American Political Development

This course examines the growth and development of American political institutions over time. We will be concerned with analyzing, explaining, and understanding key transformative sequences in American politics, tracing the implications of these transformations for later American politics, and considering alternative possible paths of development. Key questions include: in what sense has the American political system “developed”? What is the role of America’s liberal political culture in shaping American political institutions? What is the relationship between changes in the economy and changes in state and party organization?