American Institutions Preliminary Exam Field
The American institutions exam field is designed for students who want to show proficiency in a specialized area of American politics that is not covered by another examination field. Often, this will be an area in which the student plans to do dissertation research. Therefore, students must work with their committees to reach agreement on a field of knowledge that will be tested.
Potential topics of this examination are wide-ranging and may include national institutions (such as Congress, the presidency, and the courts), extragovernmental institutions (such as the mass media, parties, interest groups, and social movements), mass political behavior (including political participation, voting behavior, political communication, mass political psychology, and public opinion), and subnational governments (including federalism).
Requirements & Courses Offered
Students should consult with American institutions faculty before making their course selections, as course selection will depend on the student's interests and focus
- Pol S 404: The Judicial Process
- Pol S 417: Elections and Voting
- Pol S 420: Political Parties and Interest Groups
- Pol S 450: The Legislative Process
- Pol S 455: The Presidency
- Pol S 510: Seminar on American Institutions and Processes
- Pol S 512: Seminar in American Institutions
- Pol S 513: Seminar in American Political Behavior
- Pol S 514: Seminar on Law, Courts, and Judicial Politics
- Com 580: Special Topics in Communication
American Institutions Faculty
Dr. Cornell Clayton
Professor of Political Science
- Institutions of American government, focusing on the judicial system and the Supreme Court
Dr. David Nice
Professor of Political Science
- Legislative and executive branches of American government, as well as federal-state relations and political parties
Dr. Carolyn Long
Associate Professor of Political Science
- Judicial and legislative institutions of American government
Dr. Mitch Pickerill
Associate Professor of Political Science
- American national institutions, focusing on the judicial system and the Supreme Court
Dr. Mark Stephan
Assistant Professor of Political Science
- Political behavior in the American context, focusing his research on citizen participation
Dr. Travis Ridout
Associate Professor of Political Science
- American political behavior, focusing on political campaigns, voter decision-making, the news media, and political communication
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