Electoral College 2: From the Civil War Until the 21st Century

Course Structure: (1) Handouts will be available on the class site ahead of time to make students aware of terms to be used in order to make understanding new information easier. (2) A handout to stimulate thought and participation will also be provided in advance for use in class. (3) Content will be provided during the class in a slide show which will be given to students at the completion of class. 

Content: The course will center around 4 big issues. (1) Problem elections from Lincoln to 1900. (2) Third parties in presidential elections since 1900. (3) Winners of popular vote losing in the Electoral College. And (4) 21st century demographic changes that are driving the question of whether the Electoral College should be eliminated or changed. 

Methodology: A slide show will present information with graphics and content that are explained in a lecture. Students are encouraged to ask questions or express views at any time, but there is no pressure to speak. An ice breaker activity at the beginning of the course will be used to encourage participation and set the expectation that students may speak up but will not be pressured to talk. The slide show will include links to websites for additional information so that sharing the slide show at the end of the course encourages students to view the class as the beginning of a learning adventure. 

Resources: Graphics of election results are used that are drawn from https://www.270towin.com/historical-presidential-elections/