PSCI 526 SYLLABUS
ISSUES IN STATE & LOCAL GOVERNMENT
(Online
Class)
Online
Class for the University of Montana MPA Program
Fall
Semester 2011
Professor:
Jeffrey Greene
Note:
The University of Montana now uses Moodle rather than Blackboard for online
classes
OVERVIEW OF THE ONLINE VERSION OF PSCI 526
PSCI 526, Issues in State
and Local Government and Local Government, is part of the MPA Program. For
more information about the MPA Program, visit the following link MPA Program. This class is
essentially an online version of the Seminar in State and Local Government,
which was offered to Helena MPA students in the past. Although the discussion
cannot completely simulate a traditional seminar, online classes are becoming
more popular. You do not have to attend any classes and you can complete the
work at a time that is convenient for you. The entire MPA program is now
available online.
Students can
register for this class online at the UM website, http://cyberbear.umt.edu , or by calling
the Registrar's Office at UM (406-243-2995). The class is open to any interested
student, including students in the Missoula area. Every effort has been made to
make this online class work seamlessly using Moodle, an online class software system maintained by the University
of Montana. It should be noted that UM just switched from Blackboard to Moodle.
It is recognized that an online class cannot completely replicate an
interactive seminar with a group and a professor gathered in a room. This
limitation should be noted at the outset.
The class
consists of 13 sessions. The material that is assigned is due on Wednesday
night of each week of the class. The due dates are designated on
the syllabus. You should begin your work on August 31; the work is due
the following Wednesday, September 7. Each session will consist of a
brief summary about the topic, a variety of readings and several questions.
Students will post their responses to the questions and may enter into a
dialogue with other students about the subject matter. The intention is to
generate an online dialogue among students similar to the dialogue that one
would get in a traditional seminar. Students may post their comments and
responses to the questions online at any time during week as long as their
final comments are made by Wednesday of each week (actually by Thursday
morning). The comments should be kept parsimonious -- that is, kept to a short,
well-written paragraph. On Thursdays or Fridays, I will
read over the dialogue and make comments. Students should always feel
welcome to contact me personally via e-mail at jeffrey.greene@umontana.edu
or by phone (406-243-6181) if you have any questions about the session or the
course.
The theme of
this class, like the traditional seminar that has been taught many times at UM
and in the old Helena MPA program class, is the resurgence of the states
thesis. This thesis was made popular by Bowman and Kearney during the
mid-1980s with their book, Resurgence of the States (Prentice Hall,
1984). Although a bit more challenging with the online version, this class will
focus on the resurgence theme and incorporate a wide variety of issues about
state government. Another way of thinking about this theme is: Have state
increased their capacity to govern, manage change, and innovate over the past
50 years. There will be a number of topics that deal with local government
included, but the primary focus is on the states.
There are a few requirements, such as participating on the Discussion Board, article critiques or summaries, and a single question exam. These are explained below in the syllabus and can be sent as attachments to me by e-mail at jeffrey.greene@umontana.edu. Each student will select five articles and write brief (two pages of less) summary. Students should select articles for their five summaries from State of States or Governing Magazine, which is available free online. Students can select other articles from other professional journals or online journals. There are links to examples of each of these assignments further down in the syllabus. Please note there is a difference between a critique and an abstract. The course will also include a single question exam. The responses can be e-mailed at the end of the term and should not exceed 6 single-spaced pages. The question is: Evaluate the evidence that suggests there has been resurgence in the states' ability to govern during the past 50 years. Do you agree or disagree? And, what are the prospects for the future regarding the role of the states (and local governments) in the federal system? Again, these documents should be sent as attachments via e-mail by November 30.
TEXTS
(These texts can be
ordered from the UC Bookstore at 406-243-1234. You can e-mail the bookstore at contact@umtbookstore.com or visit
their website at http://www.umt.edu/bookstore. The UC
Bookstore will ship the books directly to your home or office). There are 3
books required for this class. In the past we used more readers but to cut down
on costs, the course is now limited to the three books shown below. You can
also get these books online from other sources.
1.
State and Local Government: The Essentials, 5/e
Edition, by Ann Bowman and Richard Kearney. (Houghton Mifflin) You can
use the full text (8/e) or the Essentials Edition (5/e). The
syllabus is written for the 5/e.
2. Readings and Cases in State and Local Politics, 1/e, (edited by
Richard Clucas; Houghton Mifflin/Cengage). This is the main reader for the
class, which also contains case studies.
3. State of the States, 4/e (edited by Carl Van Horn; CQ Press) This book contains a series of excellent articles about state politics. This book is used on the Discussion Board.
Governing
Magazine,
which is available for free online at www.governing.com
Governing:
The Magazine of States and Localities, contains many articles and current
events that may be discussed during the class. (You can view current and many
past editions of Governing at the link shown above).
COURSE DESCRIPTION & REQUIREMENTS
State
government is one of the most exciting areas in political science. This course
examines the evolution and development that has taken place in the states since
the founding period. It focuses on the basic institutions as well as a broad
spectrum of public policy issues that affect governing in the states. The
objective of the course is to provide a forum to discuss and wide range of
issues involving state government. Students' proficiency with the material
included in PSCI 526 will be assessed via a written exam, written article summaries,
and by the quality of participation (the Discussion Board). The theme of the
class is the Bowman and Kearney notion that there has been a "resurgence
of the states." Specific learning
objectives can be viewed online; these are for the full version of the
textbook. The
Essentials version is very similar. Students using the full
version of the textbook will need to adjust the chapter sequence, which is
different. The full version contains 18 chapters.
Grades will
be based on the quality of the responses posted on the Discussion
Board, a final, comprehensive exam, and writing summaries for the articles
included in State of the States or any of the readings included
in the class. The final exam consists of one question: Evaluate the evidence
that suggests there has been resurgence in the states' ability to govern during
the past 50 years. Do you agree or disagree? And, what are the prospects for
the future regarding the role of the states (and local governments) in the
federal system? This seems to be a timely question given the current
circumstances of the nation dealing with severe economic problems, a new
president that appears comfortable expanding the role of the federal
government. Your responses can be sent via e-mail or regular mail.
Article Critique (or
Summary) Guidelines
The CQ book
contains a variety of articles that are typically assigned to students on the
first day of a traditional class. To help facilitate the online version,
students may pick any five (5) articles from any source used in the class (or
from Governing Magazine or other outside sources), and write summaries.
These should be e-mailed by the end of the semester to jeffrey.greene@umontana.edu.
There are some specific questions one should consider while reading the article
and developing a summary (or critique). The purpose is to enhance one's ability
to write short, concise reports -- no more than two pages -- about complex
material. One should attempt to summarize the article in a single page if
possible. .
1. What is the
major subject and theme of the article?
2. What is
the major question the author addresses?
3. What
techniques, tools of analysis, or methods are employed by the author to answer
the question?
4. What
major points does the author make?
5. What does
the author conclude? What suggestions are made?
6. What is
the relevance of the article to theory or practice?
Click
here for a sample Article
Summary
Grade Weights
Exam ....................50
percent (The Resurgence of the States question)
Participation ..........30 percent (Based on the quality online responses)
Article Critiques......20 percent (Based on the five article
critiques or summaries)
Grading System at UM
Please note
that the University of Montana uses a Plus/Minus grading system.
To
accommodate the Plus/Minus system a new grading scale will be
used. Grades will be assigned based on the following grading scale. This scale
and system is more complex than the system used in the past but rewards As only to those students whose performance in the
class is "exceptional."
|
Grade |
Point Scale |
Point Range |
GPA |
|
A |
93-100 |
8 points |
4.00 |
|
A- |
90-92 |
3 points |
3.67 |
|
B+ |
87-89 |
3 points |
3.33 |
|
B |
83-86 |
4 points |
3.00 |
|
B- |
80-82 |
3 points |
2.67 |
|
C+ |
77-79 |
3 points |
2.33 |
|
C |
73-76 |
4 points |
2.00 |
|
C- |
70-72 |
3 points |
1.67 |
|
D+ |
67-69 |
3 points |
1.33 |
|
D |
63-66 |
4 points |
1.00 |
|
D- |
60-62 |
3 points |
.067 |
|
F |
59 or lower |
N/A |
0.00 |
Other Information
Professor:
Jeffrey
Greene
Office: LA 356 at the
University of Montana, Dept. of Political Science, Missoula, MT 59812
Telephone: 406-243-6181
Political
Science Office: 406-243-5202
E-mail: jeffrey.greene@umontana.edu
Political
Science Website:
http://www.cas.umt.edu/polsci
COURSE
OUTLINE and READINGS
Session 1 Introduction: New Directions for the States and the Quiet Revolution, Images of the States, Political Culture, and Current Issues in the New Century
Assigned
August 31; Due September 7
Bowman and
Kearney: Chapter 1
Clucas:
Chapter 1, "The Changing Position of State Government: The Concept of Resurgence"
"Governance and the Changing American States," by Hedge
Case Study 1: "Paradise Lost: California's Experience, America's
Future"
Chapter 2, Understanding Differences Across the States
"The Political Subcultures of the United States," by Elazar
Case Study 2, "American Hayride," by Gold
Session 2 Federalism (and State
Constitutions)
Due
September 14
Bowman and
Kearney: Chapters 2 and 3
Clucas:
Chapter 3, "Redistributing Powers Among
Governments: The Concept of Devolution"
" The Devolution of Tortoise and the Centralization hare," by Kincaid
Case Study 3, The Role of Homeland Security," by Posner
New Orleans,
the Gulf Coast, and Hurricane Katrina dominated the news in 2005 and continue to
be important issues about federalism. Many claimed that it was a perfect
example (and case study) about the weaknesses of federalism and
intergovernmental relations. Below is an interesting article about New Orleans
before and after Hurricane Katrina.
This
article, from City Journal, is an interesting account of New Orleans. It
is called "Who is killing New Orleans," by
The article is about the communication breakdown among
various levels of government and between agencies. "THE
KATRINA BREAKDOWN," by Jonathan Walters & Donald Kettl.
Clucas:
Chapter 4 "State Constitutions: The Concept of Distinctiveness"
"The Distinctiveness of State Constitutionalism," by Tarr
Case Study 4: "Alabama Constitution at Heart of Controversy," by Goens
Session 3 Political
Participation in the States
Due
September 21
Bowman and
Kearney: Chapter 4
Clucas:
Chapter 5: Chapter 5 "Political Participation: The Concept of Civic
Engagement"
"Thinking About Social Change in America,"
by Putnam
Case Study 5: "Theology of Organizing: From Alinsky
to the Modern IAF," by Warren
Session 4 Political Parties, Elections, and Interest Groups, Elections, and Interest Groups
Due
September 28
Bowman and Kearney:
Chapters 5
Clucas:
Chapter 6, "Political Parties and Elections: The Concept of Candidate
Centered Campaigns"
"Thinking about Politicians," by Ehrenhalt
Case Study 6: "The Body Politic Registers a Protest," by Beiler
Clucas:
Chapter 7, "Interest Representation: The Concept of Group Power"
"Interest Group Power in the Fifty States: Trends Since
the 1970s," by Thomas and Hrebenar
Case Study 7: "The Campaign for the Unpaid Wages Prohibition Act," by
Gordon
Session 5 State
Legislatures
Due
October 5
Bowman and
Kearney: Chapter 6
Clucas:
Chapter 8, "State Legislatures: The Concept of Professionalism"
"The Evolution of the State Legislature: Institutional Change and
Legislative Careers," by Thompson and Moncrief
Case Study 8, "The Sick Legislature Syndrome," by Mahtesian and
"Is Professionalization a Pathogen?" by Squire
Session 6 Governors
Due
October 12
Bowman and
Kearney: Chapter 7
Clucas:
Chapter 9 "Governors: The Concept of Gubernatorial Success"
"Understanding Gubernatorial Behavior: A Framework for Analysis," by
Crew
Case Study 9, "In Search of George W." by Dionne
Session 7 The Bureaucracy
Due
October 19
Bowman and
Kearney: Chapter 8
Clucas,
Chapter 10, "State Bureaucracy: The Concept of Privatization"
"The Urge to Privatize," by Sclar
Case Study 10: "Denver," by Richmond
Session 8 The Judiciary (and Criminal Justice Policy)
Due
October 26
Bowman and
Kearney: Chapter 9
Clucas:
Chapter 11, "State Courts: The Concept of the New Judicial
Federalism"
"The Third Stage of the New Judicial Federalism," by Williams
Case Study 11, "Common Benefits," by McDonald
Session 9 State-Local
Relations, Finance, and Taxation
Due
November 2
Bowman and
Kearney: Chapters 11 and 12
Clucas:
Chapter 14, "State Finances: The Concept of Budgeting
"Balance of Power: The Case of the Budget," by Rosenthal
Case Study 14, "California in Crisis," by Evans, Block, and others
Session 10 Public Policy
and State Issues: Education & Welfare and Health Policy
Due
November 9
Bowman and
Kearney: Chapters 15 and 17 (if you are using the 8/e; no readings in 5/e)
Van Horn: Chapters 8, 9, and 10
Clucas:
Chapter 15, " Education: The Concept of School Reform"
"The Challenge of Change in Complex Policy Subsystems," by Stone, Henig, and others
Case Study 15, Pittsburgh's Public Schools: A Fragile Balance of Leadership and
Institution," by Poretz, Stein, and Jones
Clucas:
Chapter 16, " Social Welfare: The Concept of Laboratories of Democracy and
Race to the Bottom
"Making Something out of Nothing: Welfare Reform and the Race to the
Bottom," by Schram and Soss
Case Study 16, "Getting Opal Caples to
Work," by DeParie
Session 11 Local Government
Due November 16
This session is used to examine local governments. Because this is such a large area, the readings are limited to Bowman and Kearney, Chapter 11, The Structure of Local Government and Clucas, Chapter 12, Local Government: The Concept of the Model City Charter.
Session 12 Exam is Assigned; No work is due (November 23)
Exam is assigned / All materials are due November 30; this allows time for students to complete their article summaries and exam.
Session 13 Exams and
Article Summaries are Due (November 30)
Exams and Article Critiques will be returned by December 7. If you send your materials by e-mail, they will be graded and returned to the e-mail address from which they were sent. Please note that the Blackboard Grade Sheet and Message Board are NOT used in my classes.
Class Materials and
Transparencies
Federalism
Time Line Transparency (Adobe Acrobat format. This version is printer friendly)
Learning
Objectives (8/e) or Learning
Objectives (5/e)
Link to the
Montana State Constitution
Houghton Mifflin (now owned by Cengage) provides excellent online resources for the Bowman and Kearney text, including exams, outlines, and many links to state-local web sites. Click here to access these resources. Also, Stateline.org is a great website dedicated entirely to news and information about the states and their local governments.
Since state nicknames are often mentioned in class as trivia, click here to read more about the origin of the Tar Heel State (North Carolina). State mottos are also interesting. For example, the state motto for North Carolina, "Esse Quam Videri" is Latin for "to be rather than to seem." Click here for a humorous version of the 50 state mottos.
Return to Professor
Greene's Home Page
Fall 2011
Online Class
Issues in State & Local Government
Professor: Jeffrey Greene
E-mail: jeffrey.greene@umontana.edu
Updated September 16, 2011