Notebook

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The Campaign Notebook

General Notes:

  1. Please purchase or borrow a small loose-leaf notebook and a three hole punch.
  2. All Notebook material should be typed or word processed.
  3. All Notebook entries should be dated.
  4. Bring your Notebooks to class for reference. Most Fridays will be dedicated to discussion of Notebook material.
  5. You should expect to add several pages a week to your Notebook.
  6. Notebooks are subject to collection and evaluation at any time. Your Notebook will be evaluated at random intervals.

The Notebook consists of three parts:

1) The Reading Diary

This is a weekly chronicle of your reactions to the assigned reading, class discussion, and the daily news. This is the most "free flowing" section of the notebook. Informal expression is acceptable, complete citations for assigned material are unnecessary. It would be a good idea to use the diary, in part, to mull over ideas about the final paper on reforming election. In general, you will be assessed on your willingness and ability to engage actively with the material and integrate ideas from different sources.

2) The Congressional Campaign Journal

This is a chronicle and analysis of the early stages of a Congressional campaign in your home district. You may choose to follow either a House or a Senate campaign (if there is a Senate election in your state this year, you may be able to follow it more easily than a House contest). This section will likely constitute the smallest portion of the notebook.

The Congressional Campaign Journal should include the following:

Relevant demographic information on the district
Biographies, resumes, and issue positions of all expected candidates
Accounts and analysis of campaign funding: who is giving how much
Accounts and analysis of campaign strategy
Accounts and analysis of press coverage

3) The Presidential Campaign Journal

This is a chronicle and analysis of a particular candidate’s attempt to gain his party’s nomination for President of the United States. It will likely constitute the largest portion of the notebook.

The Presidential Campaign Journal should include the following:

A biography of the candidate, including his personal history, career, ideological commitments, issue positions, and reputation in the media
Accounts and analysis of national and state polls
Accounts and analysis of the candidate’s campaign activity, including speeches, debates, fundraising, campaign surrogates, endorsements, etc.
Accounts and analysis of campaign funding: who is giving how much
Accounts and analysis of candidate’s supporters
Accounts and analysis of announced policy proposals
Accounts and analysis of campaign strategy, including campaign personnel, advertising message and placement strategies, use of free media, comments on the competition, favored issues, campaign materials, and considerations of which primaries to compete in
Accounts and analysis of media coverage
Your predictions of success or failure in the next contest
Your strategic recommendations

 

The Hitch:

If your candidate drops out of the primaries, you must begin a campaign journal for a new candidate.

General Campaign Journal notes:

Your campaign journals should be written using a wide variety of sources—print, electronic, and broadcast.
Your campaign journals must include full citations for everything, including date and time of time of viewing or listening for Internet or broadcast information.
You may include campaign material in the notebook (but leave nothing loose that might fall out). Keep in mind, however, that it is not primarily a scrap book.
Strive to provide a comprehensive view and analysis of your candidate’s campaign. Include both data and analysis.
Make your writing engaging for the reader. Journals will be assessed on comprehensiveness of information, level of analysis, and writing style.