Spring 2005

GOV 327L • Public Opinion and American Politics

Course Description

This course examines the nature of public opinion in contemporary American politics. We will discuss how to conceptualize and measure public opinion, where opinions or attitudes "come from," and whether public opinion affects policymaking. In so doing, we will investigate public opinion on a wide variety of topics, from race and racism to war to Monica Lewinsky. One overarching goal is to help you become a more discerning consumer of public opinion data, so that when you encounter references to public opinion in the news or in a campaign or in politics generally, you will be able to evaluate whether these references are truthful, incomplete, fraudulent, and so on.

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