	101 Gowen Hall, Box 353530 University of Washington Seattle, WA 98195-3530
	Ph: 206-616-3584

POL S 299 Special Topics: The 2008 Presidential Election

Winter 2008: Tuesday & Thursday, 10:00 - 11:20 am, PAA 102

Professor: Matt A. Barreto
Email: mbarreto@washington.edu
Office: Gowen 139
Office Hours: T/TH 1:30 – 3:00 pm (or by appt)

Weekly Readings


Week 1:		
January 8		First day of class, general introduction
January 10		New Hampshire primary results
			Shea & Reece, Chapter 1: Getting Primed
			Polsby & Wildavsky, Chapter 1: Voters


Week 2:		
January 15		Shea & Reece, Chapter 2: Candidates and Issues in 2008
			Introduction to Political Polls: Reading posted online
			POWER POINT LECTURE: Click Here
January 17		Michigan primary results			
			Frontloading in 2008 and possible alternatives
			Online Reading 1
			Online Reading 2


Week 3:		
January 22		Nevada caucus results / South Carolina GOP primary results
			Shea & Reece, Chapter 3: The Struggle for the Nomination
January 24		Polsby & Wildavsky, Chapter 4: The Nomination Process


Week 4:
January 29		South Carolina DEM primary results
			Shea & Reece, Chapter 4: The Electoral College
			Polsby & Wildavsky, Chapter 3: Rules and Resources
January 31		Florida primary results
			In-class debate – Republican candidates


Week 5:
February 5		In class debate – Democratic candidates
February 7		Super Tuesday results – Is it Over Already???


Week 6:
February 12		The Washington State caucus: did it matter?
			Shea & Reece, Chapter 5: Trends in the Electorate in 2008
February 14		Polsby & Wildavsky, Chapter 2: Groups


Week 7:
February 19		Polsby & Wildavsky, Chapter 5: The Campaign
February 21		Shea & Reece, Chapter 6: The 2008 Money Chase


Week 8:
February 26		Shea & Reece, Chapter 7: Campaign 2008 Online
February 28		News and Issues / Recap of the primary process / Is it over yet???


Week 9:
March 4			Battleground states in 2008? How many? Which ones? Online Reading
March 6			In class debate – Dem winner vs. Rep winner (and maybe Bloomberg too)


Week 10:
March 11		Nominating Vice Presidential candidates: Who are the contenders?
March 13		Review for Final Exam


Final Exam: Monday March 17, 10:30 – 12:20