POLITICS 203
State and Local Government
Fall 2008 B (MWF)
Updated Sept. 3, 2008                                                                      

Brian Richardson, Reid 201 

458-8430

richardsonb@wlu.edu

Office Hours: By  appointment

Required texts:

• Thomas R. Dye and Susan A. MacManus, Politics in States and Communities, 13th edition

Recommended reference:

• Diana Hacker, A Writer's Reference
   

Course description:

An introduction to the structures and functions of United States subnational governments, with particular emphasis on the policy-making process and on the relationships between policy makers and the public. Analysis of survey research data is included.

Course goals:

Students will be introduced to several bodies of knowledge and methods of analysis in this course. You will be graded on your mastery of this material in classwork, quizzes, tests and papers. The material includes:

1. The history of subnational governance in the United States and its impact on various constituencies, including minorities, men and women and socioeconomic groups.
2. The participants, or stakeholders, in subnational governance in the United States, including historically underrepresented groups.
3. Quantitative data regarding political participation in the United States by its myriad constituencies.
4. Structures of state and local U.S. governments.
5. Functions of state and local U.S. governments, officials and staffs.
6. Normative assessment of subnational governance based on knowledge gained in 1-5.
   

 Course expectations:

Students will produce work to demonstrate their level of mastery of the above  items. (All assignments are due at the beginning of class. Late work is not accepted. It earns a zero; not an F, a zero. The definition of late: I collect an assignment at the beginning of class. You wander in five minutes late with yours. That's a zero. Waiting until the last minute to print out an assignment and then blaming a balky printer doesn't cut it. If you have an illness requiring you to be seen at Student Health Services, notify me of your illness before the paper is due, and email me your paper if you will miss class. Waiting until after a paper is due and then telling me you could not make deadline because you were sick is not acceptable. I also need to know in advance if you cannot take a test on a scheduled date. Permissible excuses include an illness that requires you to be treated at the Student Health Center, or a family emergency. If you do not contact me in advance, you will not be allowed to make up the quiz or test. Pop quizzes cannot be made up.)

Your work will include:

1. Very basic unannounced quizzes (one or two identifications) from the readings nearly every week. 10 per cent of your grade cumulatively (These quizzes will be given at the beginning of class. If you arrive late, you will not be allowed to take the quiz.) 
2. A one-hour quiz on text and class material, about three weeks into the course. 10 percent
3. A mid-term test (two hours) on text and class material. 15 percent
4. A research paper of 10 to 15 pages on an approved topic directly related to state and local government. 30 percent
5. A final exam testing knowledge of material covered in the course. 20 percent
6. Class participation. I expect your attendance at every class. If you aren't here, you can't participate. Please phone or email me in advance if you will be unable to attend a class. Please be prompt. I start class on time. If you aren't here when I take roll, you aren't here. 15 percent.  
7. A report and commentary on a Lexington City Council meeting before the mid-term break. Council meets at 8 p.m. the first and third Thursday of each month in the Joint Court Facility, 150 S. Main St. The report, which includes a pledge that you attended the full meeting, is due the next class meeting. 10 percent
    

Class assignments:

Week 1 (Sept. 3-5): Course Orientation; Foundations and Context

: Dye & McManus 1

Week 2 (Sept. 8-12): Politics in Democracy and Federalism

• Dye & McManus 2-3

Week 3 (Sept. 15-19): Politics, Parties and Participation

• D&M 4-5. One-hour quiz Sept. 19 on material through Ch. 5 and Sept. 17 class.

Week 4 (Sept. 29-Oct. 3): State Legislatures

• D&M 6

Week 5 (Oct. 6-8): Governors, the Executive Branch and Bureaucracies

• D&M 7-8

Week 6 (Oct. 13-17): Courts and Criminal Justice System

• D&M 9
• Wednesday, Oct. 15: Mid-term test on all material covered through Oct. 10.

Week 7 (Oct. 20-24): Local Government Systems and Participation

• D&M 10-11
• Friday, Oct. 24: Hand in a two-page synopsis (typed, double-spaced, in English) on a scholarly journal article on a topic directly related to subnational U.S. government of on some aspect of political knowledge or activity. (If there is no citation on the paper, I will burn it.) This article should serve as part of the literature review for your research paper.
• Week 8 (Oct. 27-31): Community Power and the Metropolis
• D&M 11-12
• Friday, Oct. 31: Hand in a proposed theme statement and preliminary outline for your research paper. Note: Your final paper must substantially adhere to the proposed topic and outline. You must gain approval if you wish to change your paper topic at some later date.
• Week 9 (Nov. 3-7): Financing and Taxation

• D&M 14
• Friday, Nov. 7:  Hand in a preliminary bibliography for your research paper

 Week 10 (Nov. 10-14): Education

• D&M 16
• Friday, Nov. 14: Hand in an introduction, literature review and research question for your research paper.

Week 11 (Nov. 17-21): Civil Rights and Redistricting 

         D&M 15      

Nov. 24-28 Thanksgiving Break

Week 12 (Dec. 1-5)  Poverty, Health and Welfare

• D&M 17
• Friday, Dec. 5: Hand in your research paper at the beginning of class. It should have between 10 and 15 pages of text, not counting your references, your original outline and preliminary bibliography (all required) or tables if appropriate. You must attach the original theme statement, outline and bibliography with my comments on them. At minimum, your references should include two journal articles, two books and two additional sources found on the Internet; you should use substantially more resources than this, of course. Your paper should not be a thinly veiled opinion piece or commentary; however, after developing a substantial literature review, you should draw conclusions clearly and logically based on that material. Again, late papers will not be accepted.