Dr. Patrick Sellers
Chambers 2039
Office phone: 704-894-2078
Email: pasellers@davidson.edu 

Office hours:
T 1:00-3:30 (CHA2039)
Th 1:00-3:30 (CHA2039)
And by appointment

The 2001 Davidson Survey
The 2002 Davidson Survey
The 2003 Davidson Survey
The 2004 Davidson Survey
The 2005 Davidson Survey
The 2007 Davidson Survey
The 2008 Davidson Survey
The 2009 Davidson Survey
The 2009 Davidson Survey (codebook)
The 2009 Davidson Survey (data)
The Basics of Stata
Statistical Commands in Stata

Group Assignments

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 a discussion of the difficulties of measuring and interpreting public opinion data. We then turn to an examination of the central components of public opinion, with a particular focus on the voting process. The last part of the course 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 career at Davidson 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.  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.  Studentspresent their analysis to the class.  This presentation counts 10% of the overall grade.
• Final exam.  Taken during the final exam period (Dec. 12-18), the self-scheduled exam will count 30% of the overall 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 or another national news source on a regular basis.  I will assess each student’s performance, and this assessment will make up 10% 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 the final exam, 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).  Note that the failure to complete and 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 convert them to letter grades, using the following scale: A: >=92; A-: >=90, <92; B+: >=87, <90; B: >=82, <87; B-: >=80, <82; C+: >=77, <80; C: >=72, <77; C-: >=70, <72; D+: >=67, <70; D: >=60, <67; F: <60.

Assigned Readings

Five required texts are available in the bookstore: American Public Opinion, Seventh Edition, by Robert Erikson and Kent Tedin; Polling and the Public, by Herbert Asher; Blink, by Malcolm Gladwell; Hearing the Other Side, by Diana Mutz; and The Persuadable Voter: Wedge Issues in Presidential Campaigns by Sunshine Hillygus and Todd Shields. Students are also encouraged to read the New York Times or another national news source on a daily basis.  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.

Course Outline