Class: Public Opinion & Survey Design Instructor: Dr. Joseph A.

Coll
Class Code: POLS 395 Email: jacoll@sewanee.edu
Semester and Year: Spring 2023 Office: 315 Carnegie Hall
Class Time: TTH 3:00-4:15 Office Hours: M&F 9:50-10:50, TH 2:00-3:00
Class Location: Walsh-Ellet 308 or by Appointment

Course Description
Representative democracy assumes that citizens are politically knowledgeable, that they hold political
opinions, and that the government takes those opinions into consideration when deciding public policy.
How well does the American public fit the bill of the good democratic citizen, does public opinion
influence government, and how do we know? To answer these questions, this course examines the
formation, origins, and influence of public opinion, followed by an examination of how we can gather
these opinions via public opinion surveys. As such, this course is designed to give students the
theoretical knowledge about the origins and consequences of public opinion and practical experience
designing surveys and questionnaires.

Course Objective
By the end of this course, students should understand existing social science theories regarding the
formation, measurement, and content of public opinion; how public opinion influences and is influenced
by politics; and how to design a survey.

Required Texts
Erikson, Robert S., and Kent L. Tedin. 2019. American Public Opinion: Its Origins, Content, and Impact,
10th edition. New York: Pearson Longman.

Fowler, Floyd J. 2008. Survey Research Methods 5th Edition. USA: CQ Press.

Additional readings will be provided online.

Student Assessments
Weekly Quizzes: Most weeks there will be a quiz over the material we have learned, which account for a
total of 20% of the final grade. The quizzes will be made available following the last day of class for that
week and must be completed by Sunday at 11:59 pm. The point of these quizzes is to make sure you are
reading, following, and understanding the material, while also providing review and study material for
the exams.

Research Project Proposal: By the end of this course, you are expected to draft a research proposal
planning an investigation into a course-related topic, which accounts for 30% of the final grade. This
research project proposal will formulate a hypothesis related to public opinion or survey design and
discuss how you would investigate that question. The final paper will be 2,500-3,500 words, and consist
of a title page, introduction, literature review, hypothesis, and survey design portion. Each of these
components will be reviewed over the course of the semester.

Research Project Proposal Check-in Assignments: Throughout the semester, the following
materials are required as a way to ‘check-in’ on research project proposal progress: 1) a
description of your topic, what about that topic you want to investigate, why the topic or question
is important, and a meeting to discuss the topic (meeting must occur before handing in the
assignment); 2) literature review and hypothesis; 3) how you would design and implement a
survey to answer your question, including a complete survey instrument; 4) and a rough draft of
 the final research proposal. These will be due at specific times throughout the semester (listed
below, subject to change). Each check-in accounts for 3.75% of the final grade, for a total of 15%
accounted for by check-ins assignments.

Research Project Proposal Presentation: At the end of the semester, you will present your
research project proposal to the class. The presentation will describe the topic you are writing
over, provide relevant literature and hypotheses, and describe the survey design you would use to
investigate your topic. The presentation can be thought of as an oral presentation of what you
have already written for the paper, itself. This presentation will account for 15% of your final
grade.

Attendance: Attending class is necessary for engaging in the types of discussions that are integral for
accomplishing the objectives of this course. Attendance will be graded based on the frequency at which
you attend class, accounting for 10% of the final grade. You will receive full attendance points if you
attend all three class sessions, partial points if you attend less than all three, and no points if you miss
each session in a week. Again, notify me ahead of time if you will be missing class. If you have
scheduled events where you will be gone (e.g., sports events), please provide me the schedule as soon as
possible. Note: You get two (2) unexcused absences per semester.

Contribution: Contributing in class is necessary for engaging in the types of discussions that are integral
for accomplishing the objectives of this course. Instead of participation, students will receive points for
contribution. That is, students will be assessed on the extent to which they positively contribute to class,
such as through asking questions, joining into class discussions, engaging other students in constructive
dialogue, working in small groups, and otherwise adding to their own and the classes learning
experience. Contribution accounts for 10% of the final grade. Note: You get two (2) non-contribution
days per semester.

University and Course Policies

Late Work: Late work will have 10% of the total grade immediately deducted, with an additional 10%
deducted for every 24 hours from the due date/time the assignment is late unless arrangements were
made prior to the assignment deadline. If you fail to complete a quiz after 9 days, you will receive a 0 for
that quiz. If extenuating circumstances arise, please notify me as soon as possible.

Grade Appeals: For objective questions (e.g., true/false, multiple choice), if a student thinks I
accidentally marked a question wrong that was correct, please come see me as soon as possible. For
subjective questions (e.g., short answer, essay), I will not discuss changes in grades for 24 hours after the
grade has been handed back. If you feel that I missed an important point that you made or there is some
other problem with your grade, after 24 hours, you may submit a grade appeal. Your appeal should be a
typed argument for why your grade should be changed. It should be no longer than 2 pages double
spaced. You will need to hand the appeal and the original assignment/exam back into me for review. We
will then schedule a time to meet or come in during office hours to discuss the appeal. Appealing the
grade does not mean that I will automatically increase your grade. Appeals will only be accepted up to 1
week after the assignment is returned.

Plagiarism: Defined as presenting someone else's work as your own without full acknowledgement,
plagiarism will not be tolerated. Students who plagiarize run the risk of receiving an F in the course and
potential academic suspension.
Honor Code: All students must sign the honor code upon matriculating to Sewanee. All forms of
academic dishonesty, including plagiarism, are violations of the Honor Code and will be treated as such.
If you ever have a question about an assignment or need additional help, please ask for assistance rather
than jeopardize your academic career.

Technology: Cell phones, smart watches, headphones, and the like are not to be used during class unless
given express permission to do so. I reserve the right to dismiss you from class if disruptions or
continued phone use occur, with the possibility of losing attendance/participation points. Laptops can be
used for note taking purposes only, unless given express permission for other uses. If you wish to use
your laptop for note taking, you must talk with me in advance. I reserve the right to dismiss you from
class if disruptions or inappropriate laptop use occur, with the possibility of losing
attendance/participation points. If you have technology that is need for accommodations, please let me
know so that I know the technology is being used for accommodations and so that I can learn how to best
facilitate the use of that technology.

Collaboration: All assignments, exams, etc. must be done individually unless otherwise instructed.
Though, I encourage students to study in groups for exams.

Civility: As with many political science courses, we will frequently discuss “hot button” or sensitive
topics. In the course of doing so, all students are expected to remain civil in their discussions, approach
topics with an open mind, and be respectful to others. Individual opinions about particular politicians,
parties, etc. should be left at the door. I reserve the right to dismiss you from class if inappropriate
behavior occurs, with the possibility of losing attendance/participation points. With that being said, I
expect students to challenge themselves and other students in discourse, present well thought-out
arguments, and even occasionally take sides they would not normally take. Last, I stress all students to
remember that the views expressed in class are not necessarily the views of the individual expressing
them.

Official ADA Statement: The University of the South is committed to fostering respect for the diversity
of the University community and the individual rights of each member of that community. In this spirit,
and in accordance with the provisions of Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the University seeks to provide students with disabilities with
the reasonable accommodations needed to ensure equal access to the programs and activities of the
University.
Any student with a documented disability needing academic adjustments is requested to speak with
Student Accessibility Services (SAS) as early in the semester as possible. If approved for
accommodations, the student has the responsibility to present their instructors with a copy of the official
letter of academic accommodations. Please note: Accommodation letters should be dated for the current
term; accommodations will not be provided without a current accommodation letter; and
accommodations cannot be applied retroactively.
SAS is located in the Office of the Dean of Students (931.598.1229). Additional information about
accommodations can be found on the Student Accessibility Services website
(https://new.sewanee.edu/offices/the-college-of-arts-sciences-offices/student-life/dean-of-students-
office/student-accessibility-services/).
Students who have questions about physical accessibility should inform their instructors so that we can
ensure an accessible, safe, and effective environment.
Title IX and Sex Discrimination Policy: Sex Discrimination is a violation of federal Title IX law and
University policy. Disclosure of sex discrimination to University faculty, staff, or specific student leaders
(i.e. proctors, Orientation Leaders, FYP mentors, etc.) is not confidential and these individuals are
required to make reports, including names and circumstances, to the University’s Title IX Coordinator.
One may report confidentially to All Saints’ Clergy and University Health and Wellness/CAPS staff. To
report incidents of sex discrimination, including sexual violence, stalking, and/or sexual harassment,
please file a report at ReportSexualMisconduct.sewanee.edu or contact the Title IX Coordinator (Dr.
Sylvia Gray, titleix@sewanee.edu, Woods Lab 138, 931-598-1420). For more information on Title IX,
the Title Policy and Procedure, related policies such as mandatory reporting, or resources for support
and confidential disclosure, please refer to the Title IX website: new.sewanee.edu/titleix.
Helpful Resources
The Writing Center: The Writing Center, located on the main floor of duPont Library, provides objective
peer support to Sewanee students who seek assistance with their writing projects. The student tutors can
help at any stage in the writing process, including topic development, rough drafts, final drafts, and
revisions. You may schedule an appointment in our online platform (https://sewanee.mywconline.com/)
or see our website (https://www.sewanee.edu/writingcenter/) for more information.
The Center for Speaking and Listening: The Center for Speaking & Listening is located in duPont
Library on the main floor in the Learning Commons. Peer tutors are available for appointments to help
you prepare and practice individual and group presentations, poster presentations, interviews, debates,
simulations, dialogues, and other kinds of speaking and listening endeavors and projects. Morning,
afternoon, and evening appointments are available on Sunday‒Thursday. You can register and make an
appointment online here: https://sewanee.mywconline.net/. Learn more about the Center for Speaking &
Listening here: https://new.sewanee.edu/academics/center-for-speaking-listening/.
Research Help Center: The Research Help Center, on the lowest floor of duPont Library, is available for
all of your research paper, project, and presentation needs. Our librarians can help with each stage in the
research process, including developing a research question, finding information, interpreting academic
sources, integrating research into your paper or presentation, and avoiding plagiarism. You can make an
appointment with us online at https://library.sewanee.edu/researchhelp. Walk-ins are also welcome! The
Research Librarian for Politics is Linnea Minich (lmminich@sewanee.edu). See also the Politics Course
Research guides at https://library.sewanee.edu/sb.php?subject_id=26727.
Wellness Center resources: As a student, you may experience a range of challenges that can interfere
with learning, such as stress, strained relationships, increased anxiety, substance misuse, mood changes,
difficulty concentrating, and/or lack of motivation. These mental health concerns or stressful events may
diminish your academic performance and/or reduce your ability to participate in daily activities. Free
counseling, psychological, and psychiatric services are available at the University Wellness Center, and
treatment does work. You can learn more about confidential mental health services available on campus
at https://new.sewanee.edu/campus-life/flourishing/wellness-commons/university-wellness-center/.

Grading
Attendance 10%
Contribution: 10%
Presentation: 15%
Weekly Quizzes: 20%
Final Paper Check-Ins: 15%
Final Paper: 30%

Course grades will be distributed as follows:

97-100: A+ 77-79.9: C+
93-96.9: A 73-76.9: C
90-92.9: A- 70-72.9: C-
87-89.9: B+ 67-69.9: D+
83-86.9: B 63-66.9: D
80-82.9: B- 60-62.9: D-
Below 60: F

Important Dates
Weekly Quizzes: Released weekly following the last day of class, due the following Sunday at 11:59 PM
(one minute before midnight).
Research Project Proposal Check-In Assignments:
1) Topic statement and meeting- Statement due by March 12th at 11:59 PM, must meet with me
once before March 12th
2) Literature review and hypothesis- April 2nd at 11:59 PM
3) Survey design and survey instrument-April 16th at 11:59 PM
4) Rough draft- April 24th at 11:59 PM
Research Project Proposal Presentation: Saturday, May 6th, 9:00am
Research Project Proposal: Monday, May 8th, 11:59pm

Course Schedule
Notes about Course Schedule: Dates reflect the MONDAY of that week. The course is essentially split
into three sections. The first covers public opinion, the second covers survey design, and the third will be
used to explore additional topics that you find interesting. As such, all To Be Decided’s (TBD) reflect
opportunities for the students to pick the topics or reading materials. Last, if more than one bullet point is
assigned to a week, the first bullet point reflects Tuesday’s readings/activities, the second, Thursday’s. If
only one bullet point is present, that topic will be discussed both days.
❖ Week 1 (January 16): The Basics
➢ First day of classes, Tuesday, January 17thth
➢ Class Introduction
➢ Erikson and Tedin, Chapter 1
➢ Laubepin “How to Read (and Understand) a Social Science Journal Article” Blog Post chrome-
extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://online225.psych.wisc.edu/wp-
content/uploads/225-Master/225-UnitPages/Unit-05/Laubepin_IUCPSR_2013.pdf
➢ Juelich, Courtney L., and Joseph A. Coll. "Rock the vote or block the vote? How the cost of
voting affects the voting behavior of American youth: Part of special symposium on election
sciences." American Politics Research 48, no. 6 (2020): 719-724.
❖ Week 2 (January 23): Individual Level Opinion and Knowledge
➢ Erikson and Tedin, Chapter 3
➢ Converse, Philip E. "The nature of belief systems in mass publics (1964)." Critical review 18, no.
1-3 (2006): 1-74. (Skim to page 62)
 ➢ Abrajano, Marisa. "Reexamining the “racial gap” in political knowledge." The Journal of Politics
77, no. 1 (2015): 44-54.
❖ Week 3 (January 30): Political Learning
➢ Erikson and Tedin, Chapter 5
➢ Bos, Angela L., Jill S. Greenlee, Mirya R. Holman, Zoe M. Oxley, and J. Celeste Lay. "This
one’s for the boys: How gendered political socialization limits girls’ political ambition and
interest." American Political Science Review 116, no. 2 (2022): 484-501.
➢ Plutzer, Eric. "Becoming a habitual voter: Inertia, resources, and growth in young adulthood."
American Political Science Review 96, no. 1 (2002): 41-56.
❖ Week 4 (February 6): Macro Opinion
➢ Erikson and Tedin, Chapter 4
➢ MacKuen, Michael B., Robert S. Erikson, and James A. Stimson. "Macropartisanship." American
Political Science Review 83, no. 4 (1989): 1125-1142.
❖ Week 5 (February 13): Group Opinion
➢ Erikson and Tedin, Chapter 7
➢ Dyck, Joshua J., and Gregg B. Johnson. "Constructing a New Measure of Macropartisanship
Disaggregated by Race and Ethnicity." Journal of Race, Ethnicity, and Politics 7, no. 3 (2022):
433-459.
➢ Rouse, Stella M., and Ashley D. Ross. The politics of millennials: political beliefs and policy
preferences of America's most diverse generation. University of Michigan Press, 2018. Chapter 8
➢ Box-Steffensmeier, Janet M., Suzanna De Boef, and Tse-Min Lin. "The dynamics of the partisan
gender gap." American Political Science Review 98, no. 3 (2004): 515-528.
❖ Week 6 (February 20): News Media
➢ Erikson and Tedin, Chapter 8
➢ Baum, Matthew A. "Sex, lies, and war: How soft news brings foreign policy to the inattentive
public." American Political Science Review 96, no. 1 (2002): 91-109.
➢ Prior, Markus. "News vs. entertainment: How increasing media choice widens gaps in political
knowledge and turnout." American Journal of Political Science 49, no. 3 (2005): 577-592.
❖ Week 7 (February 27): Elections
➢ Erikson and Tedin, Chapter 9
➢ Coll, Joseph, Caroline J. Tolbert, and Michael Ritter. "Understanding preferences for
comprehensive electoral reform in the United States." Social science quarterly (2022).
➢ Sheagley, Geoffrey, and Adriano Udani. "Multiple meanings? The link between partisanship and
definitions of voter fraud." Electoral Studies 69 (2021): 102244.
❖ Week 8 (March 6): Elected Officials
➢ Erikson and Tedin Ch. 10
➢ Canes‐Wrone, Brandice, and Kenneth W. Shotts. "The conditional nature of presidential
responsiveness to public opinion." American Journal of Political Science 48, no. 4 (2004): 690-
706.
➢ Canes-Wrone, Brandice, Tom S. Clark, and Jason P. Kelly. "Judicial selection and death penalty
decisions." American Political Science Review 108, no. 1 (2014): 23-39.
❖ Week 9 (March 13): No Class, Spring Break
➢ MWF No Class, Spring Break
❖ Week 10 (March 20): Public Opinion and Democracy
➢ Erikson and Tedin, Chapter 6 and 11
 ➢ Gilens, Martin, and Benjamin I. Page. "Testing theories of American politics: Elites, interest
groups, and average citizens." Perspectives on politics 12, no. 3 (2014): 564-581.
➢ Griffin, John D., and Brian Newman. "Are voters better represented?." The Journal of Politics
67, no. 4 (2005): 1206-1227.
❖ Week 11 (March 27) Introduction to Surveys, Error, and Sampling
➢ Fowler, Chapters 1, 2, and 3; Erikson and Tedin, Sections 2-1, 2-2, 2-4
➢ Stantcheva, Stefanie. How to run surveys: A guide to creating your own identifying variation and
revealing the invisible. No. w30527. National Bureau of Economic Research, 2022. Section 2.1-
2.2
❖ Week 12 (April 3): (Re)Reaching Respondents
➢ (Finish Sampling)
➢ Fowler, Chapters 4 and 5
➢ Ansolabehere, Stephen, and Brian F. Schaffner. "Does survey mode still matter? Findings from a
2010 multi-mode comparison." Political Analysis 22, no. 3 (2014): 285-303.
➢ Stantcheva, Stefanie. How to run surveys: A guide to creating your own identifying variation and
revealing the invisible. No. w30527. National Bureau of Economic Research, 2022. Section 2.3-
2.4
➢ TH No Class, WPSA
❖ Week 13 (April 10): Question Design and Evaluation
➢ Fowler, Chapters 6-7; Erikson and Tedin, Section 2-3
➢ Stantcheva, Stefanie. How to run surveys: A guide to creating your own identifying variation and
revealing the invisible. No. w30527. National Bureau of Economic Research, 2022. Section 4.
➢ Yan, Ting. "Consequences of asking sensitive questions in surveys." Annual Review of Statistics
and Its Application 8 (2021): 109-127.
➢ TH No Class, MPSA
❖ Week 14 (April 17): Interviewing, Collecting Data, Reporting, and Survey Ethics
➢ Fowler, Chapters 8-13
➢ Enders, Adam M., and Judd R. Thornton. "Biased Interviewer Assessments of Respondent
Knowledge Based on Perceptions of Skin Tone." Journal of Race, Ethnicity, and Politics 7, no. 3
(2022): 572-588
➢ Saraceno, Joseph, Eric R. Hansen, and Sarah A. Treul. "Reevaluating the Substantive
Representation of Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Americans: A Multiverse Analysis." The Journal
of Politics 83, no. 4 (2021): 1837-1843.
❖ Week 15 (April 24): Causality and Survey Experiments
➢ Stantcheva, Stefanie. How to run surveys: A guide to creating your own identifying variation and
revealing the invisible. No. w30527. National Bureau of Economic Research, 2022. Section 6.
➢ Kellstedt and Whitten Chapter 3 (pgs. 56-68) and 4 (pgs. 77-92)
❖ Week 16 (May 1): Final Paper Workshop
➢ Last day of classes, Wednesday, May 3rd
PRESENTATIONS DURING EXAM PERIOD (Saturday, May 6th, 9:00am)
FINAL PAPER DUE DURING FINALS WEEK (Monday, May 8th, 11:59pm)