Family & Food Sciences 210/ Department of Mathematics/ Department of Communication

* General Course Description.
INTD 192S (also listed as S SCI 192S) is a new interdisciplinary course offered for the first time during Spring 2000. INTD 192S counts towards the new upper division GE Integration requirement in area D and also satisfies the new community service designation (S) approved by the university.

The subject of INTD 192S is the U.S. Census, particularly the 2000 Census that will start in April, right about the middle of the Spring semester. In the course we will discuss the historical, social, economic and political implications of the Census, the role of Census 2000 in the life of the nation, state and our community, and we will learn about public relations, media, grass root organizing, CBO's, political campaign strategy, and most of the issues related to the organization and implementation of a public awareness campaign.

One of the unique features of INTD 192S is that it requires a substantial community service commitment. All students in the course will be expected to do community service in the form of internships with appropiate community based organizations. The goal of the community service component is that each student will be actively involved in the organization and implementation of the local effort to achieve an accurate census count for Fresno County.

* Why this course?
As a subject of academic study, the Census is grossly neglected —probably because it is a once in a decade event. This neglect belies the fundamental role that the Census plays in our nation·s life—from governmental policy (federal, state and local) to strategic planning in business, millions of decisions that significantly impact people·s lives are made based on census data. Although invisible, the Census is as much a part of the nation·s infrastructure as highways and telephone lines.

The most critical piece of information collected by the Census is the decennial "head count", which gives the population count for local comunities, towns, cities, counties, states, and the nation as a whole. The primary uses of the population data are: (a) to apportion the 435 seats in the House of Representatives among the states, (b) to draw congressional, state and local voting districts, and (c) to allocate federal funds (approximately 180 billion dollars a year) that are formula (i.e. population) driven to state and local agencies.

In spite of the obvious political and economic impact of the Census population data, the data itself is far from accurate. Simply put, the Census faces one fundamental obstacle in obtaining accurate counts: the unwillingness of people to be counted. For the 1990 Census, the estimated "undercount" for the entire nation was 1.6%, for the state of California the estimated undercount was 2.7%, and for Fresno County, the undercount was 3.4%. This means that there are about 4 million people (850,000 in California; 25,000 in Fresno County) that the 1990 Census missed, and this undercount translated into a loss of one Congressional seat to California as well as billions of dollars in federal funds.

One of the main roles of a university is to fight ignorance. In the case of the Census, ignorance is the primary enemy to an accurate head count. By learning about the Census and the role it plays in our lives, you will be able to significantly contribute towards rooting out this ignorance, both present and future. The second half of the story is your contribution to the betterment of the community. By offering your services, skills and knowledge towards implementing a complete count, you will tangibly and materially contribute to your community.

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COURSE OUTLINE*.

Week 1 (Jan. 25)
* Introduction to the course.
* General introduction to the Census and its role in American life.

Week 2 (Feb. 1)
* History of the U.S. Census.
* The national Complete Count effort.
* Guest speaker: Richard Flores (Community/Government Partnership Specialist, U. S. Census Bureau).

Week 3 (Feb. 8)
* Economic implications of the Census.
* The undercount and its implications.
* Guest speaker: Alan Peters (Chairman, Fresno County Complete Count Committee).

Week 4 (Feb. 15)
* Political implications of the Census.
* Redistricting and its implications.
* The apportionment of the US House of Representatives.
* Guest speakers: Tom Bohigian (Sen. Barbara Boxer's Office), Juan Arambula (Fresno County Supervisor).

Week 5 (Feb. 22)
* Local Complete Count efforts.
* Community Based Organizations (CBO's)
* Guest speakers: Alice Rocha (Catholic Charities), Eileen Jacobs (California Rural Legal Assistance)

Week 6 (Feb. 29)
* Political Campaigns: Organization and Strategy.
* Guest speaker: Carolina DeSoto (Gov. Davis' office)

Week 7 (March 7)
* Complete count implementation campaigns (national, local).
* Outreach/Training activities.
* Guest speaker: Diane Berry (U.S. Dept. of Commerce/Bureau of the Census)

Week 8 (March 14)
* Targeting Specific Audiences
* Advertising Themes and Modalities.
* Creating Public Service Announcements
* Creating Press Releases and TV Spots
* Guest speaker: Eva Torres (Radio Bilingue)

Weeks 9-13
* Community Service/Fieldwork

Week s 14-15
* Reflection and discussion.
* Classs presentations.
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SELECTED READINGS

* Anderson, M. J., The American Census: A Social History. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 1990.

* Anderson, M. J., and S. E. Fienberg, Who Counts: The Politics of Census-Taking in Contemporary America. New York: Russell Sage Foundation, 1999.

* Choldin, L. M., Looking for the Last Percent: The Controversy over Census Undercounts. New Brunswick, N. J.: Rutgers University Press, 1994.

* Mutz, D. C., P. M. Sniderman (eds.) Political Persuasion and Attitude Change. Ann Arbor, MI.: University of Michigan Press, 1996.

* Steffey, D. L., and N. M. Bradburn (eds.), Counting People in the Information Age. Washington D.C.: National Academy Press, 1994.

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GRADING
* Attendance and class participation: 10%
* Four Quizzes: 20%
* Implementation Plan: 20%
* Final report: 20%
* Community Service Evaluation: 30%