Course Catalog - 2011-2012

     

PSYC 420 - ELECTION SYSTEMS

Long Title: ELECTION SYSTEMS, TECHNOLOGIES, AND ADMINISTRATION
Department: Psychology
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Lecture
Distribution Group: Distribution Group III
Credit Hours: 3
Description: This multidisciplinary course will consider how elections are conducted to enhance participation, to accurately measure the will of the electorate, and to be sufficiently rigorous to convince all parties that the results are legitimate. This course will consider the design and evaluation of election technologies, ranging from voter registration through the polling booth and vote tabulation. This course will consider three questions: how do individual voters interact with the voting technology, how are voting technologies engineered to be accurate and secure, and how do the social aspects of voting fulfill democratic goals for elections? A central requirement for this course will be group research projects, many operating in our community, build around the November election. Cross-list: COMP 435, POLI 420.