POL 180 - FS: First-Year Seminar

Credits: 3 First-Year Seminar. Prerequisite: First-Year class standing only. First-year seminar.

Spring 2021, POL 180-01: First-Year Seminar: Minority Voting Rights and Gerrymandering (3). Prerequisite: First-year class standing. This course introduces students to the history of voting rights discrimination against minorities in the United States with a particular focus on African Americans and gerrymandering. The course begins with a study of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and how it has evolved through congressional amendments and Supreme Court decisions. We then investigate theories of minority representation and democracy. To place the theoretical aspects of the course into practical perspective, the class entails a lab component in which students learn to conduct basic spreadsheet and statistical analysis of data and use redistricting software (ArcMap). We will use Virginia elections and census data to produce alternative election maps of Virginia to demonstrate how we can make elections fairer, more competitive and create more opportunities for minority representation. Approved for Experiential Learning credit. (SS2) Rush and Keuttner.

Fall 2020, POL 180-01: First-Year Seminar: Elections (3). First-Year Seminar. Prerequisite: First-year class standing. This seminar will follow the major events in the 2020 American presidential election while providing context and content for critical analysis of the current election cycle.  Topics covered will include: the history of presidential selection in the American political regime, the origins and evolution of the primary/caucus nomination system, the role of media in presidential politics, the lessons learned from the presidential election of 2016, the contested issues in 2020 and the future of presidential politics following the unusual events that have occurred in the current presidential selection process. (SS2) Strong. FDR: SS2