Campus Compact » Political Science

Green Urbanism and Urban Gardening

admin — Wed, 10 Aug 2011 15:29:55 +0000

Course Description and Goals:

The block of courses is about doing something about the environmental issues we face – a task that, of course, will require research, analysis, organization, and writing, but that must also result in practical action. The goals of the course are to encourage you to become an active citizen in your own educational process and our wider community; to learn about, analyze, critique, and apply some of the historical and contemporary interdisciplinary thinking regarding green urbanism and urban gardening to a particular community project; to immerse yourself in one local attempt to bring Cincinnati closer to its goals of being a greener city.

Textbooks:

Wendell Berry, The Unsettling of America
Rob Hopkins, The Transition Handbook
Lewis Mumford, The Culture of Cities

Assignments:

Written assignments (5, 10 and 20%)—35% total

We will ask for written submissions on three occasions: 8/31, 10/7, and 11/16. Generally, you will be expected to integrate your classroom material and project experience into a coherent discussion about what you are learning. Each assignment will build on the ideas and questions raised in the previous one as well as on the cumulative course material. Thus, each assignment is worth more than the previous one.

Practical Engagement (30%)

In addition to the written assignments above, we will assess your learning at the engagement site through oral presentations. These will be group presentations (three of them) and they will draw on your individual written assignments for content. At the end of the syllabus is a list of the potential engagement sites. You will choose an engagement site by August 31 and will be expected to work 20 hours during the semester at the site on a particular project.

Participation (20%)

In addition to active participation in class, marked by insightful references about and questions arising from reading material and your practical engagement work, there will be two field trips. One will be to Enright Urban Eco-Village and Imago Earth Center, the other to Xavier’s community garden. There are three campus lectures that you are required to attend. The first is by Will Allen, an urban gardener on September 26, the second by architect and designer William McDonough on October 24 and the third by two leaders of the Transition Town USA movement on November 7. They are all Sundays at 7 pm. The last two will be held in the Schiff Family Conference Center. The first one will be in the Cintas Center arena.

Final Essay (15%)

This will be the final version of the ideas/questions/themes raised in your three writing assignments.

Class Schedule:

August 24 (JF): Introduction—Why this class?Readings: Mumford, Preface and Introduction; Martin V. Melosi, “The Place of the City in Environmental History,” Environmental History Review 17 (Spring 1993), 1-23; bits from Botkin; Register, Burgess, Zorbaugh

August 26 (KS): Introduction—Why this class?Readings: David Orr, Ecological Literacy ?; Wes Jackson, “Prologue” Becoming Native to this Place; Jason Peters, “Destined for Failure” Orion November/December 2008

August 31 (JF): Ecology of the CityReadings: Cronon, prophecy essay and wilderness essay; ***Edwin G. Burrows and Mike Wallace, Gotham, “First Impressions,” pp. 5-13 in Part One: Lenape Country and New Amsterdam to 1664 ***Garry Wills, “Chicago Underground,” The New York Review of Books (October 21, 1993), 15ff (review essay on Cronon’s Nature’s Metropolis and other books) ***John Leonard, “California Screaming,” The Nation (October 5, 1998), 35-39 (review of Davis’ Ecology of Fear, with reference to Davis’ City of Quartz)Assignment #1: 500 words due, defining “the ecology of the city”:

Sept. 2 (JF): The Culture of CitiesReading: Mumford, “Protection and the Medieval Town” (59); Bookchin, Alexander

Sept. 7: What Does Green Urbanism look like in Cincinnati?Guest: Larry Falkin, Office of Environmental QualityReading: Climate Action Plan

Sept. 9 (JF): The Culture of CitiesReading: Mumford, “Court, Parade, and Capital” (69); Worster, Cronon

Sept. 14 (KS): Agriculture in History (look at STEP)Reading: Wendell Berry, The Unsettling of America, chs. 1-4

Sept. 16 (JF): The Culture of CitiesReading: Mumford, “The Insensate Industrial Town,” (80); Hurley, Noxious NY

Sept. 21 (KS): Agriculture in HistoryReading: Wendell Berry, The Unsettling of America, chs. 7 and 9; The Nation, Sept. 21 2009 issue; Michael Pollan, The Omnivore’s Dilemma, introduction and “The Way We Live Now: 10-12-03; The (Agri)Cultural Contradictions of Obesity”

Sept. 23: Urban Gardening: Connections between Farming and Urban and Suburban GardeningGuest speakers: Peter Huttinger, Civic Garden Center; Melinda O’Briant, Turner Farm; Molly Robertshaw, NEXUS Community GardenReading: Christopher Grampp, From Yard to Garden, ch. 1; Gene Logsdon, “The Garden is the Proving Ground for the Farm” The Contrary Farmer

Sept. 26 (Sunday): Will Allen, E/RS Lecture, 7 pm Cintas Center Arena

Sept. 27 (Monday): Lunch with Will Allen

Sept. 28 (JF): The Culture of CitiesReading: Mumford, “The Rise and Fall of Megalopolis” (76); Brechin, Platt

Sept. 30 (JF): The Culture of CitiesReading: Mumford, “The Regional Framework of Civilization” (47); Rome, Davis

Oct. 5 (KS): Green Urbanism and Urban Gardening: The ConnectionsReadings: McKibben, “The Year of Eating Locally”, Deep Economy, ch. 2; Gene Logsdon, “A Horse-drawn Economy” and “My Wilderness” from At Nature’s Pace

Oct. 7: PresentationsWritten Assignment #2 due

Oct. 12: Green Urbanism and Urban Gardening: The ConnectionsGuest speaker: Enright Ecovillage CSA (change of date!)

Oct. 14: FALL BREAK

Oct. 19 (KS): Green Urbanism and Urban Gardening: Practical EngagementReading: : Mike Tidwell, “To really save the planet, stop going green” The Washington Post, Sunday December 6, 2009; “How Consumers Can Affect Climate Change” All Things Considered, December 8, 2009; “Environmentalist says ‘going green’ is a waste of time” NPR, December 8, 2009; Bill McKibben, “Multiplication Saves the Day” Orion November/December 2008; Rebecca Solnit, “The Most Radical Thing You Can Do” Orion November/December 2008; Franklin Kalinowski, “A Nation of Addicts” Orion July/August 2009; Derrick Jensen, “Forget Shorter Showers” Orion July/August 2009; Jerome Segal, Graceful Simplicity: The Philosophy and Politics of the Alternative American Dream, (pp to be determined)

Oct. 21 (JF): The Culture of CitiesReading: Mumford, “The Politics of Regional Development” (53); Jacobs, Seattle

Oct. 24 (Sunday): William McDonough lecture, 7pm, Schiff Family Conference Center

Oct. 26 (KS): Green Urbanism and Urban Gardening: Practical EngagementReading: Hopkins, Transition Handbook, part 1

Oct. 28: Green Urbanism and Urban Gardening: Practical EngagementField Trip: Enright Ecovillage and Imago

Nov. 2 (KS): Green Urbanism and Urban Gardening: Practical Engagement (TTs)Reading: Hopkins, Transition Handbook, part 2

Nov. 4: Green Urbanism and Urban Gardening: Practical Engagement (TTs)Guests: Transition town folks in CincinnatiReading: Hopkins, Transition Handbook, part 3

Nov. 7 (Sunday): Michael Brownlee and Karen Lanphear, Transition Town USA

Nov. 9: Green Urbanism and Urban Gardening: Practical Engagement (TTs)Guests: Michael Brownlee and Karen Lanphear, Transition Town USA

Nov. 11 (JF): The Culture of CitiesReading: Mumford, “The Social Basis of the New Urban Order” (84); Warner, Merchant

Nov. 16: PresentationsWritten Assignment #3 due

Nov. 18 (JF): The Culture of CitiesReading: Spirn, Poole, Register, Duany and Plater-Zyberg, Kay, Calthrope

Nov. 23 (KS): Green Urbanism and Urban Gardening: Practical EngagementReading: www.urbanhomestead.orgVideo: Homegrown (www.homegrown-film.com)

Nov. 25: THANKSGIVING BREAK

Nov. 30 (JF): Populism for the CitiesReading: Fairfield, Zukin, Jacobs (on ecology); Hedeen, Cincinnati Arch

Dec. 2: Presentation of Final Papers

Dec. 7: Presentation of Final Papers

Dec. 9: Presentation of Final PapersFinal Essay Due

Practical Engagement Sites

Transition Anderson (1 group)
Mission: local, earth-friendly living (Debbie’s words)
How to learn more: Transition 1.0 video; website (www.transitionanderson.org/Transition_Anderson/Home.html), newsletter

What would students do:

Attend Oct. and Dec TA public meetings (1st week), 7-9
Attend TA events during the fall (unscheduled so far)
Help get films/library events going at the library again
Communications strategy—marketing initiative and events
Assisting with monthly newsletter—200 people (to Transition Anderson/Greater Cincinnati)
Orientation with Debbie Weber on Fridays
Asset mapping
New park—Johnson Park

Hyde Park Farmers’ Market (1-2 groups)
Mission: To offer both organic and conventionally grown food, provide a growers’ only market, help people connect to others in the neighborhood, enhance the quality of life and to celebrate local foods (taken from website).
How to learn more:
Websites

Constraints: Bulk of work will need to be completed by end of October
What students could do:
Group #1:
Survey: Is produce at farmers’ markets more expensive than at the supermarket?

price tomatoes (organic, function vs. Krogers vs. Whole Foods)
1. depending on season, several farmers’ markets
compared foods vs. market-bought
would want to aggregate information, give to consumer, students could write articles about it
1. Community Food Security Coalition
2. Kellogg Foundation
is farmer’s markets food a reasonable solution to food deserts

Group #2
Interview survey

how often did you find out about it?
how often do you come? What’s here that gets you to come?
in front of Kroger—do you go?

For both groups:

Mary Ida would be able to sit down with students to tell her story (w/o job—almost any time; w/job unknown)
she can meet with you up to 3 times
would you want them to go to a grower to pack up for market and then sell with them?

Civic Garden Center (2-3 groups)
Mission: The Civic Garden Center is a non-profit horticultural resource that enriches lives through education, community beautification and environmental stewardship (from website).
How to learn more: Website (civicgardencenter.org)
Constraints: bulk of hours before end of October
Students would work on:
Possible projects:

Neighborhood Gardens with Peter Huttinger–CAT garden (at homeless facility for veteran’s (transient population), they help maintain the garden and use it in their kitchen and People’s Garden (OTR—McMicken, 30 years old)
Children’s gardens with Karena Bullock—cleaning up beds, winterizing, cover crops, usually not planned activities
Brand new garden (first year) in Walnut Hills (private owner, 4 lots, raised beds) coming out of Hunger Project
Urban orchard project near Riverview East school (on Straiter Avenue) might be planting in the fall, big festival in the fall, outdoor ovens
CGC Demonstration Vegetable Garden
All groups: Flavors of Neighborhood Gardens, 100 people, late September, at CGC

Imago/Enright Ecovillage (3-4 groups)
Imago’s Mission: is to foster a deeper harmony with Earth by providing educational experiences, creating opportunities for discussion and community building, and conserving natural areas.
Enright Ecovillage Mission: Enright Ridge Urban Ecovillage (ERUEV) is a community of people fostering a sustainable urban neighborhood that promotes social and economic well-being while contributing to the preservation of our planet. We are located in Price Hill, near downtown Cincinnati, Ohio; building a new way of life on the foundations of this beautiful historic area (affordable homes, the acres of forest that surround the ridge and a traditionally strong sense of community) to create a healthier, more sustainable neighborhood.
How to learn more:

Ecovillage website (http://enrightecovillage.org/);
Imago Earth Center (http://www.imagoearth.org/index.html)

What students could do:

CSA—marketing, survey
Bioneers Conference
Earth Center—teaching for thousands of students
Buying club—expanding membership
Bike co-op (like Mobo) have a shed, know how to repair

Community and Political Power Syllabus

Gene Beaupre and Liz Blume
Course Objectives

This course is really about sources and uses of power in civic or public life.
1. What is common and what is different between political power (power exercised by an elected government (executive, legislative and administrative) and community-based power, i.e., power derived from civic associations, formal and informal, intended to affect civic life?
2. What is the interaction between political and civic power?
3. The focus will be on local government and community – where decisions often seem to have a more proximate and immediate impact on our lives.
Political Power will look at:
1. What does it take to get elected to public office?
2. What impact does the election process have on those holding public office?
3. What are the formal and informal powers of elected officials, especially at the local level?
4. What power do non-elected government officials have in influencing public policy?
5. What influence, formal and informal, do citizens play, in the policy process? (This will transition to an examination of civic action, citizen participation and organization and, community life.)
Community Power will explore:
1. How individuals and community-based groups participate in public life and policy making.
2. How the power necessary to change (or maintain) community life is accumulated and exercised. And, how political entities (elected officials, public administrators, public boards and commissions) and other source of power in the community (e.g., business and corporate interests, non-profit organizations, religious organizations and the media) may react to community power.
3. What the field of community development brings to the table and how civic life is supported
4. How to think about creating successful community change
5. What’s the role of a “citizen” in public life

Course Methods

There is no is no formal text required for the course.
There will be specific, relatively short readings assigned.
The primary method for learning how politic action happens is through analysis and guided discussion of a wide range of practical engagements. This will require your complete commitment to non-classroom experiences, working with and observing political groups (campaign organizations, City Council actions, and the administration of public policy).
Similarly, an understanding of community power is best learned by a combination of direct engagement with community-based initiatives and organizations accompanied by reflection, discussion and analysis of what you experience working in communities. (Where and how, for instance, does community action become public policy?)
You will most often work in teams (established in the Green Urbanism half of block) to do both political and community engagement. Class time will be devoted to discussions of readings, in-depth analysis of practical experiences, as a forum for political and community practitioners to talk with us about what they do and what they have experienced, team meetings as needed and, team presentations.
You will be asked, in your established teams to develop a community change strategy based on an issue or topic you identify as part of your placement. This will include developing a problem statement; creating an asset inventory and developing an action plan for positive change. Each team will be required to present their findings and recommendations to the class.

Requirements and Expectations

You are expected to commit mind, body and spirit to the political and community engagement that is the core of this course (and, a major part of the third “P” in PPP). The nature of this work will likely be very different from anything you have done before, especially with the combination of political experiences and community-based work. The non-classroom, team-based aspect of the course presents challenges (not the least of which is simply scheduling) and opportunities. Most of what is achieved in the public sector cannot happen without multiple minds and hands, working in common, over a long period of time. The public sector is the world of team effort. (See below for examples of students’ political and community engagement.)
The advantage of the academic life is the opportunity to reflect with discipline and rigor on the experiences you have and to be assisted in that examination by peers, teachers and experts. For us, this occurs, by and large, in the classroom. Therefore, class attendance AND participation is crucial to the learning process for all of us.
Finally, your experience, reflection and learning are most valuable to the public when you can effectively communicate in a wide range of public forums (written, small groups, public media opportunities and presentations). That is what public advocates do. This includes community-based forums (formal and informal), political activities such as campaigning and public policy advocacy, and formal presentations in class and other academic settings.
This is an honors program offering honor-level challenges and requiring consistent, honors-level performance. You will be graded on:
- Your commitment to and execution of the experiential requirements of the course,
- Your preparation and participation in class,
- Your contribution to team assignments,
- Your individual preparation and execution in formal presentations.
Students will be evaluated on the content and timeliness of their assignments, the quality of their formal presentations, their consistent class participation and team work and the final assignment for the course. Because nature and variety of what you do does not lend itself to a numerical score, students will be evaluated on a scale of excellent, very good, good, fair and poor.

Several points about the operation of the course:

At your placement you represent the University, this course and your colleagues. No matter how varied the personalities and experiences are that you face in your placements, you are expected to conduct yourself with professionalism and to respect those you work with and encounter. To do less will be reflected in your grade.
We encourage open discussion in the classroom, including your experiences and observations from your placements. Please remember that classroom discussion should be treated as confidential. What is said in the classroom, stays in the classroom. Discretion is an important ingredient in building trust in the political world and in the community.
Please note that, like Drs. Smythe and Fairfield, we take very seriously the policy on page 52 of the Xavier Catalog regarding standards of ethical behavior.
As noted above, the political world and community is a dynamic, sometimes disorganized and often unpredictable enterprise. The schedule we keep over the semester may need to be adjusted to match the political and public events that unfold over the next several weeks.

Examples of students’ political and community engagement:
The Community and Political course deployed student teams to work both sides of the 2010, highly contested race for the 1st Congressional District of Ohio. In addition to campaign engagement, teams prepared sophisticated, well-researched campaign plans for their respective candidates that included voter analysis, strategy, messages and field operation. The syllabus is intended to be fairly loosely structured to allow for the changing opportunities that arise in any hard-fought political campaign. After the election, the teams were guided by the former director of City Planning in field analysis of a variety of neighborhood. The block courses give student a wide range of public engagement: civic, political and public administration.

Community and Political Power

admin — Tue, 02 Aug 2011 14:16:27 +0000

Course Objectives

This course is really about sources and uses of power in civic or public life.

What is common and what is different between political power (power exercised by an elected government (executive, legislative and administrative) and community-based power, i.e., power derived from civic associations, formal and informal, intended to affect civic life?
What is the interaction between political and civic power?
The focus will be on local government and community – where decisions often seem to have a more proximate and immediate impact on our lives.

Political Power will look at:

What does it take to get elected to public office?
What impact does the election process have on those holding public office?
What are the formal and informal powers of elected officials, especially at the local level?
What power do non-elected government officials have in influencing public policy?
What influence, formal and informal, do citizens play, in the policy process? (This will transition to an examination of civic action, citizen participation and organization and, community life.)

Community Power will explore:

How individuals and community-based groups participate in public life and policy making.
How the power necessary to change (or maintain) community life is accumulated and exercised. And, how political entities (elected officials, public administrators, public boards and commissions) and other source of power in the community (e.g., business and corporate interests, non-profit organizations, religious organizations and the media) may react to community power.
What the field of community development brings to the table and how civic life is supported
How to think about creating successful community change
What’s the role of a “citizen” in public life

Course Methods

There is no is no formal text required for the course.
There will be specific, relatively short readings assigned.
The primary method for learning how politic action happens is through analysis and guided discussion of a wide range of practical engagements. This will require your complete commitment to non-classroom experiences, working with and observing political groups (campaign organizations, City Council actions, and the administration of public policy).
Similarly, an understanding of community power is best learned by a combination of direct engagement with community-based initiatives and organizations accompanied by reflection, discussion and analysis of what you experience working in communities. (Where and how, for instance, does community action become public policy?)
You will most often work in teams (established in the Green Urbanism half of block) to do both political and community engagement. Class time will be devoted to discussions of readings, in-depth analysis of practical experiences, as a forum for political and community practitioners to talk with us about what they do and what they have experienced, team meetings as needed and, team presentations.
You will be asked, in your established teams to develop a community change strategy based on an issue or topic you identify as part of your placement. This will include developing a problem statement; creating an asset inventory and developing an action plan for positive change. Each team will be required to present their findings and recommendations to the class.

Requirements and Expectations

You are expected to commit mind, body and spirit to the political and community engagement that is the core of this course (and, a major part of the third “P” in PPP). The nature of this work will likely be very different from anything you have done before, especially with the combination of political experiences and community-based work. The non-classroom, team-based aspect of the course presents challenges (not the least of which is simply scheduling) and opportunities. Most of what is achieved in the public sector cannot happen without multiple minds and hands, working in common, over a long period of time. The public sector is the world of team effort.
The advantage of the academic life is the opportunity to reflect with discipline and rigor on the experiences you have and to be assisted in that examination by peers, teachers and experts. For us, this occurs, by and large, in the classroom. Therefore, class attendance AND participation is crucial to the learning process for all of us.
Finally, your experience, reflection and learning are most valuable to the public when you can effectively communicate in a wide range of public forums (written, small groups, public media opportunities and presentations). That is what public advocates do. This includes community-based forums (formal and informal), political activities such as campaigning and public policy advocacy, and formal presentations in class and other academic settings.
This is an honors program offering honor-level challenges and requiring consistent, honors-level performance. You will be graded on:

Your commitment to and execution of the experiential requirements of the course,
Your preparation and participation in class,
Your contribution to team assignments,
Your individual preparation and execution in formal presentations.

Students will be evaluated on the content and timeliness of their assignments, the quality of their formal presentations, their consistent class participation and team work and the final assignment for the course. Because nature and variety of what you do does not lend itself to a numerical score, students will be evaluated on a scale of excellent, very good, good, fair and poor.

Several points about the operation of the course:

At your placement you represent the University, this course and your colleagues. No matter how varied the personalities and experiences are that you face in your placements, you are expected to conduct yourself with professionalism and to respect those you work with and encounter. To do less will be reflected in your grade.
We encourage open discussion in the classroom, including your experiences and observations from your placements. Please remember that classroom discussion should be treated as confidential. What is said in the classroom, stays in the classroom. Discretion is an important ingredient in building trust in the political world and in the community.
Please note that, like Drs. Smythe and Fairfield, we take very seriously the policy on page 52 of the Xavier Catalog regarding standards of ethical behavior.
As noted above, the political world and community is a dynamic, sometimes disorganized and often unpredictable enterprise. The schedule we keep over the semester may need to be adjusted to match the political and public events that unfold over the next several weeks.

Addendum to the Community and Political Power Syllabus

Community and Political Power was part of an experimental “block” (i.e. two courses taught back-to-back with, in this case, four faculty and the same student cohort enrolled in both courses) that was offered with Green Urbanism (syllabus attached).

The faculty members collaborated to provided community-based placements (also attached) through the Green Urbanism and Urban Gardening course (taught by two full professors from the History Department) that had an underlining theme consistence with the academic content of the course. Students worked in teams at these placements. The practical engagement, which helped inform both courses, was worth 30% of the students’ grades in the Green Urbanism course.

The Community and Political course deployed these same student teams to work both sides of the 2010, highly contested race for the 1^st Congressional District of Ohio (Steve Driehaus v. Steve Chabot). In addition to campaign engagement, teams prepared sophisticated, well-researched campaign plans for their respective candidates that included voter analysis, strategy, messages and field operation. As with any campaign course I teach, the syllabus is intended to be fairly loosely structured to allow for the changing opportunities that arise in any hard-fought political campaign.

After the election, the teams were guided by the former director of City Planning in field analysis of a variety of neighborhood. The power point that was used for the community analysis portion is attached. The third page, entitled “The Assignment,” describes team assignment for this portion of the course.

The theme of the Community and Political Power course was very hands-on with two purposes. The first was to use both block courses to give student a wide range of public engagement: civic, political and public administration. Second was to expose students to a great variety of ways they might enter public life when they graduate, whether as a community organizer, advocating through a non-profit, or working in the legislative or administrative branches of government. We want our students to think critically; to see the inter-relationship of all these elements of public life. It was a successful block which we plan on offering again.

Intro to Political Science

tdomf_26a6d — Fri, 17 Jun 2011 16:05:13 +0000

COURSE DESCRIPTION & OBJECTIVE:

This course explores basic issues of political science including political theory, comparative political institutions, dominant ideologies and ideas, the importance of law, the domestic and Third World struggles for civil and political equality, and international relations.

At the end of this course, each student will have:
A. developed an understanding of the history of political science as well as the methods, concepts, and language which political scientists use to study and interpret politics, political regimes, ideologies, political institutions and public policies.
B. developed an awareness of the structure and operation of the components of different political systems so as to cultivate more sophisticated and intelligent participation in the political system.
C. developed a capacity to appreciate the merits of alternative perspectives – ideological, ethnic, or national – on global or regional political ideas and issues.
D. developed the ability to identify and apply factors that hinder the establishment of democratic systems in both developing countries as well as in former communist states.
E. developed an ability to analyze political violence in order to identify and explain contributing factors.
F. acquired the ability to engage in the political science research process including to choose a research question, to identify the theoretical framework used in similar research, to design a hypothesis, to write an abstract, to review the literature, to collect and analyze data, and to present references.
G. ability to express thoughts in a public forum by participating in class discussion.
H. reasoning and problem solving abilities beyond the level of recognition and recall including evaluation, synthesis, and integration.

TEXTBOOKS

Marcus Ethridge and Howard Handelman. Politics in a Changing World: A Comparative Introduction to Political Science. Thomson/Wadsworth.

Students are also expected to be informed of domestic and world events by reading regularly a major newspaper such as The New York Times or The Washington Post, and a newsweekly such as Time or Newsweek. In addition, the following websites are great sources of information on voting and elections:

American Political Science Association. This website provides information about important publications in political science, career opportunities, internships, etc. www.apsanet.org

National Political Science Honor Society (Pi Sigma Alpha). For students majoring or minoring in political science. www.apsanet.org/~psa/

Northampton County Department of Voter Registration and Elections Website. Voting machine instructions, voter registration forms, absentee ballot applications, and polling place locations in Northampton County. www.northamptoncounty.org/vote/

Project Vote Smart – 2008 Presidential Candidate information (biographical information, issue position, voting records, etc.). Great resource for congressional and state legislative races. www.vote-smart.org

Politics 1. A guide to U.S. political parties and party organizations, including information on small and most obscure political parties. www.politics1/parties.htm.

Global Issues. Information on a number of major issues, many related to developing countries, including trade, economic debt, and war. www.globalissues.org

Women’s Issues. A guide to women’s issues in the developing world. womensissues.about.com/cs/thirdworld/

COURSE REQUIREMENTS AND GRADING

The final grade for the course will be calculated as follows:

First Exam: 10%
Second Exam: 10%
Third Exam: 10%
Option A: Research paper or Option B: Service Learning Journal: 20%
Final exam: 20%
Group project: 20%
Class participation/Attendance: 5%
Homework assignments: 5%

Group work/class participation/attendance: There will be several in-class group projects where students will be asked to work in dyads or in groups of 3-4. To be able to do meaningful group work you should:

1. Be in class on time and not leave early.
2. Complete all readings and other preparatory assignments.
3. Give thoughtful answers to questions.
4. Participate in small-group and whole-class discussions.
5. Be an active listener and respect the opinions of others.
6. Be open to changing or rethinking your perspective.
7. Contribute actively to your group’s tasks.

WORK:

1. Current events: Every class I will be calling randomly on students who must at that time describe briefly a recent article from a major newspaper / magazine (i.e., New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, Time, Newsweek, the Nation, the Atlantic, Mother Jones, National Review, Harper’s etc.). The student must explain why he/she selected the article, why they think it’s “newsworthy” and in what way it is relevant to the material we are covering/discussing in class. A hard copy of the article must be submitted at this time.

2. Group Project: Students will be divided in groups of 4-5 and will work on this semester’s theme “Water & Peace.” Each group will prepare a 10-15 minute class presentation – please be creative (you can use photographs, videos, music etc — don’t just read from index cards!). Groups will be assigned to present the history, economy, government, foreign relations, the status of women, water crisis or other topics related to Kenya or other country assigned to their group. Each group will also design a plan for raising campus awareness and fundraising to help w/ the building of water wells or other solutions. You will be asked to evaluate yourself and your team. You will also be evaluated by the rest of the class. I will take these evaluations into consideration when grading you for this assignment. Your grade will be based on how successfully you meet the criteria described in the Rubric for Oral Presentation. More details on this project will be discussed in class.

We will go over the Interpersonal Skills to become familiar with specific individual behaviors which help the group function effectively and promote group learning. The Rubric for Class Participation/Group work explains the criteria that I will use to grade you in this area. In some cases, groups will be asked to present their work to the rest of the class. In those cases, the criteria for your grade will be based on how successfully you meet the criteria described in the Rubric for Oral Presentation.

YOU CAN CHOOSE:

Option A: Research paper

Your research paper (4 pages long, double-spaced, size 12 font) should focus on a topic selected from a list of broad topics provided below. You are expected to use 4 sources (use a variety of sources: books, scholarly journal articles, newspaper articles, official government websites, official non-profit organization websites etc.) You will be expected to follow the process of writing the paper in phases and will be graded for each phase. Research paper counts for 20% of final grade.

Phase One – 10 % of grade: Please submit your topic, a paragraph describing what your paper will be about and how you plan to go about researching for it (what research tools you plan to use?). Include two (2) scholarly sources in correct MLA format in a Works Cited list.

Phase Two – 10 % of grade: Includes all of the above, corrections suggested by the instructor during Phase One, an outline of your paper (what you are going to talk about first, second, etc., intro, conclusion) and full-length copies of all 4 scholarly sources. Also, a Works Cited page in correct MLA format should be attached.

Phase Three – 80 % of grade: Your final paper with corrections suggested by the instructor in previous phases. Include previous drafts, corrections by instructor, full-length copies of all your sources, and complete Works Cited Page in correct MLA format. You can download the MLA Handbook from the NCC Library’s website at www.northampton.edu/office/library/default.htm (Go to “Help with Research” and click on “MLA”). Also, use parenthetical citations when you quote directly from a source.

You should narrow down your topic, if appropriate. If you are interested in a topic not on this list, please discuss with me.

*The Global Water Crisis (select a particular region or country)
*The impact of water scarcity on women and children.
*Water pollution in rivers, oceans, lakes etc. (select a country or region or case study).
*Water conservation / Sustainable development.

One good place to start your research is www.water.org.
Read the information about the crisis and then go to the “Featured Projects” part of the drop-down menu to select your topic. Also, look at ongoing water projects in selected countries at http://water.org/projects.

Please see the Rubrics for Research papers, attached in the back of the syllabus, to familiarize yourself with the criteria used to grade your paper. Plagiarism will not be tolerated.

Option B: Service Learning

Students must select a project that is relevant to the course and have it approved by the instructor. Students choosing the S/L option must submit two (2) progress reports and a final journal instead of the research paper.

Service learning is a collaborative teaching and learning strategy designed to promote academic enhancement, civic engagement, and personal growth. Students who choose this option will do volunteer work for 15 hours over the semester for a project that addresses critical political, social or economic needs in our communities. This component of the course will deepen the students’ understanding of who they are, what they know, how the world around them works and their place in it and responsibility to it. The work site will be arranged for the students and the workload in the course will be adjusted to reflect time spent in service work. Students who choose the S/L option for this course can participate in one of the following areas:

Voting / Elections: Participants will have the opportunity to work as assistants at the Northampton County or Lehigh County Voter Registration Office; or the Northampton County Democratic/Republican committees as well as political campaigns and candidates at the local and state levels. They will also get involved in various aspects of planning and execution of voter registration drives and other election-related events carried out primarily at NCC’s main campus. Activities include, but are not limited to, publicity around campus, manning voter registration tables, and assisting in organizing round-table discussions or candidates’ forums during local, state, or national elections. Students are responsible for adhering to a precise work schedule that will satisfy the required 15 hours throughout the semester.

Social / Environmental Justice: Students who choose this S/L option will be assigned to a local government agency or non-profit organization addressing community needs such as homelessness, immigration, women’s rights, gay rights, and other aspects of political, economic and/or social exclusion. Students are responsible for adhering to a precise work schedule that will satisfy the required 15 hours throughout the semester. Work cites include, but are not limited to, Community Action Committee of Lehigh Valley (CACLV), Boys and Girls Club of Bethlehem, Meals on Wheels, NCC Adult Literacy Program, NCC Environmental Task Force, Second Harvest Food Bank, Sixth Street Shelter, Trinity Ark Soup Kitchen, Cedarbrook Nursing Home, and Turning Point.

Diversity / Multiculturalism: Students who choose this S/L option will be assigned to a local non-profit organization or government agency addressing issues related to racial, ethnic, religious, economic, cultural or other diversity in our communities. Students are responsible for adhering to a precise work schedule that will satisfy the required 15 hours throughout the semester. Work cites include, but are not limited to, Casa Guadelupe Center, Latino Outreach Program, Muslim mosque – Lehigh Valley, Tibetan Buddhist Learning Center, NCC Adult Literacy Program, AIDS outreach, and Lehigh Dialogue Center.

Peace / Conflict Resolution: Students will be required to spend 15 hours working w/ NCC’s Forum on Peace, Justice and Conflict Resolution. Work will be done at the Bethlehem campus and will include attending meetings, creating and posting promotional material on campus, assisting w/ event planning and organization etc. This semester’s activities include the first ever Peace Conference to be held at NCC.

Service Learning Expectations and Responsibilities:

Students participating in the Service Learning option in this course are expected to:

a. Fulfill their 15 hours and complete projects.
b. Agree to a precise work schedule with the site supervisor and adhere to it.
c. Provide a minimum of 24 hours notice of absence.
d. Participate in any required orientation/training in their work site.
e. Follow work site regulations and respect fellow co-workers.
f. Serve in a manner that reflects positively on Northampton Community College.
g. Notify the instructor if the site supervisor terminates the volunteer position.
h. Submit 2 one-page progress reports at specific points in the semester (due dates provided in the syllabus).
i. Submit a final journal (5 pages long, typed, double spaced, size 12 font) on the day of the final exam. Guidelines are provided at the end of the syllabus.
j. Reflect on their experience and share their insights during class discussions.

Work site supervisors are expected to:

a. Provide meaningful work related to skills, interests, and available time.
b. Provide orientation/training to the site and position.
c. Provide the student with a clear schedule of work hours.
d. Offer sound guidance, direction, and input.
e. Provide opportunity for the student to make suggestions and receive feedback.
f. Ensure that student is treated as an integral part of the organization.
g. Complete an evaluation of the student’s efforts at the end of the term.
h. Recognize the student’s efforts as a volunteer.
i. Notify the NCC Service Learning Administrator if the student does not complete the required 15 hours of service.

Below is a list of questions you should reflect upon in your journal:

a. What type of service learning project did you participate in? Describe the project and/or the structure, functions, and goals of the agency you worked in.
b. What were your reasons for selecting this particular work site?
c. What tasks did you perform during the project?
d. How was your S/L project related to material discussed in class or covered in the textbook? Which readings or concepts from Loeb’s book come to mind as you reflect on your S/L project?
e. What did you learn from the project about yourself, your role in the community, and others?
f. How does this project relate to your own personal experiences, or professional / personal goals?
g. In what ways did the project force you to question your own assumptions, beliefs, or stereotypes?
h. What do you plan to do with the new skills/awareness you acquired?
i. How can we sustain an active role in our communities throughout our lifetime? What are the challenges in doing so and how can we deal with such challenges?

Please read the Rubric for Service Learning Journals attached to this syllabus to familiarize yourselves with the criteria used to grade your service learning journal.

Rubric for Research Paper in Political Science Courses

Criteria – Thesis, 20%
Superior – The main thesis or central purpose of the writer is readily apparent to the reader.
Good – The main thesis or purpose is clear but sometimes it digresses from it.
Needs Improvement – The main thesis or purpose is not consistently clear throughout the paper.
Unacceptable – The thesis or purpose is generally unclear.

Criteria – Content – 20%
Superior – Presentation of relevant information clearly supports a main thesis and shows a thoughtful, in-depth analysis of a significant topic.
Good – Information provides reasonable support for a main thesis and shows evidence of a basic analysis of a significant topic.
Needs Improvement – Information supports a main thesis at times. Analysis is basic or general.
Unacceptable – Information does not support main thesis. Analysis is vague or not evident.

Criteria – Organization – 20%
Superior – Ideas are arranged logically to support the main thesis and are clearly linked to one another.
Good – Ideas are arranged logically to support the main thesis and are usually clearly linked to one another.
Needs Improvement – Ideas are arranged logically to support the main thesis but occasionally are not clearly linked to one another.
Unacceptable – Ideas are not logically organized and fail to make sense together.

Criteria – Sources – 15%
Superior – Research shows effective use of a wide variety of reference tools appropriate to the political science discipline.
Good – Research shows effective use of an adequate variety of reference tools appropriate to the political science discipline.
Needs Improvement – Reference tools are used but some may be narrow in range or questionable.
Unacceptable – Little evidence of any deliberate research choices or sources used are few, inappropriate, or questionable.

Criteria – Language – 15%
Superior – Sentences are well-phrased and word choice is consistently accurate.
Good – Sentences are well-phrased and word choice is generally good.
Needs Improvement – Some sentences are awkwardly constructed and word choice is merely adequate.
Unacceptable – Sentence structure contains frequent errors and many words are used inappropriately.

Criteria – Writing Mechanics (grammar, italics, capitalization, punctuation, etc.) – 5%
Superior – The writing is free or almost free of errors.
Good – The writing contains occasional errors.
Needs Improvement – The writing contains several errors.
Unacceptable – The writing is full of errors.

Criteria – Length – 5%
Superior – Paper is the number of pages specified in the assignment.
Unacceptable – Paper has fewer pages than specified in the assignment.

Rubric for Reflective Journal in Political Science Courses

Criteria – Relevance
Superior – Reflection demonstrates very clearly the relevance of the learning experience to the course and its significance to student learning.
Good – Reflection demonstrates clearly the relevance of the learning experience to the course.
Needs Improvement – Reflection demonstrates little relevance of the learning experience to the course.
Unacceptable -Reflection fails to show relevance to the course.

Criteria – Clarity
Superior – Language is very clear and situations are described accurately. Abstract concepts are always presented accurately.
Good – Language is mostly clear and situations are described fairly accurately. Abstract concepts are presented fairly accurately.
Needs Improvement – Language is frequently unclear and situations are often not described with accuracy. Abstract concepts are presented inaccurately.
Unacceptable – Language is unclear and situations are described inaccurately. Abstract concepts are presented inaccurately.

Criteria – Analysis
Superior – Reflection moves beyond simple description to a deep analysis of how the experience impacted student understanding of self, others and/or course concepts.
Good – Reflection moves beyond simple description of the experience. Analysis is insightful but lacks significant depth.
Needs Improvement – Reflection shows attempts to move beyond simple description. Analysis of the learning experience lacks depth.
Unacceptable – Reflection does not move beyond simple description of the learning experience.

Criteria – Interconnection
Superior – Reflection demonstrates connections between learning experience and course material, student experience, and personal goals.
Good – Reflection demonstrates connections between learning experience and course material.
Needs Improvement – Reflection demonstrates few connections between learning experience and course material.
Unacceptable – Reflection does not demonstrate any connections between experience and course material.

Criteria – Self-Awareness
Superior – Reflection demonstrates student ability to question own biases, stereotypes, and/or assumptions and become aware of new ways of thinking as a result.
Good – Reflection demonstrates student ability to question own biases, stereotypes, and/or assumptions.
Needs Improvement – Reflection demonstrates a limited attempt to question own personal biases.
Unacceptable – Reflection does not demonstrate any attempt to question personal biases.

Human Rights/Human Wrongs

tdomf_26a6d — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 20:44:12 +0000

Course Description:

This course is a senior seminar on human rights. Students will be introduced to the theory and practice of human rights through the examination of human rights documents, key theoretical readings in the field and special guest lectures by human rights activists. A major component of this course will involve community-based learning (CBL). Students, with the help of our community partner, PIRC (Pennsylvania Immigrant Resource Center), will be required to work on a real asylum, Withholding of Removal, or Convention Against Torture (CAT) case. Students will work in teams of two.

In the first week of the semester, students will be introduced to their asylum/withholding of removal or CAT case, which will focus on either a detainee at York County Prison, or an asylum seeker who is being represented by a local law firm. PIRC attorneys will help train students on how to put together an immigration court-ready document for their detainee. Each team will need to travel to York County Prison or Washington D.C. as the case may be, on their own to interview their detainee and gather evidence for their case.

Course Objectives:

At the end of this course, students will be able to:

Identify and explain the legal basis for asylum, withholding of removal and Convention Against Torture claims
Interpret and summarize an asylum seekers story of persecution and determine whether he/she qualifies for relief of removal
Demonstrate active listening skills when interviewing asylum seekers
Locate and critically evaluate evidence from various sources (international newspaper articles, human rights reports, U.S. State Department reports) that is relevant to the asylum seeker’s story of persecution
Produce a well-written reflection journal that collects their thoughts and links their field experience with the theoretical
Assess the strength of a relief claim by producing a legal memorandum that synthesizes the strengths and weakness of a case
Collaborate successfully with other team members to produce a court-ready document
Demonstrate their competence in asylum law in a mock court trial

Required Texts:

Bohmer, Carol and Amy Shuman (2007) Rejecting Refugees: Political Asylum in the 21st Century. (London and New York: Routledge).

Dicklitch, Susan, PIRC, et al., (2008) Helping Asylum Seekers: A “How To” Guide for Student Activists. Gov425: Human Rights/Human Wrongs (Franklin & Marshall College) (to be distributed on the 1st day of class)

Germain, Regina (2005) AILA’s Asylum Primer: A Practical Guide to U.S. Asylum Law and Procedure (4th Edition) (Washington, D.C.: AILA).

Kassinja, Fassiya (1998) Do They Hear You When You Cry? (New York: Random Books)

Pennsylvania Immigration Resource Center (PIRC) Guidebook

Other assigned readings available on Gov425 edisk

Course Requirements

Asylum Project (60%)
Affidavit/Narrative………………………………….. 10%
Case Evidence……………………………………….. 25%
Legal Memo…………………………………………… 15%
Asylum Mock Court………………………………… 10%
Participation & Blogging…………………………….. 20%
Reflection Journal……………………………………. 20%

Asylum/Withholding of Removal/CAT Project (60% total):

Students will work in teams of two (2). Each team will be required to work on one asylum/withholding of removal or CAT case (based on availability) with PIRC, a BIA accredited non-profit, organization based in York, PA. Students will be required to interview detainees at York County Prison (YCP) to help complete the I-589 form (United States Department of Homeland Security) application form for asylum/withholding or removal and CAT, in addition to helping write the detainee’s affidavit.

Affidavit (10%)
This will require several trips for interviews with the detainee to get his/her story. A good affidavit will tell the detainee’s story with plenty of detail. Description and detail are crucial to a strong affidavit – therefore several visits to the YCP will be necessary.

Case Evidence (25%)
Each team must also engage in country condition research and in case law research to gather evidence to support the detainee’s application for relief. This will require evidence gathering from multiple sources, including foreign newspaper articles, notarized affidavits from witnesses, Amnesty International publications, Human Rights Watch publications, the Department of State Country Reports on Human Rights Practices, Immigration Case Law, etc. These sources must be properly documented, as they will be presented in Immigration Court (see Gov425 student manual).

Legal Memo (15%)
In addition to the evidence and legal table of contents, each team will also be required to write a legal memo on their case, based on the evidence presented and their detainee’s affidavit. Sample legal memos will be available in the Gov425 student manual, as well as on the Gov425 edisk.

The final product should consist of a well-polished, professional, document that presents the strengths and weaknesses of the detainee’s case and relevant case evidence to support it. These documents will be due fifteen (15) days before the detainee’s merit’s hearing (dates will vary according to cases). If the hearing occurs after classes are over, all the material will be due as indicated on the syllabus.

Three copies must be submitted by each team — (one for the professor, one for PIRC, and one for the Immigration Court). Submission dates for evidence packets and briefs for this class are absolute and non-negotiable (just as they are for Immigration Court). Properly filled out Certificates of Service must accompany all submissions.

Material MUST be hand delivered to Professor Dicklitch AND to PIRC ON or BEFORE the due date or it will not be accepted. This will, of course, result in a failing grade for the students involved.

NB: Students will be reimbursed for photocopy costs associated with submitting the 3 copies of case evidence.

Mock Court (10%):
Each student will be assigned a role in the Mock court that will be held on April 22nd. Professor Dicklitch in consultation with PIRC will select the immigration case to focus on. Mock Court will be video-taped.

Reflection Journal (20%)
Students are required to keep a HR-HW journal documenting their activities as well as their perceptions, experiences and concerns regarding their experience with community-based learning and asylum. Each student’s journal should also reflect on the broader issues of asylum in America, and human rights in general. Students will be given a weekly question to reflect upon. These questions should be integrated into the students’ weekly reflections. Reflection journals entries will be due weekly (submitted via the drop box of the Gov425 e-disk folder). No one else will be able to read the reflection journals except for Professor Dicklitch. Professor Dicklitch reserves the right to read reflection journals on a weekly basis if appropriate. In addition to a reflection journal, students will be required to keep a weekly time log of the amount of time they have spent outside of class working on their asylum project. They are required to submit an electronic copy of this time log into the Gov425 E-disk as well as a hard copy at the end of the semester. A final grade will only be assigned at the end of the semester when a complete, bound, hardcopy of the reflection journal and a separate time log are submitted on the last day of class.

Some suggestions on how to keep a great journal, from Mark Cooper, Coordinator, The VAC, “Reflection: Getting Learning Out of Serving”:

Journals should be snapshots filled with sights, sounds, smells, concerns, insights, doubts, fears, and critical questions about issues, people, and most importantly, about yourself
Honesty is the most important ingredient to successful journals
A journal is not a work log of tasks, events, times and dates
Write freely. Grammar/spelling should not be stressed in your writing until the final draft
Write an entry after each class/interaction with asylum seeker. If you can’t write a full entry, jot down random thoughts, images, etc. which you can come back to a day or two later and expand into a colorful verbal picture

Participation & Blogs (20%)
Because this is a seminar course, active participation is essential. This means that you must read the assigned readings before class to allow for rich discussion and debate. Unannounced quizzes on the reading material may be held periodically at the instructor’s discretion. Students will be allowed one excused or non-excused absence. Any absences thereafter will result in a 5% grade point drop in your final grade.

In addition to active class participation, students are also expected to participate on the class blog: http://humanrights4all.blogspot.com/ This will include frequent blog postings (each student will be made a blog member so that they can submit a blog entry onto the blog site, independent of the professor). Your overall participation grade will be dependent upon your active in-class participation as well as active blog participation. Students will be required to contribute regularly to the blog HRs4All? Each student will be assigned to post at least one blog each week. Students who have posted blogs or comments should be prepared to discuss them in class, and other classmates are required to check the blog frequently to ensure they know what is being discussed on the blog. The blog will act as a virtual discussion board, which will be open to all students enrolled in Gov425 as well as anyone else in the blogsphere. Students will be required to print out their blog postings as well as comments and hand in the entire semester’s worth of blogging on the last day of class.

What is a blog?
For an excellent overview of what a blog is, see: http://codex.wordpress.org/Introduction_to_Blogging. For some “how to” tips on blogging, see: (http://help.blogger.com/bin/topic.py?topic=8912)

Policies and Procedures:

As a student in HR-HW, you have a unique responsibility in this class: not only are you serving as a representative of F&M to the wider community, but you have another human being depending on your conscientious work.

Students are responsible for reading and compiling with the F&M Vehicle Safety policy. This policy is available on the F&M website as well as the Gov425 e-disk.

Confidentiality
Because of the serious nature of the cases we are working on, students must adhere to an oath of confidentiality. Enrolment in this course constitutes adherence to confidentiality requirements. Details of asylum cases can be discussed in class, between partners, the instructor and the class assistant, as well as PIRC staff, but must not be discussed with other members of the college community or wider community. Students will be required to sign a confidentiality agreement with PIRC.

Students accept responsibility for following all policies and procedures set forth by the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections for inmate visitation and by Franklin & Marshall College. Students accept responsibility for reporting any situation in which they are threatened, feel at risk, or are endangered in any way to the proper authorities.

Academic Integrity
Academic integrity will be strictly enforced. Enrolment in this course constitutes acknowledgement by the student of his/her awareness of all definitions, rules, and procedures relating to academic integrity. Students are responsible for ensuring that they review the College’s policies on academic integrity.

NOTE: Read this syllabus like you would read any contract: it specifies what can be expected from the course and the obligations of each student taking Gov425: Human Rights-Human Wrongs. I expect students to be aware of all information contained below. My expectations may be different from other professors you have had. I will make every effort to adhere to all aspects of the syllabus, and I will give ample warning when changes are made. I will announce all changes in class, so failure to attend class could be especially costly.

The Road to the White House 2008

tdomf_26a6d — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 00:00:00 +0000

Course Objective:

To study the history and politics of U.S. presidential campaigns, including an intensive
internship in New Hampshire leading up to the first-in-the-nation primary.

In our seminars we will discuss topics such as the history of the presidential nominating process,
the national conventions, voter turnout, campaign finance, third party and independent
candidates, the electoral college, and the nature of presidential campaigns.

This is a six-credit course: three credits for the presidential campaign internship and three
credits for the seminar about presidential campaigns.

Course Meeting Times and Locations:

Note that this is a by arrangement course. We will have our first meeting on Friday, 28
December 2007 (on USFSP campus); and we will meet in New Hampshire from 30 December
2007 through 9 January 2008 (to be specified in a separate itinerary). By the time Spring
semester classes start, the week of 7 January 2008, we will have met for 10 seminars; therefore,
we will only have five (5) remaining seminars plus the final exam once we return to Florida.
Back on campus (during the Spring 2008 semester) our regular course meeting times will be
Tuesdays from 11:00 AM to 1:50 PM. See this syllabus for exact dates, times, and locations.

Course Website:

www.stpt.usf.edu/whitehouse

Students will post blog entries and photos documenting their campaign internships on the site.

Required Texts:

Hugh Gregg and Bill Gardner. Why New Hampshire?: The First-in-the-Nation Primary State.
Resources-NH, 2003.

Randall J. Jones, Jr. Who Will Be in the White House?: Predicting Presidential Elections. New
York: Longman, 2002.

Nelson W. Polsby and Aaron Wildavsky. Presidential Elections: Strategies and Structures of
American Politics, 12th ed. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc., 2008.

Dante J. Scala. Stormy Weather: The New Hampshire Primary and Presidential Politics.
Palgrave Macmillan, 2003.

Stephen J. Wayne. The Road to the White House 2008, 8th ed. Thompson Wadsworth, 2008.

Additional readings may be distributed in class and/or posted on Blackboard.

Additional Reading:

Appendix 3 of this Syllabus includes the website links for the Democratic National Committee, Republican National Committee, and the New Hampshire and Florida Democratic and Republican party websites, as well as all of the Democratic and Republican presidential candidate websites and citations for books written by all of the presidential candidates. Please review these websites for more information about the candidates and campaigns prior to our first class meeting on December 28th. Every student will present a paper about a presidential candidate during our first class meeting. (The assignment will be e-mailed to all students in the class by 14 December.)

The following websites are good sources of information about what?s happening on the presidential campaign trail:
politics.tampabay.com (St. Petersburg Times)
politicalwire.com
washingtonpost.com
nytimes.com
cnn.com
cspan.org (Road to the White House)
ABC News? ?The Note? (http://abcnews.go.com/sections/politics/US/TheNote.html)
Project Vote Smart, www.vote-smart.org
the Polling Report, www.pollingreport.com/wh2004.htm
Democracy in Action, www.p2008.org
Politico, http://www.politico.com/
CQ, http://cqpolitics.com/wmspage.cfm?parm1=5
Wall Street Journal (Washington Wire) http://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/

See also what the New Hampshire media are reporting about the upcoming primary election, especially the
Concord Monitor www.primarymonitor.com
Nashua Telegraph www.nashuatelegraph.com
Manchester Union Leader www.unionleader.com
WMUR www.thewmurchannel.com

In addition, look at what the local newspaper of your candidate is saying (e.g., what are The New York Times and the New York Post saying about Hillary Clinton and Rudy Guiliani? What are the Boston Globe and the Boston Herald saying about Mitt Romney? What are the Chicago Tribune and the Chicago Sun Times saying about Barak Obama?).

Grading Policy:

60% Seminar Papers (6 @ 10%)
30% Final Exam
10% Attendance and Class Participation (NH and FL)
100% Total

Seminar Papers (60%)

Students will write six (6) seminar papers during the course of the semester. No late seminar
papers will be accepted. More detailed assignments and expectations will be handed out during
the course of the semester, but a general timeline of topics and deadlines can be found below:

Topics and Deadlines:

Paper #1, Due Dec 28, Presidential Candidate Paper
Paper #2, Due Jan 4, Review of Scala book, 2008 New Hampshire primary
Paper #3, Due Jan 25, Reflections on Florida presidential primary experience
Paper #4, Due Feb 5, Devise electoral strategy for party nominees
Paper #5, Due Feb 12, Jones book, predict 2008 presidential election results
Paper #6, Due Feb 19, Suggestions for reform

Final Exam (30%)

The Final Exam (worth 30% of your final grade) will be administered on March 4th . Attendance at the final examination is mandatory. The final exam will include short answer, multiple choice, and essay questions that will require students to demonstrate their knowledge of the history and politics of U.S. presidential campaigns.

Attendance and Participation (NH and FL) (10%)

Note that this is a ?by arrangement? course, and we will have meetings outside the regular
Spring 2008 semester. Students will be given a list of meeting times prior to their registering for
the course. It is expected that students will participate in ALL ACTIVITIES that are scheduled
for the class while in New Hampshire, including morning seminars and other class events.
Please review the syllabus and course meeting times prior to registration. If you cannot
participate in course meetings and seminars, please do not register for the class.

Active and informed participation in class discussions and events will count towards your final
course grade (10%). The professor will take attendance when class begins. To ?attend? class is
to arrive when class starts and to remain until class is finished.

Note that 10% is the difference between an ?A? and a ?B? for a semester grade.

Extra Credit Opportunities (up to 5%)

Occasionally students will have the opportunity to participate in extra credit opportunities that
relate to course material and projects, such as the presidential debates (the Republican YouTube
Debate scheduled for 28 November 2007, and the Leadership Florida Presidential Debates (23
January 2008 and 25 January 2008), and the Florida Political Science Association conference (to
be held on campus 12 April 2008).

REMINDER: You must register to vote before departing for New Hampshire if you want to vote in Florida?s presidential preference primary on January 29th

Course Outline and Assignments

SEMINAR 1: INTRODUCTION: THE ROAD TO THE WHITE HOUSE 2008
Friday, 28 December 2007
Noon to 3:00 PM DAV 130

Seminar topics will include:

Course introduction and overview
Expectations for New Hampshire, the campaign internship
Presentations/materials from all presidential candidates and campaigns
Watch GOTV video, 7 Minutes to a Democratic Victory
Complete any remaining paperwork and edit participant spreadsheet
Roster of internship placements to be distributed in class
Assignment for Seminar Paper #2 to be distributed in class
Administer Pre-Test Survey

Reading Assignment:

Gregg and Gardner, Chapters 1 and 2 (pp. 1-38) and Appendix A (pp. 285-298)
Polsby and Wildavsky, Chapter 4 part 1 (pp. 97-131)
Scala, Chapters 1 and 2 (pp. 1-72) and Chapter 6 (pp. 135-165)
Wayne, Chapter 5 (pp. 137-168)
Review the websites and learn more about of all presidential candidates and campaigns. See
Appendix 3 of this Syllabus for a listing of all of the presidential campaign websites.

PAPER #1 DUE: Seminar Paper (2-4 pp.) about one of the presidential candidates (include a
brief biography and brief review of policy initiatives). Candidates will be assigned by the
Instructor to ensure that there will be papers about all presidential candidates. (The paper
assignments will be e-mailed to students before December 14th.) Note: Student papers about
each of the presidential candidates may be included in the USFSP Road to the White House 2008
book (with student consent)

SEMINARS 2 thru 10: POLITICAL STUDY TOUR OF NEW HAMPSHIRE & NEW HAMPSHIRE PRESIDENTIAL PRIMARY
Sunday, 30 December 2007 thru Wednesday, 9 January 2008

NOTE: A separate New Hampshire Itinerary and Meeting Schedule will be distributed in class.

Seminar topics will include:

Role of the New Hampshire First-in-the-Nation Primary
New Hampshire Political Briefings
Meetings at the New Hampshire Democratic and Republican Party Headquarters
Tour and meetings at the New Hampshire State House
Polling in New Hampshire
Media coverage and the role of the internet in presidential campaigns
The Iowa Caucuses and their impact on the New Hampshire Primary
Watch and discuss the Iowa Caucus results as a class (January 3rd)
Voter turnout and Get-Out-the-Vote operations
Tour, Library and Archives of New Hampshire?s Political Tradition

Reading Assignment:

Smith, Andrew E. ?The Perils of Polling in New Hampshire.? (Included in The Making of the
Presidential Candidates 2004, edited by William G. Mayer, Rowman & Littlefield, 2004.)
Posted on Blackboard
Wayne, p. 120, ?The Iowa Caucus: How It Works?
http://www.iowacaucus.org/
http://www.iowagop.net/
http://www.iowademocrats.org/

PAPER #2 DUE Jan 4: Review of Scala and expectations for 2008 New Hampshire
presidential primary landscape and results. See assignment sheet (posted on Blackboard). E-mail
to the professor at ja_usf {at} yahoo(.)com

Professor Scourfield McLauchlan, The Road to the White House, Spring 2008, Page 7

Field Work Assignment (30 December thru Primary Day, 8 January 2008)

Note: More information about the Field Work Assignment can be found in the Field
Work portion of this syllabus, below. Activities while in NH will include

Work at Internship Placement
Keep log of internship hours (with supervisor sign off)
Campaign Notebook entries (blogs, journal entries, photos)
Begin work on internship paper

DUE: Log of Internship Hours and Supervisor Evaluation (9 January 2008) (counts toward
POS 4941: Field Work grade). The Log and the Supervisor Evaluation are included in this
Syllabus packet.

(Absentee ballots mailed to FL voters in advance of January 29th primary)

SEMINAR 11: THE PRESIDENTIAL NOMINATION PROCESS: An Historical Perspective
15 January 2008

Seminar topics will include:

New Hampshire campaign de-briefing
Congressional Caucus
National Conventions
State Primaries
Post-Test Survey administered in class

Reading Assignment:

Wayne, Chapter 1 (pp. 2-26)
Polsby and Wiladvsy, Chapter 4 part 2 (pp. 131-150)

Due: ?Campaign Notebooks? that include journal entries, blog entries, photos, and memorabilia. (Counts toward POS 4941: Field Work grade) Note: Excerpts from student journals will be included in the USFSP Road to the White House book (with student?s permission)

(Early voting begins for FL presidential preference primary)

SEMINAR 12: PRESIDENTIAL NOMINATING PROCESS
22 January 2008

Seminar topics will include

Before the primaries
Iowa and New Hampshire
The Remaining primaries and caucuses, with a special look at Florida and ?Tsunami Tuesday?
National Party Conventions
The ?Veepstakes?
Florida political briefing

Reading Assignment:

Wayne, Chapter 6 (pp. 173-206)

FIELD WORK PAPER DUE: 8-10 pp. about your New Hampshire internship experience (counts toward POS 4941: Field Work grade) Note: Excerpts from student papers will be included in the USFSP Road to the White House book (with student?s permission)

FLORIDA PRESIDENTIAL PREFERENCE PRIMARY
Tuesday, January 29th
NO LECTURE: FIELD WORK HOURS

DUE: PAPER #3, Friday, February 1, Reflections on the Florida Presidential Preference
Primary. (This paper can be e-mailed to the professor or dropped off during office hours.)

SEMINAR 13: ON THE CAMPAIGN: TRAIL TO THE GENERAL ELECTION
5 February 2008

Seminar topics will include

Media, Message, Polling
Field and Voter Turnout
Fundraising and Campaign Finance
The Electoral College

Reading Assignment:

Polsby and Wildavsky, Chapter 5 (pp. 151-218)
Jones, pp. ix-72
Wayne, Chapters 2-5, excerpts to be announced

DUE: PAPER #4: Electoral Strategy. Devise winning general election electoral strategy for
Republicans and Democrats. Which will be the swing states in the 2008 general election?

SEMINAR 14: WHO WILL BE IN THE WHITE HOUSE? PREDICTING PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS
12 February 2008

Seminar topics will include

Predicting presidential elections

Reading Assignment:

Jones, pp. 73-132
Wayne, Chapter 9, part 1 (pp. 300-312)

Due: *Paper #5 Due: Seminar Paper (5-7 pp.) Using one of the approaches detailed in the Jones
book, predict who will win the 2008 presidential election.

SEMINAR 15: REFORMS
19 February 2008

Seminar topics will include:

The Nomination Process
Can front-loading be prevented?
Should the nomination process be shortened?

National Primary
Post-convention Primary
Regional Primaries

The national conventions
The Electoral College
Campaign Finance Reform
Voter participation and civic education

Reading Assignment

Jackson and Crotty, The Politics of Presidential Selection, pp. 235-241 (will be posted on Blackboard)
Polsby and Wildavsky, Chapter 6 (pp. 221-249)
Wayne, Chapter 10 (pp. 343-370)

DUE: PAPER #6: Suggestions for reform, results of moving the Florida primary date

Tuesday, February 26th
NO SEMINAR: READING DAY
prepare for final exam

FINAL EXAM: Tuesday, MARCH 4th

Other dates of note, Spring 2008 semester:
Spring Break: March 10th-15th
Florida Political Science Association Conference (at USFSP): April 12th
USFSP Honors Week, Tomorrow?s Leaders Symposium: April 17th
Spring Classes End: April 25th

Additional Course Meeting (TBD): Meeting to watch (and distribute copies of) the DVD of the
USFSP Road to the White House documentary as well as to distribute the USFSP Road to the
White House book. (We will meet during our scheduled class time, on a Tuesday between 11
AM and 1:50 PM)

POS 4941: FIELD WORK
PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN INTERNSHIP
NEW HAMPSHIRE FIRST-IN-THE-NATION PRIMARY

?I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand.?
Confucius

Students enrolled in The Road to the White House 2008 will have the opportunity to work on the
New Hampshire First-in-the-Nation Presidential Primary. The seminar will meet in New
Hampshire from December 30th through January 9th . This will give students the ability to work
through GOTV (Get Out the Vote) Weekend and on Primary Day (January 8th).

We will meet as a seminar in the mornings over the continental breakfast served at the hotel. For
the rest of the day (this includes Saturday, Sunday, and New Years Day) you will work on one of
the presidential campaigns. You will research and learn about all of the campaigns before
selecting one for your internship. While the student will decide which campaign to work on, the
professor will arrange the internship with the campaign staff.

The professor will schedule a few additional ?field trips? and meetings while we are in New
Hampshire. However, these meetings will be kept to a minimum to avoid disruption of the
internships.

Campaigns involve long, hard days. The staff you will be working with will be working at least
14-16 hour days (and have been since last summer). You will be required to work at least 8
hours a day, but I am sure you will want to work more. Typically a campaign office opens by 8
AM (preparing the press clips) and is a buzz of activity through evening phonebanks, which
usually end at 9 PM, at which time staff will prepare for the next day?s activities. Primary Day
activities typically will begin no later than 5 AM; polls in some cities open at 6 AM. On Primary
day you will likely work from 5 AM until the polls close. Nothing is as exciting or as
challenging as working on a presidential campaign during the New Hampshire Primary. This
will be an intense 10-day period!

Your ?Field Work: NH? grade will be based on participation in seminars and class events in New
Hampshire, performance at the worksite (the Professor will make on-site visits and will meet
with your internship supervisor; your supervisor will complete the attached evaluation), your
?campaign notebook? (journal entries, blog entries, photos, memorabilia), and the paper you
write about your internship experience.

GRADING POLICY:

25% Campaign Notebook (journal, blog, photos, memorabilia)
25% 8-10 pp. Paper about the NH presidential campaign internship experience
25% Evaluation by Internship Supervisor and Instructor?s site evaluation(s)
25% Log of hours spent at internship placement and participation in class activities
100%

Your grade for the Field Work component will be based on the following:

Work on a presidential primary campaign in New Hampshire (30 December 2007 thru
Primary Day, 8 January 2008) for an estimated 8-12 hours a day (or more) for 10 days
Log of internship hours (due 9 January 2008). You will keep track of the dates and times
that you work at your internship placement. Have your supervisor sign off on your hours
at the end of each shift. A Log form for you to use is included in this packet.
Evaluation by internship supervisor (due 9 January 2008). The evaluation form is
included in this packet. It is up to you to give this form to your supervisor for him/her to
complete. Do not wait until primary day to have the form filled out! Do not leave New
Hampshire without retrieving this form!
Journal of Internship experiences (due 15 January 2008) In a separate notebook, record
your internship experiences ? describe the projects you work on, the campaign meetings
and events you attend, and what you are learning about presidential campaigns and
elections in general and the New Hampshire Primary in particular as a result of your
internship experience. This Campaign Notebook should include your journal entries, a
print-out of your blog entries, and photos of and memorabilia from your internship
experiences.
Blog about your internship experience. Start your blog before we leave for New
Hampshire, not later than 27 December 2007. Keep up with your blog entries while in
New Hampshire. (There are computers with internet access at the hotel, or you can bring
your personal laptops for this purpose.) Print out a copy of your blog and include with
your Campaign Notebook on 15 January 2008. There will be links to your blogs on the
RTWH course website, so those on campus can follow your journey on the campaign
trail.
Photos documenting your internship experience. E-mail the instructor digital photos;
students who do not have digital or other camera will be given disposable cameras for
this purpose. Please advise the instructor before departing for New Hampshire whether
you will require a disposable camera. (Send to the Instructor as soon as possible so they
can be posted on the course website and included in the RTWH book, but no later than 15
January 2008)
Documentary video. Students will be given a digital video recorder to take with them to
their internship placement to document their experiences on the campaign trail. Excerpts
from these videos will be compiled into a video about the course. (December 30 through
January 8th) Students will also participate in pre-test/post-test video interviews using
these cameras as well.
Internship Paper (8-10 pages) (due 22 January 2008) Discuss what you have learned
about the presidential nominating process and the New Hampshire presidential primary
through your participation in the internship.

DEADLINES and IMPORTANT DATES

19 September ? 7 December Select campaign; make airline reservations; complete paperwork; pay field trip costs; set up blog sites; register
1 December 2007 Finalize internship placement in consultation with the instructor
5 December 2007 Instructor faxes student internship applications to the campaigns
14 December 2007 Syllabus and Paper #1 assignments sent to students
28-30 December 2007 Pre-Test video interviews with students
28 December 2007 FIRST CLASS MEETING, at USFSP
30 December 2007 thru 9 January 2008: Presidential Campaign Internship
8 January 2008: PRIMARY DAY in New Hampshire!
9 January 2008 Supervisor Evaluation and Log of Internship Hours due
(These will be collected by the instructor at the MHT airport)
CAUTION: DO NOT leave New Hampshire without your log of hours and your supervisor
evaluation! The campaign headquarters will likely be packed up and the staff shipped to
other states (or laid off) by the time we get back to Florida!
9-15 January 2008 Post-test video interviews conducted with students
15 January 2008 Campaign Notebook due
22 January 2008 Internship Paper due
29 January 2008 Florida Presidential Preference Primary (Election Day activities)

Internship Evaluation for ?The Road to the White House?
Spring 2008

Presidential Campaign: ____________________________________

Please answer the following questions to the best of your ability. Your responses will be
important in terms of assigning a grade to the following student:
Student Name:______________________________________________
Supervisor?s Name: ________________________________________
Supervisor?s Title: _______________________________________
Supervisor?s Phone Number: ________________________________
Supervisor?s E-Mail address: ______________________________

Students were expected to spend work at their internship placement a minimum of 8
hours a day from December 30th thru January 8th . Did the student work the minimum
required hours?
Did the student appear for work when scheduled?
a. _____Always
b. _____Most of the time
c. _____Frequently late or did not appear
Realizing the student was not an expert in what he or she was doing, how would you rate
the overall quality of the student?s work?

a. _____Quality was consistently high

b. _____Quality was sometimes good and sometimes not good
c. _____Quality was consistently less than good
Assuming you had to rate the student?s performance on a scale ranging from 0 to 100,
where would you rate this student?

a. _____0-60 Extraordinarily poor effort

b. _____61-70 Minimally acceptable
c. _____71-80 Average performance
d. _____81-90 Above average performance
e. _____91-100 Excellent performance
I would appreciate some brief comment about the student?s performance that might help
me in assigning a grade.

If you have any questions or concerns, you can reach me [Professor Judithanne Scourfield
McLauchlan] at 727-873-4956 or jsm2 {at} stpt.usf(.)edu. While in New Hampshire, I can be
reached on my mobile phone, 727-744-8266

Consequences of War

tdomf_26a6d — Tue, 24 May 2005 11:22:28 +0000

What This Course Is About
Between June 24h and June 30th, 1916, the British army fired 1,500,000 high explosive shells at German forces dug in along the Somme front-roughly 120 shells per football field's worth. The next day, July 1, 1916, the artillery fired hundreds of thousands more shells to cover the advance of wave after wave of British troops against untouched German machine guns. By the time the fighting fizzled out for the winter, 419,654 British and almost 200,000 French soldiers were casualties; German casualties are still uncertain eighty years later. Throughout the pre-attack bombardment, Britons on the eastern coast of England could hear the dull rumble of the guns, and for the next months they listened day and night to the guns as they went about their daily chores, while hundreds of thousands of their children, brothers, husbands, lovers, and friends died.

Today, the First Battle of the Somme is history: a distant, boiled down, desiccated "event," a symbol of slaughter or military incompetence, just another item in a lumpen category labeled "old battles." The tonnages of shells fired and the numbers of men involved figure in scholarly discussions of the industrialization of war, in accounting-like exercises weighing German vs. Allied resources, and in postdicting the outcome of World War I as a conflict for hegemonic dominance.

Yet at the same time, the guns of the Somme echo through our lives still today. Just listen to the opening lines of T. S. Eliot's "The Waste Land," which are set in the Somme trenches of spring, 1917, where the thawing of the frozen mud pushed forth the bones ("dull roots" and "dried tubers") of those killed the previous year:

April is the cruelest month, breeding
Lilacs out of the dead land, mixing
Memory and desire, stirring
Dull roots with spring rain.
Winter kept us warm, covering
Earth in forgetful snow, feeding
A little life with dried tubers.

More prosaically, the Somme and, by extension, World War I brought women into the industrial work force as never before (their skin stained bright yellow by the explosive in those millions of shells), made women's suffrage irresistible, and brought labor into party politics. Together, these echoes of the guns of the Somme-to say nothing of the consequences of the mass slaughter on those who survived it and those who merely heard it in process when the wind blew in off the English Channel-fundamentally changed gender relations and class relations in Great Briton, and so too the meaning of British citizenship.

In America, World War I-and before it the Spanish American War and the Indian Wars and the Civil War and the War of 1812 and the War of Independence-and after it World War II and the Korean War and the Vietnam War and the Gulf War-also fundamentally changed gender relations and class relations and the meaning of citizenship. Indeed, the world we live in today at the end of the 204' Century is incomprehensible without reference to the wars that we have made and that have made us. What would our economy and class structure be without the educational investment of the World War 11 GI Bill of Rights? What would race relations be without the Korean War integration of the armed forces? How different would our politics be without the disillusionment bred of the Vietnam War? How would the women's movement have developed differently without the experiences of the Vietnam anti-war movement to draw on? How much poorer would our lives be without The Naked and the Dead, The Bridges of Toko Ri, Paco's Story and In the Lake of the Woods? How much less colorful would our language be without "snafla," "catch-22," "wasted," "lit up," "let's crank" and "shit happens"? And where would we be without Country Joe and the Fish?

This course is about these, the consequences of war and, in particular, the consequences of World War 11, Korea, Vietnam and the Gulf for America today. In any number of political science and history courses at Rutgers, you can learn about the causes of these specific wars or of war in general. This course will therefore largely ignore what these wars were "about" and concentrate instead on three related questions and one major theme: How have America's recent wars affected social mobility and changed class relations? How have they changed race relations? How have they changed gender relations? And, combining all these, how have they changed the basic meaning of citizenship in American and what it means to be an American?

How We Are Going To Answer Our Big Questions?
As important as what this course is about is how we are going to study it. Since this affects you perhaps even more that the subject matter itself, I suggest you read the following carefully. If this course-as is-appeals to you, please stay. If it doesn't-and I would be the first to admit that it isn't for everyone-please leave. There is no shame in transferring to another 395; the department offers lots. But if you do choose to stay, the following description of how we will precede, how the course will be organized and course requirements is the contract between us.

This is not a "normal" course. In my mind, a normal course has four critical characteristics: (1) each student must work alone on pain of expulsion; (2) the professor is an expert in the subject and has the final say; (3) the course begins from the general and abstract and only slowly, if ever, works down to the concrete; and (4) students' primary activities involve listening to what the professor has to say, reading what other experts have to say and, to the extent that they do research, compiling other people's answers to the questions the professor poses. This is not the kind of course I want to teach.
Consequences of War inverts these four defining characteristics of a normal course. First, I will require you to work together in groups. There will be a series of individual assignments ultimately worth 40% of your grade, but many of these will be about your group and the bulk of your grade-60%–will be a collective, group grade. Second, I am not an expert in the subject, and indeed intend to learn about it through your original research. Third, we will start-and perhaps finish-at the most concrete level, as from one end to the other, this course will involve the collection and analysis of the data from three New Brunswick families each of which was deeply involved in World War II, Korea, Vietnam and the Gulf War. You will conduct oral history interviews, collect letters and photographs, trace these families moves from home to home, read high school yearbooks, listen to lots of "golden oldies," skim yellowing newspapers, watch old movies, etc., etc. Finally, the product of these efforts will be not a regurgitation of what others have said, but instead a data collection for other researchers to mine. Specifically, you will: (1) prepare a multimedia family history for the family you work with; and (2) create a multimedia website on the Internet on which you will post all your data (photos, letters, interview transcripts, video clips, music, etc.).

The CASE Component
This course is a CASE course offered as part of the Rutgers Citizenship and Service Education (CASE) Program. As a CASE course, Consequences of War can be taken only if you also register for 790:399:03 (Index no. 21054), a 1 -credit for community service add-on. For this one credit, you will be required to attend CASE orientation and do 40 hours of community service with an approved CASE Community Partner (e.g., the Vet Center, a VA hospital, the New Jersey Vietnam Era Educational Center). (Placement options will be discussed on the first day of class.) In addition to working at your site, you will have service-related writing assignments (see Organization, Requirements and Grading below) and, as you will see from the syllabus, many of our class sessions will be devoted to discussing your service experiences.

CASE courses are designed to teach you not only a subject, but the knowledge, skills and mental orientation to make you an engaged and effective citizen. Given that Consequences of War is about going to war-which many define as the ultimate requirement of citizenship-about how going to war has changed essential features of the American system and about the very meaning of citizenship itself, it is a natural CASE course.

CASE courses are also designed as "active learning" courses, that is, as courses in which you learn by doing, not merely reading. Again, Consequences of War is a natural CASE course, as you will see in the next section and in the following section: Rationale, Or Why Do I Bother With All This?

Organization, Requirements and Grading: The details of how the class as a whole will work, as well as what is expected of you-and why-will be spelled out in class. In brief, however, let me note the critical points here:

1. CASE Component: As a student in a CASE course, you are required to: (1) register for 790:399:03; (2) attend the mandatory 3 hour CASE orientation on Saturday September 13 at 8:30 AM or 12:30 PM; (3) complete and submit all required CASE paperwork (Student Information Sheet, Service-Learning Contract, etc.) on time; (4)complete at least 40 hours of service by November 24 and submit a time sheet signedby your site supervisor as proof (Pass/Fail, personal grade)

2. CASE Component: You will be required to keep a daily journal of your service work. Entries will in part respond to questions I pose for reflection and in part will recordyour own responses to your service site and experience. Journal entries will be handedin weekly on Wednesdays, beginning Wed. September 24. As soon as our courseWebsite is up, all journal entries will be posted no later than Wednesday on any given(10% of your final grade, personal grade)
CASE Component: On designated days (see syllabus) and whenever otherwise appropriate, al] or a portion of our class time will be devoted to reflection of your work experience, journal entries and the related questions of class, gender, race and citizenship that are the subject matter of this course.

4.Course Component: In the first few weeks of the semester, I will assign a series of"mini-essays" (500 words maximum) that will involve either reflection on big, philosophical questions or careful analysis of data I will supply (dates and subjects as-signed). (10% of your final grade, personal grade)

5. Course Component: The major "output" of this course will be three multimedia familyhistories and a Consequences of War Website on the Internet. For these purposes, youwill be divided arbitrarily into three groups. Each group, as a group, will be assignedto work with one family, will be responsible for creating a family history for that fam-ily, and for one third of the materials posted on the course Website. How you decidewho is responsible for doing what is up to you, but each group will submit just oneproject and all group members will receive exactly the same grade for it. (60% of yourfinal grade, group grade)

6.Course Component: Because group work is an essential part of this course, and a capacity to work in a team is an essential life skill that doesn't come naturally, you will have a series of short group dynamics assessments to complete during the semester (dates and exercises assigned). These are designed to teach you how to observe, analyze and improve group interaction. (10% of your final grade, personal grade)

7. Course Component: Your being a good group member (responsible, on time, hard working, creative) is essential to your group's success, and being a good member of a Community Partner's team (responsible, on time, hard working, polite, self-starting) is essential to your CP's ability to serve people in need. The quality of your participation in your group and at work will therefore be assessed by the other members of your group and by your site supervisor. (10% of your final grade, personal grade)

CASE orientation and hours (individual grade) P/F
CASE journal and CP evaluation (individual grade) 10%
Mini-essays (individual grade) 10%
Group dynamics assessments (individual grade) 10%
Participation (individual, assigned by rest of group
and CASE site supervisor) 10%
Final project (group grade) 60%

NB: Registration peculiarities aside, Consequences of War is, in effect, a single, 4-credit course and you will receive the same grade for both pieces, a grade that reflects your performance on all requirements. If you fail to attend orientation or to complete your hours, you will receive a T/F for both 395 and 399. Likewise, your site supervisor's evaluation of your service will figure in your final, combined grade for 395 and 399.

Rationale, Or Why Do I Bother With All This? It is no accident that I teach my course the way I do. In fact, I have worked long and hard to develop this particular organization. I will explain at length in class, but again, let me outline the basics here.

I believe that I have a responsibility to teach three distinct, but related things: knowledge, skills, and attitude. Specifically, in this course:

Knowledge: I want to make sure that at the end of the semester you know something about the consequences of war, about class, gender and race in America, and about the meaning of citizenship in this country at the end of the 20th century. Now, from a teaching point of view, the problem is that no one learns much sitting passively listening to lecture after lecture. Learning takes place only when you have to engage the material directly. This is why I have constructed this course this way. Rather than presenting you with theories and facts, neatly pre-blended, I want you to search out the facts, actually create data where there was ignorance, while at the same time exploring the available literature and picking it over for what is useful to you in your research.

Skills: I want to make sure that at the end of the semester you have improved your
critical thinking, writing, public speaking, team work, and Internet skills, all of which
will be essential when you venture forth into the "real world."

I . Thinking: Making good arguments is hard work; it requires learning how to assess your position and that of the other side, how to identify the grounds on which tocompare and contrast the two, how to weigh evidence, and how to construct acompelling case for your preferred position while fairly representing the alterna-tives. You can learn these skills only by exercising them-a lot-and this is whywe will spend much of the semester arguing with each other about what you thinkyou are finding and what you think it means.

2. Writing: Good writing also doesn't come naturally; it too requires a lot of practiceand often a lot of second effort. This is why I require lots of mini-essays andweekly journal submissions, to say nothing of multiple drafts of your final proj-ects-and why I not only permit but encourage rewrites. And while this will spoilmany a nice Saturday for me, it is a good thing for you because there is no way tolearn to write except to write and rewrite.

3. Speaking: Like it or not, you will all have to make public presentations in your professional lives-but like good thinking and good writing, good public speakingskills don't come naturally. They have to be learned, and they can be learned onlyby doing. This is why this course requires that you spend most of your time interviewing people of different backgrounds, working at your CASE placement and debating in class. It is also why I require everyone to participate, no exceptions. I wouldn't think of excusing one of you from writing papers, because you have to learn how to write, and I therefore wouldn't think of excusing one of you from interviewing or serving or participating in class, because you have to learn how to speak in public.

4. Team Work: An ability to collaborate with or even organize a work team is per-haps the single most important job skill we all need. But there is an irony here: while we do not teach you how to work together and call collaborative workcheating, business leaders tell us that our graduates' biggest weakness is that theydon't know how to work in teams. This is why I require you to work in arbitrarilyassigned groups. Working effectively in a group, especially in a group of strangers,is hard and can be learned only the hard way-by doing. I know how hard it is towork in these groups, to get along with some group members, to deal with freeriders, even to schedule group meetings. But while I sympathize with your frustrations, I also know how essential it is in my own life that I know how to handle allthese difficulties, because I must do so day in and day out, just as you will have to,day in and day out, in your own working lives.

5. Internet: Finally, folks, let's face it, the Internet is "where it's at," as we used to say in the 60s. But while everybody talks about it, and many of you in the MTV generation are fearless Internet surfers, few have any real experience in using theInternet either to conduct research or to share it. In this course, therefore, we will,together, learn a lot about the Internet, in part with instruction from experts at Al-exander Library, but largely by doing. And just to keep us all honest, I would re-mind you that our Consequences of War Website will be out there on the Net forthe whole world to see, warts and all!

6. Attitude: Knowledge and skills are fine, indeed essential, but insufficient. The most important thing I have to teach-and the hardest thing to teach-is attitude. And in this class, I want to concentrate on two attitudes in particular: an attitude toward yourself and an attitude toward others.

1. Sense of self: Although we surely don't intend to, too often at Rutgers (and at colleges across the country) we discount our students' potential and even actively discourage our students from taking daring, creative initiatives. Too often, the structure of our courses and the assignments we give not only assume that students can't be creative, but even bar creativity. I've decided to gamble on you, and to turn things around. I have therefore left this course and even the core project you will undertake largely unstructured and undefined. I can encourage you-and I will certainly push you-but I can't actually teach you this critical "can do" attitude, this essential belief that the only limit to your life is the limit of your imagination. But I have, to the best of my ability, set this course up to give you the chance to develop it on your own!

2. Citizenship: Without meaning to be cute, citizenship is a state of mind. Being a "good" citizen requires that you possess essential knowledge about your community and essential skills related to working effectively in and for your community. But the essence of citizenship is an attitude, a habit of the heart, a reflexive sense of connectedness to others. Too many Americans today, including us-you and me-haven't got enough of this critical feeling. Again, we can and will study citizenship, talk about citizenship, and write about citizenship, but the habits of the heart that are citizenship are only learned by doing. And therefore, in this class, I am going to send you out to do citizenship.

I know that this seems like a lot. I know that I expect a lot that other professors do not. But I also believe very strongly that you need to know all this stuff, and this is the most effective way I have figured out of teaching it. So again, if you do not agree, or would prefer a more traditional research seminar, unencumbered by all the CASE, writing, public speaking, Internet and group work requirements I impose, you should not take this course. If you elect to stay, however, you are signing up for the whole package, no exceptions.

Course Etiquette: Some simple rules of etiquette apply in all my classrooms and courses. First, each and every student in my classroom is owed a common respect. My classroom is a safe place in which every student may feel free to do their best without fear that he or she will be put down by anyone. Put differently, I will not abide by dis's, mockery, slurs or any such. Second, while I believe in vigorous debate and the highest possible intellectual standards, I also believe very strongly in fairness. As I will tell you over and over, I believe that the measure of your argument is how fairly you present-and then demolish opposing arguments.

Reading Assignments: There are very few assigned readings in this class, but all assigned readings are required. Readings must be prepared for the date assigned, as they will be the topic of discussion. Those marked with an (*) are available for purchase at the Douglass Cooperative Bookstore. All readings are on reserve at the Douglass Library.

Advising: I will do my best to keep an eye on you and to call you out if I think you look like you need help; but there are more of you than me. It is therefore up to you to come to me if you need help-on anything. I come to class early in order to be available to talk. I have regular office hours. If you have course conflicts, I can arrange alternative meeting times, just ask. And don't be shy. Advising is part of my job! I am happy to help you with course stuff, with planning your future, internships, picking a graduate school, and with navigating the Rutgers bureaucracy. Perhaps most important, I'm a good listener if you need someone safe to talk to, and I can help you find help if you need it.

Course Outline
September 3: Introduction: What this course is about, what you are going to produce and how. CASE and the CASE component. An opportunity for the disinclined to bail out.
Exercise: To be assigned in class.

September 8: What's citizenship? Who is how much of a citizen? Why am I a citizen?
Readings: D. Michael Shafer, ed., The Vietnam War in the American Imagination chapters 1, 4, 6, 10 and 11.
Exercise: To be assigned in class.

September 10: Workshop on Teamwork
Exercise: To be assigned in class.

September 15: Library Orientation 1: Review of basic library research techniques and resources, introduction to electronic data sources, databases, census data, etc.
Exercise: To be assigned in class.

September 17: Project Planning Session: Brainstorming about the variety of materials and approaches to them.
Exercise: To be assigned in class.

September 22: Library Orientation II: Introduction to Internet resources and to Rutgers' Special Collections.
Exercise: To be assigned in class.

September 24: CASE reflection and first impressions of families
NB: First journal entries due.
Exercise: To be assigned in class.

September 29: Introduction to Oral History
Readings: Donald A. Ritchie, Doing Oral History, entire.
James West Davidson and Mark Hamilton Lytle, After the Fact: The
Art of Historical Detection Chapter 7.
Rutgers Oral History Archives: Interviews with Roland Winter and
William Bauer.
To be assigned in class.

October 1: Workshop on Teamwork
Journal entry due.
Exercise: To be assigned in class.

October 6: Project Planning Session: Brainstorming about the variety of materials
and approaches to them.
Exercise: To be assigned in class.

October 8: Project Planning Session: Brainstorming about the basic structure of
the final project in print and on the Web.
Journal entry due.
Exercise: To be assigned in class.

October 13: Race: Seminar on war and race in America taught by the race group.
Readings: To be assigned by race group.
Exercise: To be assigned in class.

October 15: Gender: Seminar on war and gender in America taught by gender group.
Journal entry due.
Exercise: To be assigned in class.
Readings: To be assigned by gender group.

October 20: Creating Webpages I (Workshop):
Exercise: To be assigned in class.

October 22: Creating Webpages (Getting Started)
Journal entry due.
Exercise: To be assigned in class.

October 27: Class: Seminar on war and class in America taught by class group.
Readings: To be assigned by class group.
Exercise: To be assigned in class.

October 29: Mid-Term Assessment and Course Correction: Reports by each group about how things are going, where the projects are, what is and isn't realistic, etc.
N-B: First journal entries to be posed on Web.
Exercise: To be assigned in class.

November 3: On demand feeding; working session.
Exercise: To be assigned in class.

November 5: On demand feeding; working session; CASE reflection.
Journal entries posted on Web.

November 10: On demand feeding; working session.
Exercise: To be assigned in class.

November 12: On demand feeding; working session; CASE reflection.
Journal entry posted on Web.

November 17: On demand feeding; working session
Exercise: To be assigned in class.

November 19: On demand feeding; working session; CASE reflection.
Journal entries posted on Web.

November 24: On demand feeding; working session.
Exercise: To be assigned in class.

November 26: No class. Friday Schedule.
Journal entries posted on Web.

December 1: Race Group Presentation

December 3: Gender Group Presentation
NB: Final, reflective and summarizing journal entry posted on Web.

December 8: Class Group Presentation

December 10: Conclusion
Commentary

Municipal Government – PS 163

tdomf_26a6d — Mon, 23 May 2005 16:55:09 +0000

Spring 2002
Instructor: Dr. David L. Schecter
Office Hrs: 10-11:30am M,W and by appt. (238 IT (Industrial Technology))
email: schecter {at} csufresno(.)edu Ph: 278-6938 (office)

Objectives
This upper-level course will prepare students to understand the complexity and power of municipal (local) governments. Students will: 1) Understand the history of municipalities, their tremendous diversity and their place within our federal system; 2) Study the basic institutions of local government, such as the role of councils/commissions, mayors and the courts. In addition, we will focus on the impact of the media, particular public policies and the economy on local systems; 3) Write about the actual workings of local government and relate what is found at the local level with theories of governance detailed in our readings and class discussions. This class is designed to spur new ways of thinking about governments and is not intended to simply reinforce old attitudes or pre-judgments (commonly called prejudices). Students are asked to have patience in the course, particularly in the first few weeks, as they may be introduced to new materials, or attitudes expressed by others in class, that are in opposition to their own views. I hope an increased awareness concerning the workings of government and the views of fellow citizens will translate into greater participation within the system long after the term is over. In addition, this course often looks specifically at Fresno County politics for examples and insight. We will use current events and articles to understand such substantial topics as the current budget crisis in our cities, education, the environment and how money is raised and spent at the local level. Students are expected to quickly get up-to-speed on these topics and be able to debate them in class on a daily basis.

Required Text
1) City Politics: Private Power and Public Policy, 3rd ed. by Judd/Swanstrom (CP)
2) In addition, each student is expected to read the Fresno Bee* (website: fresnobee.com) each day and be prepared to discuss current events in class. Each day be sure to read the front page, the national politics pages, the California section, the Local News section, opinion/editorial pages (including letters-to-the-editor) and the Business section. You should also try to read at least one national paper each day (hard copy or online version), such as the San Francisco Chronicle*, New York Times* or ,i>Washington Post.* You should also try to watch CNN s Politics Today (usually on around 2pm) and The Newshour with Jim Lehrer (on PBS -usually cable Ch. 8- at 6pm it can also be watched online at pbs.org/newshour definitely try to catch the Shields/Brooks political debates each Friday). You should also try to catch National Public Radio (89.3 FM) for the morning (8-9am) and evening (5-7pm) news coverage. I will draw current event questions for our exams from these kinds of newspaper, television and radio sources. No student is expected to read/listen to/view all of these sources every single day, but you are expected to have a good handle on current events beginning immediately. (At minimum you should be reading the Bee each day). * = free copy available at the library each day

Grades
A point system is used in this course to determine your final grade. All students begin with "0 points and build up to a grade of their choosing. Points are earned in the following way:
Reading Quiz on Ch 1-5……(Take-Home, due Mon Feb 25)….5 POINTS TOTAL
Midterm Exam on Ch 1-9 (In Class, Wed Mar 20). .17 POINTS TOTAL
Final Exam on Ch 10-15…. ..(In-Class, Mon May 20, 8:45 am)…23 POINTS TOTAL
Service-Learning Requirement. .30 POINTS TOTAL
Govt Meeting Paper . (due Mon Apr 29th).. 10 POINTS TOTAL
Participation quality (not quantity)/Attendance / reaction papers ..15 POINTS TOTAL
100 POINTS TOTAL

Scale
90-100 Points, A; 80-89 B; 70-79 C; 60-69 D; 0(?)-59 F.

Students should keep track of their own point totals during the term, but they may check with me at any time for confirmation / discussion of grades. In this course it is possible for the entire class to earn an A. Conversely, grades will not be curved in this class. If you are one point away from the next higher grade, you will receive the lower grade. This system is designed to reward serious, steady work. To be fair to all students, no make-up exams will be given during this term. If you miss a test, you lose the points. On days when a written assignment is due, being absent will not be an excuse for not having the assignment in on time i.e.: students who come to class a day after an assignment is due expecting to turn in the assignment will receive no credit for the work. After all, every due date and the description for every course assignment is known far in advance. Special Note: Only students who completely fulfill the government meeting paper and service learning requirements for the class can receive a passing grade .i.e: you cannot skip either of these major assignments and still pass the class, regardless of your points. There are no exceptions to this policy.

Attendance, Participation and Explanation of Other Grades
All students are expected to attend every class session and plan to stay for the entire period. I notice those students who consistently work hard and show intellectual effort, but I also notice those who exhibit regular patterns of poor attendance. I will take attendance each of the 36 days class is scheduled to meet (of Weeks 2-17) and those will each count for _ point (9 points total). If you miss a day you lose the _ point (i.e. there are no excused absences ). Any student who misses more than 9 of these class days (~25% of the class) during this term will automatically fail the course. There are no exceptions to this policy. Relative to participation: If you have not read the assigned materials before class each day, please be fair and limit your class comments to allow those who did prepare to participate more fully. Those who take the time to read before class deserve to have their views heard before students who are not prepared, but feel they have a right to talk at will (when they have not taken the time to read or really think about the new material). Total participation/effort will count 3 points. You will also write 2 reaction papers during the term that will be worth 3 points each (meaning one of them can count as 3 points worth of extra credit ). All writing assignments in this course must be typed.

Exams
The midterm and final exam for this course will be in-class and essay-style. You will need to bring a blue book to class on March 20 and May 20 to take the exam. To provide the 20 possible points that can be earned toward your final grade the exams will be a mix of short- and long-answer essays, with a few identify questions also added. Test questions are drawn from each of the readings, class discussions and current events. Keep in mind that class lectures will often go over materials from the texts, but attending lectures only and not reading for class will not prepare you enough to pass. I promise. As the semester progresses you will be given numerous examples of items that will probably appear on the test, but the best way to prepare for the exams is to take careful notes while reading the assignments and attending class. The tests are not cumulative i.e.: they only cover the readings and lectures in that section of the syllabus.
The take-home exam due Feb 25 will be a series of short-answer/short-essay questions.

Government Meeting Papers

Where should I go? An important part of this class requires each student to attend one government meeting over the next 17 weeks and write a detailed paper on what was learned. Meetings may include, but are not limited to those of: City Councils, Board of Supervisors, The Courts (following a trial, for instance), School Boards (of any of the Unified School districts), Planning and Zoning Boards, Medical Boards, Water Boards, Boards of Trustee and the like. If you are unsure of whether a particular government meeting is acceptable to attend, please check with me first. (Student government meetings are not acceptable, for example). For coverage of probable meetings you should follow the political stories in the local paper. For additional lists of meetings you should call Fresno County directly — start with the Clerks Office at 488-1710. On the web try www.co.fresno.ca.us go to Departments, then Board of Supervisors, then scroll down to 2002 Meeting Schedule. For the City of Fresno try the main office at City Hall, 498-1560 or www.ci.fresno.ca.us. (Phone numbers for the courts and other local/state government entities are listed in the Blue/Government pages of the local phonebook).

How will the paper be graded?
The paper will be worth 0-10 points and I will grade it based on how well you follow the directions below. The paper is due no later than Mon April 29th, but it can be turned in any time before then.

What should I write?
Organization: The Government Meeting Paper should be structured as follows: It must be 6-8 pages, typed and double-spaced. I prefer a 10 to 12-point, clean font. (You are reading 11-point Times New Roman now). Please no cursive fonts or obnoxiously wide margins. I never need fancy cover pages or folders just a simple staple and your name / course # in the upper corner will do fine. Papers with titles are fine.

Content: The papers will be scored using the rubric at the end of this section. Please read the rubric carefully, as it describes exactly what will separate an A paper from the rest of the pack. The papers should be divided into three separate sections. Since the final paper is worth 10 points, think of the 1st and 3rd sections as worth approximately 3 points each and the 2nd section as worth 4 points. (Physically dividing your paper into sections is not always necessary, but you are welcome to do that if you like).

Section 1 (~2 pages in length) should cover the specific content of the meeting you chose to attend. Who was involved in the meeting? What were the specific topics/bills covered at the meeting? Write this section under the assumption that I very well may not know many of the people at the meeting.
Section 2 (~4 pages in length) of the paper is the most important, in terms of content. In this section, you must detail how the meeting relates/related to aspects of this course covered in the readings and class discussions. In other words, you are to tie together here the practical knowledge found at the meetings with the theoretical/academic issues from class. You should literally cite (with page #, when possible) items from the readings that relate to the meeting you attended and draw from class discussions in your paper. For instance, the notes that you take during the semester as you go through the readings are an excellent place to find topics that you should be able to relate to your meeting and including them will help to prove that you have gotten through many of the readings assigned. I will expect you to cover relevant topics through Ch 13 of the CP text. (Personal opinion should be avoided in this section, at all costs).
Section 3 (~2 pages in length) should detail your opinion of the meetings. While the first two sections of the paper are dry and serious in nature, you should use this section of the work to highlight your personal thoughts on the meeting. This does not imply that you become sarcastic or smarmy in this section, but I hope that you will be candid and even share a few personal anecdotes.

Other Concerns:
A) Proof of attendance should accompany each paper, such as copies of the official agenda, tapes, pictures, etc. I have samples of these I can show you in class.
B) Strong papers from former students are available for review.

The Scoring Rubric
This rubric is developed for you to know, ahead of time, what will be expected. Before you turn in any essay for this class, you should spend a few minutes here.

Score of 9-10 on government meeting paper: The 9-10 essay implies a strong argument and provides convincing specific support from the readings and class discussions. The writer demonstrates mature command of language through a variety of sentence structures, word choices, quotes or paraphrases from the readings. Control of usage and mechanics, despite occasional flaws, contributes to the writer s ability to communicate the purpose of the paper. The writer thoroughly understands the concepts involved and through the essay can convince others of their viewpoints or help make the reader aware of something completely new or original. These essays are kept and shared with other students. These are powerful due to organization and creativity.

Score of 8-8.5 on government meeting paper: The 8-8.5 essay shows effort and promise for the writer. It presents a thesis (argument) and often suggests a plan of development that is carried out effectively. Mastery of the readings may not be fully indicated with the use of quotes or paraphrases, but the writer provides enough supporting details, makes competent use of language, and sometimes varies sentence structure. Occasional errors in usage and mechanics do not interfere with the writer s ability to communicate the purpose of the paper.

Score of 7-7.5 on government meeting paper: The 7-7.5 essay presents a thesis (argument) and often suggests a plan of development, which is generally carried out. The writer may or may not have completed the required readings and utilizes generalizations or lists for support. Sentence structure tends to be repetitious, and errors in usage and mechanics sometimes interfere with the writer s ability to communicate the purpose of the paper.

Score of 6-6.5 on government meeting paper: The 6-6.5 may present a thesis (argument); however, the plan of development is usually not carried out. Indicating the writer may have spent little time with the readings or thinking about the concepts involved, the writer provides support that tends to be sketchy and/or illogical. Sentence structure is simplistic, repetitious and occasionally awkward. Language is often inappropriate in tone, or style. Errors in usage and mechanics are frequent.

Score of 1-5.5 on government meeting paper: This paper presents a thesis that is vaguely worded, weakly asserted or there is no central argument present. Support, if any, tends to be rambling and superficial. Sentence structure is difficult to follow and errors in usage and mechanics interfere with the writer s ability to communicate the purpose of the paper.

The Service-Learning Component

Thirty-percent of your grade in this course (30 points) comes from your active involvement with service-learning in our community. While I will spend an entire class period during the third week of the semester explaining the key aspects of the service-learning concept, for now we can suffice to say that service-learning is the experience of combining our readings and discussions with a literal period of service being given to a non-profit and/or government agency which, in turn, serves our community. In other words, while the government meeting paper requirement has you simply viewing and responding to a particular public meeting it remains a relatively passive activity. Service-learning on the other hand requires active learning as you volunteer 15-20 hours of your time this semester to a non-profit agency or government entity of your choosing. By giving service time to the community you can expand your own horizons and really discover the impact of particular municipal policies on people in the real world. In addition, while our curriculum calls for studying the organization, powers and functions of local government it does not necessarily require students to be actively engaged in a local political or non-profit organization. The service-learning component remedies this situation by giving credit to students for taking what they learn in the classroom and applying those concepts to entities needing their help. Besides venturing into the community and giving time to your chosen organization, a key feature of the service learning approach is that a series of intellectual, reflective essays will be written to describe these experiences.

The steps to follow for the service-learning component include:

1) By Monday, February 18th you must choose the non-profit agency or government entity where you will volunteer. By this date you must have contacted the agency directly and set-up a brief orientation with your contact person about your service responsibilities. By Friday, February 22nd please turn-in to me a sheet or large index card with the following information: the organization name you have chosen, the contact person, the dates and times you have informed them you are able to work for the term, your email address and home phone number. Please try to arrange your initial orientations by the end of February. By Monday, March 4, or as soon as possible that week, you must turn-in to me a 2-3 page typed, reflective essay which speaks to at least the following 5 issues: Why did you choose this agency? How did your initial meeting go with your contact person? What will you be doing for the agency and how do those responsibilities sound to you? What are your initial hopes/fears about this agency and the role you can play in helping them reach their goals? How committed are you to this agency and your responsibilities on this assignment? We will discuss this paper in more detail during the third week of the semester. The paper will be worth 3 points. I will deduct 1 point from your final grade for every day after March 11 that this short paper is late (unless you have explained to me, in writing, prior to the 4th what extenuating circumstances caused you to be tardy on the assignment .i.e.: your agency had to move the agreed-upon orientation date, etc). Please plan ahead on this assignment by contacting the agency you choose far in advance of the February 22nd deadline. Remember, they are professionals who very well may not be able to meet with you at the last minute just because you have a paper to do. Completing this assignment on time is proof of your professionalism and commitment to the course assignment.

You may wish to consider giving your service time to the following organizations, although you are not limited in any way from simply choosing groups on this list it is just to give you a feel for the diverse kinds of agencies/organizations who have either worked with Fresno State students in the past or who have expressed an interest in working now with students in this course. As we will discuss in class, Fresno State is holding an outstanding Service to the Community Expo on February 7th , from 10-2pm inside the Satellite Student Union. There is no better event to get to know literally 50 different community agencies. (Yes, contacting agencies and getting your feet wet are big parts of this assignment which I understand are not the usual kinds of assignments that students do )

American National Government

tdomf_26a6d — Wed, 18 May 2005 16:50:41 +0000

This course works in close collaboration with the
Brevard Center for Service-Learning: Brevard Community College

Land Tenure and use in Hawaii

tdomf_26a6d — Thu, 07 Apr 2005 11:30:11 +0000

ETHNIC STUDIES PROGRAM UH-MANOA 002
FALL 1998
(Writing Intensive)
ES 340. CRN 19710. Mondays 2:30-5 p.m. TP1 103.

The course deals with changes in land use and tenure in Hawai'i. We will compare the history of Hawai'i to that of other Pacific and indigenouspeoples, especially of the United States. Through historical-anthropologicalstudies and a series of east studies, the course will investigate issues ofcentral importance to the questions of control and use of land andresources in Hawai'i today. The approach is interdisciplinary and holistic,stressing the interaction of research methods, service learning and theories from history, anthropology, political science and economics.

The students will 1) be trained in research, writing, oral presentations and discussion; 2) be introduced to interdisciplinary inquiry; 3) be encouraged to practice critical thinking; and 4) become familiar with the study of political and economic change through a historical -anthropological method.

REQUIREMENTS

Attendance, participation and fulfillment of all assignments are important. There will be a penalty for late assignments, but it is possible to earn extra credits for assignments devised in consultation with the instructor. The following is required to pass the course

1. Class attendance and participation – Grade value = 10 points .

Attendance: More than three absences without valid excuse will earn the student zero points for attendance. Class discussion; High quality discussion is expected based primarily on the reading materials. Groups: At the first day of class, August 24, the students will be divided into groups. Whenassignments are given, members of the groups will work together during class hours. During the months of October and November, the instructor will meet with each student to discuss die student's progress in writing.

2. Ten reaction papers on selected readings* – Grade value 3 points each total = 30 points

The papers are reactions to readings assigned to specific class sessions. Apaper is due every week, beginning August 31 and ending November 19.The paper must be two pages long, type-written double-spaced andinclude proper references and a bibliography. It should summarize themain points in the readings in one or two relatively short paragraphs, butthe major part of it must be a discussion of the ideas presented in thereadings. This is a training in academic writing.

* If you choose the service learning option of the midterm exam (see below), the reaction paper requirement is reduced to seven papers.

3. Midterm exam
There are two options for the midterm exam:

1) Research paper and oral presentation – 30 points for the paper and 10 points for the presentation-

The research must be original, in depth and include written sources as well as minimum one interview. A two-page report on the interview is due two weeks before the presentation. The report is mandatory, but not graded.

The topic must be specific and not too broad. It must fall within the themes covered by the syllabus and has to be approved by the instructor no later than September 21. Later change of topic cannot take place.

The research paper is a ten-page write-up of the research in essay form to be submitted at the end of the class for which the presentation is scheduled (see below).

The essay must have (1) a title; (2) an introduction; (3) a body (with sub-headings where appropriate); (4) a conclusion, clearly identified; (5) references to written or other sources used; (6) end or foot notes where needed; (7) a bibliography of minimum six references, four of which must be to sources different from the readings and hand-outs.

Outlines including a preliminary bibliography for the essay and presentation are part of the total grade for the midterm and due on October 19. They will be discussed with the instructor in class on that day. The outline must be attached to the final essay. The instructor is willing to read and comment on drafts of the midterm paper one or two weeks before the deadline. The draft will not be graded.

2) Service learning activity. including a journal and oral presentation – Grade value 29 points for the activity/journal and 10 points for the oral presentation. total = 39 points

Service learning requires minimum twenty hours of service in thecommunity. The service must be planned and started by September 14.

A journal must be kept to record and reflect on the experience of the service learning program and how it relates to the topics we discuss in class. Entries In the journal will be reviewed by the instructor on September 28 and October 12, by which date other sources (written, electronic or otherwise) must have been identified to help in the reflection of the significance of the service learning experience in relation to land tenure and use in Hawai'i.

The final journal must be a 3-5 pages reflective essay and is due at the end of the class for which the oral presentation is scheduled (see below).

Service learning arrangements are being undertaken under the "2+4 Service Learning Program," a joint effort by University of Hawai'i at Manoa and Kapi'olani Community College (KCC) under the leadership of Professor Robert Franco. Students and faculty of both institutions are collaborating on various interdisciplinary projects. We suggest that you use your special skills – everybody has special skills – to learn and to work with the community at the same time.

For this class' service learning experience, we have designated a project with the working title "Adopt a Shoreline." You will halve the opportunity to work with the community, identifying the cultural significance, of certain sites and tracing the changes in land use and control. Proposed sites are within the Waikiki-Diamond Head-Black Point stretch.

The presentations (for both mid-term options) must include a short description of the context and relevance of the topic, but focus on the actual research or service learning experience. It can be in the form Of a lecture (for instance supported by short video excerpts), a play, a sketch, a self-made video, or another arrangement and should last twenty minutes Points earned for the oral presentation depend on delivery and focus of the presentation. (Reading the essay aloud is no substitute for the oral report.)

Days and topics for reports will be decided upon during the fourth class, September 21. The first reports will be on October 26, the lost on November 30.

5. Ten written comments relating to the class discussions. Grade value, 1 point each, total =10 points.

Ten half-page hand-written (legible!) comments and/or questions relatedto the readings and their expansion in class (discussion, video presentation,student presentation, or lecture by teacher or guest) are due at the end ofthe class on which it is commenting. The purpose of these writtencomments Is to aid In the class discussion by helping the students to stayfocused. The comments must be put to use during class and handed in atthe end of the class they relate to.

6. Five minor take home tests, Grade value 2 points each, total= 10 points

The take home tests help students summarize main points in the readings and class discussions.

7. Final exam. Grade value 10 points

The final exam is a multiple choice, exam, taking place in class on\December 14.

A NOTE ON ACADEMIC WRITING

The course is writing intensive. This means that an important aspectof the class is to Practice and improve writing skills, Reaction papers.reports and written questions will therefore be corrected and graded notonly for tile factual content, but also for spelling and grammatical errors.The text will furthermore be edited according to academic requirements.Study these corrections And learn from them! Improvement in writing isexpected. Otherwise, writing assignments will be marked down.

It IS legitimate and sometimes useful to refer to works and ideas of other authors in academic writing. But you must make available the complete reference: the author, work in question, edition and page(s), whether you are quoting directly or just referring to another author's ideas. Direct quotes must be justified in order to make a certain point of argument. They must be marked with quotation marks and follow the original literally to the point of repeating spelling mistakes. Clearly mark omissions or additions. If these rules are not followed, the writer will be stealing and using the ideas and writings of another as his own – which is the definition of plagiarizing according to Webster's II New Riverside University Dictionary (Boston: The Riverside Publishing Co. 1988:898). Plagiarism is forbidden by the policy of the University of Hawai'i at Manoa and students caught in plagiarism will automatically fail the course.

READINGS

Hand-outs as assigned, and

Chinen, Jon J. 1958 The Great Mahele. Hawaii's Lana Division of 1848. Honolulu:University of Hawaii Press. Required

1961 original land titles in Hawaii. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press. Optional

Cooper, George & Gavan Daws-1985 Land and Power in Hawaii. Honolulu; Benchmark Books. Required

Hasager. Ulla & Jonathan Friedman Ms. 1994 Hawai'i i Return to Nationhood. IWGIA Document 75. Copenhagen:International Work Group for Indigenous Affairs. Required.

Kent, Noel J. 1993 Hawaii. Islands under the Influence. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press, Required

Kuykendall, R. S. 1980 The Hawaiian Kingdom, Vol. 1: 1778-1854: Foundation and Transformation. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press., Required

MacKenzie, Melody K. (ed.) 1991 Native Hawaiian Rights Handbook. Honolulu; Native Hawaiian LegalCorporation and Office of Hawaiian Affairs. Required

Parker, Linda S. 1989 Native American Estate. The Struggle over Indian and Hawaiian Lands. Honolulu; University of Hawaii Press. Required

Diana Hacker. 1993 A pocket Style Manual. New York; Bedford Books. Optional

THE INSTRUCTOR
Ulla Hasager
Ethnic Studics Department
University of Hawai'i at Manoa
1859 East-West Road, Room 115
Honolulu. Hawal'i 96822
office hours: Monday 10 a.m. to 2 pill. of by appointment, room 102 or 110
Phone: 956 4218/936 8049, 842 0240 (h); fix 956 9494; e-mall ulla {at} hawaii(.)edu

Environmental Politics

tdomf_26a6d — Tue, 02 Nov 2004 00:00:00 +0000

Political Science 326
Environmental Politics
Ecological Ethics/Activism/Justice
University of Hawai'i West 0ahu

Instructor: Joshua Cooper
Classes: Thursday 7:00 p.m. 9:45 p.m.
Office Hours: Monday & Wednesday 12:00 p.m. 1:00 p.m. or upon appointment
Office Phone Number: 984 3331
Email: Joshua {at} hawaii(.)edu

"Only when the last tree has died and the last river poisoned and the last fish been caught will we realize we cannot eat money." -Cree Elder

"This we know. The earth does not belong to man; man belongs to the earth. This we know. All things are connected like the blood which unites family. All things are connected. Whatever befalls the sons of the earth. Man did not weave the web of life; he is merely a stand in it. Whatever he does to the web, he does to himself." -Chief Seattle

"I am trying to save the knowledge that the forests and this planet are alive, to give it back to you who have lost the understanding."
-Paulinho Paiakan, Kayapo People, Brazil

"The earth is the mother of all people, and all people should have equal rights upon it."
-Chief Joseph, Nez Perce Nation

"Luna is only one tree … The more we stand up and demand change, though, the more things will improve … We must do the right thing because it is the right thing to do regardless of the outcome. I have to take it one struggle at a time. And just as I have done with Luna, when that struggle comes my way, I've got to fight it with all my worth. Yes, one person can make a difference. Each one of us does."
-Julia Butterfly Hill

"The environment is man's first right."
-Ken Saro Wiwa

"UNLESS someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It's not."
-The Lorax, Dr. Seuss

I. Course Description

What is human rights? What is earth rights? What is peace? Is there a need for a new environmental ethic? How can nonviolent movements to protect human rights and earth rights coordinate campaigns to improve political efficacy and save humanity and the planet? What international instruments and institutions protect and promote human/earth rights? These are just some of the core questions we will explore together.

Ecological Ethics/Activism/Justice aims to educate on the philosophical and legal aspects of the environment to empower citizens with practical, peaceful methods for advocacy and sustainability. Ecological Ethics/Activism/Justice is coordination for principled philosophy, passionate praxis and pragmatic policy for grassroots and global human/earth rights.

Key concepts in critical theory focusing on the environment will be analyzed. Also, a calling to adopt an ethic in harmony with humanity and the earth will be assessed thoroughly. An exploration of earth rights will be undertaken to illuminate the connection between basic human well being and a healthy environment.

The ecological and social justice campaigns are interconnected. While ecological Justice seems to be a recent phenomenon, the course will trace the historical developments of the struggle to protect mother earth The nonviolent campaigns demand a more comprehensive and compassionate development strategy that balances human needs and nature. I

The theoretical background of human/earth rights and the implementation in international law will be explored. The protection of the earth will be framed in the human Tights context. The' drafting and enforceability of human/earth rights will be analyzed in international law. There will be a comparison of rights in different declarations and charters from the Rio & Karioca Declarations and the Earth Charter and possibilities for peaceful strategies to protect earth.

Through readings, class discussions, guest speakers, videos, role playing, grassroots and global activism, educational excursions, soul searching and journal writing, one will gain a better understanding of campaigns for human/earth rights in international law. One can also begin to establish a person philosophy and human rights framework to analyze issues and engage in personal activism.

II. Course Objective

Develop understanding of ecological ethic to form opinions on international issues of law, politics and morals; explore ability of self empowerment from ethical position to peaceful activism through education and experience; trace the historical development of international law connecting the environment to human rights; understand the interconnectedness of earth rights and human rights; respect indigenous wisdom in relation to living in harmony with the earth; assess the impact of multinational corporations and the necessity of nonviolent civil disobedience by earth/human rights activist and seek solutions to secure ecological and social justice through ethics/activism/justice in declarations and conventions in international law

III. Course Requirement

Grading Scheme:

20% Attendance, Participation in Class Discussion, Email Discussion List & Journal

30% Written & Oral Exercises

*Earth Rights NGO Report (10%)
*Earth Rights in the Pacific Paper (10%)
*Earth Rights in International Human Rights Research Paper (10%)

30% Role Playing & Simulations

*Model United Nations Working Group on Human Rights & the Environment (10%)
*Model United Nations World Summit for Sustainable Development (WSSD) (10%)
*Model United Nations Social Forum (10%)

20% Putting the Philosophy into Practice

*Hawaii Sustainability Summit (Campus & Community) (10%)
*Aloha Aina Service Learning for Ecological Justice Project & Report (10%)
*Class Excursions of Empowerment (Part of Attendance)
*Guest Lectures in field of Earth Rights Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues featuring Earth Rights, Earth Rights in Europe, Americas, Africa, Asia & Pacific Earth Rights & US Foreign Policy Ecological Ethics/Activism/Justice

IV. Texts

Atkisson, Believing Cassandra
Greer & Giannini, Earth Rights

V. Videos

*Lorax
*Burning Season: The Chico Mendez Story
*Environmentalists Under Fire
*Greenpeace's Greatest Hits
*Luna
*Koyaanisqatsi Life Out of Balance
*A Quiet Revolution
*Not For Sale
*This is What Democracy Looks Like
*Global Village or Global Pillage?
*Yakoana

VI. Course Outline & Activities

Writing Assignments

*Current Events Email Discussion
a) write brief comments on email list
b) share different newsworthy events about the environment via email
c) follow the different international, regional and national events and share with class

*Journal (8 pages)
a) review readings, classroom discussion
b) current events (read newspapers, journals)
c) personal experiences in earth rights
d) soul searching reflection

*Earth Rights NGO Report (2 3 pages)
a) select eco ngo
b) review class readings
c) examine other sources
d) explore own ideas
e) ethics & effectiveness of eco ngo
f) author research paper focusing on philosophy & practice of eco ngo
g) Include footnotes, works cited

*Earth Rights in the Pacific Paper (3 5 pages not including chart)
a) select Pacific nation
b) examine International Human Rights Record of Ratification
c) review most recent reports to UN Human Rights Treaty Bodies
d) research Pacific nation and review Earth Rights violations and protections
e) suggest earth rights response and possibilities for respect the earth

*Earth Rights in International Human Rights Research Paper (2 3 pages)
a) select specific earth right featured in Earth Rights Part II: A Closer Look
b) explore and examine specific earth rights
c) suggest national and international response to protect the earth right selected

Role Playing & Simulations

*Model United Nations Working Group on Human Rights & the Environment
a) research material on the Draft Principles on HR & Environment, Earth Charter
b) prepare statements to dialogue in international arena
c) discuss and debate human rights/earth rights violations in international arena, need for international instrument to protect earth rights
d) contemplate, create position papers for equality, ecology and humanity

*Roles to Play
a) Earth Rights Non Governmental Organization (NGO)
b) UN Member State
c) UN Special Rapporteur
d) UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Secretariat Member
e) Press and Public

*Model United Nations World Summit for Sustainable Development (WSSD)
a) review problems with protecting earth rights in international law write paragraph for WSSD Declaration
b) review possible solutions to protect earth rights in international law write paragraph for WSSD Programme of Action
c) discuss, debate prepared paragraphs for WSSD Declaration/Programme of Action

*Model United Nations Social Forum
a) complete writing assignment focusing on specific Earth Right
b) class create panels based on the themes in the research papers
c) share research, discuss possible solutions and suggestions for international instruments and institutions

*Roles to Play
a) Earth Rights NGO
b) UN Member State
c) UN Special Rapporteur
d) UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Secretariat Member
e) Press and Public

Putting the Philosophy into Practice

*Hawaii Sustainability Summit (Campus & Community)
a) organize a Hawaii Sustainability Summit
b) brainstorm, plan and organize Summit(s) to raise awareness and change policy
c) coordinate and experience Hawaii Sustainability Summit

*Aloha Aina Service Learning for Ecological Justice Project & Report
a) survey area of opportunity to serve create ngo or select ngo
b) participate, experience service learning up to 10 hours direct experience
c) apply readings and discussions into service learning direct experience
d) suggest possible solutions to improve services of NGO to community
e) connect grassroots and global levels with own experience and reflection

*Class Excursions of Empowerment (Part of Attendance)
a) visit different individuals and community associations dedicated to peace
b) learn beyond classroom to understand context of course

VII. Course Schedule

Week 1
16 January Introduction, Video

Week 2
23 January
Believing Cassandra,
Chapter 1. When Worlds Collapse pp.3-26
Video (Decide if videos develop, enhance readings)

Week 3
30 January
Believing Cassandra, Chapter 2. A Brief History Cassandra's Dilemma pp. 27-42
Earth Rights, Draft Principles on Human Rights and Environment
The Ksentini Principles 102-109

Week 4
6 February
Believing Cassandra, Chapter 3.
In the Gallery of Global Trends pp. 43-68
Earth Rights, Forward pp. 6-9
Earth Rights, Chapter 1 Introduction pp. 9-12

Assignment Due *Model United Nations Working Group on Human Rights & Eco

Week 5
13 February
Believing Cassandra, Chapter 4. It's the System pp. 69-87
Earth Rights, Chapter 2 The Concept of Earth Rights & Legal Groundings pp. 14-23

Week 6
20 February
Believing Cassandra, Chapter 5.
Cassandra's Laughter, Cassandra's Tear pp.88-102
Earth Rights, Chapter 3
The Underlying Causes and Contents Of Earth Rights Abuses pp. 23-34

Week 7
27 February
Believing Cassandra, Chapter 6.
Armageddon, Utopia, or Both? pp.103-132
Earth Rights, Chapter 4
Violence Against the Environment, its Inhabitants, and Defenders pp. 34-44

Week 8
6 March
Believing Cassandra, Chapter 7.
The Future in a Word pp.133-152
Earth Rights, Chapter 5
Freedom From Arbitrary Deprivation of One's Property and Interference with One's Home
pp. 44-50

Assignment Due *Earth Rights NGO Report

Week 9
13 March
Believing Cassandra, Chapter 8.
The Proof of the Possible pp.153-174
Earth Rights, Chapter 6
The Right to Nondiscrimination pp. 50-56

Week 10
20 March
Believing Cassandra, Chapter 9.
The innovation Diffusion Game pp. 175-197
Earth Rights, Chapter 7
Healthy Environment & Right to Health pp. 56-66

Assignment Due *Model United Nations WSSD

Spring Break
24-28 March
Serenade Your Soul with Nature
Smell the Flowers

Week 11
3 April
Believing Cassandra, Chapter 10.
Accelerate to Survive pp.198-211
Earth Rights, Chapter 8
The Right to Food Security and Means of Subsistence pp. 66-75

Assignment Due *Earth Rights in the Pacific Paper

Week 12
10 April
Earth Rights, Chapter 9 Indigenous Peoples' Rights pp. 75-84

Week 13
17 April
Earth Rights, Chapter 10 The Right to Remedies pp. 84-92
United Nations Human Rights and Environment Seminar

Assignment Due *Earth Rights in International Human Rights Research Paper Assignment Due *Model United Nations Social Forum

Week 14
24 April
Earth Rights, Chapter 11 Working Together pp. 92-102

Assignment Due *Aloha Aina Service Learning for Eco Justice Project & Report

Week 15
1 May
Amnesty International Human Rights of Indigenous Peoples
All Material

Assignment Due *Journal

Assignment Due *Hawaii Sustainability Summit (Campus & Community)

Week 16
8 May
Pa'ina Potluck
Class Readings of Children Classics

Assignment Due *Earth Rights in the Pacific Paper (Final Draft)

Politics of the United States

tdomf_26a6d — Tue, 02 Nov 2004 00:00:00 +0000

POLITICS OF THE UNITED STATES

TIME AND PLACE: T/TH -9:15 AM in Cushing B 10
INSTRUCTOR: Mary McHugh
OFFICE HOURS: MWF 8:15-8:45 AM and T/TH 10-11 AM and/or by appointment
Office: Sakowich Campus Center, Room 380 x. 5123
Home: (978) 568-0414 (no calls after 10 P.M. please)
Email: mary.mchugh {at} merrimack(.)edu

COURSE DESCRIPTION:
This course provides a general introduction to the basic political institutions and processes of the United States government. We will ask and answer questions such as who governs the US, why, and to what ends?

COURSE REQUIREMENTS:

FINAL EXAM (25%) As scheduled by college on Thursday, December 13 at 1:30 PM

EXAM #1 (15%) In class on Thursday, October 1

EXAM #2 (15%) In class on Tuesday, November 13

SERVICE LEARNING PROJECT (10%) See below for details

SERVICE LEARNING JOURNALS (15%) See below for details

CLASS PARTICIPATION & ATTENDANCE (20%) The class format will be partly lecture and partly discussion. Unless otherwise indicated, all reading assignments are required and should be completed before class. Class discussion and participation is both encouraged and required. Attendance will be taken daily. You will be marked down for all unexcused absences after your first absence. Missing more than 50% of the classes could cause you to fail the class.

BOOKS AND READINGS:

All readings are required. The three main books can be purchased at the Merrimack Bookstore.

Stephen Frantzich, Citizen Democracy
Alan Shank & Edward Drachman, You Decide!
James Q. Wilson, American Government, brief version, 5th edition

In addition, you will be responsible for all other assigned readings.

Recommended: A subscription to a daily national newspaper or a weekly news magazine in order to keep up to date with current political events and to use for journal entries. You can pickup copies of the Boston Globe and other papers at the Sakowich Campus Center Information Desk on Main Street.

ASSIGNMENTS:

1. SERVICE LEARNING PROJECT
Students are expected to spend 15 hours volunteering in the Merrimack Valley Area. For this project you are expected to volunteer at a location relating to a public policy that we will be studying in this class and will need to keep a journal of your experiences (as noted below). You will need to sign up for your service work at the Stevens Service Learning Center (x. 5125 Campus Center 380) by Tuesday, September 14 and begin you service by Monday, September 17. You will be able to choose from a variety of options of service work at a variety of times and locations. Students are expected to honor their commitment and to show up each week on time. You are responsible for keeping track of your own volunteer hours and the Stevens Center, with the help of your site manager, will evaluate your performance and commitment. This evaluation will constitute 10% of your grade.

2. SERVICE LEARNING JOURNAL
Each student will keep a journal in a separate notebook so that it can be turned in without depriving the student of class notes, etc. Each week you are expected to make at least one entry into your journal reflecting on your experiences with the service learning project. Each journal entry should include three sections denoted by three different colors of ink. In black ink you should describe what you actually did that week at your volunteer site what were your tasks? How did you complete these tasks? With whom did you work? Etc. In blue ink, you should write your reflective or subjective reactions to what happened during the week how did you feel about your experience this week? Why? Finally, in red ink, you should reflect thoughtfully on the relationship between the things that happen "out there" and what we are reading about or discussing in class that week what connections can be made to the reading, to the class discussion? How does your volunteer experience help you to understand the political world better? How does it help you to understand the balance of power in our political system? The role of the citizen? Of the voter? Etc. Your grade on the journal will reflect the degree to which your entries are thoughtful and complete. All entries should include three parts, however most emphasis in terms of your grade will be placed on the portion written in red ink as it will reflect critical thinking about the project, the readings, and the issues of democracy, citizenship, and power. On occasion I will give you a focus topic for your journal entries, for that week. One journal will constitute 15% of your grade in this class.
***Journals (minimum of 2 entries) are due every other week in class on Thursdays

EXTRA CREDIT:
Students who attend the brown bag luncheons or slide show sponsored by the Stevens Center will receive extra credit.

Brown Bag Luncheons: September 26, October 16th, November 7.
All discussions will take place at noon in the community dining room in Sakowich Campus Center

Slide Show November 28h at 3:30 at Cascia Hall

COURSE OUTLINE AND READING ASSIGNMENTS:

INTRODUCTION (August 28 30)
Readings: Frantzich, Introduction
Shank & Drachman, Introduction
Wilson, Chapter 1
The Declaration of Independence (pp.378 381)

Topic 1: THE AMERICAN FOUNDING (September 4-11)
Readings: Frantzich, Chapter 1
Shank & Drachman, Chapter 1
Wilson, Chapter 2
The Constitution of the US (pp. 382-401)
Federalist Papers #10, #51 (pp. 402-411)

Topic 2: FEDERALISM (September 13-18)
Readings: Frantzich, Chapter 2
Shank & Drachman, Chapter 2
Wilson, Chapter 3

Topic 3: CONGRESS (September 20-27)
Readings: Frantzich, Chapters 11 & 12
Shank & Drachman, Chapter 11
Wilson, Chapter 7

Topic 4: THE PRESIDENCY & EXECUTIVE BRANCH (October 2-9)
Readings: Frantzich, Chapters 13, 14, & 17
Shank & Drachman, Chapter 12
Wilson, Chapter 8-9

EXAM THURSDAY, OCTOBER 11th

Topic 5: THE AMERICAN JUDICIARY (October 16-18)
Readings: Frantzich, Chapter 13 & 14
Shank & Drachman, Chapter 13
Wilson, Chapter 10

Topic 6: CIVIL RIGHTS & LIBERTIES (October 23-30)
Readings: Frantzich, Chapters 3 & 4
Shank & Drachman, Chapters 3& 4
Wilson, Chapter 11

Topic 7: PUBLIC OPINION AND THE MEDIA (November 1-8)
Readings: Frantzich, Chapter 5 & 6
Shank & Drachman, Chapters 5 & 6
Wilson, Chapter 4

EXAM #2 TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 13TH

Topic 8: CAMPAIGNS & ELECTION (November 15-20)
Readings: Frantzich, Chapter 9
Shank & Drachman, Chapters 9 & 10
Wilson, Chapter 6

Topic 9: POLITICAL PARTIES & INTEREST GROUPS (Nov 27-29)
Readings: Frantzich, Chapters 7 & 8
Shank & Drachman, Chapters 7, 8, 14, 15, 16
Wilson, Chapter 5

Strategies for Sustainable Development

tdomf_26a6d — Tue, 02 Nov 2004 00:00:00 +0000

STANFORD UNIVERSITY
DEPARTMENT OF POLITICAL SCIENCE

POLS 104. URBAN POLICY:
STRATEGIES FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
WINTER 2002

Luis Ricardo Fraga, Associate Professor
Office: Encina Hall, Rm. 444, 723 5219, Luis.Fraga {at} stanford(.)edu

COURSE DESCRIPTION

This course focuses on the identification and consideration of strategies for sustainable development in contemporary central cities in the U.S. Sustainable development is understood to include at least five distinct types of resources: human capital, social capital, fiscal capital, policy capital, and political capital. When major cities began to develop in the U.S. in the 1840s, the concentration of peoples, fiscal capital, industries, businesses, and political power presented unique challenges to the nation that were never anticipated by those who wrote the Constitution of 1787. Effective conflict resolution, justice, equality of opportunity, and secure material wellbeing were often rare in these communities and the ways in which the above described concentrations coincided with class, ethnicity, and race seemed to make their attainment unlikely. The ideologies of privatism and individual liberalism served as the primary catalysts of urban growth. They facilitated much accomplishment by some sectors of urban communities. These ideologies, however, also served to generate power, material, and opportunity disparities among segments of urban residents that the public institutions of national, state, and local governments were ill equipped to address. In this course we will determine the extent to which urban communities continue to confront the disparities described above and what options are available to contemporary public and private policy makers to eliminate these disparities or at least limit the extent to which they become more severe.

We will examine policy making in areas such as economic growth, human capital, neighborhood revitalization, housing, public education, and governance. For each issue area we will examine a number of different theoretical and empirical analyses and policy recommendations. Additionally, each student is required to work seven hours per week in a local government department, social service agency, or community based organization. This internship is designed to be a setting where one gathers the experience, evidence, and data to assess the accuracy, relevance, and utility of theoretical models presented in class. Stated differently, the primary goal of the course is to help you understand local policy making using traditional academic approaches and to enrich that understanding with informed experiences provided by the internship. The community of East Palo Alto will be the location of all student placements.

COURSE REQUIREMENTS

The course will be conducted in the seminar format. Assigned readings must be completed before class so that constructive and consistent class participation can occur. Attendance at your internship on assigned days, during assigned hours, is mandatory.

You will be required to make two presentations to the class:

1. a presentation of your specific internship and the position of your department, agency, or organization within the decision making matrix of East Palo Alto, and,

2. a presentation of your final policy brief to the rest of the class who will sit as the East Palo Alto City Council, Board of Directors of your organization, or some other relevant decision-making body.

There are three writing requirements for the class:

1. a weekly journal of your experiences in the internship,

2. a five page discussion of your internship and your department, agency, or organization within the process of policy making in East Palo Alto, and,

3. a fifteen page policy brief where you make a specific proposal or report to a relevant decision-making body on the basis of research and your internship experiences.

The final course grade will be assessed as follows:

1. general class participation: 20%
2. presentation and essay of internship placement: 10%
3. journal of your experiences: 20%
4. presentation to the decision making body: 20%
5. final policy brief 30%

READINGS

The following books are available for purchase in the Stanford Bookstore:

Keating, Dennis W., Norman Krumholz, and Philip Star, eds. 1996. Revitalizing Urban Neighborhoods. Lawrence, KS: University Press of Kansas.

Keating, W. Dennis, and Norman Krumholz, eds. 1999. Rebuilding Urban Neighborhoods: Achievements, Opportunities, and Limits. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.

Schorr, Lisbeth B. 1997. Common Purpose: Strengthening Families and Neighborhoods to Rebuild America. NY: Anchor Books, Doubleday.

COURSE SCHEDULE

January 30: Fiscal Resources and Economic Growth

Paul E. Peterson, Ch. 2, "The Interests of the Limited City," in City Limits, Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 1981, pp. 17 38.

Paul E. Peterson, "The Changing Fiscal Place of Big Cities in the Federal System," in Henry G. Cisneros (ed.), Interwoven Destinies: Cities and the Nation, NY: W.W. Norton & Co., Inc., 1993, pp. 187 210.

Clarence N. Stone, "The Study of the Politics of Urban Development," in Clarence N. Stone and Heywood T. Sanders, eds., The Politics of Urban Development, Lawrence, KS: University Press of Kansas, 1987, pp. 3 22.

David L. Imbroscio, Reconstructing City Politics: Alternative Economic Development and Urban Regimes, Thousand Oaks, Ca: Sage Publications, Inc., 1997.

Ch. 2, "Reconstituting Urban Regimes," pp. 23 45.

February 6: Human Capital Investment

William Julius Wilson, James M. Quane, and Bruce H. Rankin, "The New Urban Poverty: Consequences of the Economic and Social Decline of Inner City Neighborhoods," in Fred R. Harris and Lynn A Curtis, eds., Locked in the Poorhouse: Cities, Race, and Poverty in the United States. NY: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc., 1998, pp. 57 78.

Lisbeth Schorr, Common Purpose: Strengthening Families and Neighborhoods to Rebuild America, NY: Anchor Books, Doubleday, 1998.
Ch. 6, "Beyond Welfare Repeal: Real Welfare Reform," pp. 157 196.
Ch. 7, "Strengthening a Collapsing Child Protection System," pp. 197 23 1.

February 13, 5:30 10 pm
Policy Decision Making in East Palo Alto: Student Presentations

February 20: Neighborhood Revitalization and Housing

W. Dennis Keating, Norman Krumholz, and Philip Star, eds., Revitalizing Urban Neighborhoods, Lawrence, KS: University Press of Kansas, 1996, entire, especially Chs. 1 4, 10, 15.

Nicholas Lemann, "The Myth of Community Development," The New York Times Magazine, January 9, 1994

Peter Dreier and John Atlas, "US Housing Policy at the Crossroads: Rebuilding the Housing Constituency," Journal of Urban Affairs, V. 18, No. 4 (1996): 341 370.

Keating, W. Dennis, and Norman Krumholz, eds. 1999. Rebuilding Urban Neighborhoods: Achievements, Opportunities, and Limits. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, Chs. 1, 2, 12, city specific chapter assigned to students.

*Philip Nyden, Anne Figert, Mark Shibley, and Darryl Burrows, Building Community: Social Science in Action, Thousand Oaks, CA: Pine Forge Press, 1997.

Case Study 2, John Gilderbloom, R.L. Mullins, Jr., Russ N. Sims, Mark T. Wright, La tondra R. Jones, "University Community Collaboration in Low Income Housing Projects and Neighborhood Revitalization in Louisville, KY, pp. 42 46.

Case Study 3, John Lukehart, "Collaborative, Policy Related Research in the Area of Fair Housing and Community Development," pp. 47 5 1.

Case Study 4, Gregory D. Squires and Dan Willett, "Fair Lending Coalition: Organizing Access to Capital in Milwaukee," pp. 52 57.

February 27: Public Education and Schools

Lisbeth Schorr, Common Purpose: Strengthening Families and Neighborhoods to Rebuild America, NY: Anchor Books, Doubleday, 1998.

Ch. 8, "Educating America's Children," pp. 232 297.

Luis Ricardo Fraga, Bari Anhalt Ehrlichson, and Sandy Lee, "Consensus Building and School Reform: The Role of the Courts in San Francisco," in Changing Urban Education, Clarence N. Stone, ed., University Press of Kansas, 1998, pp. 66 90.

March 6: Governing the Multi Cultural Metropolis

Rufus P. Browning, Dale Rogers Marshall, and David H. Tabb, Racial Politics in American Cities, Second Edition, NY: Longman, 1997.

Ch. 13, "Has Political Incorporation Been Achieved? Is It Enough?" pp. 277 299.

Clarence N. Stone, "Summing Up: Urban Regimes, Development Policy, and Political Arrangements," in Clarence N. Stone and Heywood T. Sanders (eds.), The Politics of Urban Development, Lawrence, KS: University Press of Kansas, 1987, pp. 269 290.

Lisbeth Schorr, Common Purpose. Strengthening Families and Neighborhoods to Rebuild America, NY: Anchor Books, Doubleday, 1998.

Ch. 9, "Synergy: Putting It All Together to Transform Neighborhoods," pp. 301 379.

Epilogue, "We Can Achieve Our Common Purpose," pp. 380 385.

March 13 and 14: Extra Class Meeting – Presentation of Policy Briefs

March 18, 5 pm: Final Policy Brief Due

INTERNSHIP LIST:

GOVERNMENT AGENCIES

East Palo Alto City Council
Contact: Duane Bay
Home: 326 2745
Work: (831) 430 4444
2415 University Ave.
East Palo Alto, CA 94303

East Palo Alto's City Council has five members, each of whom serves two year terms. Although each member is responsible for providing leadership in various key policy areas, such as public safety and human resources, the council as a whole makes vital decisions on the allocation of government resources and the generation of new revenue.

The intern will work on specific projects, depending on his or her interests, under the supervision of Council member Duane Bay. Specifically, Council member Bay is looking for an intern to complete a report categorizing the different types of housing available in East Palo Alto. Likewise, the position will require some administrative work to support a community land trust organizing project led by Council member Bay.

SOCIAL SERVICE AGENCIES

The Enterprise Foundation
Contact: Robert Hoover
321 9639
2369 University Ave.
East Palo Alto, CA 94303

The Enterprise Foundation is a national organization headquartered in Columbia, Maryland. It maintains 14 local offices around the United States. The East Palo Alto office was established in 1996. The primary goal of the organization is to broker relationships between public and private actors to enhance the availability of affordable housing for low income residents. The Foundation also attempts to enhance human capital and promote community safety. Unlike other such programs, this group considers community based organizations of prime importance in the achievements of these goals.

The intern will work on the Community Safety Project. The program's goals are to eliminate drug sales at specific sites within East Palo Alto, to reduce crimes and threats to public safety that are related to the drug trade, and to improve the physical environment by cleaning up parks and vacant lots and by eliminating housing code violations. The program is based on a collaborative effort between the city government, the non profit community, and the residents of the neighborhoods. The intern will work to help organize a consortium of 25 youth organizations working on this problem. Possible tasks include creating newsletters and a database.

Mr. Hoover has worked in the community for over 20 years and is very knowledgeable about all aspects of policy and politics in East Palo Alto. The intern will assist Mr. Hoover in a variety of aspects of his work.

Ecumenical Hunger Program
Contact: Nisa Kali
323 7781
1394 University Ave.
East Palo Alto, CA 94303

The Ecumenical Hunger Program is a private, non profit organization that works to alleviate hunger and poverty in the mid Peninsula since 1975. The organization views poverty as a consequence of other problems and provides support, counseling, referrals, and advocacy to help families resolve and prevent crises. The organization also meets the immediate needs of clients by providing food and clothing.

The intern will assist the organization in all aspects of its work, including the organization of files, the distribution of food and clothing to clients, and the identification of social service agencies. Much direct contact with clients is likely. Knowledge of Spanish would be an asset.

OICW
Contact: Sharon Williams
322 8431
sharwillkhotmail.com
1200 O'Brien Drive
Menlo Park, CA 94025

OICW's mission is to improve the quality of life in the community through education, job skills training, placement, youth development and child development programs. It is a community-based, non profit organization which provides extensive academic and vocational training, counseling, and placement to approximately 3,000 low income people each year. OICW's special programs target welfare reform, youth and the working poor. This internship is best for a student interested in job training and placement for youth and adults. There are a wide range of projects available. The intern will meet with Ms. Williams to design an internship interesting to the intern and of use to OICW.

The Girls Club
Contact: J.D. Williams
322 0543
PO Box 5006
East Palo Alto, CA 94303

The Girls Club is a non profit organization dedicated to providing educational, cultural and recreational programs for young women, ages 6 to 16 years in East Palo Alto, Belle Haven and surrounding areas. Mrs. Williams stresses that the intern be fully committed as the program fosters a healthy and nurturing environment. The program also works to provide basic life skills and computer skills to young women. The intern will work directly with young women in an area of interest to the intern. Possible projects range a good deal in their focus. Examples include helping track the migration of birds and starting an urban gardening project.

Start Up
Contact: Diana Romero
321 2193
1935 University Avenue, Ste. A
East Palo Alto, CA 94303

Start Up works to foster economic development in East Palo Alto. It provides training, capital and other assistance to locally owned small businesses. Start Up was established in 1994 as a result of collaboration between the Stanford Graduate School of Business students and community leaders.

Interns might staff Start Up's technical assistance center, which provides services to entrepreneurs. Inters also might assist the center's consultants with projects in market research and analysis. This internship is well suited for students interested in stimulating business development in low income neighborhoods.

Senior Center
Contact: Ruby Williams
329 5901
550 Bell Street
Palo Alto, CA 94303

The East Palo Alto Senior Center was organized to provide services and programs to senior residents of East Palo Alto. The mission of the Center is to enhance the quality of life for seniors and to insure equal access to social, economic and political systems in a safe, nurturing and secure environment.

The Senior Center is currently working to restructure itself to better meet the needs of East Palo Alto's senior citizens. A consultant has been hired to evaluate the Center's work and the needs of the community, and make recommendations as to how the center might organize itself more effectively. It has been suggested that the intern work together with the consultant on this project.

Free at Last
Contact: Gerardo Barragan
462 6299
1946 University Ave.
East Palo Alto, CA 94303

Free at Last is a non profit organization providing alcohol and drug treatment and preventions services, as well as health and HIV/AIDS education to individuals and families who will reside in East Palo Alto and eastern Menlo Park.

There will be two positions with Free at Last. Interns must speak Spanish. Also, this internship requires that students interview before Free At Last will commit to a quarter long placement. Students will tutor clients in basic English skills. This work will be done one on one or in small groups. This year, there will be an additional component and interns will also be tutoring adult English speaking clients.

COMMUNITY BASED ORGANIZATIONS

One East Palo Alto
Contact: Carrie Pang
723 8749
HAAS Center for Public Service
562 Salvatierra Walk
Stanford, CA 94305

The One East Palo Alto (OEPA) Neighborhood Improvement Initiative is a resident driven revitalization effort aimed ultimately at improving the physical, economic, and social conditions in targeted neighborhoods within East Palo Alto. OEPA's plan for improving these conditions starts with the community vision: One East Palo Alto that is informed, involved, connected, secure, and employed. Funded by the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, OEPA involves Peninsula Community Foundation, Community Development Institute, and the Haas Center for Public Service as partners to support neighborhood residents and organizations involved in their initiative. The second year of the project (2000 2001) is dedicated to leveraging resources within and around Stanford University in support of OEPA activities, providing technical assistance to the residents, and developing a tracking system for OEPA.

The primary role of the Implementation Assistant is to provide administrative support to the residents and community based organizations involved in the OEPA implementations groups. Students will work with subcommittees to implement projects in one of three primary areas (Cross Cultural Community Building, Neighborhood Revitalization, and Individual/Family Support Systems), through the following activities:
-Attend Tuesday night community meeting and other committee meetings as needed.
-Provide Spanish translation, as needed.
-Provide general support to professional facilitators assigned to each subcommittee, including contacting members of the subcommittee
-Take notes during meetings and disseminate notes to subcommittee members and the OEPA staff/partners.
-There will be five intern positions within each respective committee. Those committees include:

1. Technology and Communication
2. Health and Human Services
3. Education with an emphasis on ESL includes the ballot and bond issues centering on public schools
4. Housing
5. Economics assessing the needs of business development in the community

Liberation Theology

tdomf_26a6d — Tue, 02 Nov 2004 00:00:00 +0000

Institution: DePaul University
Discipline: Religious Studies / Political Science / Philosophy
Title: Liberation Theology
Instructor: Charles R. Strain

LIBERATION THEOLOGY

PROLOGUE

Violence

“You gringos, ” a Salvadoran peasant told an American visitor, “are always worried about violence done with machine guns and machetes. But there is another kind of violence that you should be aware of, too. I used to work on a hacienda. Myjob was to take care of the dueho’s dogs. I gave them meat and bowls of milk, food that I couldn’t give my own family. When the dogs were sick I took them to the veterinarian. When my children were sick, the dueho gave me his sympathy but no medicine as they died. “

Cited in N. Scheper‑Hughes, Death Without Weeping

Oppression

Imagine a wondrous new machine, strong and supple, a machine that reaps as it destroys. It is huge and mobile. Think of this machine running over open terrain and ignoring familiar boundaries. Itplows acrossfields andjencerows with afierce momentum. As it goes, the machine throws off enormous mows of wealth and bounty while it leaves behind great furrows of wreckage.

Now imagine that there are skillful hands on board, but no one is at the wheel. In fact, this machine has no wheel nor any internal governor to control the speed and direction. It is sustained by its ownforward motion, guided mainly by its own appetites. And it is accelerating.

William Grieder, One World, Ready or Not

Conscientization

At a base community meeting one evening Ipresented a slide show of portraits taken of my Alto friends. Midway into the presentation the slide of a mother with her toddler presenting a bloated belly came onto the screen. Jodo Mariano, the political orientador of UPAC, led the discussion. ”What does this baby have?” he asked.

“Worms!” the adults and children yelled back.

“And who here has not suffered with worms? ” (Silence) “How did this child get sick?”

“Crawling barefoot on the ground. “ “Putting mud and dirt into its mouth.” ”The house has no pit latrine.”

“And how might this problem be solved?”

“Medical exams.” ”Worm pills.”

“No!” Terezinha suddenly jumped to her feet. “No, for the child will still be without shoes, and the house still won’t have a latrine and the children will still be drinking ‘amoeba juice’ from the public water spigot. “

“So what is the answer then? asked Jodo Mariano.

“Building latrines.” ”Unido! ‑ working together!”

N. Scheper‑Hughes, Death Without Weeping

Liberation

“Today I spoke up at the women’s circle in the creche,” an elderly Alto woman commented. ”Later in talking I realized that this was thefirst time I had ever spoken out in public. I was always somebody who kept quiet and accepted whatever was said. But I learned today that I did have an opinion although I was raised para ndo ser pessoa [not to be a person].

N. Scheper Hughes, Death Without Weeping

Liberation Theology

“For [Pedro Trigo, Venezuela's leading liberation theologian] liberation theology was just beginning–what had gone before was pre‑history. True liberation theology must arise out of the ‘everyday’. . . “

P. Berryman, Religion in the Megacity

COURSE DESCRIPTION

Liberation Theology focuses upon a radical movement for the transformation of Christianity that originated in the “Christian Base Communities” of Latin America and spread from there to North America and the Third World. Tested in the fires of civil wars in Central American and political repression in Brazil and other parts of Latin America in the 1970s and 80s, Liberation Theology today seeks to respond to the forces of globalization. Liberation theology and Christian base communities will be studied in comparison to other religious movements in Latin America such as Pentecostalism. This course is offered in conjunction with the Latin American Studies program and the Catholic Studies Program. We will give special attention to the impact of the new global economic order on the poorest segments of Latin American societies.

This course fulfills the Experiential Learning requirement of the Liberal Studies program. As such it integrates theory and practice in studying forms of religious engagement. All students registered in this course will perform 25 hours of service to a community or within a community organization or agency.

COURSE OBJECTIVES

I . Students will gain knowledge of the variety of contemporary religious movements in Latin America and their various responses at the local level to the forces of globalization and to political and economic oppression.

2.  Students will be able to discern the resources within the Christian tradition for developing prophetic social criticism, utopian models of society and theories of social justice.

3. Students will be able to situate “Christian base communities” in their Latin American historical and social contexts and to assess their strengths and weaknesses in promoting social change.

4.  Students will understand the potential role of theological ideas in shaping change oriented ideologies through their connection with critical social theories.

5.  Students will be able to reflect critically on the strengths and weaknesses of liberation movements and of liberation as a theological concept.

6.  Students will be able to articulate at a basic level their own vision of a just society.

7.  Students will be able by reflecting on their own experiences in a service context to raise questions about the relationship of service to the creation of a just society.

8.  Students will be able to articulate their own understandings of the relationship between learning and liberation.

9.   Students will be able to trace the connections among experiences in the service context, their own reflections on those experiences, theories of justice and liberation, and their own efforts to act well in serving others.

10.  Students will become more articulate in written and oral communication.

REQUIRED TEXTS

M. Argueta, One Day of Life

P. Berryman, Liberation Theolog

G. Gutierrez, Theology of Liberation

A. Peterson et al, Christianity, Social Change and Globalization in the Americas

Nancy Scheper‑Hughes, Death Without Weeping

COURSE OUTLINE AND READING LIST

1.                INTRODUCTION: WHAT IS LIBERATION THEOLOGY?

Sept. 16                A. Learning and Liberation

Sept. 16                B. Service Learning and Praxis

Sept. 16                C. The Changing Face of Religion in Latin America

                                Video: “Americas: Miracles Are Not Enough.”

II. THE CONVERSION OF THE LATIN AMERICAN CHURCH

Sept. 23                  A. Conscientization

                                Readings: M. Argueta, One Day of Life; Selection from Paulo Friere, The Pedagogy of the Oppressed (handout)

Sept. 30                  B.  The Emergence of Liberation Theology

                                    Reading: P. Berryman, Liberation Theolo , Introduction, Chapter I

Sept. 30                  C. Solidarity with the Poor

                                    Reading: Berryman, Chap. 2

Sept. 30                  D. A Prophet of Non‑violence

   Film: Romero (reserve)

III.    VISIONS OF HOPE: THE EMERGENCE OF CHRISTIAN BASE COMMUNITIES

Sept. 30                  A.  Jesus’ Kingdom of Nobodies

                                   Readings: Selections from John Dominic Crossan, Jesus: A Revolutionary

Oct. 7                  B.     The Bible and Everyday Life

                                    Readings: Berryman, Chap. 3

Oct. 7                  C. The Struggle to Create Community

     Reading: Berryman, Chap. 4

IV.   RECOGNIZING THE NEW FACE OF HUMAN SUFFERING: THE EVERYDAY VIOLENCE OF THE GLOBAL ECONOMIC ORDER

Oct. 7                  A.    Bom Jesus and the Nordeste: 600,000 Square Miles of Suffering

                                   Readings: Nancy Scheper‑Hughes, Death Without Weeping, Chaps. I and 2

Oct. 7                  C.    Moral Triage: The Ethics of Survival

                                   Reading: Scheper‑Hughes, Chap. 3

Oct. 14                D.    Delirio de Fome: False Consciousness and the Structures of Everyday Violence

                                    Readings: Scheper‑Hughes, Chaps. 4 and 5

Oct. 14                  E.   Everyday Death and Body Praxis

                                    Readings: Scheper‑Hughes, Chap. 6

Oct. 21                  F.   The Everydayness of Children’s Death

                     Group Presentation of Scheper‑Hughes, Chap. 7

Oct. 21                  G.   The Pragmatics of Motherhood: The Social Production of Love

                                    Group Presentation of Scheper‑Hughes, Chap. 8

Oct. 21                  H.   Internalized Alienation: A Political Economy of the Emotions

                                    Group Presentation of Scheper‑Hughes, Chap. 9

Oct. 21   I.    Jeito: The Tactics of Survival

                                    Group Presentation of Scheper‑Hughes, Chaps. 10 and I I

Oct. 21                  J.   Everyday Struggles Against Everyday Violence

                                    Readings: Scheper‑Hughes, Chap. 12

V.   RESPONDING TO THE NEW FACE OF HUMAN SUFFERING: BUILDING AND RE‑BUILDING A THEOLOGY OF LIBERATION

Oct. 28                  A.  Theology and Critical Reflection on Praxis

                                    Readings: Berryman, Chaps. 5‑6; G. Gutierrez, A Theology of Liberation,

                                    Chaps. I and 2

Oct. 28                  B.   Liberation and Salvation

                                    Readings: Gutierrez, Chap. 9

Nov. 4                  C.   History and Eschatology

                                    Readings: Gutierrez, Chaps. 10 and I I

Nov. 4                  D.   Sacrament and Solidarity

                                    Readings: Gutierrez, Chap. 12

Nov. 4                  E.    Hearing Other Voices: Latin American Women Challenging and Revising Liberation Theology

                                    Readings: Selection from Daniel Levine, Popular Voices in Latin American

                                    Catholicism; selections from Mev Puleo, The Struggle is One; M.C.Bingemer,

                                    “Women in the Future of the Theology of Liberation.” (handouts)

VI.   FUSING MULTIPLE RESPONSES TO HUMAN SUFFERING: RELIGION, GLOBALIZATION AND THE PRACTICE OF EVERYDAY LIFE

Nov. 11   A. Liberation Theology, Religious Pluralism and Globalization

   Readings: A. Peterson et al (eds.), Christianijy, Social Change and Globalization in the Americas, Introduction and Chap. 10

Nov. 11     B.  Exploring the Challenge of Evangelical Communities and Afro‑Brazilian Religions to Christian Base Communities

                                Readings: J. Burdick, “Rethinking the Study of Social Movements: The Case of Christian Base Communities in Urban Brazil.” (handout)

Nov. 11   C.  Do Christian Base Communities Liberate Women?

                                    Reading: Peterson, Chap. I

                                    Group Presentation of M. Nussbaum, Women and Human Development

Nov. 18                D.    El Norte and Beyond

                                Reading: Peterson, Chap. 7

                                Group Presentation of El Norte and Peterson, Chap. 8

Nov. 18                E.  Creating Democratic Societies in the Wake of War: The Role of Religion

                   Reading: Peterson, Chap. 6

Nov. 18                F.   Exploring the Non‑violent Alternative to Social Change

                                Group Presentation of Men With Guns and Selections from Romero Archives

Nov. 18                G. Taming the Runaway Machine: New Approaches to Development in a Liberationist Perspective

                     Group Presentation of Gutierrez and Amartya Sen’s Freedom as Development

Nov. 25                H. The Practice of Liberation

                                Individual Presentations of Service Learning Projects

COURSE REQUIREMENTS

A.   Class Participation

1. Reading the assigned texts and participating in class discussions

Participation in the classroom process is vital to the success of our discussion and to the individual’s growth. It is imperative that each student come to class prepared by prior reading and reflection to share insights and judgments, questions and problems with the rest of the class. Participation in the classroom process will constitute 15% of the grade for the course.

2. Evaluation of Class Participation

I will evaluate each student’s participation on the basis of the following criteria:

a. Attentive listening. (Are you alert and actively engaged in thinking about the material under discussion? Are you respectful of the ideas of your fellow students and as prepared to learn forin them as from the instructor?)

b.   Frequency and clarity of your oral contributions. (Are you adequately prepared for each class discussion? Do you make a consistent effort to contribute to the class discussion?)

c.  Knowledge of the reading matter under discussion and the ability to grasp its central themes. (Have you read the material carefully and critically?)

d. The ability to take an independent stance towards the ideas under discussion and to develop the position reflectively. ( Have you thought through the issues and come to your own conclusions?)

e.   The overall development of your power of oral expression during the course of the quarter. (Has your ability to contribute to the class grown during the quarter?)

3. Class Attendance Policy

Clearly it is impossible to meet the objectives and requirements of the course if students do not attend class regularly. Consequently one unexcused absences will lower your final grade by one letter. Two unexcused absences will be considered excessive and lead to failure of the course. Excused absences will be granted only for serious reasons.

B. Seminar Leadership

All students are expected to play a role in leading the seminar. This will take three forms: 1) a group presentation, 2) contributions to the Blackboard discussion forum and 3) an individual presentation at the end of the quarter. The group presentation and the individual presentations together will count for 15% of your grade for the course. Blackboard entries will count for 15% of your grade for the course.

1. Group Presentation

Students in groups of three will take the responsibility for leading the seminar for 25‑30 minutes. Topics for the presentation focus on specific chapters in Scheper‑Hughes and Peterson that the class as a whole will skip. See the Course Outline for the schedule of these presentations. Each group should plan to meet with me before the scheduled presentation to discuss ways in which the material can be presented that build upon the class discussions. Please save at least 10 minutes for structured group discussion.

2. Blackboard Discussion Forum

I have set up a Blackboard discussion forum for this class. The purpose of the forum is to extend the discussions that occur in class. Student contributions to Blackboard can raise questions about the material about to be discussed, pick up a loose thread left dangling from a previous class, add ideas that did not arise in the class discussions but that you would like feedback on, share your experiences with research and service learning. Don’t worry that your ideas might not be completely worked out or that your articulation of them may not be perfect. The Blackboard discussion forum is a place to try out thoughts and to seek the response of others.

Further suggestions: 1) you could share some of your reflections on service learning with the class through Blackboard; these comments can be downloaded and included with your journal; 2) post comments on the readings or follow up on points of discussion in class that you wish to take further. Seek clarification of confusing ideas. Engage your fellow students; 3) apply theories developed in class to your own social context; 4) post questions, quotes or comments that will prepare the class for your group presentation; 5) seek help from other students as well as from me regarding any confusions about the course material or any problems regarding your service placement. You must make at least four substantive contributions to the Blackboard discussions forum, two of which will be before midterm, in order to receive a passing grade of “C” for this part of the course. A higher grade requires entering into a real dialogue on the themes and issues of the course.

3. Individual Presentations

All students will present a I0‑minute summary of their service learning projects on November 25. Please think about the ways in which you can make your project interesting and intelligible to other members of the class. Each student should bring a short excerpt (I or 2 xeroxed pages) from a service learning j oumal or from the research paper to share with the class. Explain how your work doing this project contributed to your understanding of the themes of the course.

C.   Service‑Learning Requirement

Liberation Theology focuses upon the notion of praxis. Praxis is action grounded in emancipatory symbols and critical social theory. But praxis also generates thought. A purely theoretical approach to the study of liberation theology that involves the simple accumulation of knowledge would betray the message at its core, the way, say, a silent movie on the life of Mozart might also violate the heart of the matter. If we wish to learn about liberation, so liberation theologians argue, we cannot do so apart from reflective social engagement. In other words, the service that you perform is intrinsic to the learning process of this course.

All students will complete 25‑30 hours of service in a community agency. If you are not currently involved in service within a community organization, the Steans Center for Community‑based Service learning will find an appropriate placement for you. If you are already engaged in some sort of service on behalf of others, you may continue this service as a way of meeting this course requirement under the following conditions: a) your service must involve at least 25‑30 hours of direct engagement over the course of the quarter, b) the supervisor of your service work must indicate his or her willingness to evaluate your service work, c) you must describe your role in the organization and explain how you believe this service can be related to the themes of the course, and d) you must have the opportunity to interview a leader or group of leaders in your organization regarding the worldview and value system that inform his, or her, or their commitments.

D.   Reflective Journal

All students will keep a journal of written reflections. For each week of the course students will write at least two entries. In encourage you to write at length. Each entry should be at least one and one‑half typewritten pages in length (double‑spaced). This means that your journal for the course will ultimately be a minimum of 30 pages.

The first entry will focus on the course readings for the following week. The second entry will focus on your experience in your service context. Initially there may not be a lot of connection between the two entries. As the course progresses, you will be expected to look for connections between at least some of the readings and their themes and what you are experiencing as you do your service work. You will be expected to integrate some aspects of your learning in class with some aspects of your learning through service.

1. An Intellectual Journal

The first entry each week focuses on the ideas, themes, and issues raised in the reading and the class discussions. This entry should be a personal and thoughtful wrestling with the themes, issues, questions, and problems of the course as they arise in the texts under discussion. Maintain a balance between analysis, reflection and creative expression in your journals. Avoid general summaries of the text. Also avoid using the texts as mere launching pads from which you take off on your own. Engage the texts.

Write clearly and coherently. Feel free to write as much as you wish. A major purpose of this requirement is to train ourselves in the craft of writing. Analyze the key metaphors or ideas, the author’s line of argumentation, and the structure of the work. Evaluate these ideas and positions; compare and contrast them with other course readings and with your own ideas. Draw upon your own experiences as you attempt to understand the readings. Criticize constructively. The journal material may be used as your basis for raising questions, focusing upon key issues, and participating in the class discussions. What does this reading add to your understanding of liberation, social justice, and the roles of religions in achieving both?

2. A Service Learning Journal

The second entry for each week of the course will reflect on your service placement. In developing this section of your journal you should keep these directions and questions in mind:

1. Attentive. Pay special attention to the people that you are working with; their history and backgrounds to the extent that they willingly reveal them (respect the privacy of others!), the community organization or agency and its mission, and the ways in which it seeks to carry out its mission. Some part of each entry should be given over to description and structured observation. Keep your eyes open. Think about the following questions:

•       What can I learn from the people around me and the place where I work?

•       Who are the people I work with: what history, traditions, experiences do they bring with them as we work together?

•       What are their strengths?

•       What are their core values?

•       How do they express them?

•       How do they articulate their needs and aspirations, hopes and struggles?

2. Reflective. Pay special attention to your own thoughts, feelings, emotional reactions, and values. Working in an unfamiliar context will frequently bring to the surface aspects of yourself (which you will value as positive or negative) that you were not aware of. Some part of each entry should reflect on what these experiences are teaching you about yourself as well as about others. Think about the following questions:

•       What do I learn about myself through this engagement with others?

•       What are my fears and hopes, strengths and weaknesses, values and assumptions?

•        How do I experience alienation and liberation?

•        How does my engagement with others alter these feelings, values, hopes?

•        What false understandings have I internalized?

•        How can I use the service experience to liberate myself from such forms of false understanding?

3. Theoretical. Ideas are tools. “Truth,” as William James says, “is a leading function.” Some part of each entry should attempt to relate the themes and ideas developed in the readings and class discussions to your experiences with social engagement. (I expect that this section might be relatively brief in early entries but grow larger as the course develops). Think about the following questions:

•     How do the ideas, themes and explorations of this class (or other classes too!) relate to my experiences of social engagement?

•     Do they elucidate my experience or, on the contrary, do I find some other set of ideas more illuminating in my attempts to learn through action?

•     What are the strengths and weaknesses of liberation Christianity as providing a framework for service and action? What other frameworks work better for me?

4. Practical. The purpose of a service learning journal, we might say paraphrasing Marx, is not so much to understand the world but to change it. Thought has consequences. Some part of each entry ought to reflect on how you hope to put into practice what you’ve been learning. Think about the following questions:

•       How might I better serve the people around me?

•       How might I empower both them and myself through this service?

•        What stereotypes, twisted feelings, and misshapen values do I need to work on in myself?

•       How do I accomplish my own liberation in conjunction with working for the liberation of others?

•       What are my strengths and skills which I can use on behalf of others?

•       What are their strengths and skills which I can draw upon to transform myself?

We will do in‑class exercises with the j ourrial frequently so always bring your journal to class. I will formally review your service learning journals three times during the quarter. I will informally review your journal on September 23 . Journals are due for the first formal review on October 7 . Journals are due for a second review on November 4.

Journals are due for final review on November 25 . Students are graded on the learning that they achieve through service. The journal is the primary expression of your learning in the service context as well as in the classroom. It will count for 45% of your grade for the course.

E.   Quizzes

There will be four quizzes during the course of the quarter. These quizzes will not be announced beforehand. They will test basic knowledge and comprehension of the assigned readings. Students who use the study guides while doing the readings will adequately prepare themselves for the quizzes. Each quiz will be worth up to five points. Together the quizzes will count for 10% of your grade for the course.

F.   Plagiarism

Plagiarism, like other forms of academic dishonesty, is always a serious matter. This course adheres to the University’s policies on plagiarism as stated in the current Bulletin/ Student Handbook. Consult any of the writing manuals for sale in the bookstore for instructions about proper citation or acknowledgment of the work of others in class assignments or you may consult the links on Blackboard.

Liberation Theology

Service Learning Exercise

Third Class

As we go around the class, please respond by addressing both questions below.

a)        Continue to describe your early experiences in your service context. What, if anything, have you found surprising?

b)        Reflect on yourself as you exercise your service. Describe something that you did that you were happy with. Focus on some interaction that expressed a strength of yours (whether or not you knew that you had that particular quality or strength.

Liberation Theology

Service Learning Exercise

Fourth Class

Please respond to the following questions. You may use them to focus your journal entry and I encourage you to share these ideas on Blackboard.

1. What false understandings of the people you are working with or the community that they are part of that you brought to your service have your uncovered?

2.   What is one particularly noteworthy strength of the people you are working with or the community organization within which you are working and how can you build on it?

Liberation Theology

Service Reflection

Week Five

Berryman discusses what he calls the hermeneutic circle or the circle of interpretation followed by CEBs as they try to make sense of their world and find an appropriate course of action. As we discussed it in class, the circle goes from Experience to Text to Experience. You have been having a series of experiences in your service placement. Now find a text (passage from a book, scene from a movie, lyrics from a song) that both illuminates your experiences (helps you to understand them, puts them in context) and orients you to praxis (guides you about how to act both effectively and transformatively).

The text that you choose should be one that shapes you. It need not be a “text” from this class. Again, I encourage you to put these “texts” on Blackboard so that others can think about them as well.

LIBERATION THEOLOGY

TAKING STOCK

At just past the mid point of the course we should pause and examine our progress in terms of our learning goals and our own desired outcomes for the course.

A.              SERVICE PLACEMENT

1.      What have you learned in your work in your service placement that you never expected to learn? What is important about this learning?

2.      What brick wall have you found yourself running up against? (The brick wall can be something internal or external; something unique to your placement site or something systemic.) How are you dealing with it?

B.               COURSE THEMES

1.      What idea or theme developed in the class discussions and readings seems most clear and relevant to you? Explain.

2.      Above all, what theme or idea do you most want to get a stronger grasp of by the end of the course? Explain.

Liberation Theology

Service Learning Exercises

October 28, 2002 and November 4, 2002

A.     Making Connections (Oct. 28)

Pick one idea/theme that we have discussed in any of our readings so far that does connect with some experience(s) at your service site. Be prepared to discuss the connection. Explain why the idea helps you to understand your service context more deeply and/or to act more purposeftilly.

B.     Interview (Nov. 4)

This exercise will be presented in class on November 4 1h . Between now and then you are to have a conversation with one person in a leadership capacity at your service site. You should focus on three questions:

I . How did you come to work here? What motivated you or led you to work here?

2.   Why do you do what you do? What are your values and beliefs as they relate to your work service?

3.   Why are you hopeful; that is, why do you believe that this work will bear fruit? What are the grounds of your hope?

Inquire gently but try to push beyond platitudes (“I wanted to make a difference.” “I wanted to give something back.” “I believe in the Golden Rule” etc.) You might ask, for example, of someone who affirms belief in the Golden Rule why they hold that belief when the way the world runs seems to suggest that that is a very na1ve way to live‑Well, that doesn’t sound too gentle, but figure out a way to converse that is a genuine exploration that gets beneath the surface. Then ask yourself what you have learned from this conversation.

Liberation Theology

Service Learning Exercise

November 11, 2002

Liberation theologians paint their theological picture on a huge canvas. They see human history in its totality as the drama of humans’ encounter with God and of God’s realization of the Kingdom of God. Occasionally our lives are clearly swept up into the chaos of history (9/11/01). Mostly, however, we are caught up in the micro‑events of our daily lives. We are deeply connected to the micro‑stories of our own lives and we are little aware of the larger historical successes that shape our lives.

1. Tell a story of human transforination that has happened at your service site (a new story, please!). (The transformation can be a small one and the story can be about your own transformation or about the transformation of someone you have taught or someone you have met at your service site.)

2. Think through how this micro‑story is linked up with larger historical processes as you understand them and with the drama of human history as you envision it. What do you learn from your micro‑story that sheds light on the macro‑drama of human history?

Liberation Theology

Service Learning Exercise

Week Nine ‑ November 18, 2002

TOPIC:   “We hold these truths to be self‑evident,” argued Thomas Jefferson. But in the world of the 181h century the truth of human rights was anything but self‑evident and Jefferson himself self‑consciously confronted his own inability to act in light of the ideals that he set forth. We face similar dilemmas of finding and following transformative truths: a) What are the truths that should guide human action in a global context? b) What do they imply for action in solidarity?

TASK:     In small groups discuss these two questions with specific reference to what you have learned in class and in your service context. Your discussion of action guided by true insights into our global context should focus on what is within the power of ordinary human beings like yourself to accomplish. Think about your actions during this past quarter. What truths did they reveal? Where do both actions and truths lead you? What can your group agree upon in terms of these two questions? It would help if the group could work from individual responses to the questions posted on Blackboard before the Nov. 18th class.

LIBERATION THEOLOGY

Individual Presentations

November 25, 2002

TOPIC: Learning and Liberation

We are all involved in forms of service that involve teaching, tutoring or coaching. In some way we are all engaged in the practice of education. The task in this final presentation is to think through specifically what we have learned from this form of practice. (In other words you are asked to do a critical reflection on praxis.) Think about the following questions as you develop your thoughts, but think of them in terms of your concrete experiences with service.

1.    Is there a connection between learning and liberation? Someone might suggest to you that education is simply the formal means through which young people are socialized to perform certain functions necessary to the maintenance of society with some being tracked into high‑skill, high‑pay functions and others to low‑skill, low‑pay functions. In other words, education is not liberation but a sophisticated machinery to produce different classes of workers, a human assembly line.

Is the educating you are doing in your service context liberating? How so or how not so? Liberating for whom? If it is liberating, what makes it so? From your experience as an educator when and under what circumstances does education liberate? What do you mean by liberation in this case?

2.    We have all told deeply affecting stories of transformation but we struggle to place our experiences in a larger context of social change. So, reflect on this question as well. Is “liberation” the concept that best describes your vision of a transforination that would lead to a just society? Is there a better way of thinking about such a transformation; i.e., just as Gutierrez argues for “liberation” versus “development” as a necessary guiding principle to achieve a just society, you could argue for an alternative to liberation.

Whether or not you see “liberation” as a guiding concept for action, how does service fit into the process of achieving a just society, if at all? What sort of service?

LOGISTICS: Each of you will have a maximum of 10 minutes for your presentation. Handouts are helpful! You might, for example, share a section from your journal. Please limit your own comments to 67 minutes maximum. Leave the remainder of the time for discussion and questions. Try not to repeat your comments from earlier in the course. Time yourself carefully. If you do not leave time for discussion, you will be downgraded. On the other hand, you are each assigned ten minutes to share your ideas. Use them well.

Please share the responsibility of raising questions or points for discussion when others are presenting. Your active participation for the whole session is part of your presentation. Good luck!

Applied Social Policy

tdomf_26a6d — Mon, 01 Nov 2004 00:00:00 +0000

APPLIED SOCIAL POLICY

LOS/SBS 430
University of Southern Maine
Lewiston Auburn College
Fall 2002

Instructor: Marvin Druker
Phone: 753 6582
Email: druker {at} usm.maine(.)edu
Office: 208A
Class Hours: Thursday 4 6:30 p.m.
Office Hours: Mon. 1 4, Wed. 3 5, Thurs. 4 7, & by appointment

COURSE DESCRIPTION

The catalogue description of this course is as follows: "A review of contemporary social policy alternatives and an examination of the macro and micro level social policymaking processes. Students complete an applied social policy project which might take the form of a policy paper, a grant proposal or written legislative testimony for a community agency." Prerequisite: junior standing or permission of the instructor.

COURSE CONTENT

Social institutions in the United States are discussed as if they were in crisis. Families, our schools, the health care system, cities, rural areas, and our communities are often described in some form of critical state. This course will go beyond a survey of the social problems that affect these institutions and will venture into the realm of social policy creation. Our consideration of social policy will consider the social realm, the political realm, the historical realm, and the economic realm. Social policies will be analyzed as being created through macrosocial processes such as our changing national ideology, social movements, and our governmental system. We will then turn our analysis to more micro social processes such as the decisions of the director or staff of a community human services agency as they interpret rules, implement new programs, and interact with clients.

This course examines the creation of social policy on both "macro" and "micro" levels. In the process, we will also examine a number of social issues and develop our own skills in analyzing and making policy.

An extensive service learning project will allow students to apply material covered in class and in the readings to real world settings.

COURSE OBJECTIVES

To examine the values and perspective underlying a variety of social policies and the changing characteristics of those policies over time.

To discuss the consequences of government action and inaction on social policies and the potential functions of social policy activity for the
larger society.

To develop skills essential to the policy making process such as: research, analysis, writing, planning, and interaction skills.

To explore the role of power in social policy formation.

To examine the role of service providers as they relate to policy making and policy implementation.

REQUIRED TEXTS

Frances Fox Piven and Richard Cloward, Regulating the Poor: The Functions of Public Welfare, updated edition, (New York, NY: Vintage Books).

Michael Lipsky, Street Level Bureaucracy: Dilemmas of the Individual in Public Services, (New York, NY: Russell Sage Foundation).

Diana Hacker, The Bedford Handbook, a recent edition, (Boston, Massachusetts: Bedford/ St. Martin's).

GRADING

Grades for this course will be based on the following distribution:

Class Attendance and Participation 15%

Short Papers (2-4 pp. each) 25%

Midterm Paper: Research Policy Paper and Class Presentation 25%

Final Project: Service Learning Applied Social Policy 35%

Policy Project and Class Presentation (25% group work and 10% individual's work)

Class Attendance and Participation
Class attendance is important. It is expected that you will also participate during class by asking questions, answering questions, leading discussions, relating class materials to current events, assisting others in developing their ideas, and paying attention to what is happening in class. We will, on occasion, discuss readings or assignments through student led discussion. If you must miss class, please contact me by phone or email ahead of time.

Midterm Paper: Research Policy Paper
This project will allow students to select a social policy area such as medicaid, legal aid, head start, etc. Students will research and write a brief history of the policy and its development. We will try to analyze these policies as they stand currently in the fall of 2002.

Final Project: Service Learning Applied Social Policy Project
This will involve an extensive applied social policy project in the form of a policy paper, a grant proposal, or written legislative testimony for a community agency. This project can be done in groups. It will also involve a 1 to 2 page individual paper describing and reflecting on your experiences in this service learning process. We will discuss possible projects in class. Students will then develop a work plan for completing this project.

Short Papers
There will be several assignments asking students to analyze case studies, essays, or reading assignments in 2 to 4 page papers given periodically through the semester.

SCHEDULE OF TOPICS AND COURSE REQUIREMENTS

September 5
Introduction to the Course. Discussion of Projects.

September 12
Policy Analysis: Macro Analysis
The Establishment of Relief & Its Relation to Labor and Civil Disorder
Piven & Cloward, Intros & Ch. 1.

September 19
The Great Depression and the New Deal
P & C Chs. 2 & 3

September 26
Stabilization of Relief: The 40's & 50's
P & C, Chs. 4 & 5

October 3
The Expansion of Welfare in the 1960's: The Great Society
P & C, Chs. 6 & 7

October 10
Reacting to Disorder & the Increased Role of the Federal
Government
P & C, Chs. 8 & 9

October 17
Consequences of the Great Society
P & C, Ch. 10

The Role of the Street Level Bureaucrat
Lipsky, preface & Chs. I & 2

October 24
Midterm Policy Papers Due with Class Presentations

October 31
Deindustrialization and Welfare to Work
P & C. Ch. 11s

Conditions of Work for the SL Bureaucrat
Lipsky, Chs. 3 6

November 7 Poor Relief and Theories of the Welfare State
P & C. Ch. 12

November 14 Patterns of Practice for the SL Bureaucrat
Lipsky, Chs. 7 10

November 21 The Future of Street Level Bureaucrats
Lipsky, Chs. 11 13

November 28
Thanksgiving Vacation

December 5
The Future of the Welfare State in the United States

Service Learning Paper Presentations

December 12

Service Learning Papers Due

December 19
Paper Presentations

Final Project: Individual Reflection Paper
Please answer the following questions about your reactions to working on this semester's service learning project:

A. Did you find any personal value in doing the project, e.g., personal satisfaction, personal achievement, etc.?

B. Did the project provide you with any interpersonal or social benefits, e.g., an increased concern for others or a greater appreciation for people of diverse backgrounds or a sense of community connectedness?

C. How did the project enhance your learning? Did it help increase your knowledge, did it help develop critical thinking, did it help you to connect academic subject matter to the "real world" etc.?

D. Will your work on the project enhance your occupational skills? For example did it re realistic view of a particular area of work, did it show you new possibilities for employment, etc.?

E. How did work on the project influence your civic awareness or skills? e.g., an awareness of community problems, commitment to making a difference,
intention to work for social justice, etc.?

For those of you working in a group please also answer these two questions:
1. What was your role in the project?
2. Comment on how well the group interacted in completing the task?

Mediation and Conflict Resolution

tdomf_26a6d — Mon, 01 Nov 2004 00:00:00 +0000

Mediation & Conflict Resolution
(Community Building, Peace, Conflict & Alternative Dispute Resolution)

Robert N. Hansen, Ph.D.
#5 Westminster Hall

Home Phone: 573-491-3344
Cell: 573-645-3344
Office: x5362 or 5361
Email: hansenr {at} oaynet.wcmo(.)edu
Fax: 573 592 5180
Office Hours: Monday/Wednesday 11:00 12:00 Noon

Course Description & Objectives:

This course provides an introduction into the concepts, theory and practice of community building, peacemaking, and conflict resolution. Topics will include: a) community development theory; b) conflict theory; c) peacemaking; d) principles of five types of ADR strategies (negotiation, arbitration, adjudication, conciliation, and mediation); d) the application of these concepts, theories and strategies to historical and current situations; and e) the development of mediation skills and a personal style of conflict resolution.

As a result of taking this course, students will: a) be knowledgeable about the concepts and theories of community building and conflict resolution; b) have a greater understanding and appreciation for the ways conflicts have been managed or mis managed in history; c) experience a greater awareness of current international, national, state, local and campus conflicts; and d) be more competent leaders as a result of developing greater skills in conflict resolution.

Instructional Materials:

Fisher, R., Ury, W. & Patton, B. (199 1). Getting to Yes: Negotiating Agreement Without Giving In. Penguin: New York.

This has become the classic book on negotiation. Fisher, Ury and Patton have taught negotiation theory and skills at Harvard Law School and throughout the world via the Harvard Negotiation Project. This popular press book is used in most undergraduate, graduate and law school courses that focus on the art and science of negotiation.

Beer, J.E. & Stief, E. (1997). The Mediator's Handbook. New Society: Gabriola Island, British Columbia: Canada.

Developed by the Friends Conflict Resolution Program, this handbook comes from one of the oldest mediation programs in the United States. It was originally developed to promote creative and peaceful processes for resolving conflicts in Quaker and other communities. Today, it is used in community and academic settings to teach basic mediation skills.

Classroom Activities:

This class will function as an "active seminar". Although there will be some formal presentations by the instructor, much of our time will be devoted to discussion and application of the material. Special "lab sessions" will be scheduled which focus on the development of basic mediation skills. Guest speakers, videos, outside readings, field trips, and small group activities will be additional means of working with this material.

Learning Through Service & "Mediation Skills Lab":

We will work collaboratively with the young women of the Rosa Parks Center, a Division of Youth Services' residential facility for "troubled" teenagers. These young women will give us a tour of their facility, explain their treatment program and assist in the making of communication skills and mediation videotapes. They will also teach us the conflict resolution techniques that they are learning in their treatment program. To reciprocate, we will teach them some formal mediation skills and give them an "introductory college experience" by giving them a tour of campus and letting them sit in on some classes. Both in class and through reaction papers, we will individually and collectively reflect on our experience with these young women. Our challenge is to better understand conflict through their eyes and to look at the bigger picture of why these young women, and thousands like them, are in treatment programs. What is it about them, adolescence, public policy, or our culture in general that produces so many "troubled" teens? Each student, with the help of these young women, will make at least two video segments one demonstrating active listening skills and one demonstrating mediation skills. These videos will only be seen by you, the instructor and one other student in the course who will critique your tape. You will need one VHS videotape for use in these "lab" activities. If you can't afford a videotape, I have some previously used tapes that you can use.

Learning Styles:

Each of us has a personalized learning style. Please let me know if you have a particular style or challenge (e.g., severe test anxiety, slow reading speed or comprehension, vision or hearing impairment, or another learning disability) that could benefit from special accommodations. Anyone who feels s/he may need an accommodation based on the impact of a disability should contact me to arrange an appointment as soon as possible. At this time we can discuss the course format, anticipate your needs and explore potential accommodations.

Grading: 1,000 points possible

Reaction Papers (4 total) 75 pts each = 300
Lab Projects

Active Listening Critique (self) 50 pts = 250
Critique of Partner

Final Mediation Video Project
Skill = 50 pts
Self Critique = 50 pts
Critique Other = 50 pts

Quizzes (3): (50pts each) = 150
Attendance At 4 Campus Events With Discussion Group Comments = 80
Hosting Visiting Presenter (includes reaction comment) = 20
Participation/Engagement = 200

Class Schedule:

Phase 1: Introductions & Making Our Class A "Community"
Key Concepts of Community Building & Development
The Paradox of Conflict: Change Theory & Systems Theory
Current Global Conflicts & Negotiations: Iraq and North Korea

Phase 2: Principled Negotiating: Theory & Practice
Mega Listening: The First Step of Successful Negotiators
Building Consensus
Quiz over Phases 1 & 2

Phase 3: What is "Peace"? What is "War"?
International, national, regional, local and campus conflicts
Northern Ireland Catholics, Protestants & British "Occupation"
Israel Palestine
Civil Rights Struggles
Marriage and Family
Campus Conflicts: Past & Present
Is it possible to create "intentional" peaceful communities?
Quiz over Phase 3

Phase 4: Alternative Dispute Resolution Strategies
The Continuum of ADR Options
Theory and Practice of Mediation
Learning Mediation Skills
Quiz over Phase 4

Phase 5: Community Building & Development (Revisited)
Other Possible Topics: Hostage Negotiation
Marriage/Couples Therapy
Labor Unions vs. Management
Animal Rights Movement
Cloning & Other Medical Ethics Issues
Criminals & Restorative Justice

Gender and Global Politics

tdomf_26a6d — Wed, 04 Jun 2003 00:00:00 +0000

Dr. Neathery-Castro (jneathery {at} mail.unomaha(.)edu)
ASH 378 5:30-7:10 M/W
My Office Hours: M/W 4:30-5:30pm, or by appointment
University of Nebraska at Omaha
ASH 275, 554-3611
Spring 2000
Course Overview
This course examines to what extent women participate in the decisions that shape the political and economic world and the goals of women in politics. While an existing course at UNO looks exclusively at female political participation in the United States, this course connects gender politics to both comparative and international relations literatures. We will examine gender s impact on political interests and how foreign domestic and international institutions shape policy results in differential ways for the genders
A constant theme of the course, and its clear connection to service learning, will be the emphasis on critically assessing the role of women in political society and collectively defining and strategizing toward gender equality within the constraints of international political cultures and institutions.
This semester, we will work with the Omaha Public School system and the Southern Sudanese Community Association (SSCA), a volunteer agency that serves refugees from south Sudan. Serving an Omaha community of about 2500 refugees, the SSCA offers several services to the refugees who have fled the civil war-torn Sudan. Many refugees have spent up to 20 years living in UN refugee camps prior to their settlement in Omaha. We will assist with tutoring and mentoring high school Sudanese women in the Omaha Public Schools.
Please be aware that this is a service-learning course, and you will be expected to spend about 2 hours per week in service activities outside of class.
Course Objectives
1) to critically identify the political problems and opportunities women face within their own countries and in the global arena
2) to respectfully examine and evaluate government policies on gender issues
3) to promote creative strategies for reducing bias on the basis of gender, race, ethnicity, class, and sexual orientation
4) to foster collaborative learning and understanding between learners
5) to advance learner leadership skills
6) to connect theory and case study to real-life situations, promoting cognizance of the interrelatedness between personal experience and broader social realities.

Evaluation
The student s final grade will be based on the following:
3 reaction papers — 45%
Quizzes on readings — 10%
Service-Learning Journal — 30%
Attendance/discussion — 15%
———
100%

Grading scale:
98-100 A+, 88-89 B+, 78-79 C+, 68-69 D+, below 60 F
90-97 A, 80-88 B, 70-77 C, 60-67 D

Key to text abbreviations
Staudt : Staudt, Kathleen, 1998. Policy, Politics & Gender. Kumarian Press.
Hutchinson: Hutchinson, Sharon. 1996. Nuer Dilemmas. Los Angeles: University of California Press.
P&R: Peterson, V. Spike and Anne Sisson Runyan. 1999. Global Gender Issues, 2nd edition. Boulder: Westview Press.

Schedule of readings/assignments: (I reserve the right to modify this syllabus, if necessary)

Week 1 — 1/8, 1/10
Introduction, service info.
Redefining politics?
N&C: ch. 1 Redefining Politics , P&R: ch. 1 Introduction: The Gender of World Politics
P&R: ch. 2 Gender as a Lens on World Politics

Week 2 — 1/15, 1/17
Gender and Power
Class cancelled Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday
Pettman: ch. 2 Women, gender and the state
P&R: ch. 3 Gendered Divisions of Power
Holt, Renee. Women's Rights And International Law: Struggle For Recognition And Enforcement, Columbia Journal of Gender & Law, v1, n1, 1991.

Week 3 — 1/22, 1/24
Nationalism and Gender
Pettman: ch. 3 Women, gender and nationalisms
Pettman: ch. 4 Women in mostmigratory and postcolonial identities

Week 4 — 1/29, 1/31
The Case of Sudan
Gruenbaum, Ellen. 1990. Nuer Women in Southern Sudan: Health, Reproduction and Work. Lansing: Michigan State University.
Hutchinson, Sharon Elaine. 1999. Nuer Dilemmas: Coping with Money, War and the State. (selections TBA)

Week 5 — 2/5, 2/7
Gender and Education
B&D: ch. 16 Creating Change through Adult Education (Brock-Utne)
Women of the World-Women's Education in India , 1998 report
Women's Education in Developing Countries , 1993 (selections TBA)

Week 6 — 2/12, 2/14
Gender and Development
B&D: ch. 12 Women and Development (Kardam)
Pettman: part 3 The International Sexual Division of Labour

Week 7 — 2/19, 2/21
Gender, Peace and War
Pettman: part 2 The Gendered Politics of Peace and War

Week 8 — 2/26, 2/28
Gender , International Movements, and International Organizations
B&D: ch. 12 The UN and Women s Issues (Galey)
P&R: ch. 5 The Politics of Resistance: Women as Nonstate, Antistate, and Transstate Actors

Week 9 — 3/5, 3/7
Gender and Violence
B&D: ch. 10 Thinking about Women and International Violence (Elshtain)

Week 10 — 3/12, 3/14
Work on journals at home
Spring Break no classes

Week 11 — 3/19, 3/21
Wrap up and conclusions
P&R: ch. 6 Ungendering World Politics
Pettman: conclusion

On Written Work:
Be sure to follow an accepted bibliographic form to cite all of your sources, either MLA or APA style. Here are a few simple rules about quotations, paraphrases, and plagiarism.
1. When you copy the words of another, put those words inside quotation marks, and acknowledge the source with a footnote.
2. When you paraphrase another s words, use your own words and your own sentence structure, and be sure to use a footnote giving the source of the idea.
3. A plagiarist often merely changes a few words or simply rearranges the words in the source.
Source: Harbrace College Handbook, p. 407.

Reaction Papers (each worth 10% of course grade)
Reaction papers should be typed, double-spaced and about 3-5 pages in length. Please be thoughtful in these papers, drawing upon readings, class discussion, and your own ideas. They may be e-mailed to me (as an attachment).

Reaction Paper #1 Gendered Visions of the World? Due 1/24 at the beginning of classHow does your gender shape the way you perceive the world? Can you separate your ideology from your gender? How are your political views influenced by your gender?

Reaction Paper #2 War and Gender – Due 2/21 at the beginning of classIs war a masculine enterprise? What role should women play in international conflict? In state or international military organizations? Who should make these decisions?

Reaction Paper #3 International Agenda on Gender – Due 3/5 at the beginning of classSuppose you were convening a conference on international gender issues. What would you focus the conference on? Who would you invite? What would you hope to accomplish?

Service Learning Journal (35% of course grade)
This is basically a log of your service activity. You should have an entry each week. Record the time you spent in the field — both activities and your ongoing thoughts. I will collect these journals a couple of times during the semester, then at the end of the course. I should be able to get a sense of your experiences in the field by reading this journal.

Before you turn it in at the end of the semester, please include a final entry where you summarize both your experiences and your reaction to the entire experience. It should be written in an informal, journalistist style as if you were telling me about your experiences. This should be both a literal and impressionistic account of your experiences working with the community.
Student Information and Acknowledgment Form
Course: PSCI 3920: Gender and Global Politics
Please read the attached syllabus, fill out the information on this cover sheet, and sign it to indicate that you have read and understand the requirements of the course in full. This information helps me understand your needs better, and will be kept confidential. Please detach this sheet and hand it to me at the end of the first class.
Name: ______________________________________
Social Security #: ____________________________
Year in school: _______________________________
Major (if any): _______________________________
E-mail: _____________________________________
Mailing address: ______________________________
Phone number (optional) ________________________

Previous international experience (travel, residence, nationality), if any:

Have you previously taken any classes that dealt with the issue of gender?

Briefly describe your reasons for taking the course:

Tell me one thing about yourself that you would like me to know (i.e. experiences, interests, political ideas)

Are there any special circumstances of which I should be aware?

I have read and understand the course requirements and conditions.

_________________________________

(signed)

The Politics of San Francisco

tdomf_26a6d — Wed, 06 Nov 2002 00:00:00 +0000

San Francisco Political Issues: Housing and Economic Development
(Political Science 475.1)

San Francisco Urban Institute
San Francisco State University

Instructors:
Dr. Brian Murphy, Political Science, Urban Institute
Mr. Hadley Roff, former Deputy Mayor, San Francisco
Mr. Calvin Welch, San Francisco Information Clearing House
Ms. Sharen Hewitt, San Francisco Housing Authority
Mr. Gordon Chin, Chinatown Community Development Corp

.Introduction: This course offers San Francisco State University undergraduates an opportunity to study the recent political history of San Francisco, with a particular focus on the economic and social context within which policy debates and political engagement have emerged. More critically, the course offers students an opportunity to combine academic study with practical experience, as all students are placed in local community-based non-profit social and economic development agencies as interns. SFSU students are joined in the course by non-profit staff, who attend the course through the university s extension program. Finally, the course is taught by a team that includes a university professor, three community activists, and a former deputy mayor (for five mayors).

San Francisco is blessed with a wealth of non-profit community organizations, whose services provide essential elements of the city s social service, health, and affordable housing infrastructures. These organizations are chronically understaffed, and look to the university for new sources of staff and organizing leadership. But most university student lack any exposure to community work, or to the concrete realities of staff work in the service of social and economic justice. San Francisco State students are a potential source of new community-based staff, were they to be engaged in the work of nonprofits, and see it as valuable and viable career option.

Political Science 475 is organized to provide such an opportunity for SFSU students, as well as provide critical services to local community-based non-profits. The course is part of the San Francisco Urban Institute s Urban Curriculum Project. This Project grew out of the need to provide engaged learning for SFSU students, and at the same time provide local communities groups access to the educational and intellectual resources of one of the nation s premier urban universities.

Course Design:

Political Science 475 meets one evening a week, for 3 % hours, for the duration of a fifteen week semester. There is one required text: a source book combining academic analyses, historical accounts, planning and analytic documents, demographic and economic data, and an extensive bibliography. Additional text materials are distributed throughout the semester.

The course takes as its main topic the post-war economic and social transformation of Francisco and examines the often volatile mix of community politics and economic power which determined so much of the contemporary landscape. The course explores several major policy debates, particularly involving land use, development, employment and housing, and searches for continuities and discontinuities with contemporary issues.

The course is unique in that many of the issues under study directly involved persons teaching the course. Indeed, three of the instructors were major participants in the land use and development struggles of the past twenty years, often sharply at odds with one another. The course thus allows students to revisit these debates through the eyes and analyses of the actual participants, and forces students to confront the clash of what we might call decent opposites.

The course typically enrolls between 35 and 55 students, no more than half of whom are regularly matriculated university students. The others are community-based staff, typically mid-level administrative and front line community organizers, and mid-level staff from city and county agencies. The community-based students are provided enrollment and registration through the university College of Extended Learning, and earn four units of upper division university credit. The cost to non-matriculated students is $25/unit (compared with the usual extension fee of $650/course). The agencies and non-profits have included housing and social service providers, as well as health, youth, and community development organizations.

Each university student is expected to secure an intern placement with an agency whose staff are enrolled in the course. Thus, university students share the class with men and women with whom they work in their intern placement. Intern responsibilities vary enormously, as do the number of internship hours.

The course operates through a lecture/seminar format, with assigned readings in advance. Each class has a major presentation by one or more of the instructors. The class often divides up into discussion sections, in addition to the normal lecture questioning.

Each student is required to participate in a research/action project as a member of a working group organized through the class. Each course had had three or four such working groups, whose goal is to complete a collaborative research project aimed at producing a body of written and presentational material. Each group is expected to produce both an analytic piece and a public presentation of their work. Topics always include a data analysis component – typically of demographic, economic, or public opinion data-linked to a current planning or political issue. The topics are chosen with a view to their usefulness in facilitating public debate, and their success depends as much on the accessibility of the analysis as its methodological purity.

Past projects have included analyses of the major economic and social issues in selected electoral districts prior to district supervisoral elections, the demographic analysis of neighborhoods required for local planning initiatives, and the analysis of public perception of selected issues prior to a community congress process. All projects have combined the analytic skills of university students with the organizing skills (and access) of the community students.

One explicit intention of the projects is to introduce university students to the neighborhood realities of community organizing, build enduring relationships between the team members, and bridge gaps of race and language that often divide neighborhoods. Each working group thus includes community staff from both inside and outside the selected neighborhoods, and engages them in teaching university students how to understand the complexities of the city. Conversely, the students find themselves teaching the utility and power of applied social science methods, when appropriate.

Outcomes: The course has three explicit goals: to educate university students through a process of engagement linked to course work, to open the university up to community based and city staff, and to provide enduring links between the university students and the community groups.

These explicit goals serve several more elusive – but critical – purposes. We aim to engage students sufficiently that they learn the joys of working on public affairs, while not being romantic about how hard or contradictory such work can be. We aim to break down subtle distinctions of status between university students and their community partners, many of whom are formally uneducated but remarkably gifted in both analysis and organizing skill. At the same time, many community students are extremely well educated, and it serves the currently enrolled students well to see the career and life choices made by other university graduates.

Finally, we aim to confront the cynicism of university students by bringing them into collaborative work with men and women who fight to change the world of poverty and inequality every day. The course legitimates the hard demands of political engagement, and validates the impact of political organizing, through an encounter with San Francisco s rich political history. This is a city in which politics matters, where ordinary citizens have helped determine the city s future.

At the same time, the men and women who devote their lives to community work long for an intellectual life, and for a free space in which they can debate and learn.

We do not have longitudinal studies of students in the first three offerings of this course. We do know that virtually every university student expressed satisfaction (through end-of-semester surveys), with both the content and the personal impact of the course. We also know that a number of former students now work for community-based nonprofits, often in the organizations with which they interned. One former student is now an elected Supervisor of the City and County of San Francisco, and several others worked on the campaigns of supervisoral candidates.

With regard to the community impact, we might quote from an interim report delivered to the Rockefeller Foundation, who funded the initial courses:

…the courses have generated a critical buzz in San Francisco s non-profit environment. They have achieved-in very short order-the reputation as an almost unique environment within which community activists can learn matters of great substance, share their own experiences and knowledge with one another, and discuss matters of dispute or disagreement. The courses and the Seminar provide a safe environment in which critical research can be done collaboratively, sharp disagreements can be aired, and policy options debated. This reputation for civility, intelligence, and engagement have drawn new students, visitors, and repeated requests for expanding the program.

Our successes are simple and singular, at one level: the two students who have been awarded the California State University s prestigious Panetta awards to intern and learn in Washington, at no cost; the Mayor who visits and tells the class he knows several politicians who would die for the detailed community-based research he just saw presented; the three housing authority activists who have gone back to school, one of whom was awarded the nation s highest community service award; the two community organizers who were inspired to run for city office (and both might win); the combined staffs of two community development organizations who now collaborate regularly in their work; the redevelopment staff who provided detailed Geographic Information System mapping for the community groups organizing neighborhood congresses.

Broader Program Elements:

Political Science 475 is one of several courses offered through the Urban Curriculum Project, a program jointly sponsored by the San Francisco Policy Center (itself a joint venture of the San Francisco Urban Institute and the San Francisco Information Clearinghouse). Beyond the courses, this project has three additional elements:

First, the university will offer admissions, financial aid, and academic assessment services to community program participants who seek to further their formal education.

Second, the Project will develop a series of contract education offerings in specialized professional development areas (contract management, non-profit organizational development, financial and fiscal management, as examples), for community organizations wishing these services for their staff.

Third, each cohort of university students and community staff will be offered membership in a Community Leadership Seminar, which will provide on-going opportunities for participants to work together, receive periodic policy briefings, and receive specialized training in community organizing, advocacy, and coalition building. This Seminar is intended to provide an on-going bridge between university students and community workers often separated by neighborhood, issue, race, or language.

American Government

tdomf_26a6d — Mon, 29 Jan 2001 00:00:00 +0000

Service Coordinators: Ms. Kim Carroll and Ms. Jennifer Outlaw

"I am a firm believer in the people. If given the truth, they can be depended upon to meet any national crisis. The great point is to bring them the real facts."
- Abraham Lincoln

"Service, combined with learning, adds value to each and transforms both."
- Honnet and Poulsen, 1989

"O I see flashing that this America is only you and me,
Its power, weapons, testimony, are you and me,
Its crimes, lies, thefts, defections, are you and me,
Its Congress is you and me, the officers, capitols, armies,
ships, are you and me . . .
Freedom, language, poems, employments are you and me,
Past, present, future, are you and me.

I dare not shirk any part of myself,
Not any part of America good or bad . . ."
-Walt Whitman (as cited in Barber, 1998)

Course Objectives: The purpose of this course is to provide you with an introduction to the United States' political system and the operation and purpose of its key institutions and players. An important goal of the course will be to develop a greater understanding of the role of power in our political system. In particular, we will focus on the delicate balancing act between the various power holders in our democracy — including the Presidency, Congress, the Judiciary, the states, the media and ordinary citizens. We will focus on the questions: How did the Founding Fathers envision the distribution of power in our political system? What does the Constitution say about the structure of power in our democracy? How has the struggle for civil rights and civil liberties throughout our history redefined this power distribution? How powerful is the modern media in our political system and how powerful should it be? How do the various branches of government share power and how does this contribute to (or prohibit) effective policy-making?

Perhaps most importantly, we will focus on the question: What power lies in the hands of ordinary citizens like you to shape and determine the direction of our political system? In many ways, an effective and legitimate democracy depends on the active participation of informed and involved citizens. The goal of this course is to begin to provide you with the information and skills to become a true participatory member of our democracy. This course will provide you with the opportunity to explore the purpose and meaning of good citizenship through participation in a service learning activity. In particular, a requirement of this course is regular service work (see Course Requirements section of this syllabus for specifics) at the Greenville Literacy Association. The purpose of this service work is to enhance your own political learning and skills while at the same time contributing to your community. In class, we will discuss the relationship between what we are reading about politics and citizenship and what you are learning through your service in the 'real world'. Through critical reflection, we will consider such issues as: What is the meaning of good citizenship in a democracy? What is your role and obligation as a citizen? What skills are needed by citizens in order that they may be participants in the political world? What are some of the causes and consequences of illiteracy in the United States? How does illiteracy affect the balance of power in our political system? What is the role of government in a democracy in terms of solving social problems?

This course will not be a passive learning experience. In addition to your active participation in the service-learning project, you will be required to participate actively in class discussions and in-class projects. In this class, you will learn how to be an informed, involved and participatory citizen. You will learn how to engage in rational and informed deliberations about issues confronting our political system. And, in the process, hopefully you will learn about the benefits (and costs) associated with living in a democracy.

Because different students have different learning styles, this class will include a mix of teaching mediums including traditional lectures, class discussions, films and musical presentations, cooperative learning projects, and individual writing assignments.

Required Readings: The following books are required and available for purchase in the bookstore.

Rimmerman, Craig A. 1997. The New Citizenship: Unconventional Politics, Activism, and Service. Boulder: Westview Press.

Waldman, Steven. 1995. The Bill: How Legislation Really Becomes Law – A Case Study of the National Service Bill. New York: Penguin Books.

Wayne, Stephen J., Mackenzie, G. Calvin, O'Brien, David M. and Richard L. Cole. 1999 (Third edition). The Politics of American Government. New York: St. Martin's Press.
– henceforth, referred to as PAG in this syllabus

A reading packet with some additional required readings will be put on reserve in the library. Students are expected to read The New York Times daily and to keep up with current political events. Subscriptions to The New York Times are offered to students at a reduced rate and subscription applications will be handed out in class. In addition, NewsHour with Jim Lehrer on PBS (Channel 8, 6pm weeknights) and National Public Radio's Morning Edition and All Things Considered on WNCW, Channel 90.1 are good sources of in-depth coverage of political news.

Course Expectations: You are expected to do all of the required reading and to come to every class session. In addition, you are expected to participate actively in the class discussions. Your attendance and participation in class discussions will constitute 10% of your grade. You will not do well in this class without consistent attendance, participation and the lecture information. Students will be responsible for material covered in class. Therefore, if you must miss a class, it is very important that you get the notes from another student in the class (not from me). Students are also responsible for any changes in the syllabus announced in class.

There are three major assignments for this course. You are expected to complete each assignment on time. Assignments are due at the beginning of class on the day indicated in the syllabus. Late assignments will be graded down one letter grade increment (from a B+ to a B, for example) for each day they are late. Any paper handed in after class on the scheduled date will be considered one day late. Exceptions will be made only in the case of illness or other University-excused absence. Students who must miss class for a University-scheduled event must make arrangements to turn in the assignment ahead of time or have another student turn in the assignment at the scheduled time.

1) Service-Learning Project: Students are expected to devote two hours per week to service work for the Greenville Literacy Association. You will sign up for your service work in class on Friday, September 17. You will be given a variety of options of service work at a variety of times and locations. Students are expected to honor their commitment to GLA and show up each week on time. The project coordinators will keep track of your volunteer hours and will evaluate your performance and commitment as a volunteer. Their evaluation will constitute 10% of your grade in this class. Because it becomes a logistical nightmare for the project coordinators, students may not change their schedules once they have been set. However, given that unforeseen circumstances may arise, students will be allowed to change their volunteer time one time during the course of the semester. It is your responsibility to find another student in the class to switch days with you for that one week.

2) Service Learning Journal: Each week you are expected to make at least one entry into your journal reflecting on your experiences with the service-learning project. Each journal entry should include three sections denoted by three different colors of ink. In black ink, you should describe what you actually did that week at GLA – what were your tasks? How did you complete these tasks? With whom did you work? Etc. In blue ink, you should write your more affective or subjective reactions to what happened during the week – how did you feel about your experience this week? Why? Finally, in red ink, you should reflect thoughtfully on the relationship between the things that happen 'out there' and what we are reading about or discussing in class that week – what connections can be made to the reading, to the class discussion? How do your experiences at GLA help you to understand the political world better? How do they help you to understand the balance of power in our political system? The role of the citizen? Etc. Your grade on the journal will reflect the degree to which your entries are thoughtful and complete. All entries should include all three parts, however, the most emphasis in terms of your grade will be placed on the portion written in red ink as this will reflect critical thinking about the project and the issues of democracy, citizenship, and power. On occasion, I will give you a focus topic for one of your journal entries for that week. The journal will constitute 15% of your grade in this class.

3) Current Events Week-in-Review: We will spend one day approximately every other week reviewing and discussing some of the major events in American politics from the previous two weeks. The class will break up into small discussion groups and one student will be assigned to lead the discussion for each group. The student discussion leader will have an assigned topic to guide the discussion; however, if the events of the day supersede this topic the student leaders may, with the permission of the instructor, stray from these guidelines. Students will be expected to summarize briefly the relevant articles from The New York Times and then engage students with interesting discussion questions relevant to the focus topic. The student leaders for that week will be expected to turn in their discussion questions and a 3-4 page paper discussing the assigned topic two days prior to the date they lead the discussion group. Your performance as a leader of the current events discussion will constitute 5% of your grade in this course. Your paper will constitute 10% of your grade.

Examinations: There will be two exams in this class. The exams will be a combination of short answer identifications and essay questions drawing from the assigned readings as well as the lecture notes. The exams will be closed-book and closed-notes, in-class exams. You will be given a study guide a week before each of the exams. Questions on the exam will be chosen from this study guide, thus, there will be no surprises. In the spirit of cooperative learning, you are encouraged to study with your student colleagues. The midterm exam will constitute 15% of your grade in this class. The midterm exam will be during class on Thursday, October 14th. The final exam will constitute 25% of your grade. The final exam will be at its university-scheduled time on Wednesday, December 15th from 9 a.m.-11:30 a.m.. The final exam will be cumulative. The dates for the exams are not negotiable. Please make your travel arrangements accordingly. Absences due to illness or a death in the family must be excused by the dean's office or a doctor. Students who must miss an exam due to a University scheduled event must make arrangements to take the exam ahead of time.

Quizzes: There will be two quizzes in this course which will consist of short answer identifications. The quizzes will constitute 10% of your grade in the class. The first quiz will be on Monday, October 4th and the second quiz will be on Monday, November 8th. The quizzes will cover only a limited portion of the material.

ACADEMIC DISHONESTY: ACADEMIC DISHONESTY WILL NOT BE TOLERATED. A STUDENT FOUND TO BE INVOLVED IN AN ACADEMIC IRREGULARITY, INCLUDING CHEATING ON AN EXAM, FAILURE TO USE PROPER CITATIONS IN HIS/HER WRITTEN WORK OR COPYING ANOTHER'S WORK, WILL BE SUBJECT TO THE APPROPRIATE DISCIPLINARY MEASURES AS DETERMINED BY THE PROFESSOR INCLUDING RECEIVING AN F FOR THE ASSIGNMENT AND/OR FOR THE COURSE. IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS CONCERNING WHAT CONSTITUTES CHEATING AND/OR PLAGIARISM, PLEASE CONSULT WITH ME PRIOR TO THE DEADLINE FOR THE ASSIGNMENT.

Grades: Grades will be calculated on the following basis:
Service Learning Journal 15%
Service Learning Participation 10%
(assessment based on Ms. Carroll's and your project coordinator's reports of your involvement)
Current Events Week-in-Review Discussion 5%
Current Events Paper 10%
Quizzes 15%
Midterm Examination 15%
Final Examination 20%
Participation 10%

Total 100%

93-100 = A 77-79 = C+ 60-62 = D-
90-92 = A- 73-76 = C Below 60 = F
87-89 = B+ 70-72 = C-
83-86 = B 67-69 = D+
80-82 = B- 63-66 = D

Students with disabilities who need academic accommodations should contact Dr. Sarah Fletcher, Coordinator of Disability Services, (2998), in Plyler Hall 1 (basement) in the beginning of the term. After meeting with her, please come see me during my office hours to discuss any necessary accommodations.

Assignment Outline:

September 14: Introduction
September 15-16: Introduction to the Greenville Literacy Association and service learning: What is GLA? Who are the students at GLA? What will your responsibilities be?
Read: Reading Packet #1
Consider: What are my goals for the service learning project? What can I learn by participating in this project?
September 17: Politics and the American Political Culture
Read: PAG — Chapter 1
Consider: What does it mean to be an American? What is unique about American political culture?
September 20: Deliberative Dialogue – Learning to talk and think about the issues
Read: Tannen, Chapters 1 and 4, Reading Packet #2
(On reserve in the library and available outside my office)
Consider: What is the argument culture? What effect does it have on our political system and ordinary citizens?
September 21: The Foundations of the American Government – The Declaration of Independence and the Articles of Confederation
Read: AG – pp. 30-42; Appendix A The Declaration of Independence
Consider: What is a government based on consent of the governed? What were the problems under the Articles of Confederation?
September 22-23: The Origins of the American Constitution – The Constitutional Convention
Read for September 22: PAG, pp. 42-58
Read for September 23: The Constitution in PAG Appendix B
Consider: What role did the Founding Fathers envision for ordinary citizens in the United States? How did the Constitution formally distribute power among groups, institutions, and individuals in American society?
September 24: The Ratification Process – Winning Support for the Constitution
Read: The Federalist Papers 10 and 51 in PAG Appendix C
Consider: What did James Madison mean when he was talking about the violence of factions? How effective would you say the Constitution has been in controlling factions in today's political system?
September 27: The Price of Federalism – Class Discussion
Read: PAG, Chapter 3
Consider: How have opinions about the distribution of power in a federalist system changed over time? Whose interests have been served by these visions of the distribution of power? What recent events and policies illustrate the conflicts inherent in our federalist system (e.g., the issue of state-recognition of same-sex marriages)?
September 28: The Judiciary
Read: PAG, Chapter 16, pp. 584-596
Consider: What is judicial activism and judicial restraint? Does the Supreme Court violate its Constitutional role when it takes an activist role?
September 29: The Supreme Court Simulation
Read: AG, Chapter 16, pp. 596-622
Consider: What factors do/should influence the judicial decision-making process?
September 30: The Supreme Court Simulation
October 1: Civil Rights and Liberties
Read: PAG, Chapter 5
Consider: Does the concept of the rights of the accused give an unfair advantage to criminals? How public should our trials be?
October 4: Quiz #1
October 5: Service Learning Project – Initial Debriefing with Ms. Carroll and Ms. Outlaw
Read: Reading Packet
Due: Service Learning Goals and Contract
October 6: Guest Speaker, Wyndi Anderson, South Carolina Advocates for Pregnant Women
October 7: Civil Rights and Liberties (cont.)
Read: PAG, Chapter 6
Consider: What do we mean by equality in the American political system? What institutions(including social and political) promote or interfere with equality?
October 8: Individual Liberties v. The Public Good: Class discussion of Film "Skokie: Rights or Wrong"
Consider: To what extent should our government be allowed to regulate hate speech? To what extent should a public or private university be able to regulate hate speech? Should individuals, for example, be allowed to take out a racist ad in the school paper? What about outside of the college campus? What has the Supreme Court said about this issue? What are the important elements of the controversy?
October 11: Current Events Week-in-Review Topic 1
October 12-13: Political Socialization
Read: PAG, Chap. 7; Rimmerman, pp. 3-10
Consider: What are your first political memories? How did/do you learn about the political world? What kind of influence would you say your parents, teachers, friends have had on your political thinking?
October 14: Midterm Exam
October 15: No class
October 18: Political Participation
Read: Rimmerman, Chapters 2 and 3
Consider: What is the role of a good citizen in the United States? Why? What is civil society? Do you see it as something that needs 'reviving'?
October 19: Political Participation: Rates of Participation and the Implications for Democracy
Read: Rimmerman, Chapter 4
Consider: What is the connection between the Civil Rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s and unconventional politics in the 1980s and 1990s? Do organizations such as ACT UP, Earth First!, the militias, and Operation Rescue potentially undermine civility and overall system stability?
October 20: Political Participation (Cont.)
Read: Rimmerman, Chapter 5
Consider: What is the New Citizenship? What role can student organizations play in overcoming voter apathy and citizens' political cynicism?
October 21: Service Learning and Citizenship: Guest Speaker
Read: Rimmerman, Chapter 6 and Reading Packet #3
Consider: What is the critique of service-learning? How might proponents of service- based learning respond to this critique?
October 22: Current Events Week-in-Review Topic 2
October 25-26: Public Opinion
Read: PAG, Chap. 8
Consider: To what extent should public opinion shape public policy? How should politicians assess public opinion (polls, town meetings, mailings)?
October 27-28: Interest Groups: Theoretical Perspectives and Their Role in the Political System
Read: PAG, Chap. 9
Do: Find a web site for at least two interest groups concerned with the issue of illiteracy. What role do interest groups played in the struggle against illiteracy? How do literacy interest groups attempt to influence the politics and the policy making process? Do these interest groups help or hinder the democratic process?
October 29-November 1: Fall Break
November 2-3: Political Parties: The Purpose and Structure of Political Parties
Read: PAG, Chap. 10
Consider: What are the policy positions of the two major parties in the American political system on two issues of primary concern to you? What about on the issue of illiteracy? How does the two-party system shape the balance of power in our political system?
November 4: GLA guest speakers: Facts about Illiteracy and the Greenville Community
Read: Reading Packet #4
November 5: Current Events Week-In-Review Topic #3
November 8: Quiz #2
November 9: Campaigns and Elections
Read: PAG, Chapter 11
Consider: What role should money play in elections? What are the arguments in favor of campaign finance reform? What are the arguments against campaign finance reform? What are the political obstacles to reform? Who are the supporters and opponents of campaign finance reform and why? What should be done?
November 10: Campaigns and Elections (cont.)
Read: Waldman, pp. 1-50
Consider: What factors influenced Clinton's position on the issue of national service during his 1992 campaign for the Presidency? How did his position change over the course of the campaign?
November 11: Guest Speaker: The Video Gambling Campaign in South Carolina
Consider: What do you think should be done, if anything, about video gambling in S.C.? How do you feel about the results of the recent vote?
November 12-15: The Media and Politics (Film)
Read: PAG, Chapter 12
Consider: How should private news organizations balance the need to make money against their civic duties to provide information to the public? What role does/should the media play in setting the agenda for the nation?
November 16: The Media and Politics: The National Service Bill
Read: Waldman, pp. 51-74
Consider: What role did the media play when it came to a discussion of Clinton's proposal for a national service bill? What is the media's responsibility in terms of informing the public on an issue such as this?
November 17: The Presidency: Presidential Authority and Leadership
Read: PAG, Chapter 14
Consider: What powers and authority does/should the President of the U.S. exercise? What are the responsibilities and requirements of a President in his personal and public life?
November 18: The Presidency: The Executive Office and the Personalized Presidency
Read: Waldman, pp.74-140
Consider: What was the role of the executive office in shaping the service bill proposal?
November 19: GLA Guest Speakers: Reflections
Read: Reading Packet #5
November 22-26: Thanksgiving Break
November 29: Current Events Week-in-Review Topic #4 and Congress – The Structure and Function
Read: PAG, Chapter 13 (Introductory film)
Consider: Discuss the issue of the complex role of the representative. Should the representative be a trustee or a delegate or something in between? How is the policy-making process affected by more access and democratization? Would term-limits serve to make Congress more or less effective? What about reforming the Senate filibuster?
November 30: Congress (cont.)
Read: Waldman, pp. 141-170
Consider: How does the legislative history of the National Service Bill differ from the traditional 'how a bill becomes a law' scenario? How did the proposal change from its original inception?
December 1: Congress (cont.)
Read: Waldman, pp. 170-217
Consider: Visit the AmeriCorps web site and get updated information on the AmeriCorps*Vista program. What is going on with the program?
December 2: Congress
Read: Waldman, pp. 217-257
Consider: Do some research in the library: How was the National and Community Service Trust Act of 1993 actually implemented? Has it been successful?
December 3: Current Events Week-in-Review Topic #5
December 6: Catch-Up and Review
December 7: Service Learning Project – Final Debriefing with GLA
December 8: Exam Questions and Course Evaluation

December 15: Final Exam – 9:00 a.m.-11:30 a.m.

Citizen Education

tdomf_26a6d — Mon, 29 Jan 2001 00:00:00 +0000

Course Description:
This course engages some ongoing political debates about public life, citizenship, and education in a democracy like ours. The debates over these features of democratic life are of crucial importance to us as students and citizens since questions of who we are, what we should learn, and how we should act are at stake. The debates are also important — and troubling –because many recent commentators have said that we are undergoing a crisis in these features of democratic life. They say: the public has retreated into private pursuits, citizens are more and more passive, and youth are learning less and less about everything, including politics. This course asks, in effect: are these commentators right? What should we think and do about citizenship, education, and public life?

Besides (or amidst) these important debates, the course also investigates certain key concepts of democratic politics. Besides citizenship, education, and the public, these concepts include public work, power, interest, freedom, duty, cooperation, and service. These concepts are crucial components of any theory of politics; and they animate the practice of politics, as well. Indeed, theory and practice go together. We may say that any particular theory of politics — especially democratic politics –can and should be evaluated in terms of what it says theoretically about citizen education and by what it does practically to educate citizens.

In order to address these debates and concepts in a theoretical way, our course will consider some important books and articles. The books include John Dewey's The Public and its Problems, as well as his collection On Education. They also include Myles Horton and Paolo Freire's We Make the Road by Walking and Eric Gorham's National Service, Citizenship, and Political Education. Some articles — about political education, service-learning, and citizenship schools –complement these books at various points. In their different ways, these books and articles help us to think what we are doing when we act as citizens, educators, and servicelearners.

In order to engage the practical dimensions of the debates and concepts, our course also has a practicum attached to it. (See fuller description in the handout for Pol 3090). Students will put their citizenship, education and public life into practice by serving as Public Achievement "Coaches" for middle and high school students (at St. Bernard's School in St. Paul) who will be researching, debating, and working on issues and problems regarding democracy and community life in and around their school.

The fundamental premise of the course is that we learn theoretically about citizenship and education in large part by being engaged practically as citizens and educators. Or to put it differently: to learn what must be learned about democratic education just is to be engaged in the practice of educating democrats.

Given the mix and the demands of the various theoretical and practical activities that make up the seminar, an additional 2 credit practicum, course in the political science department (Pol 3090) has been attached to supplement Pol 5610 (of 4 credits, bringing the total to 6 credits). The practicum, course will continue through Winter quarter 1999 (for another additional 2 credits). It is hoped that students will continue with the practicum. through winter, in order for us collectively to live up to our obligations to St. Bernard's School.

The required practicum. component will be satisfied by coaching at St. Bernard's during class time on Thursdays, to be followed by an hour-long debriefing and problem-solving session. The model of coaching that we will follow has been developed by Public Achievement (sponsored by the Center for Democracy and
Citizenship at the University). Some of the students at St. Bernard's have previously been involved in Public Achievement with previous coaches. Thus our course will build upon that experience.

There will be 4 additional activities that will bring us together with other coaches, teachers, parents, and community activists from other schools and youth sites. These are [a] a Public Achievement Kickoff [b] a Public Workshop [c] another
Public Workshop [d] a Public Achievement Celebration.

In terms of writing, students will keep an ongoing notebook that records reflections on course readings, coaching experiences, and more generally on the relationship between citizenship, education, and public life. The notebook will be submitted for
commentary and evaluation at midterm and during final exam week.

As a final entry in the notebook, students will evaluate the coaching practicum. in terms of what you thought worked (or did not work) , and what could be done to improve our practical experiment in citizen education.

Finally, there will be a take-home final examination (of about 8 typed pages). The exam will principally cover the course readings. Like the notebook, however, the final examination will allow and call for integration of the theoretical literature on
citizen education and the practical educational experiences involved in the course.

Grades:
Letter grades for the course will be assigned on the basis of the final examination (50%), the notebook (30%), and seminar discussion and participation (20%).

Required Books:
The following books are available for purchase at the Smith Bookstore on the West Bank.

John Dewey The Public and its Problems
John Dewey On Education
Myles Horton and Paolo Freire We Make the Road by Walking
Eric Gorham National Service, Citizenship, and Political Education

Also for purchase:
Center for Democracy and Citizenship Building Worlds, Transforming Lives,.
Making History: A Guide to Public Achievement

The Civic Community: Theory and Practice

tdomf_26a6d — Mon, 29 Jan 2001 00:00:00 +0000

Course Description and Requirements
This course is part of a pilot program, now in its third year, which seeks to bring together an academic, classroom-based curriculum and community service to create a holistic learning experience for the student. Although this class has been taught before, we are still trying out concepts, reading materials, and methods, and the course will still be somewhat experimental. We appreciate your willingness to be “pioneers” in this exciting exploration of a new frontier in civic learning. I will be describing more fully the content and aims of this course in class during our orientation, but a beginning statement of our ends is in order. This course will focus on what “community” means in contemporary democratic culture and will explore the role of each individual, both as individual and “citizen” in the democratic culture of the United States. We will look honestly and critically at both the promises and challenges of civic life in the U.S. context. In particular, we will examine questions of diversity and inequality in American life, especially those based on race, gender, class, religion, and sexual orientation, and the challenges these pose to contemporary understandings of democratic community.

Seminar Format
The class will be conducted as a seminar, even though our numbers will make this difficult. Therefore, it is imperative that students come to class prepared to discuss class themes and reading assignments. I will provide some context-setting and may present additional material in some instances, but for the most part the class will be an opportunity for us to reflect upon and analyze together critical questions about citizenship, democracy and community. Students will be encouraged to bring into class discussions their community service experiences as they relate to topic themes. To facilitate this discussion and your structured journal entries, you will be provided with regular handouts setting the context of particular authors/readings and asking a series of questions for reflection and for writing about it in your journals.

Readings
We will be spanning a wide range of reading materials, all meant to serve as resources to you as you think about what it means to be a democratic citizen and a member of the communities in which you find yourself. I have chosen the selections to give you as broad a range of ideas, topics, and disci-plinary perspectives as possible. You may not find all of the readings inspiring, and you may not agree with the perspective of some of the authors. But I hope they will provoke thought and discussion of the relevant matters of the course. Your responsibility is to read each work by the time it is listed in the course outline, as well as respond to journal questions about the reading in question.

Civic Community

Community Service
Because democracy is not a spectator sport, and because democratic citizens are active participants in their communities, in addition to the regular class meetings you and other students in the class will participate in approximately 4-5 hours of community service a week. Community service allows you the unique opportunity to apply theories and concepts discussed in class to your own practical experiences in serving others in the community. The additional hour of academic credit you signed up for under Political Science 399 takes account of this service work. You will have a choice among possible community service projects, and will be able to schedule your service around your other classes, work, or extracurricular activities. These projects will include (among others): Tutoring, coaching, and working with children in one of three after-school programs in New Brunswick elementary schools; Working as coaches/resources to high school students as they mentor younger New Brunswick children in a project designed to curb violence and victimization; Serving as a Literacy Tutor, ESL Instructor, or Teaching Assistant in the Adult Learning Center in New Brunswick; Working as a child care of social work assistant at Amandla Crossing, a transitional housing program for homeless families. All placement possibilities will be described and arranged in the first week of the semester.

Structured “Experiential Journal”
You will document your thoughts and experiences working in the community, reflecting critically on the assigned readings and class discussions, and responding to specific questions presented for writing. You should aim for a minimum of five pages per week of freely written material; the writing will not be scrutinized for “quality” along typical academic lines -it can be loose, informal, associative, and in alternative forms to straight prose. I will provide questions to guide you in your weekly journal writing, but there will be ample opportunity for you to write freely of your various experiences. Entries will be evaluated in light of the overall quantity of entries and the general quality of your intellectual explorations, responses to specific questions, musings, speculations, and the like. I’ll be responding to the journals along the way so that all will get feedback. Journals will count for 40% of your final grade in the three-hour portion of the class.

Group projects
We will talk much more about these in class, but they should concern issues that are related to your community service experience. You will be broken up into groups based on your choice of community service, and will have as a resource and “team leader” an advanced undergraduate student whom you can consult as you work on your project. You will work on your projects collaboratively throughout the semester, culminating in some form of written (probably) and oral presentation of your group’s findings. Group projects will be worth 30% of the final grade.

It is imperative that you do the readings, come prepared to discuss their relevance and implications each class, and faithfully participate in community service as per your agreement with your particular community service agency. Active attendance and participation in class sessions will make up the rest of your grade, so if you miss classes or don’t contribute to our seminar sessions, your grade will suffer relative to the severity of the problem.

Over the course of the semester, we hope that students and faculty will form a democratic community as we discuss and reflect upon the nature of democratic community. Please feel free to raise concerns, questions, criticisms, and suggestions as we go along, either publicly or in private consultation with me, or if you are more comfortable, with one of the student team leaders. The course outline is tentative, and should be seen as a general guide, not a box.

Course Outline

Date Topic Under Discussion
Reading Assignment

Jan. 20 Orientation; Introduction to Class; None; begin reading for next time
Community Service Placements

Jan. 25, 27 Democracy and Community

Feb. 1, 3, 8 Civic Values: The Morals,
Psychology, and Problems
of Belonging to Communities

Feb. 10, 15, The Meaning of Democratic
17 Citizenship: Historical and
Contemporary

Feb. 22, 24 The Responsibilities of
Mar. 1, 3 Citizenship: Philanthropy,
Service, “Civic Duty”

Civic Community

Katherine Mansfield, The Garden Party; John
Dewey, “The Search for the Great Community,”
The Public and Its Problems (1927)

Robert Bellah, et al., Habits of the Heart (1985), selections; Scott Peck, “‘Me True Meaning of Community,” from A Different Drum: Community Making and Peace; Simone Weil, The Need for Roots (1949), selections; Shirley Jackson, The Lottery; Ursula Le Guin, “The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas”

Thomas Jefferson, Selected Writings; Benjamin
Barber, “Neither Leaders Nor Followers”
(1985); Harry Boyte, “Practical Politics,” The
Atlantic (1993)

Martin Luther King, “On Being a Good Neighbor,” from Strength to Love (1963) 16-24; Mother Teresa, Words to Love By, selected quotations; George Santayana, “The Philanthropist,” Dialogues in Limbo (1925); Allan Luks & Peggy Payne, The Healing Power of Doing Good, selections; Edward Bloustein, “Community Service: A New Requirement for the Educated Person” (1988)

Challenges to Democratic Community: Inequality & Diversity in American Life

Mar. 8, 10 Class and Poverty

Mar. 22, 24, Race and Democratic Community
29

Jonathon Kozol, Savage Inequalities
(1991), selections

Ralph Ellison, The Invisible Man, prologue
(1947); Shelby Steele, The Content of Our
Character (1990), selections; Gloria Anzaldua,
Borderlands: La Frontera, selections

Civic Community

Date Topic Under Discussion
Reading Assignment

Mar. 3 1, Gender and Democratic

Apr. 5 Community

Apr. 7 Religion, Sexual Orientation,
and the Nature of Prejudice

Apr. 12′ Suburbanization and the
Decline of Democratic Community

Apr. 14 The Challenge of “Multiculturalisin”

Levels of Citizenship: School, Neighborhood, Nation

Apr. 19 The University as a Civic Community

Apr. 21 The Local Community & Public Space

Apr. 26 Nationalism & Democratic Community

Apr. 28, Group Project Presentations
May 1

S. Okin, “Justice and Gender”; E. Fox-Genovese, “Women and Community,” from Feminism Without Illusions (1991)

“Minersville School District v. Gobitis,’ in The Courage of Their Convictions; “T’he Gay Cadet,” The Village Voice (1990)

Kenneth Jackson, “The Loss of Community in Metropolitan America” (1986)

Catharine Stimpson, “Meno’s Boy: Hearing His Story – & His Sister’s”; Michael Morris, “Educating Citizens for a Multicultural Society” (1990); Dinesh D’Souza, “Illiberal Education” (1991)

Michael Moffatt, “What College is Really Like,” from Coming of Age in New Jersey (1989),25-53,71-73; Benjamin Barber, “The Civic Mission of the University” (1989)

Evans & Boyte, “‘The People Shall Rule,” from Free Spaces (1992); Alexis de Tocqueville, “The Local Spirit of Liberty,” from Democracy in America

John Schaar, “The Case for Patriotism,” Legitimacy in the Modern State (198 1)

Note: Dr. Rick Battistoni is currently the Director of the Feinstein Institute for Public Service at Providence College in Providence, Rhode Island.

Campus Compact » Political Science

Green Urbanism and Urban Gardening

Course Description and Goals:

Textbooks:

Assignments:

Written assignments (5, 10 and 20%)—35% total

Practical Engagement (30%)

Participation (20%)

Final Essay (15%)

Practical Engagement Sites

Requirements and Expectations

Several points about the operation of the course:

Community and Political Power

Course Objectives

This course is really about sources and uses of power in civic or public life.

Political Power will look at:

Community Power will explore:

Course Methods

Requirements and Expectations

Several points about the operation of the course:

Addendum to the Community and Political Power Syllabus

Intro to Political Science

Human Rights/Human Wrongs

The Road to the White House 2008

Consequences of War

Municipal Government – PS 163

American National Government

This course works in close collaboration with the Brevard Center for Service-Learning: Brevard Community College

Land Tenure and use in Hawaii

Environmental Politics

Political Science 326 Environmental Politics Ecological Ethics/Activism/Justice University of Hawai'i West 0ahu

Politics of the United States

POLITICS OF THE UNITED STATES

Strategies for Sustainable Development

POLS 104. URBAN POLICY: STRATEGIES FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT WINTER 2002

Liberation Theology

Applied Social Policy

APPLIED SOCIAL POLICY

Mediation and Conflict Resolution

Mediation & Conflict Resolution (Community Building, Peace, Conflict & Alternative Dispute Resolution)

Gender and Global Politics

The Politics of San Francisco

American Government

Citizen Education

The Civic Community: Theory and Practice

This course works in close collaboration with the
Brevard Center for Service-Learning: Brevard Community College

Political Science 326
Environmental Politics
Ecological Ethics/Activism/Justice
University of Hawai'i West 0ahu

POLS 104. URBAN POLICY:
STRATEGIES FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
WINTER 2002

Mediation & Conflict Resolution
(Community Building, Peace, Conflict & Alternative Dispute Resolution)