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Department of Political Science

American Politics

The United States is the world’s oldest continuous constitutional democracy. How is it that such a democracy can be created and sustained for over two hundred years? Will it survive and flourish in the 21st century, or is our democracy in peril? What role do public opinion and elections, political parties and social movements, legislatures, the presidency and executive institutions, federalism or the Constitution play in the maintenance and functioning of our democracy? How can it respond successfully to societal conditions, such as growing cultural diversity, the persistence of economic and racial/ethnic inequality, and a globalized economy? Should the nation change its dominant policy agendas in response to new governing problems, or reform its electoral and institutional arrangements to insure more effective democratic governance?

These are some of the central questions addressed by the field of American Politics at the University of Florida.

Students begin their doctoral study in American government by taking the core seminar in American Politics (POS 6045) that covers the broad outlines of the field. They then choose from courses and seminars that highlight faculty expertise in American political institutions, political behavior, and public policy. Finally, students will take research seminars in American politics that provide them with guidance and experience in conducting systematic empirical and theoretical work on questions of special concern to them. The research seminars are particularly oriented towards helping students prepare research designs and initial empirical work that can serve as the foundations for their M.A. thesis, Ph.D. dissertation, as well as journal articles.

The faculty in the field of American politics are characterized by intellectual and methodological pluralism, and by a tolerant appreciation for the contributions of different approaches to political inquiry. This open and supportive environment is especially geared to help students discover their own scholarly interests and talents, the theoretical perspectives that they find most useful and compelling, and methodological approaches most appropriate to their interests and talents. Specific research interests of the faculty include the role of campaigns and elections and the role political institutions shape political behavior and democratic citizenship in America, the role of women and ethnic/racial minorities in politics, the effect of divided government on the success of president’s legislative proposals in Congress, reform and institutional change in Congress, the role of political parties, interest groups, and the media at the state and federal level, contextual effects on participation and public opinion, political corruption and ethics, judicial politics, and the effect of electoral reforms on turnout and voting behavior in the American states.

Theoretical perspectives include the critical analysis of ethnic, gender, and racial politics, to social learning perspectives on institutional change, to social psychological studies of mass politics, to the effects of institutions on political behavior, to the historical development of judicial politics. Finally, faculty engage in a variety of methodological approaches to inquiry, including quantitative roll call vote analysis, public opinion survey analysis, elite interviews and participant observation, focus group analysis, and big data demographic and administrative data record analyses.

Major Field Requirements

Summary of First Field Requirements (5 courses for a total of 15 credits)

One core course, POS 6045: American Politics, and four additional seminars with a focus on American politics.

Field Examination

Written component: answer three questions, including a broad question that addresses the state of the field of American Politics, a question that is more focused on a particular subfield (Political Institutions, Political Behavior, or Public Policy), and a question more targeted to the student’s specific research interests. Choices may be offered in each question.

Oral defense: scheduled after written component

Committee Selection

Following department guidelines, the exam committee will consist of the dissertation chair and two other members to be randomly drawn among available faculty in the field (i.e., those not on leave or sabbatical). One of the two other members may be chosen by the field chair to reflect substantive expertise where deemed necessary, and the field chair may also consider recusals of particular faculty on request.

Minor Field Requirements

Summary of Second Field Requirements (3 courses for a total of 9 credits)

One core course, POS 6045: American Politics & two additional seminars with a focus on American politics.

Field Examination

Written component: answer two questions, including a broad question that addresses the state of the field of American politics and a question that is more focused on a particular subfield (Political Institutions, Political Behavior, or Public Policy). Choices may be offered in each question.

Oral defense: scheduled after written component

Committee Selection

For second field exams, committee chair does not have to be student’s dissertation chair.  Following department guidelines, the exam committee will consist of one member chosen by the field chair to reflect a substantive expertise of the student, and two other members randomly drawn among available faculty in the field.

Courses

POS 6045: Seminar in American Politics

POS 6458: Politics of Campaign Finance
POS 6048: American Political Development
POS 6127: State Government and Politics
POS 6146: Urban Politics
POS 6157: Community Analysis
POS 6196: Patrons, Clients, Corruption, and Accountability
POS 6207: Political Behavior
POS 6208: Empirical Political Research
POS 6272: Political Participation
POS 6279: The Politics of Direct Democracy
POS 6292: Religion and Politics
POS 6427: Legislative Process
POS 6453: Political Parties
POS 6476: Bureaucratic Politics in the U.S.

POS 6933: Special Topics (e.g., Judicial Politics, Interest Groups, The Presidency, Election Data Science, Media and Politics, Legislative Development, Race, Gender and Politics)

PAD 6108: Public Administration Theory
PAD 6227: Public Budgeting and Finance

PUP 6006: Policy Evaluation

PUP 6009: Public Policy Evaluation