ECONOMICS, POLITICS, AND INTERNATIONAL CHANGE
Overview: During the first half of this course, we examined populism as a theoretical concept,
noting that despite a growing interest in populism as a political and social phenomenon, the concept
remains contested, with some scholars contending that populism is a strategy, others indicating it
is an ideology, and others arguing that it is a “political style.” For your midterm examination, you
will examine the extent to which populism as a “political style” fits the American experience by
applying the concept to the Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump campaigns.
Prompt: Over the course of the last few weeks, we have paid particular attention to the “populist
political style” as a way to determine whether or not a candidate is “performing populism”. Given
your understanding of the “populist political style” and the American political system, are Sen.
Bernie Sanders AND former President Donald Trump populists? Why? Why not?
1. Define the three components of the “populist political style.”
2. Briefly outline the behaviors associated with each of the three components of the “populist
political style” (i.e., How is each component “performed”?).
3. Apply insights from the above discussion to Sanders AND Trump (i.e., Are their behaviors
consistent with “performing populism”?).
4. Use the above to construct your argument as to whether Sanders and Trump are populists
(i.e., Are Sanders and Trump broadly “performing populism” Why? Why not?).
Requirements: The paper should provide a well-organized argument to the prompt, using course
materials (lecture, course readings, current events materials, etc.) to substantiate your argument.
In terms of format, the essay should: be 6-8 double spaced pages in length, use 12-point font
and standard one-inch margins, and contain a bibliography (which does not count towards
the page limit). Please be advised that papers which 1) lack a clear thesis statement and/or
2) show little or no familiarity with course readings will be penalized. There is a handout on
the course website to assist with formatting a social science paper. You may use either MLA or
APA format to cite sources within your paper.
Timely Reminder: Please be aware that all course assignments must uphold university standards
regarding academic integrity. Subsequently, please make sure that all course material is cited
correctly (e.g., direct quotes are placed in quotations and the author is given credit, all material
that is paraphrased is cited appropriately, etc.) and that your work is your own. Please think
carefully before you act, and ask yourself: Is my action honest, fair, respectful, responsible, and
trustworthy? Is my action authorized by the instructor? If you are unsure, ask your instructor,
instructional assistant, or the Academic Integrity Office. You can learn more about academic
integrity at academicintegrity.ucsd.edu.
Due Date: An electronic copy of your midterm must be submitted (in .doc or .docx format)
via Canvas no later than 11:59pm on 6 May 2022. We will grade whatever you have
submitted once the assignment window closes, so please make sure you have uploaded the
correct copy of your midterm because once the submission window closes, we cannot clear
the submission and re-open the window. Barring a documented emergency, no e-mail
attachments or late papers will be accepted. Additionally, we will not entertain ANY late requests
which we are not made aware on the day the paper is due. Please be advised that barring
notification of a Canvas outage, an inability to submit the paper before the due date due to
failing to hit submit, slow internet connection/upload, inability to access electronic reserve
resources, etc., is not considered an emergency, so please plan accordingly.
Week 1: Defining Populism
Judis (Introduction)
Mudde (Populism: An Ideational Approach pgs. 27-34 and 41) *
Moffitt pgs. 28-29 and 38-50
Supplementary/Optional:
Rovira Kaltwasser et al. (Populism: An Overview of the Concept) *
Mudde (Populism: An Ideational Approach pgs. 34-41)
Week 2: Populism, Leaders, and Mobilization
Moffitt CH 4-5
Mudde and Kaltwasser (Populism and Mobilization) *
Week 3: Populism, Social Change, and Crisis
Moffitt CH 7
Norris and Inglehart (Cultural Backlash Theory) *
Kriesi and Pappas (Populism and Crisis: A Fuzzy…) *
CLICKER COUNTING PERIOD STARTS
Week 4: Populism in the United States: Overview
Judis CH 1-3
Supplemental/Optional:
Mudde (The Far-Right Threat in the United States) *