Syllabus
Political Science 303 Office: ZH-411
Local Government & Politics Office Hours: M-T-W-TH 1:30 to 2:30 P.M.
Spring 2006 Otherwise by Appointment
Instructor: Dr. Steve Berg E-mail: wa9jml@tbc.net
Meeting in DU 246 11:00 to 11:50 A.M. M-W-F
Course
Description:
Course Catalog definition of POLS 303: “LOCAL
GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS (3). Structure, functions, and
dynamics of community political systems. Local
legislative, executive, and electoral processes.” Local governments all too often get the short
shrift when people think about politics.
Yet, these governments provide most of the essential services to their
citizens and residents. They are also
the only level of government where the average person can make their influence
felt. This course is intended to help
the student gain crucial understanding of the nature of local governments, the
problems facing them, and their history and development. It will also include the structures and functions of local government
units, the politics and administration of local government, and the
relationships - historical and current - among citizens, politicians and
administrators. Attention will also be focused
on the obstacles to honest, ethical public service, and to how to best provide
services and assistance to citizens and residents at the local level, while
maintaining their human dignity.
Expected Political Science Course Outcomes:
1. Content: Students should show familiarity with major concepts, theoretical perspectives and empirical findings as related to the course.
2. Communication Skills: Students should demonstrate effective oral and written communication skills.
3. Research Skills: Students should have an understanding of basic research skills and be able to apply analytical and research skills in written assignments for the course.
4. Critical Thinking: Students should use critical thinking and skeptical inquiry in problem solving.
Required Texts:
State and Local Politics (Second Edition) by John A. Straayer, Robert D. Wrinkle, and J.L. Polinard;
Boss: Richard J. Daley of
Supplemental
Managing Local Government: Cases in Decision Making (Second Edition), by James M. Banovetz. These and other readings will be made available in the Reserve Room at Founders Library.
Midterm and Final Examinations:
There will be a midterm and a final exam in this class. These will be take-home tests, and will likely consist of short answer and essay questions. The final exam will be comprehensive. They are due at the beginning of the specified class period.
Each student will attend at least one public meeting of a village board, city council, or the legislative branch of a similar local governmental entity. They will also get a copy of the current year’s budget for the same organization. This paper should be no more than 10 pages in length, excluding appendices, a copy of the relevant part of the budget document and your bibliography and end-notes. The budget is probably the most important document created by any governmental entity. It is where the actual priorities are set for the organization each year. As some budgets are massive in size, and difficult to cover in the page limit for this paper, with the permission of the Instructor, you may limit the scope of the paper to one or more departments. Your paper should give an executive overview of the budget and discuss what you think the priorities are for your selected governmental organization for the relevant budget year. You should also discuss why these are the priorities selected. The case study report is your analysis of a case study in Managing Local Government: Cases in Decision Making, by James M. Banovetz, which I will put on reserve at the Founders Library. You are to select a case presented in Parts Two through Nine of the Banovetz book, according to your interests. This report should be no more than 5 pages in length. You should discuss the selected case study and then how you would address and hopefully solve the problems in it. The tests and papers you hand in for this course are to be typed or printed by ink-jet or laser computer printers. Other computer printers can be used provided that the output is of letter quality. Papers and tests should be double-spaced, and preferably be in size12 type in a standard font like Times New Roman. As this is a college level course, spelling, command of the English language, and grammar are important elements of your work, and will be taken into account during grading. Papers showing evidence of plagiarism will be dealt with harshly
All papers, such as the research paper, the case study paper and the tests, are due at the beginning of the specified class meeting. Papers turned in after this, at the discretion of the instructor, will be docked at least one letter grade per day in arrears. Should a student have an emergency situation such as illness or family emergency, they should contact the Instructor prior to the class meeting where the paper is due, concerning the nature of the emergency. All such circumstances must be documented to the satisfaction of the Instructor. At his discretion the student may be allowed to e-mail the paper, and the reduction in grade due to lateness may be waived or reduced. Under no other circumstances will the Instructor accept e-mailed papers. Every semester your Instructor has problems with students who apparently cannot handle or meet deadlines. Eventually you will have a boss, who being even more of a heartless tyrant than your Instructor is, will not accept late assignments. You know about the assignments for this course from the beginning of the semester. There is really no excuse for any late papers. It is to your advantage to get your assignments in on time.
For the class to be successful, all students must regularly and meaningfully participate. Of course, for this to occur, students must have completed all of the assigned readings prior to each class. Students should be prepared to discuss the readings and add relevant observations based upon their own experiences. Should participation not be present to the satisfaction of the Instructor, he reserves the right to assign topics to individual students for them to present in class. The Instructor also reserves the right to call on any member of the class to have them contribute to the discussion or to verify a suitable level of a student’s preparedness.
Rather than considering you to be empty vessels which he will seek to fill with knowledge and virtue by means of lecturing, your Instructor believes that the course will be far more valuable, and much less boring, if we adopt as much of a seminar format as is possible in a class of this size. This means that you all must be ready to carry your side of the work by being prepared to intelligently discuss the course material extensively and in depth. Your Instructor has considerable experience in politics and local government, and you also have a wealth of experience to be tapped, and we shall make the most of it.
Students are expected to attend all of the classes. If a student misses more than two classes or is chronically tardy, the instructor reserves the right to lower the participation portion of their final grade. Absent and tardy students miss class material and disrupt class discussion. Tardiness is strongly frowned upon.
Deportment:
Unless otherwise cleared with the Instructor in advance, all cell phones, pagers, and similar communication and entertainment devices shall be turned off during the class meetings. It is expected that class members will conduct themselves according to classically accepted norms of civility (as understood and exemplified by the Instructor). Students who fail to comport themselves in a courteous manner and are disruptive, obnoxious, or abusive will find themselves physically and administratively removed from the course and may face charges in the university judicial system.
Humor:
The Instructor reserves the right to have a sense of humor, and exercise it in class.
Cheating will not be tolerated in this course. This includes the offense of plagiarism. If there is any doubt, please cite the sources of your materials. Quotations need to be appropriately noted in a standard format, such that the original source can be readily determined. Works consulted for your papers need to be included in a bibliography. at the back of the paper. Respect for intellectual property is one of the core values of this university and also of your Instructor. It is also imperative that you do your own work. Your Instructor has frequently been involved in group projects where he and a minority of the project team performed the lion’s share of the work. Reflecting on this, he expects each of you to work independently and not copy, steal, or collude with others in the performance of the assignments for this course. This is not to preclude the laudable socializing and friendships that hopefully are being formed as you trudge through the labyrinth of your academic career. I trust that you are getting together outside of class for socializing and discussions. Just do your own work. Marked similarities of work indicates possible cheating, and arouses my suspicions. Again, plagiarism and cheating will not be tolerated.
Grading Structure:
Final letter grades will be based upon the following:
Grading scale:
90% to 100% = A
80% to 89% = B
70% to 79% = C
60% to 69% = D
0% to 59% = F
The scale in
use indicates that grading will not be done on a curve but as a percentage of
successfully completed work. The following list shows the percentage toward
your final grade for each graded exercise.
The possible pop quizzes are counted toward the Participation and
Attendance part of your final grade.
Research Paper 15% 15 Points
Case Study 10% 10 Points
Midterm Examination 30% 30 Points
Final Examination 30% 30 Points
Participation & Attendance 15% 15 Points
Total 100% 100 Points
Statement Concerning Students with Disabilities:
Under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, NIU is committed to
making reasonable accommodations for persons with documented
disabilities. Those students with disabilities that may have some
impact on their coursework and for which they may require accommodations
should notify the Center for Access-Ability Resources (CAAR) on the
fourth floor of the Health Services Building. CAAR will assist students
in making appropriate accommodations with course instructors. It is
important that CAAR and instructors be informed of any
disability-related needs during the first two weeks of the semester.
Miscellaneous:
The Instructor of this course was a champion non-traditional student at this University. Consequently, he realizes that most students must work in order to afford to attend NIU, and that crises and emergencies crop up in the lives of students. Should these arise (and I surely hope they do not), whenever possible, prompt discussion of the situation with the Instructor is a Really Good Idea. Those students who are on scholarships requiring the maintenance of acceptable grade point averages are advised to contact the Instructor immediately should they suspect that they might be in some difficulty in the course. This is especially true for those students with athletic scholarships. Should any of you have a personal crisis of one sort or another that adversely impacts your performance in this course you are advised to see me immediately during my office hours. I do not need to hear the private details, but will try to work with you to salvage as much of your grade in this course as is possible. It is always much easier to make accommodations before the end of the semester. It is virtually impossible to do much after the semester is ended. In the hopefully unlikely event that anyone must be absent due to a death in the family or similar tragedy, please come talk to me and give me some documentation such as a newspaper obituary and problems relating with what you missed from class can usually be worked out.
Tentative Weekly Schedule:
Week 1 (August 28, August 30, and September 1): Monday, Introduction to the course. For Wednesday, please read Chapter 1 in State & Local Politics.
Week 2 (September 4-8)
For Monday, please practice moderation in your celebration of Labor Day. For Wednesday, day read the handout The Nature of Local Government, and Chapter 2 in State & Local Politics. For Friday, read Chapter 9 in State & Local Politics.
Week 3 (September 11-15): the American Metropolis. For this week be sure to read Chapter 10 in State & Local Politics.
Week 4 (September 18-22): Discussion on Local Governments. Read Chapter 11 in State & Local Politics.
Week 5 (September 25-29): Chapter 12 in State & Local Politics
Week 6 (October 2-6): Chapter 13 in State & Local Politics
Week 7 (October 9-13): Continue with the importance of budgeting. Guest speaker scheduled this week on how the property tax works in Illinois local government. Wednesday, the Mid-Term Exam will be handed out.
Week 8 (October 16-20): Go over some concepts of bureaucracy and public policy. Also discuss more on professional city management. Wednesday, the Mid-term Exam is due at the beginning of class.
Week 9 (October 23-27): Introduction to Chicago Politics. Read pages 5-46 from Boss by Mike Royko.
Week 10 (October 30-November 2): Continuing on with Chicago Politics. Read pages 47-106 in Boss by Mike Royko.
Week 11 (November 6-10): Thursday, the Case Study Paper is due at the beginning of class. Read pages 107-158 in Boss by Mike Royko.
Week 12 (November 13-17): Read pages 159-end in Boss by Mike Royko.
Week 13 (November 20-22 Thanksgiving Week): Start with Tammany Hall from New York City. Read the entire book Plunkitt of Tammany Hall by Richard Riordan.
Week 14 (November 27-December 1): Finish Plunkitt of Tammany Hall by Richard Riordan.
Week 15 (December 4-8): Read Chapter 14 in State & Local Politics. Summary and final review of the course. Monday, the budget paper is due at the beginning of class.
Friday, the Final Examination is handed out.
Final Exam Due Wed. December 13, 10-11:50 a.m.