專題

以前的課程涵蓋以下小組專題。

Previous versions of the course included the following group projects.

目的

Purpose

小組專題的目的是為了讓你們自行探索一個國會政治底下的大主題，我會告訴你們一些我希望你們談論的特定主題，但是你們得獨自或整 組合作從那些主題及問題中去蕪存菁。

The purpose of the group projects is to allow you to explore on your own a large topic in the politics of Congress. I will give you some guidance about the specific topics I'd like you to address, but it will be up to you, as groups and individually, to refine the topics and the questions you address.

成果發表

Deliverables

小組必須做出兩種成果呈現；其一，各組口頭報告小組的成果30分鐘，其二，繳交一份全面的、有條理的書面報告，包含陳述各種特定主 題的篇章，並以一篇簡短的介紹作為開頭。你們最後的成績將會以整體表現為準，並根據個人與小組的努力做調整，更確切的說，四分之三的 成績是根據書面報告中你所負責的篇章(8~10頁)以及你的口頭報告，另外四分之一是基於摘要以及整體報告品質。最後，我會從兩組中分別抽 選幾位成員來報告你們組別的分工情形。

The groups will be responsible for delivering two final products. The first will be an oral presentation from each group, lasting 30 minutes each, of the group's findings. The second will be a comprehensive and coherent report, consisting of "chapters" that address particular topics, introduced by a brief introduction that is the responsibility of the whole group. Your final grade will be based on the entire package, blending together your own individual effort and that of the group. To be specific, three-quarters of the grade will be based on your written chapter (a paper of 8–10 pages) and your oral presentation; one-quarter will be based on the summary essay and the overall quality of the presentation. Finally, I will poll members of both groups, asking you to indicate how the group effort was shared.

第一組專題：與美國訂約的後果

Group Project 1: The Aftermath of the Contract with America

簡介

Introduction

1994年大選開啟了共和黨自1920年代以來首次長期控制國會，此次國會政黨輪替的時機，正好是有些人(如David Rohde的著作《後改革時期 中眾議院的政黨與領袖》)所述國會內政黨權力增加之時。確實，Rohde的書(是本課程的指定閱讀書籍)是寫於民主黨在國會的長期霸權結束之 時，現在時機已成熟，得以思考在共和黨時代「有條件政黨政府」的議題。

The election of 1994 ushered in the first period of extended Republican control of the House since the 1920s. This change in party control of the chamber came at a time when some, such as David Rohde (Parties and Leaders in the Postreform House), document a rise in the power of political parties within Congress. Indeed, Rohde's book, which is assigned for this class, was written at the end of the long-running Democratic hegemony in the House. The time is now ripe to consider issues of "conditional party government" in a Republican era.

作業

Assignment

你們的作業是寫一篇關於1990年代國會政黨政府的研究報告，特別針對(但不只限於)1994年大選以來的國會內部政治，這篇研究報告必須 回答以下問題：

Your assignment is to write a study of party government in Congress during the 1990s, focusing particularly (but not exclusively) on internal congressional politics since the election of 1994. This study should address the following questions:

共和黨1994年的戲劇性勝選應歸因於何？該次勝選只是僅此一次的現象，還是代表著選舉模式的長期改變？

To what can be attributed the dramatic Republican victory of 1994? Was it a onetime phenomenon or did it represent a lasting shift in electoral patterns? 國會內的政黨組織如何推動政黨的競選目標？他們又是如何權衡個別黨員的需求與整體政黨需求？

How have the party organizations in Congress acted to further the aims of the party in the electoral arena, and how have they balanced the needs of individual members against the greater needs of the party? 政黨使用何種機制執行內部政黨規範？成效如何？

What mechanisms have the parties used to impose party regularity internally, and how successful have they been? 1994年選舉之後，共和黨國會進行了一系列委員會改革，在這些改革之下，委員會如何改善？他們做了哪些改變？

Following the 1994 election the House Republicans instituted a number of committee reforms. How have the committees evolved under those reforms? What difference have they made? 兩院的政黨的政黨策略有何不同？可能有其他類似的問題是你們這組想要探討的，可自由設計一組更好的、與1990年代國會政黨相關的 問題，並回答之。

How have the partisan strategies varied between the parties in the two chambers? There may be other, similar, questions your group would want to take on. Feel free to generate a better set of questions concerning the partisanship of Congress during the 1990s and answer them.

第二組專題：2000年大選的後果

Group Project 2: The Aftermath of the 2000 Election

簡介

Introduction

2000年是國會選舉歷史中的潛在分水嶺，在兩院的政黨席次比例都很接近，提高了競爭參眾兩院控制權的緊張程度。這年同時也是總統大 選年，在總統與國會選舉中均呈現兩黨得票接近的狀況，這將定調接下來二到四年政策決策。另外，2000年也是實行人口普查的一年，各州立 法選舉將可能會影響選區重劃及未來十年的國會選舉。

The year 2000 stands as a potential watershed year in the electoral history of Congress. The two parties are narrowly matched in both chambers, raising the intensity of the competition for control of the House and Senate. This being a presidential election year, the resulting mix of control of the presidency and Congress will set the tone for policymaking for the next two-to-four years. And, this being a census year, outcomes in state legislative elections will presumably affect redistricting and congressional election results in the next decade.

作業

Assignment

你們的作業是寫一篇關於2000年國會選舉的研究報告，這篇研究報告必須回答以下問題：

Your assignment is to write a study of the congressional election of 2000. This study should address the following questions:

2000年選舉結果為何？如何將其依照過去關於個人投票行為及總體選舉預測模型的研究加以分析之？

What were the results of the 2000 election and how can they be analyzed in light of past research on individual voting behavior and macro electoral forecasting models? 2000年總統大選「衣尾效應」（編註：或稱「裙擺效應」）程度為何？衣尾效應的存在與否如何影響近期決策？

To what degree were there presidential "coattails" in 2000, and how will the presence or absence of those coattails affect policymaking in the near term? 2000年人口普查後的重新分配如何影響2002年選舉後的全國國會席次分配與國會政黨平衡？

How will the reapportionment following the 2000 census affect the distribution of seats around the country and the partisan balance of Congress after the 2002 election? 2000年的國會競選融資主要趨勢為何？與近期過去有何不同？

What were the major campaign finance trends of 2000, and how did they differ from the immediate past? 2000年選舉結果將會對第107屆國會之兩院的政黨組成與委員會領導層造成何種影響？可能有其他類似的問題是你們這組想要探討的，可 自由設計一組更好的、與2000年國會選舉含意相關的問題，並回答之。

What difference will the election outcomes in 2000 make for the composition of the party and committee leaderships in both chambers in the 107th Congress? There may be other, similar, questions your group would want to take on. Feel free to generate a better set of questions concerning the implications of the 2000 congressional election on the politics of the institution.