This course examines the development of American political parties, focusing on the meaning of parties and historic moments in the rise and fall of political parties from the Founding Era to the present. Topics may include re-aligning elections, changing coalitions within American parties, and the contemporary Democratic and Republican parties.
Instructors: Marc Landy is the Edward & Louise Peterson Professor of American History & Government at Ashland University, and is Professor of Political Science at Boston College. He is co-author of Presidential Greatness and American Government: Balancing Rights and Democracy. Stephen R. Thomas is Associate Professor of Political Science at Ohio Dominican University where he teaches American politics, constitutional law, and political theory. He is the co-author of The EPA from Nixon to Clinton: Asking the Wrong Questions.