Do not rely on a printed copy of the syllabus.
Information
about how to register for the simulation and where to find information required
to complete the member profile
Current
issues in Congress
Congress
as an evolving institution. What did the framers intend for Congress? How has
Congress developed and changed over its history, for what purposes, and with
what consequences?
Morning Hour example
House Standing Committee
Jurisdictions
Websites of Members of Congress House Senate
· Register for the simulation by going to www.LegSim.org, click on session ‘UW Congress 06’, ‘new user’, and cut and paste this code: 8560pdda4756ujtz
· Begin to construct your Member profile.
· Find and submit your first on-line assignment (see below for details about choosing a district)
· Read the LegSim tutorial (under ‘LegSim’)
What
is representation? Who and what do legislators think about when choosing
priorities and making decisions? What challenges do they face in attempting to
represent their constituencies? How is representation in the House different
from the Senate, and why?
Redman Chapters 1-6;
Members’ bill sponsorship
and cosponsorship activity (look for examples of a major and minor bills)
· Complete Member profile, including description of chosen legislative district. Your district must be in a state with a first letter that is the same as your last name plus or minus one (e.g. M,N,O for Nelson). Search for a district here (This is a subscription service that may only be available by first logging into the campus library.) In approximately 75-100 words, describe the important features of that district that other legislators would want to know about in order to understand your own politics, priorities and constraints.
· Achieve at least 70% performance on LegSim Procedures quiz located at:
https://catalysttools.washington.edu/survey/?sid=27105&owner=jwilker.
**The password is ‘Hastert’**
Print your successful result and turn it in during Thursday’s section
Are
legislators held to account for their actions? If so, for what kinds of actions
and when? How should we think about the representational role in light of this
info? How does strategic behavior alter our interpretation of commonly know
facts about congressional elections, such as the extraordinary reelection rates
of incumbents?
Redman
Chapters 7-12;
Daily Schedule website
· 1st JOURNAL entry assignment is due (check the LegSim assignments page for details)
· Nominate Speaker Candidates (in class)
· Submit a “minor” bill, and as an assignment (check the LegSim assignments page for details)
·
Election Predictions: House
(currently R232-D203) Senate (currently R55-D45)
Congress
delegates much of its decision-making to a few legislators. How do committees
benefit the larger legislature? What are the attendant risks of so much
delegation? How does the legislature minimize these risks or does it even care?
What about parties and party leaders? Why have them? What do they contribute to
the process?
Oct 16 – Eric Redman
· Request Committee Assignments, and as an assignment (on line)
· Agree on a method and Select Speaker (in class); Agree on a method and assign committee positions
· Begin researching and introducing ‘major’ bills
Legislative
ideas progress along many different paths for many different reasons. Thus,
‘how a bill becomes a law’ often depends on the bill. Where do legislative
ideas come from? How long do they germinate? Are different types of bills
handled differently, and if so how?
· Speaker assigns Committee positions
· Committees meet in section for first time
· Choose Committee chairs (Speaker assigns)
· 2nd JOURNAL assignment entry due (see website for details)
As
we learned in week 1, Congress separates the process authorizing spending from
the process of appropriating it. More
recently, Congress has developed procedures designed to inject even more
discipline into spending decisions, with mixed results. Why were these reforms
needed? When do they work? Why aren’t they being used today?
Readings: Franzitch 276-282
· Last week to submit first “major” bill to website, and as assignment (see website for details)
· First IN CLASS DEBATE of a bill selected by the legislature.
· Budget Balancing exercise in section
·
Election review
As
Redman notes, there a lots of meritorious ideas floating around Congress. But
having a great idea is just the beginning in an environment of scarce
resources. How do legislators advance their policy proposals? What specific
tactics are worth considering for your own legislative efforts?
· 3rd JOURNAL assignment due
· Consideration of Legislation
Ultimately,
legislative efforts depending on winning the support of at least a majority of
legislators. What sorts of considerations influence legislators’ roll call
voting decisions? What considerations should influence your own voting
decisions?
·
Original
Bill or Committee Report Writing Assignment is due (see website for
details)
·
Legislating
· Legislating
A proclamation by
President George Washington and a congressional resolution established the
first national Thanksgiving Day on
· 4thrd JOURNAL assignment due
· Legislating
Franzitch 10
·
Legislature
Adjourns, sine die, on Wednesday at 11:59pm
·
Final
Report on Legislative Accomplishments assignments due (see website for details)
·
Election
Day Party Friday (Posters Displayed)