Fall 1997, Tuesday and Thursday 12:30-1:45 PM
Professor David Lublin
Books will also be placed on reserve at Thomas Cooper Library though you should not depend on being able to do the reading there as there are many students and only one copy of each book at the library.
Course packets will be available for purchase at the Russell House bookstore. Readings in the packet are identified with CP in the syllabus. Some required reading is not located in the course packet. Students are nevertheless expected to locate and read this material before the assigned class. Copies of this material will be placed on reserve at Thomas Cooper Library and additional copies will be available in class for borrowing purposes.
American local government has changed tremendously over the course of the 20th Century. Constantly evolving and always colorful, it provides an opportune research setting. In this course, we will trace some of the major changes in local politics, including the rise and decline of machines, the growth of minority political participation and the phenomenal expansion and evolution of suburban life.
American Local Government is a 500-level course. As such, there is less emphasis on lecturing and more emphasis on discussion, research, and writing. Students are expected to attend class and to participate in discussions. For each undocumented absence beyond two, the course grade may be reduced by one number or point (e.g. 89 to 88) from the final earned grade. Attendance for only part of a class also counts as an absence. In order to facilitate good discussion, students should read the assigned readings before class. Ten percent of the final grade will be based on in-class participation. Pop quizzes may be given on the readings if I feel that it is necessary to provide further incentive to do the reading. No makeups will be given for pop quizzes if the student has not been excused in advance.
Students will have an opportunity to design their own cities using the SimCity computer simulation. SimCity is an innovative software that allows the user (who functions as mayor of the city) to install roads and power plants, create residential zones and parks, establish commercial and industrial areas in an effort to attract residents (or "Sims" as they are called). The trick is to stay within your budget (virtually every choice has fiscal consequences) and keep the public happy. The program provides public approval ratings, an analysis of the biggest problems you city faces (crime, traffic), and population figures. All students will be required to submit a typewritten, double spaced, 4-5 page paper describing the city created and critiquing SimCity based on the readings. In addition, students must turn in a disk with their city. The SimCity Paper is due on September 23 and will count for 25 percent of the final grade.
Students will write a short (1 ½-2 pages) paper on a local elected official. The Local Government Official Paper should detail the official's personal as well as electoral background. Additionally, the paper will outline the major duties and challenges of the job. The paper is due on October 21 and will count for 10 percent of the final grade.
The midterm is scheduled during class on Tuesday, October 28 and will count for 20 percent of the final grade.
The final exam is scheduled for Tuesday, December 9 at 2pm and will count for 35 percent of the final grade.
Submission of late papers or absences from class discussion will have adverse consequences on the grade (1/3 of a grade lower for each day late; in order words, a paper that would have received a B will receive a B- if turned in one day late). Papers are due at the beginning of class and students are still expected to complete the assigned reading before class on paper due dates. Failure to attend an exam will result in the student receiving a grade of zero on the exam unless the student has made appropriate arrangements to makeup the exam in advance.
August 21:
IntroductionUrban Political Machines
August 26: Judd and Swanstrom, Chapter 3 (pp. 53-74) and Riordan, pp. 3-44, 53-63, 71-75, 81-95, 105-118, 133-143, 161-170.
Focus: What were political machines? Were they good or bad for the cities? Who benefitted from them?
August 28:No Class, Professor at APSA Conference
Sept. 2: Riordan, pp. 65-70, 77-80, 97-100, 153-159.
Focus: Examine Steven Erie's theory of machine development.
Urban Political Reform
Sept. 4: Judd and Swanstrom, Chapter 4 (pp. 75-104).
Focus: What provoked the reform movement? How and why did the reformers attempt to reshape urban politics? Who did the reforms benefit?
City Limits
Reading for September 9 is not in CP. Students need to photocopy and read in advance by either going to library reserve room or borrowing copy in class.
Sept. 9: Paul E. Peterson, City Limits, Chapters 2-3.
Focus: Understanding Peterson's theory of why cities pursue developmental policies but not redistributive ones.
SimCity
Class will meet in Classroom#1 in Gambrell Basement (located just outside the College of Liberal Arts Computer Lab) on September 11 and 16. Bring an IBM formatted diskette. You can purchase them in the Lab.
Sept. 11: Judd and Swanstrom, Chapter 13 (pp. 335-366).
Sept. 16: Work on SimCity in Classroom #1
Focus: SimCity is a computer simulation that makes it possible to better understand the difficult choices facing city governments. In the simulation, you will have the chance to design and run your own city. SimCity helps promote understanding of Peterson's theory in an applied context.
Suburbanization
Sept. 18: Judd and Swanstrom, Chapter 8 (pp. 215-242).
Focus: Why did suburbs appear and grow? Why did people leave cities? Who is leaving and moving into cities today? What problems do cities face as people leave for the suburbs?
Zoning and Metropolitan Governments
Sept. 23: Judd and Swanstrom, Chapter 9 (pp. 243-278). SimCity Paper Due
Focus: How do suburbs use zoning to exclude poor people and subsidized housing? Why are the poor concentrated in central cities? What can be done to combat the negative effects of income segregation in America?
Edge City
Sept. 25: Garreau, Introduction and Chapters 1-2, 4 (pp. xix-xxiii, 1-68, 99-138).
Focus: What is an edge city? Why did we build them? Why are malls so central to edge cities and modern America?
Sept. 30: Garreau, Chapters 3, 6 (pp. 69-97, 179-208). Recommended Reading: Garreau, Chapter 5 (pp. 139-178). This chapter discusses edge cities in Atlanta.
Focus: What factors limit edge city growth? What are shadow governments? In what ways are shadow governments good or bad for cities?
October 2: No Class, Rosh Hashanah (Jewish Holiday)
Electoral Strategies
October 7: Film: Paul Stekler, "Among Brothers."
Focus: Documentary of the 1986 New Orleans mayoral election. Examine different campaign strategies adopted by African-American candidates.
October 9: Metz and Tate, Chapter 11 (entitled "The Color of Urban Campaigns" from Classifying by Race, edited by Paul Peterson, in CP).
Focus: What strategies work best for minority candidates? What is a coded racial appeal and how are they used by black and white candidates?
October 14: No Class, Fall Break
Political Incorporation
October 16: Browning, Marshall, and Tabb, Chapter 1 (pp. 8-30; entitled "Minority Moblization in Ten Cities: Failures and Successes" in CP).
Focus: What is minority political incorporation? What factors promote and limit it? What factors limit the ability of minority officials to promote policies favored by minorities?
South Carolina
October 21: No Reading, but Local Government Official Paper Due
Focus: Organization of Local Government in South Carolina.
October 23: No Reading
Focus: Politics in the City of Columbia. In what ways are the problems faced by Columbia unique or common to other cities. Why has Columbia pursued an aggressive annexation policy?
October 28: In-Class Exam
New South Cities
Stone Reading for October 30 is not in CP. Students need to photocopy and read in advance by either going to library reserve room or borrowing copy in class.
October 30: Judd and Swanstrom, Chapter 10, and Stone, Chapter 7 (entitled "Race and Regime in Atlanta" in Racial Politics in American Cities, edited by Browning, Marshall, and Tabb).
Focus: Examine the politics of growth in the context of Atlanta. How did the white business elite coopt the rising black middle class?
Rural Politics and the Civil Rights Movement
November 4: Film: Paul Stekler, "Hands that Picked the Cotton."
Focus: Examine factors influencing the election of blacks and their incorporation into the political system in a rural southern context.
November 6: Discuss Film
Focus: How are rural politics different from urban politics? Is it more difficult for minorities to win election in rural areas?
The Development of Hilton Head Island
Readings for November 11 and 13 is not in CP. Students need to photocopy and read in advance by either going to library reserve room or borrowing copy in class.
Nov. 11: Michael N. Danielson, Profits and Politics in Paradise, Chapter 7 and first portion of Chapter 8 (pp. 122-149).
Focus: Study conflict surrounding growth on Hilton Head. Examine the relationship between Hilton Head and Beaufort County.
Nov. 13: Michael N. Danielson, Profits and Politics in Paradise Chapters 13-14 (pp. 256-300).
Focus: Continue to study conflict over growth. Who benefitted from the development of Hilton Head? Who did not? Why did some support further development while others opposed it?
The Federal Government and the Cities
Nov. 18: Judd and Swanstrom, Chapter 5 (pp. 107-`26).
Focus: Introduce Mollenkopf's theory of the development of federal urban policy. Begin studying the link between politics and national urban programs in the context of the New Deal.
Nov. 20: Judd and Swanstrom, Chapters 7, 11 (pp. 151-178, 271-304).
Focus: Continue studying the link between politics and urban policy in the context of post-World War II America with emphasis on Johnson's "Great Society," Nixon's "New Federalism" and the gradual unraveling of the modern welfare state under Reagan and the current Republican-controlled Congress.
Nov. 25:Extra Class Period (Review, Discussion, Additional Topic).
Nov. 27: No Class, Thanksgiving
Fiscal Crisis
December 2:Judd and Swanstrom, Chapter 12 (pp. 307-334).
Focus: Discussion of the bond market. Why can cities borrow at relatively low rates? How does the need to retain access to the bond market shape city policy?
December 4:No Reading
Focus: Why have city expenditures tended to rise faster than the rate of inflation? How have the composition of city expenditures and revenues changed over time? Why was Chicago able to cope more successfully than New York with similar fiscal pressures (Fuchs theory)?
December 9: FINAL EXAM at 2PM.
The views and opinions expressed in this page are strictly those of the page author. The contents of this page have not been reviewed or approved by American University. If you have any questions about this page, please email David Lublin at dlublin@american.edu. This page was last updated on August 15, 1998.