POSC 312 - United States Congress

Units: 3
Development of the modern Congress, including 20th century reforms; Congressional power; leadership and partisanship; inter-branch relations; Congressional elections and campaign finance reform, incumbency and redistricting; the committee system.

Possible Instructional Methods: On-ground, or Hybrid or Online-Asynchronous.
Grading: A-F or CR/NC (student choice).
Course Typically Offered: Fall ONLY

Student Learning Outcomes - Upon successful completion of this course students will be able to:

Have knowledge of constitutional origins, development, and institutions of the modern Congress.
Examine the tradeoffs inherent in a modern legislature and assess the impact of institutional leaders, committees, and external actors (such as the president and interest groups) in shaping the process.
Interpret and explain how current events in Washington and elsewhere bear on legislative politics and the Congress.
Students will improve their ability to skillfully read and interpret different types of writing.