Dr. Patrick Sellers
Chambers 2039
Office phone: 704-894-2078
Office hours: MWF, 11:30-12:30 (CHA3130), TTh, 12:00 - 1:00 (my office), and by appointment
Email: pasellers@davidson.edu 

The 2001 Davidson Survey
The 2002 Davidson Survey
The 2003 Davidson Survey
The 2004 Davidson Survey
The 2005 Davidson Survey
The 2005 Davidson Survey (codebook)
The 2005 Davidson Survey (data)
The Basics of Stata
Statistical Commands in Stata
Sample essay questions for midterm exam

Course Objectives

This course is designed to introduce students to the principles and dynamics of public opinion in the United States.  A central theme will be the interaction between the American public and political elites.  Do our political leaders manipulate public opinion, follow it, or both?  To address this question, the course begins with an examination of central components of public opinion.  In the second part of the course, we turn to the difficulties of measuring and interpreting public opinion data.   The third section focuses in detail on the efforts of the presidents and other political elites to manipulate public opinion, as well as the constraints on those efforts.

To complete the course, students will be required to fulfill diverse requirements, from in-class presentations to written papers and exams.  Completing these requirements will involve mastering course material from assigned readings and class lectures.  Students will also conduct a survey of the Davidson student body.  The class will design the survey, help administer it, and interpret the results.   These class activities will develop students' analytical skills, including elementary quantitative analysis.  Students will also improve their skills of expression, both verbal and written.  Finally, students will develop a better understanding of the uses and abuses of public opinion in American politics.  These skills and knowledge will prove useful for each student's Davidson career and afterwards.

Course Requirements

Each student’s grade for the course will be based on several components. 

• One-page papers.  During the first part of the semester, I will assign 2 papers, each of which can be no longer than a single page.  These papers will help students develop questions for the Davidson survey.  Each of the 2 papers will count 10% of the overall course grade.
• Revised and combined paper.  After completing the first two papers, students will revise and combine their papers (incorporating my suggestions and comments).  The revised paper will be no longer than two single-spaced pages and will be worth 10% of the overall course grade.
• Data analysis paper.  After completion of the survey, each student will analyze the responses to his or her questions in the survey.  The analysis can be no longer than two pages (not including tables).  This paper will count 20% of the overall course grade.
• Class presentation.  Students will also present the results of their analysis to the class.  This presentation will count 10% of the overall course grade.
• Midterm exam.  Students must take a midterm exam on October 26.  This will count 15% of the overall course grade.
• Final exam.  This self-scheduled exam will be taken during the final exam period, December 9-15.  It will count 20% of the overall course grade.
• Class participation.  Students are expected to come to class every day, prepared to discuss and write about the assigned reading.  Many discussions will incorporate current events, and students should also read the New York Times on a regular basis.  I will assess each student’s performance, and this assessment will make up 5% of the overall course grade.

All the paper assignments are due at the start of class on the assigned date (unless noted otherwise above).  Assignments turned in more than 10 minutes after the scheduled start of the class period will be considered late.  For each 24-hour period that an assignment is late, the grade on that assignment will be penalized by 10 points.  Exceptions to the late penalty will be considered for medical and other emergencies; computer problems are not acceptable excuses for late work.The Honor Code binds all work in the course.  In accordance with the Honor Code, all paper assignments must provide appropriate citations for any sources or information included in the paper.  If you have questions about the appropriate format for citations, make sure that you ask me before turning in the paper.  You can also visit the Campus Writing Center for additional assistance with citations.  Except for explicitly defined group assignments, all work for the course must be completed individually, with each student responsible for his or her own work.  Students are encouraged, however, to work together in several ways.  When preparing for exams, study groups with fellow members of the class are an excellent way to study.  In addition, students can often improve their papers by getting classmates to read and comment on them.  I encourage this peer review, but students must cite in their paper the names of any other students who have read and commented on that paper.

The numerical grade for any assignment turned in may range from outstanding (in the 90-to-100 range) to failing (55, or lower if tardy).  Note that the failure to complete or turn in any assignment (paper, presentation, exam, or in-class activity or discussion) will result in a numerical grade of 0 for that assignment.  When calculating final course grades, I will calculate the overall numerical averages and use the following table to convert them to letter grade:

 Assigned Readings

Two required texts are available for purchase in the bookstore: American Public Opinion, Sixth Edition, by Robert Erikson and Kent Tedin, and Polling and the Public, by Herbert Asher. Students are also required to read the New York Times on a daily basis (except Sundays).  Each day’s edition can be purchased in the College Union for 40 cents; copies are also available in the library.  We will often discuss articles from recent editions, mainly from the front page or the National Section of the paper (I will individually assign any other articles from outside these parts of the paper that should be read).  Finally, the course outline below lists many additional articles that are required reading.  Marked with a "*", all of the articles are available on electronic reserve in the library. I may also place additional reading on reserve in the library during the semester.