PS 203: State and Local Government
Spring 2008
Instructor:
Office: 261 PLC 111 LIL
Office Hours: M 1130-1250
Phone: 346-4128
Email: rsmith5@uoregon.edu
GTF: See blackboard for GTF Contact Information
Course
Goals:
State
and local governments often affect our lives more directly than federal
institutions, yet they remain considerably less studied and understood. The purpose of this course is to begin a study of the
workings of politics and governance from the perspective of the state and local
level. Rather than the usual institution-by-institution survey of
REQUIRED
Kevin B. Smith, Alan Greenblatt, & Michele Mariani, Governing States & Localities, 2nd Edition (Available at UO Bookstore).
Annual Editions: State and Local Government. 13th Edition
(Available at UO Bookstore).
-- A copy of the primary text is on reserve in the Knight Library
Selected readings noted in the syllabus and additional readings (if any) will be announced in class and will be available through the Knight library ereserve.
Requirements
and Grading:
Midterm: 30% multiple-choice and short answer questions
Final: 30% multiple-choice, short answer, and essay
Discussion Section: 25% (10% attendance score, 15% debate)
Debate Paper:
15% 4-5 page research paper due in section one week after your
section debate. The debate topics,
assignment guidelines for the debate and debate paper, and due dates will be
assigned and explained in your first section meeting. Accordingly, it is
important that you do not miss your first section meeting. After your
debate, each student must write a paper (4-5 pages, double-spaced with 1”
margins) taking an assigned position on the predetermined issue and defending
it, referring to at least five published sources. Papers will be
evaluated according to the clarity and coherence of their arguments, and the
quality of their research resources. See the course schedule for the
paper due dates.
Policies:
Class Attendance: You are adults and should be treated as such. Adulthood entails (or should entail) choice, and I believe you have the right to decide for yourselves whether to take advantage of this unique position in life your, i.e. your access to higher learning. In other words, if you don’t want to be in class of your own volition I do not want you in my class wasting our respective time, and it is likely serious students do not want you here either. Accordingly, there is no mandatory in-class attendance policy for classroom lecture (this policy does not apply to discussion sections). However, substantial material from the lectures will be included in the mid-term and the final, and you may miss out on the random in class assignments.
Late Papers: If you are sick, stay at home, rest, and get better. You don’t want to be in class and people in class don’t want you to get them sick. If you happen to be sick when your paper assignment is due bring a note from the doctor explaining this (e-mails and phone calls will not suffice). Other papers not turned in on the assigned day will be docked a letter grade per day. After three days papers will not be accepted.
Midterm and Final: The midterm and final will be given on the specified date unless you are sick, in which case you need to 1) notify me before the exam (email is fine) and 2) you must bring a note from the doctor and we’ll set up a time for a make-up.
Plagiarism and Cheating: Conviction of either can and has resulted in failing the assignment, the course, and even expulsion. Plagiarism and cheating undermines the purpose of academia and disadvantages other students. If I suspect you are cheating I will simply take your exam and report you to judicial affairs and let them sort it out. As far as plagiarism is concerned, here is the golden rule: When in doubt, cite it! If you are using someone else’s words, put them in quotes and cite the source. If you are using someone else’s ideas to further your argument, cite it. If you don’t do these things at a minimum you are guilty of plagiarism. Please see the following UO website for clarification and guidance: http://libweb.uoregon.edu/guides/plagiarism/students/
Other notes:
Students with disabilities will be accommodated. Please contact Disability
Services, 164
Final Note: A few words about bias in the classroom. We all carry bias of various forms and I am certainly no exception. It has become fashionable for students, politicians, university administrators, and even academics to seek to root out bias in the classroom (as though it is even possible), no matter the form or purpose. I couldn’t disagree with this more. I firmly believe that bias, when used properly, is one of the most effective teaching tools. This does not mean I will attempt to “convert or persuade” those that hold views that I disagree with, in fact my intentions could be no further from this. Rather, I will purposely use bias in the classroom under the assumption that in order to come to a fully reasoned position on an issue or subject one must first: a) gather as much information from multiple sources and perspectives as possible on the matter, b) must be able to understand and articulate varying positions, and c) seriously consider these perspectives before arriving at a decision. Accordingly, I have purposely introduced bias in a number of ways: I have assigned readings that are at times one-sided, and I will randomly assign you to a pro or con side in the section debates and papers regardless of your own opinion. I want to use controversy to engage as many of you as seriously as possible. Finally, if I believe the classroom or sections are becoming too one-sided in any direction, I will deliberately attempt to counter this climate by taking “the other perspective,” regardless of my own opinion.
Week 1: INTRODUCTION AND ORIENTATION
Week 2: Federalism & Democracy and Constitutionalism in the States
Chapters 2 & 8, Petersen, Paul (on Blackboard)
“McCulloch versus
Annual Editions: Federalism’s Ups And Downs (p.15), Devolution’s Double Standard (p. 28), The Initiative – Take It Or Leave It? (p.55)
Week 3: The Role of Local Government in the States
Annual Editions: Town Government… When There’s Not So Much Town To Govern (p.141)
Week 4: Participation, Political Parties, and Elections in the States
Annual
Editions:
Chapter 1, Aldrich, John (on Blackboard)
Week
5: State Legislatures, Executive Leadership, & Courts
Annual
Editions: The Legislature As Sausage Factory (p. 86), Is
Chapters 1 & 12, Rosenburg,
Gerald (on Blackboard)
Week
6: *FIRST EXAM ON MONDAY* &
Chapters 1 & Conclusion Sandel, Michael (on Blackboard)
Week 7: The Role of Public Bureaucracy
Annual Editions: Going Outside (p. 178)
*GROUP (A) PAPER DUE IN SECTION*
*Group (B) Section Debate*
Week 8: Fiscal and Monetary Policy in the States
*GROUP (B) PAPER DUE IN SECTION*
*Group (C) Section Debate*
Annual Editions: Money for Nothing (p. 173), 2 Cheers For Property Tax (p. 146)
Week 9: The Politics of Economic Development
*GROUP (C) PAPER DUE IN SECTION*
*Group (D) Section Debate*
Introduction & Chapter 1,
Mollenkompf, John (on Blackboard)
TBA,
Kantor, Paul (on Blackboard)
Week 10: Criminal Justice and Health Policy
*GROUP (D) PAPER DUE IN SECTION*
*Group (E) Section Debate*
Annual Editions: Justice by Numbers (p.112), Jails for Jesus (p.187), The Meth Menace (p. 199)
*GROUP (E) PAPER DUE IN CLASS BY OR
BEFORE FINAL EXAM
FINAL EXAM: http://registrar.uoregon.edu/common/cals/finalscal.htm
*INSTRUCTOR RESERVES THE RIGHT TO MAKE CHANGES AS NEEDED*