Urban and Environmental Policy Program 

AMERICAN POLITICS AND PUBLIC POLICY 
POLITICS 101
FALL 2001

  

What This Course is About

Many Americans have become cynical about politics and government. They associate these words with election campaigns, personalities, broken promises, scandals, or wars. But politics and government are about much more than that. They shape how we live. Almost every aspect of your life is in some way shaped by the outcome of politics and government, which is public policy: Where you live, what you learn (or don't learn) in school, the kind of car you drive, your career ambitions, the kind of job(s) you take, the quality of the food you eat and the air you breathe, etc. Politics and government can be a force for good or evil, justice or injustice. Politics and government can be competent or incompetent. This course looks at the major institutions and ideas of American government, how policy is made, and what impact it has on society.

This course is intended to help you understand the workings of American government, to evaluate its strengths and weaknesses, and to help you decide how to participate in making government work better. This course is organized around three key themes:

1. Values and Beliefs focuses on the major political ideologies about the appropriate role of government and citizenship in American society. We will pay special attention to the dilemmas facing our complex and rapidly changing society.
2. Social Justice and Public Policy focuses on the relationship between the private sector (business and the labor market), the public sector (government), and individual citizens. We will look at some of the major society-wide divisions, including socio-economic classes, race and ethnicity, and gender and sexuality. It also focuses on the ways government and politics promotes or discourages equality, fairness, and opportunity for people.
3. Political Participation focuses on the different ways that citizens, individually and as part of groups, take part in their government. We will examine the impact of the mass media, interest groups and their various resources, political parties, electoral systems, and protest movements.
Government policies are made up of a series of decisions or choices over a period of time. These choices involve (a) whether to do anything at all about a problem or issue and (b) what to do. These choices involve actions such as spending money, passing laws, creating regulations, enforcing (or not enforcing) laws and regulations, and adjudicating disputes.  All public policy involves values -- what people think is good or bad, the proper role of government, and how society should be organized. Public policy involves political conflict -- differences between organized groups about what should and shouldn't be in the law and regulations.

A key to understanding American government, politics, and public policy is to compare our own political institutions to those of other countries, including other democracies. The three major themes described above are useful ways to think about these comparisons. For example:

• How does voting turnout in the U.S. compare with that in other countries? 
• How do tax rates in the U.S. compare with tax rates elsewhere?
• Is the level of poverty in the U.S. higher or lower than in other countries? Why?
• How does the relationship between the press and the government in the U.S. compare with the relationship in other democracies?
• What is the responsibility of the American government to promote and protect human rights,American business, the environment and public health in the U.S. and around the world?

Course Format and Requirements

Three professors share responsibility for teaching this course. On Tuesdays, from 1:30 -2:55 p.m.,
one of us will lecture to the entire class on a topic described in the course outline. Every student is expected to attend every lecture and to arrive promptly at 1:30 p. m.
Each Thursday, students will participate in one discussion section each week, led by one of the
professors. Students are expected to attend every weekly section, where the lectures, readings and films
will be discussed. Films will be shown on most Tuesdays at 7 p.m. in Weingart 117. These are required. Check the last page of the syllabus for names and dates of films.

The basic elements of this course include:

1. Reading. Readings (books, articles, reports) will be assigned for each week, as specified below.
Students are expected to do the reading before the Tuesday lecture and be prepared to discuss the
readings at both class meetings.

2. Films. During the semester, we will show a number of films. We expect every student to see each film.
These films will be shown on Tuesdays at 7 pm. (in Weingart 117). The names and dates of the films are
listed at the end of this syllabus.

3. Class Discussion. Discussion sections will center on the readings, lectures, and films. Most of these
sessions will involve discussions about public policy issues. Students are encouraged to debate these and
disagree -- but to do so based on information and evidence as well as their own values.

4. Writing. Each student will have a minimum of eight writing assignments during the term -- seven short
essays based on readings, a midterm exam, and a final exam. In grading your written work, your section
leader will look not only at the content, but also at the style. Be sure to proofread your papers before
handing them in. Look for spelling, punctuation, and grammatical errors. Be clear and concise. Don't repeat
yourself. Cite your sources. Make sure you understand the assignment. It helps to do an outline before you
begin writing. Students are urged to take advantage of the college's Center for Teaching and Learning
(ground floor of the library) to get help with their essays. Don't be hesitant. The Center staff is eager to
assist you and can help you improve your writing significantly. For most essays the following eight criteria
will be used:

1. Do you have a clear thesis? This should be a sentence or two early in your essay.
2. Have you employed appropriate concepts?
3. Have you presented persuasive evidence to support your thesis or arguments?
4. Have you made appropriate reference to the assigned readings?
5. Have you made a tie-in to current events? Refer to items in the daily newspapers when
appropriate.
6. Have you sought to find a creative twist -- a different viewpoint, a distinctive argument, unusual
evidence?
7. Is your prose readable? Read your prose aloud to check on this.
8. Is your essay mechanically flawless? Typos, misspellings, and punctuation errors are
inexcusable.

5. Newspapers Clippings 

We encourage students in Politics 101 to read a daily newspaper. The most useful papers are the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, the Christian Science Monitor, and the Wall Street Journal. You can get a subscription to any of these publications, buy some of them in the bookstore, or read them in the library. You can also subscribe to the Washington Post National Weekly, which includes the best articles from the previous week's Washington Post. (Professor Lare will collect the money ($10 for 10 weeks) for the Post after the lecture on Sept. 4. Checks should be made out payable to "J. Lare." He will distribute
them each week after the Tuesday lectures.

Our library also subscribes to many "opinion magazines." These are weekly publications that look
at politics and policy from a particular perspective -- conservative, moderate, liberal, progressive, religious, feminist, environmental, etc. Among the more interesting are the Nation, Weekly Standard, New Republic, In These Times, Commonweal, and National Review. 
In an effort to help students develop the newspaper habit (which includes articles, commentaries
and editorials on government, politics and public policy), you are asked to submit at the beginning of each
Thursday section meeting a timely item from a daily newspaper which is directly applicable to one of the
issues addressed in the Politics 101 readings and lecture for that week. A minimum of ten clippings is
required during our 13 week semester, but it is strongly suggested that you submit one each Thursday. (No
make-ups will be permitted.) Make sure you put your name on the clipping and that the name and date
of the newspaper is identified. At the beginning of each discussion, your section leader will ask several
students (selected randomly) to present very briefly to the group their clipping and its significance. This
presentation should be no more than two or three minutes describing how the article, editorial or opinion
piece illustrates and/or amplifies some aspect of that week's topic. If you wish to attach a few notes that
could help you with your presentation to your clipping, you may do so, but these notes must involve no
more than 100 words.

Helpful Materials on Library Reserve

Each section leader will be placing examples of very good writing assignments in a folder on reserve in the library for those who are interested in seeing what constitutes good responses to the bi-weekly writing assignments. (The names of the student authors are removed but the instructor's comments on the essays do appear as well as the grade assigned.)
These folders will, on occasion, also be used for giving you access to newspaper clippings relevant to course topics and also information about some of the organizations, meetings, and officials who might wish to contact or visit if you elect the optional Extra Credit for Direct Experience (see below).
At the circulation desk you ask for the appropriate Library Reserve Folder by one of the following three numbers depending on which professor's folder you wish to see: (These folders may not leave the library and are normally available for two hours.)
Professor Dreier #806; Professor Freer #807; Professor Lare #808
Grades

Final course grades will be based on four factors:
30% on attendance and participation in your discussion section and films, and your performance on the weekly news clipping assignments.
30% on the seven written assignments.
15% on a mid-term examination.
25% on a final examination.

Required Books to Purchase

1. Bruce Miroff, Raymond Seidelman, and Todd Swanstrom, The Democratic Debate: An Introduction to American Politics, Boston: Houghton Mifflin, second edition, 1998. 
2. Jonathan Kozol, Savage Inequalities: Children in America's Schools, New York: Crown Publishers, 1991.

Required "Politics 101 Reader"

Professors Dreier, Freer, and Lare have assembled a collection of articles from journals, magazines, and newspapers that will be part of the required reading in the class. Each student is expected to purchase collection -- which we simply call the "Reader." It will be sold for about $65 -- the cost of copying and binding it. If you were not able to purchase it at the first class meeting, you must purchase it immediately from the secretary in the Politics Department, located in Swan North, Room 102. Pay by check or cash. Make your checks out to "Occidental College." Bring the reader to every lecture meeting and discussion section.

Project Vote Smart (http://www.vote-smart.org)

All students should become familiar with Project Vote Smart, a non-profit organization that provides a great deal of information about our members of Congress, including their biographies, voting records, sources of campaign funds, and other data. We will ask you to use this information, available on the group's website, throughout the semester.

Extra Credit for Political Participation

We encourage students in Politics 101 to participate directly in the political process as well as to vote and to stay abreast of the campaigns and issues through the news media. We encourage all students to register to vote.

Some students may wish to take advantage of Occidental's location in a very active and interesting political environment. Not all students in Politics 101 will have the time, motivation or mobility needed to participate in this optional feature of the course. But, as an incentive for those who complete and write a three page report summarizing the insights and understanding they have gained from at least five of the ten activities described below, we will raise their semester grade by a half letter grade (e.g., B+ to A-). We assume that most of these activities will require between two and four hours to complete and at least one additional hour to formulate your ideas in preparation for the three page report.

At least two of your five activities should involve an off-campus contact or experience. Students may work with partners in arranging transportation for off-campus activities and are encouraged to discuss with others what they have learned from each experience, but interviews and the final report should be completed by each student working alone. Your section leader is prepared to discuss your experience with these activities, but determining when meetings are held and where, how to contact various individuals, and how to get yourself to off-campus locations will be part of each student's responsibility and an essential element in the learning experience. A student should receive valuable educational benefits from one or more of these exercises, but only those who complete at least five by the November 15 section meeting and submit their three page analytical and evaluative report no later than the December 6 meeting will be eligible for the extra credit.

Select at least five of the following activities to receive extra credit:

1. Attend a meeting of a local city council (e.g., Los Angeles, Pasadena, Glendale or one of the nearby smaller communities).

2. Attend a school board meeting in one of the many local school districts located within reasonable driving distance from campus.

3. Attend a meeting of a local political club (usually affiliated with a political party) in one of the nearby communities. The state party offices or field offices of state representatives may help you identify these clubs and determine whether they hold regular meetings.

4. Attend the meeting of some policy-oriented interest group concerned with, the environment, social justice, civil rights and/or liberties, education reform, improving race relations, monitoring the performance of local government, evaluating the criminal justice system, or other issues. Examples include the Sierra Club, American Civil Liberties Union, a labor union, a right-to-life group, etc.

5. Attend a town meeting, rally or conference sponsored by some political organization that is seeking to inform, educate and/or mobilize citizens in support of a particular cause or policy position.
6. Identify and attend at least one meeting of a governmental agency concerned with such areas of public concern as law enforcement, transportation, environmental protection, recreation, youth services, health care, services for the elderly or those suffering from AIDs, mental illness or other ailments. Examples include the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, the California Coastal Commission, and the Los Angeles Police Commission.

7. Interview a professional staff person working for an elected official (local, state or federal), for a political party, a labor union, a business trade association or chamber of commerce, or some other organized group with an interest in public policy. 

8. Interview a journalist or someone working in the mass media who has a special responsibility for covering public affairs (politics, policy issues, or matters of interest to the general public).
9. Attend at least two meetings of a major campus organization involved in promoting the welfare of Occidental students (e.g., the Associated Students, Residence Council, a student advisory committee to a college official or some student organization seeking to promote greater awareness or interest in its concerns, be they political, racial, ethnic, sexuality, or gender-related).

10. Interview at least three Oxy employees who are involved with the political or policy making processes. (Those teaching in Politics 101 are not eligible for this experience!)

When you attend meetings of any of these organizations, consider the following matters, among others: 

1) name of the organization, 2) location of the meeting, 3) time and frequency of meetings, 4) leader/moderator and number of 'officials', 5) size and character of the audience, 6) items on the agenda, 7) character (e.g., diversity, intensity and duration) of the testimony and discussion, 8) votes taken (if any) and decisions made, 9) possible significance of this meeting, and 10) assessment of benefits and drawbacks of this meeting and this exercise.

When you interview someone, you might ask such questions as: 1) what are your primary responsibilities? 2) what are the two greatest challenges in your work? 3) what public needs or policy issues do you or your boss focus on primarily? 4) what skills or talents are most useful in your work? 5) how did you arrive at the position you now hold? 6) what should some aspiring to your position know about it? Do not limit yourself to these suggestions. Do write a brief letter of appreciation to those individuals who allow themselves to be interviewed. Interviews may be conducted by phone. The three page report should identify each organization and meeting you attended, as well as each individual you interviewed. It should not be five mini-reports or simply a polished version of your meeting or interview notes. The focus of this report should be your conclusions about elected or other public officials, the character and the benefits of public meetings and the organizations which hold them, evidence of either popular or elite democracy (or both) you found in this exercise, frustrations and/or satisfactions you found in this exposure to the political/policy making process and in the problems associated with obtaining this experience.

Progressive Los Angeles Network (PLAN) Conference

On Saturday, October 20, the Progressive Los Angeles Network (PLAN) – which is based at Occidental College -- will hold a conference on the future of Los Angeles. Political activists and elected officials will focus on issues of poverty and inequality, housing and transportation, the environment and park, and other topics. We encourage students in Politics 101 to attend this conference. Details about the specific time and place will be announced in class. More information about PLAN can be found at its website: http://www.progressivela.org.

Speakers on Campus

There will be a number of speakers on campus this semester discussing topics related to this course. We will alert you to these events and strongly encourage you to attend.
"West Wing"
We encourage students to regularly watch the TV show, "West Wing," Wednesdays at 9 pm. "West Wing" depicts the inner workings of the White House and the relationship of the President to Congress, the court system, lobby groups, public opinion, and other factors. Evaluate how realistic the show is by comparing it to the readings in class and the way the Presidency is depicted in newspapers and magazines.
Topics and Reading Schedule

I. American Politics Beliefs and Values

Week 1 Introduction: Politics. Government. and Public Policy
Thursday August 30, Meet in discussion sections; Tues., Sept. 4, Dreier lecture; Thurs, Sept. 6, sections 
Write an essay (3 pages, typed, double spaced) to be handed in on Sept. 6 in your discussion section on the following topic:  What do the authors of the textbook mean by the "democratic debate"? Discuss how the Declaration of Independence reflects this debate. Also use the examples (from the Zinn, Young, Greenhouse and Darce, Walljasper, and Appelbaum/Dreier articles) to discuss how these episodes reflect the democratic debate.
Please read the instructions on essay-writing on the third page of this syllabus.

Readings:
Miroff, Seidelman, and Swanstrom, The Democratic Debate (MSS)
Chapter 1, "Introduction: The Democratic Debate"
Declaration of Independence (MSS, Appendix, pp. A1-A3)
*Young, "George Robert Twelves Hewes, A Patriot Shoemaker of Boston" (in The Way We Lived)
*Zinn, "Young Ladies Who Can Picket" (from Zinn, You Can't Be Neutral on a Moving Train)
*Greenhouse, "5 Years After Workers' Vote, Appeals Stall Shipyard Union" (New York Times, July 10, 1998) and Darce, "Avondale Ordered to Rehire 22" (New Orleans Times Picayune, July 11, 2001)
*Walljasper, "When Activists Win" (The Nation, March 3, 1997)
*Appelbaum and Dreier, "The Campus Anti-Sweatshop Movement" (The American Prospect, August/September 1999)

Week 2 What Is Government? What Should It Do? Tues., Sept. 11, Dreier lecture; Thurs. Sept 13, sections

Topics: Relationship between individuals, business, and government. What is the appropriate role and size of government? What are the arguments for and against government's role? What do we mean by "liberal," "conservative," "centrist," "radical" and other labels for describing political views and policies? How does the United States compare with other democratic countries on key measures such as voter turnout, taxation levels, and disease.

Film: "Trade Secrets" 

Readings:
America's Ambivalence About Government
MSS: James Madison, "Federalist No. 10" (MSS, Appendix, pp. A13-A16)  Chapter 13, "Bureaucracy: Myth and Reality" (pp 359-363, "Bureaucracy and the Political Economy" only) 
*Seib, "The Federal System: You Can Get Away from Washington--But Not Government" (Wall Street Journal, June 21, 1995)
*Kettl, "Clueless in the Capital" (Washington Monthly, July/August 1999)
*Pine, "Are Americans Overtaxed?" (LA Times, April 30, 1998)
*Pearlstein, "From the Rich to the Poor" (Washington Post, March 19-25, 2001) 

Public Services
*Gosselin, "The 90s: Private Boom Stingy on Public Good" (LA Times, Aug. 5, 2001)
*"The Song of Gridlock Sam," (The New Yorker, December 16, 1996)
*Isaacs and Schroeder, "Where the Public Good Prevailed" (American Prospect,
June 4, 2001)
*Cimons, "Fluoridation: A Shining Public Health Success" (LA Times, Jan. 26, 1995)

Regulations
*Reich, "The Bridgestone Tire Controversy" (from Locked in the Cabinet, 1997)
*Bradsher, "Stricter Rules for Tire Safety Were Scrapped by Reagan" (NY Times, Sept. 4, 2000)
*Shenon, "Senate Supports Strict Standards on Mexico Trucks" (NY Times, July 27, 
2001)
*"Stricter Standards Required for Child Car Safety Seats" (NY Times, Sept. 1, 1999)
*Mintz, "Remembering Thalidomide" (Washington Post Weekly, July 22-28, 1996)
*Warrick, "Is U.S. Beef Safe to Eat?" (Washington Post Weekly, April 16-22, 2001)
*Greenhouse, "Battle Lines Drawn Over Ergonomic Rules" (NY Times, Nov. 18, 2000)
*Wald, "FAA Faults Alaska Airlines but Will Not Shut It Down" (NY Times, June 30, 2000)
*Pear, "Drug Price Issue Catching Fire in Senate" (NY Times, April 6, 2000)
*Toner, "Political Battle Lines Are Clearly Drawn in Fight Over Medicare Drug Coverage"(NY Times, July 24, 2000)

Investments and Subsidies
*Broder, "Gramm's Life of Entitlements" (Washington Post, March 6, 1995)
*Nazario, "Going to School Hungry" (LA Times, November 20, 1994)
*Gorman, "Faces of the Uninsured" (National Journal, July 17, 1999)
*Pear, "More Americans Were Uninsured in 1998, U.S. Says" (NY Times, Oct. 4, 1999)
*Bernstein and Rosenblatt, "More Recipients of Medicare to Be Cut from HMOs" (LA Times, July 25, 2000)
*Hage, Fischer, and Black, "America's Other Welfare State" (U.S. News & World 
Report, April 10, 1995)
*Wellstone and Barnet, "When It Comes to Children, Invest From the Beginning" (LA Times , May 17, 1999)
*Bergmann, "Decent Child Care at Decent Wages" (American Prospect, Jan. 1-15, 2001)

What Government Does Elsewhere
*Havemann, "Diagnosis: Healthier in Europe" (LA Times, Dec. 30, 1992)
*Dreier and Bernard, "Kinder, Gentler Canada" (American Prospect, Winter 1993)
*Greenhouse, "If the French Can Do It, Why Can't We?" (NY Times Magazine, Nov. 14, 1993)
*Wilgoren, "Education Study Finds U.S. Falling Short" (NY Times, June 13, 2001)
*Gornick and Meyers, "Support for Working Families: What the U.S. Can Learn 
From Europe" (American Prospect, January 1-15, 2001)

Week 3 What is Democracy? How Do We Achieve It?
Tues. Sept 18, Freer lecture; Thurs, Sept 20, sections

Topics: How did the founders of our country disagree about how to set up our government? What
were the critical elements of democracy in their minds? To what degree was American democracy
set up to govern a society that no longer exists? Is "big government" the problem or the
solution? How much influence should ordinary citizens have in our governmental decision-
making? Is democracy about majority rule or minority protections? Is democracy the same thing
as freedom? How central is the role of property in American democracy? What vehicles do
ordinary citizens have for getting their views and voices heard? What are the obstacles to
achieving a full democracy? How is democracy in the U.S. similar to and different from
democracies in other nations?

Films: "The Democratic Promise: Saul Alinsky & His Legacy" and "Never Say Die: How the Tobacco Companies Keep Winning"
Readings:
The Dimensions of Democracy
MSS: 
Chapter 2, "The Revolution and the Constitution"
Chapter 3, "Public Opinion and Political Culture: Should Citizens Count?" (pp. 43-51
only)
*Frankel, "Democracy in Infancy" (NY Times Magazine, January 23, 2000)
*Cong. Bernard Sanders, "Whither American Democracy?" (LA Times, Jan. 16, 1994)
*Easterbrook, "America the OK" (New Republic, Jan 4/11, 1999) 
*Samuelson, "Democracy in America" (Newsweek, Nov. 13, 2000)

Democracy and Public Health: The Case of the Tobacco Industry and Smoking
*Bartecchi, MacKenzie and Schrier, "The Medical Effects of Tobacco Consumption" (Scientific American, May 1995)
*"High Taxes, Get Tough Legislation Are Forcing More Canadians to Curtail or Quit Smoking" (Seattle Times, Nov. 7, 1993)
*Roberts and Watson, "Should Cigarettes Be Outlawed?" (U.S. News, April 18, 1994)
*Schwartz, "Smoke Signals Out of California" (Washington Post, July 4, 1994) 
*Broder, "Cigarette makers in a $368 Billion Accord to Curb Lawsuits and Curtail Marketing" (NY Times, June 21, 1997)
*"The Tobacco Settlement" (LA Times, June 21, 1997)
*McKenzie, "Tobacco Deal: Legal Mugging by Government" (LA Times, July 15, 1997)
*Table: "Per Capita Consumption of Cigarettes, 1925-1990" 
*Goldberg, "Big Tobacco's Endgame" (NY Times Magazine, June 21, 1998)
*Greenhouse, "Justices Rein In Local Regulation of Tobacco Ads" (NY Times, June 29, 2001)
*Gronke, "Tobacco Control Proposal Critized" (LA Times, July 28, 2001)
*Gorman, "Smoker Agrees to $100 Million Award" (LA Times, August 22, 2001)
*'*Holley, "Philip Morris Angers Czechs With Tobacco Toll Report" (LA Times, Aug. 5, 2001)

America By the Numbers: Comparing the U.S. and Other Democracies
Percent of Total Household Wealth Controlled by the Top 1%
Share of National Income: Rich-Poor Ratio
Per Capita Income Using Market Exchange Rates, 1960-98
Index of Hourly Compensation Costs
Tax Revenues in OECD Countries, 1965-1993, as a Percent of GDP
Infant Mortality
Elderly Poverty
Child Poverty
Average Annual Exit Rate From Poverty
Union Density By Country
Voter Turnout
High School Graduation Rates
Number of Days in an Average School Year
Mean Scale Score in Mathematics and Science of Grade 8, 1995
Ratio of Teacher Salary to GDP Per Capita (Primary and Lower Secondary)
Youth Homicide
Prisoners (Per 1,000 People) 
Total Health Expenditure as a Percentage of GDP, Per Capital Health Spending and Percentage
of Medical Expenditures covered by Public (OECD Countries)
Percentage of Population Covered By Public Health Insurance
Prescription Drug Prices in U.S. and Other Countries
Legally Mandated Paid Vacations 
Average Price of a Gallon of Gas
Travel on Public Transportation as a Percent of All Travel
News as a Percent of All TV Programming

Week 4 American Democracy in Changing World: Key Institutions
Tues, Sept 25, Lare lecture; Thurs., Sept 27, sections

Topics: What are the key institutions of American democracy? Why did the Founding Fathers
set up a separation of powers among the executive, legislative, and judicial branches? Is this
arrangement an issue in 2001? What standards should we use in evaluating the President, the
Congress, and the courts? How has the ongoing debate over federalism -- the appropriate roles
of the federal, state, and local governments -- emerged as an issue in 2001? How might the
Founding Fathers react to democracy in America as it is functioning in 2001?
What is the function of political parties in our governmental system? How do political
parties work? How are political parties different in other democratic countries? Why? Why do
two major parties dominate the American political system? What is the impact of a two-party
system on levels of participation and on the kinds of issues addressed? What role have third (and
fourth) parties played in our political system? Did the candidacies of Ralph Nader and Pat
Buchanan for President represent the failure or success of our political party system? What are
the major differences between the Democratic and Republican parties? What are the major
tensions within each of our two major political parties in 2001?

Film: "The American President"
Readings:
MSS: 
Chapter 12, "Presidential Leadership and Elite Democracy"
Chapter 11, "Congress"
Chapter 15, "State and Local Politics: The Dilemma of Federalism"
Chapter 7, "Are the Parties Over?"

President and Congress
*"A Comparison of Political System" (Chart from Dalton, Citizen Politics in Western Democracies)
*Scheer, "Admit It: He's Not Perfect, But He's a Great President," (LA Times, Feb 1, 
2000).
*Seib, "Bush Has Found Life Isn't Easy--And Won't Be" (Wall St. Journal, Aug 8, 2001).
*Barnes, "The Impresario: Karl Rove, Orchestrator of the Bush White House" (Weekly Standard,
Aug 20/27, 2001)
*Mann, "Top Drawer in the Cabinet" (NY Times, Aug 5, 2001)
*Gigot, "Hastert Wrestles Bush Agenda Back to Life" (Wall St. Journal, Aug 3, 2001)
*Barnes, "Big Man on Capitol Hill" (Weekly Standard, Aug 13, 2001)
*Cummings, et. "Bush Racks Up Big Successes, But Fights Loom in Senate" (Wall Street Journal, Aug. 3, 2001)
*Hunt, "A Highly Pitched 2002 Senate Battle Tilts Slightly to Democrats" (Wall Street Journal, Aug 9, 2001)
*Broder, "Perils of Overreaching" (Washington Post, Aug 5, 2001)
*Hagwood and Chen, "Quiet Revolution: Under Bush Regulatory Rollback Has a Major Impact," (Wall Street Journal, Aug 3, 2001)

Federalism 
*Harwood, "Tighter Budgets May Mean Closer Governors' Races..." (Wall Street Journal Aug 7, 2001)
*Broder, "Tough Times Don't Deter Nation's Activist Governors" (The Seattle Times, 
Aug 12, 2001)
*Milloy, "State Legislators Gather With Budget Woes High on Agenda" (NY Times, Aug 15,
2001)
*Lueck, "Bush Poses Changes to Medicaid to Give States Greater Flexibility," Wall Street Journal, Aug 6, 2001)

The Supreme Court
*Taylor, "The Supreme Question" (Newsweek, July 10, 2000)
*Adler, "Irreparable Harm"(New Republic, July 30, 2001)
*Greenhouse, "In Year of Florida Vote, Supreme Court Also Did Much Other Work," NY Times, July 2, 2001)

Political Parties
*Cannon, "Family Tree, Party Roots" (National Journal, July 21, 2001).
*Brooks, "Permanent Defense: Republicans and Their Discontents" (Weekly Standard, Aug 6, 2001)
*Berke, "Bush Appears to Have Straddled a Divide" (NY Times, Aug 11, 2001)
*Cohen, "Race and Republicans" (Weekly Standard, April 30, 2001)
*Meyerson, "Bush Burning," (American Prospect, Aug 13, 2001)
*Skocpol, "Democrats at the Crossroads," Mother Jones, January/February1999.
*Nichols, "Is this The New Face of the Democratic Party" (The Nation, Aug 6/13, 2001) 
*Hayes, "Prince Andrew of New York: America's Most Ambitious Democrat" (Weekly Standard, July 30, 2001)
*Dionne, "Third Parties in Second Place," (Washington Post Weekly, July 10, 2000)
*Baker, "Left with a Nickel's Worth of Difference" (LA Times, July 14, 2000)
*Lewis, "Dear Ralph: The Two Parties Aren't the Same" (NY Times, July 8, 2000)


Week 5 Corporate Power and the Dilemma of Democracy
Tues, Oct. 2, Dreier lecture; Thurs, Oct. 4 sections

Topics: What are the key features of our economic system? What role, if any, should
government play in shaping how our economy works? What influence do business, consumers,
employees and other groups have in our governmental decision-making?

Films: "Global Assembly Line" and "Zoned for Slavery"
Readings:
MSS: Chapter 4, "The American Political Economy"
*Kofi Annan, "Astonishing Facts" (NY Times, Sept. 27, 1998)
*Barnet, "Lords of the Global Economy" (The Nation, Dec. 19, 1994)
*Silverstein, "Millions for Viagra, Pennies for Diseases of the Poor" (Nation, July 19, 1999)
*Birnbaum, "Where America Shops: Wal-Mart" (America@Work, April 2001)
*William Adler, "A Job on the Line" (Mother Jones, March/April 2000)
*Van Der Werf, "Labor Violations Found at Factory Used for College Apparel" (Chronicle of
Higher Education, Feb. 9, 2001)
*Kahn, "Playing the China Card" (NY Times, July 7, 2000)
*Landler, "Making Nike Shoes in Vietnam" (NY Times, April 28, 2000)
*Arnold, "Translating Union into Khmer" (NY Times, July 12, 2001)
*Herbert, "Sweatshop Beneficiaries" (NY Times, July 124, 1995) and Goldberg, "We're Creating 
Jobs in the Third World" (NY Times, August 1, 1995)
*Friedman, "Knight Is Right" (NY Times, June 20, 2000)
*Greenhouse, "4 Companies Gain Accord in Labor Suit" (NY Times, Aug. 10, 1999)
*Grimsley, "....U.S. Workers Keep Going and Going" (Washington Post Weekly, Sept. 13, 
1999)
*Bernstein, "All's Not Fair in Labor Wars" (Business Week, July 19, 1999)
*Mulligan, "The New Oligopoly Boom" (NY Times, Aug. 22, 1999)
*Reich, "Democracy and Megacorporations May Be Mutually Exclusive" (LA Times, May 
13, 1998) 

*America By the Numbers: Tables and Graphs on Largest Corporations
o How Much of the Economy Do They Own?
o The Largest U.S. Industrial Corporations
o The Largest U.S. Utilities and Communications Companies
o The Largest U.S. Commercial Banks
o The Largest U.S. Life Insurance Companies
o Stability and Change Among Corporate Giants
o The Multinationals: The World's Largest Non-American Corporations
o Inside the Board Room (Chase Manhattan, Dupont, IBM)
o AT&T and Its Friends
o Interlocking and Specialization at the Top
o Secretaries of State, Treasury, and Defense


Week 6 The American Class Structure: Inequality, and Opportunity
Tues, Oct. 9, Dreier lecture; Thurs, Oct. 11, sections

Topics: What determines the distribution of wealth and income? How "unequal" is the United
States? Is "unequal" the same as "unfair"? How does our nation's public school system reflect
the social, economic, and political conditions of the larger society? How effective are our public
schools in providing social and economic opportunity for people? How are public schools funded?
Is providing more money to schools in poor neighborhoods sufficient to improve the education of
the poor? Why or why not?

Film: "Children in America's Schools"
Readings:

Education: Reducing or Widening Inequality?
Kozol, Savage Inequalities (Introduction and Chapters 1-4)
*Jackson, "America's Rush to Suburbia" (New York Times, June 9, 1996)
*Burd, "In Some Federal Aid Programs, Not all Campuses Are Treated Alike" (Chronicle of
Higher Education, June 16, 2000)
*Celis, "Michigan Votes for Revolution in Financing Its Public Schools" (New York 
Times, March 17, 1994)
*Rothstein, "LA's School District Doesn't Deserve to be Called a Failure" (LA Times, May 11,
1997)
*Anderson, "Smaller Classes Aid Test Scores, Results Show" (LA Times, Dec. 29, 1998)
*Rothstein, "Inner-City Nomad: Route to Low Grades" (NY Times, Jan. 19, 2000)
*Levine, "Schools: Standards Are Important, But Money is Vital" (LA Times, May 21, 2000)
*Masci, "School Choice Debate" (Congressional Quarterly Researcher, July 18, 1997)
*Helfand, "Teacher Shortage Hitting Inner Cities Hardest, Study Says" (NY Times.
Dec. 8, 2000)

How Much Poverty and Inequality is OK?
*Samuelson, "Indifferent to Inequality?" (Newsweek, May 7, 2001)
*Utichelle, "How to Define Poverty?" (NY Times, May 26, 2001)
*Sengupta, "How Many Poor Children Is Too Many?" (NY Times, July 8, 2001)
*Wolff, "The Rich Get Richer...And Why the Poor Don't" (American Prospect, Feb. 
12, 2001)
*Ehrenreich, "America's Torrent of Need" (LA Times, Aug. 5, 2001)
*Gross, "An Average Family Teeters on Brink of Financial Cliff" (LA Times, March 24, 1996)
*Zamichow, "Surviving on $4.25 an Hour" (LA Times, April 30, 1995)
*Bernstein, "Down and Out in Silicon Valley" (Business Week, March 27, 2000)
*Cooper, "The Two Worlds of Los Angeles" (Nation, August 21, 2000)
*Hager, "While the Rich Get Richer..." (Washington Post Weekly, Sept. 13, 1999)
*Stevenson, "In a Time of Plenty, The Poor Are Still Poor" (NY Times, Jan. 23, 2000)
*Bernstein, "Is America Becoming More of a Class Society?" (Business Week, Feb. 26, 1996)
*Chapman, "Inequality Runs Deeper Than Skills Gap" (LA Times, July 19, 2000)
*Lardner, "A New Health Hazard: Economic Inequality" (Washington Post, Aug. 24, 1998)
*Herbert, "The Crime Fighter: A Study Cites the Role of Jobs" (NY Times, July 20, 2000)

*America By the Numbers: Distribution of Wealth and Income
o The Changing American Workforce (1900, 1950, 1990)
o Median Pay for Full-time Wage and Salary Workers: 1996 
o Hourly and Weekly Earnings of Production and Nonsupervisory Workers, 1947-97
o Median Family Income, 1947-98 (table)
o Median Family Income, 1947-98 (figure)
o Real Family Income Growth by Income Group 1947-98 
o Contribution of Wives' Earnings to Family Income 1970-98
o Historical Income Tables – People: Total CPS Population and Per Capita Money Income: 1967 to 1999
o How Households Divided the Nation's Income: 1976 & 1996
o The Growth of Income Inequality 1989-96
o The Top-Paid Chief Executives
o CEO Pay as a Multiple of Average Factory Worker Pay
o Ratio of CEO to average worker pay, 1965-99 
o Corporate Profit Rates, 1959-95
o Income Shares in the U.S. (1977 and 1999)
o 1947 to 1979 – Real Family Income Growth by Quintile and For Top 5%
o 1979 to 1998 – Real Family Income Growth by Quintile and for Top 1%
o Shares of Family Income by Income Fifth and Top 5%, 1947-96
o Ratio of Family Income of top 5% to Lowest 20%, 1947-96
o Wealth Inequality vs. Income Inequality, 1922-1989
o Wealth Concentration, Back to the Future: Top 1% Share of Household Wealth, 1922-97
o Percent of Total Assets Held by Wealth Class, 1995
o Changes in the Distribution of Household Wealth, 1962-1998
o Share of Total Stock Market Gains, 1989-97, by Wealth Class 
o Union Wage and Benefit Premium, 1997
o Union Wage Premium by Demographic Group, 1997
o Unionized Percentage of the Labor Force (1930-1994)
o Educational Attainment of Workforce, 1997
o Change in Real Hourly Wage by Education, 1973-1995
o Income Mobility, 1969-1994

*America By the Numbers: Tables and Graphs on Poverty and Unemployment 
o 2001 Poverty Guidelines
o Number of Poor and Poverty Rate: 1959 to 1999
o Number of Persons in Poverty for Individuals in Selected Demographic Groups 
1959-96
o Poverty Rates for Individuals in Selected Demographic Groups 1959-96
o People and Families in Poverty by Selected Characteristics: 1998 and 1999
o Central City Poverty Has Dropped in Recent Years (Percentage of Persons in Poverty, by City and
Suburban Residence, 1959-96)
o Minimum Wage and Average Hourly Wage (1963-1997)
o Real Value of the Minimum Wage, 1960-97
o Annual Minimum Wage Earnings and the Poverty Level for a Family of Three (1999 dollars)
o Share of Workers Earning Poverty-Level Wages, 1973-99
o Share of Workers Earning Poverty-Level Wages, by Race/Ethnicity, 1973-99 
o Unemployment Rates, 1890-1993
o Unemployment Rates By Sex, Age, Race, and Experience, 1976-96
o Real Rates of Underemployment, 1973-1993

Saturday, October 20 : Progressive Los Angeles Network (PLAN) conference.

Week 7 Social and Economic Policy: Work and Welfare
Tues. Oct. 16 -- Dreier lecture; Thurs. Oct. 18, sections


Topics: How can government policy influence the growth rate of the economy? Should it try? How can government policy influence the degree of social and economic inequality in society? What much inequality should a society tolerate? How can government policy influence the number and type of jobs? Should it try to reduce unemployment? If so, how? Should it provide a "safety net" for people who are older, poor, sick, or otherwise have difficulty making ends meet? What do we mean by the "welfare state?" Should government policy try to influence where people live and work -- such as cities and/or suburbs? Should government policy try to improve living conditions in troubled cities? Why or why not? 
Films: "Taken for a Ride" 
Readings:
The Debate Over Work and Welfare
MSS: Chapter 17, "Economic and Social Policy" 
*Krauthammer, "Pull the Plug on Welfare to Solve Poverty" (LA Times, Nov. 21, 1993)
*Primus, "The Safety Net Works" (Washington Post National Weekly, October 14-20,1996)
*Pear, "Clinton to Sign Welfare Bill That Ends U.S. Aid Guarantee and Gives
States Broad Power" (NY Times, August 1, 1996)
*"5 Years After Welfare Reform, Success Stuns Even Critics" (USA Today editorial,
August 20, 2001
*Rodgers, "Target Poverty, Not Welfare" (USA Today, August 20, 2001)
*Wilson and Cherlin, "The Real Test of Welfare Reform Still Lies Ahead" (NY 
Times, July 13, 2001)
*Lee, "LA County Jobs Surge Since '93, but Not Wages" (LA Times, July 26, 1999)
*Rivera, "Too Few Jobs May Imperil Welfare Reform Plan" (LA Times, May 20, 1998)
*Healy, "More Ex-Welfare Recipients Are Working But Still Poor" (LA Times, May 28, 1999)
*Swarns, "Mothers Poised for Workfare Face Acute Lack of Day Care" (NY Times, April 14,
1998)
*Tobar, "Welfare's New Rules Mean Less on Table" (LA Times, May 28, 1998)
*Newman, "What Inner-City Jobs for Welfare Moms?" (NY Times, May 20, 1995)
*Wartzman, "New Bus Lines Link the Inner-City Poor with Jobs in Suburbia" (Wall Street 
Journal, Sept. 24, 1993)
*Abramovitz and Piven, "Scapegoating Women on Welfare" (NY Times, Sept. 2, 1993)
*"G.O.P. Focusing on Welfare Vote" (NY Times, August 4, 1996) 
*Ibrahim, "To French, Solidarity Outweighs Balanced Budget" (NYTimes, Dec. 20, 1995)

Should the Government Guarantee a Living Wage?
*Cleeland, "Workers Trapped at el Minimo" (LA Times, March 9, 2000)
*Pollin, "Living Wage Gives a Boost to Demand" (LA Times, April 1, 1999)
*Furchtgott-Roth, "Keep Goose That Lays Golden Eggs" (LA Times, April 1, 1999)
*Cleeland, "Lives Get a Little Better on Living Wage" (LA Times, Feb. 7, 1999)
*Risen, "Credit for Working Poor... " (LA Times, Aug. 10, 1993)
*Madrick, "Economic Scene: Living Wages Are Practical..." (NY Times, July 5, 2001)

Hunger, Health Care, and Charity
*Brown, "Money is Available for the Uninsured" (LA Times, March 3, 1999)
*Vanzi, "2 Million Children Go Hungry in State, Study Says" (LA Times, April 1, 1995)
*"The School Lunch Debate" (LA Times, March 1, 1995)
*Goodstein, "Can Churches Be Everyone's Keeper?" (Washington Post, March 6, 1995)
*Soskis, "Act of Faith" (New Republic, Feb. 26, 2001)

America By the Numbers: Tables and Graphs on Welfare and Health Care
o Number of AFDC Recipients, and Recipients as a Percentage of Various Population Groups (1970-1993)
o Historical Trends in AFDC Enrollments and Average Payments, Fiscal Years 1970-96
o Maximum AFDC/TANF Benefits by Family Size, January 1997
o Health Insurance Coverage by Type of Insurance and Demographic Characteristics
o Change in Private Sector Employer-Provided Health Insurance Coverage, 1979-96
o Prescription Drug Prices in U.S. and Other Countries
o Prices and Profits for 20 Prescription Drugs
o Doctors' Income (1981-1989) 
*America By the Numbers: Tables and Graphs on Taxes
o Tax Changes and the Benefit to the Top 1% and Top 5% (1977-1989)
o The Great Tax Turnaround 1948-1990 (Median Families versus Millionaires or 
the Top 1%)
o Effective Federal Tax Rates, 1977-1996
o Corporate Profits Taxes, 1959-1997

Week 8 Race, Rights, and Liberties
Tues, Oct. 23, Freer lecture; Thurs., Oct. 25, sections

Topics: What are civil rights and civil liberties? How have civil rights and civil liberties been understood in the American political system? What role have the courts, the President, Congress, and ordinary citizens played in expanding, defending, or reducing civil rights and civil liberties? What is free speech and what are the limits, in any, to free speech? Are group rights or individual rights more important? What role does race play in our public policy process? Should the government identify or categorize people by race? Are certain policies "race-coded" or "race neutral"? Is the way we understood racial and ethnic differences changing? How does our criminal justice system work? Why does the US have so many people in prison compared with other countries? Why is the US the only democratic country that still has a death penalty? How do current debates over immigration reflect different views of race, rights, and liberties?
Film: "Your Loan is Denied" 
Readings:
MSS: 
Chapter 14, "The Judiciary and the Democratic Debate"
Chapter 16, "Civil Liberties and Civil Rights"

Race, Rights, and Culture
*McClain and Stewart, "America's Dilemmas" (from Can We All Get Along?, 1998)
*Martinez, "The Next Chapter" (NY Times Magazine, July 16, 2000) 

Freedom of Expression: The Case of the Flag(s)
*Volokh, "The US Constitution Says We All Have to Live with Being Offended" (LA Times, July 18, 2001)
*McCain, "Black Leaders Refuse to Pledge Allegiance to Flag" (Washington Times, June 22, 2001)

Race Relations
*LeDuff, "At a Slaughterhouse, Some Things Never Die: Who Kills, Who Cuts, Who Bosses Can Depend on Race" (NY Times, June 16, 2000)
*Rodriguez, "Race: In Them vs. US, Who's Us?" (LA Times, April 11, 1999)
*Rodriguez, "The Power in Forgetting: As Latinos Become Largest Minority, They Are Creating a New Racial Paradigm" (LA Times, April 2, 2000)
*Kang, "At a Crossroads" (LA Times, July 12, 1998)
*Yin, "The Two Sides of America's `Model Minority'" (LA Times, May 7, 2000)
*McIntosh, "White Privilege -- Unpacking the Invisible Knapsacks" (Peace and Freedom, 
1989)

Race, Policy, and Progress 
*"Killing Fields" (Graph)
*Thernstrom and Thernstrom, "We Have Overcome" (New Republic, Oct. 13, 1997) 
*Lemann, "Taking Affirmative Action Apart" (NY Times Magazine, June 11, 1995)
*Karabel, "Affirmative Action Had Real Merit" (LA Times, July 10, 2000)
*Steele, "A Negative Vote on Affirmative Action" (NY Times, May 13, 1990)
*Wilson, "Race Neutral Programs and the Democratic Coalition" (American Prospect, Spring 1990)

Criminal Justice
*Wallis, "The Word on Racial Profiling" (Washington Post, May 21, 2000)
*Dreier and Reiman, "Prisoners of Misleading Fact," Dissent, Spring 1996
*Parenti, "The Prison Industrial Complex" (Corporate Watch, September 1999)

Immigration
*Brownstein and Simon, "Hospitality Turns into Hostility" (LA Times, Nov. 14,1993)
*Connerly, "Why They Won't Debate Immigration" (Human Events, Aug. 4, 2000)
*Khokha, "Criminalizing Immigrant Workers" (National Network of Immigrant and Refugee Rights, 1998)

The Census and Racial Categorization
*Nelson, "Census" (LA Times, March 24, 2001)
*Schmitt, "Whites in Minority in Largest Cities, the Census Shows" (NY Times, April 30, 2001)
*Rosensblatt, "Board Democrats Argue for Those Left Out" (LA Times. March 29, 2001)
*Connerly, "If Justice is Blind, the Colour of Your Skin is of No Importance" (Daily Telegraph, April 26, 2001)
*Page, "There Are Still Valid Causes to Label Americans by Race" (Newsday, July 31, 2001)

America By the Numbers: Tables on Racial Groups 
o Selected Characteristics of Black, Asian American, American Indian and Non-Latino White Populations, Latest 
Estimates (Source: McClain and Stewart)
o Selected Characteristics of the Latino Population and Selected Subgroups, 1994 (Source: McLain and Stewart)
o Selected Characteristics of the Selected Asian American Population Subgroups, 1990 (Source: McClain and Stewart)
o Denying Loans (Source: Brown, Multinational Monitor, November 1992)
o Minorities in Congress
o Numbers of Women and Minorities in Congress

Week 9: Gender and Sexuality in Politics
Tues., Oct. 30, Freer lecture; Thurs, Nov. 1, sections

What role does gender and sexuality play in our political system? How are gender differences represented in our political system? How might our laws and public policies reflect or not reflect gender bias? Are our own perspectives on public policy colored by our understandings of gender? How does the government become involved in the definition and regulation of sexuality? What issues of privacy and civil liberties are raised by the relationships of gender and public policy? How do understandings of race connect to issues of gender and sexuality? What kinds of public policies have people proposed to address issues of gender and sexuality? What have the courts said about race and gender differences and inequalities? How are people of color, women, and gays represented in our political system?
Film: "Dare to Compete: The Struggle of Women in Sports"
Readings:

Gender and Difference
*Fausto-Sterling, "The Five Sexes, Revisited" (Sciences, July/August 2000)
*Young, "Respecting Difference in Policy" (from Justice and the Politics of 
Difference, 1990)
*Press, "Faith Based Furor" (NY Times Magazine, April 1, 2001)

Gender and Politics
*Carroll, "The Disempowerment of the Gender Gap" (PS, March 1999)
*Center for American Women and Politics, "Women in Elected Office," "Women of Colorin Elected
Office" and "Sex Differences in Voter Turnout," 2000
*Swers, "Understanding the Policy Impact of Electing Women" (PS, June 2001)
*Conway, "Women and Political Participation" (PS, June 2001)

Gender and the Economy
*Ehrenreich, "Maid to Order" (Harpers, April 2000)
*Marano, "Running Harder to Catch Up," 1990
*Dujon, Gradford, and Stevens, "Reports from the Front: Welfare Mothers Up in Arms"
*Blair, "Shattering the Myth of the Glass Ceiling," (LA Times, May 1, 1996) 
*Walsh, "Where Women's Work is Job No. 1" (LA Times, Sept. 28, 1996)

Case Study of Gay Marriage
*Schlesinger, "Counterpunch: Opposing Gay Marriage Doesn't Mean That I'm 
Homophobic" (LA Times, Jan. 17, 2000)
*Stoltz, "Signs of the Times" (Commonweal, April 7, 2000)
*Price, "Vermont Gives Gay Couples First-Class Citizenship" (USA Today, June 29, 2000)
*Warren, "Proposition 22; Ban on Gay Marriages Wins in All Regions but Bay Area" (LA 
Times, March 8, 2000)
*Cloud, "Will Gay Marriage Be Legal?" (Time, Feb. 21, 2000)

Visions of the Past and Future
*Reed, "Sisterhood Was Powerful" (American Prospect, July 17, 2000)
*Liu, "Teaching the Difference Among Women from a Historical Perspective," 1991

II. Political Participation

Week 10 Electoral Systems and Voting
Tues., Nov. 6, Freer lecture; Thurs., Nov. 8, sections

Topics: What are the major forms of political participation? What are the differences between conventional and unconventional forms of participation? How do Americans participate in their political system? Why is the level of voting lower in the U.S. than in most other democratic countries? Is this good or bad? Why? Should anything be done to make it easier or more difficult to vote? Why or why not? What changes are necessary to increase voter participation?
Film: "Vote for Me" (parts 1 and 4)
Readings:

Why Is Voter Participation So Low?
MSS: Chapter 5, "Where Have All the Voters Gone?" 
*Rogers and Teixeira, "America's Forgotten Majority," Atlantic Monthly, June 2000
*Broder, "The 30 Million Missing Voters" (Washington Post Weekly, July 24, 2000) 
*Kleysteuber, "Some Young Adults Buck Apathetic Reputation By Running for and Serving 
In Political Office" (Wall Street Journal, July 3, 2000)
*Shogan, "Politicians Embrace Status Quo as Nonvoter Numbers Grow" (LA Times, May 
4, 1998)
*Neuborne, "Reclaiming Democracy" (American Prospect, March 12-16, 2001)

Should We Try to Increase Voter Turnout By Changing the Rules?
*Weinstein, "Vote-By-Mail Law Upheld on Appeal" (LA Times, July 12, 2001)
*Callahan, "Ballot Blocks" (American Prospect, July/August 1998)
*Guinier, "What We Must Overcome" (American Prospect, March 12-16, 2001)
*Keyssar, "Reform and an Evolving Electorate" (NY Times, August 5, 2001)
*Amy, Real Choices/New Voices: The Case for Proportional Representation Elections in the United States (Introduction, pp. 13-20)
*Padilla, "Voters Electing New Ways to Cast Ballots" (LA Times, June 25, 2000)
*Squire, et. al., "Redistricting and Gerrymandering" (from The Dynamics of 
Democracy,1995)
*Bustillo, "Time to Ease Term Limits, Many Say," LA Times, June 26, 2000.
*Mehlman, "It's Too Easy to Vote, Not Too Hard" (LA Times, January 6, 1997)
*Warren, "Election Day Voter Registration is Urged" (LA Times, May 27, 1999)
*Engstrom, "The Voting Rights Act" (PS: Political Science and Politics, December 1994)
*"Case of Amnesia for the High Court" (editorial, LA Times, July 2, 1995)
*Guinier, "What Color Is Your Gerrymander" (Washington Post, March 27, 1994)
*Sack, "Victory of 5 Redistricted Blacks Recasts Gerrymandering Dispute" (NY Times, 
November 23, 1996)
*McKinney, "The Politics of Geography" (Emerge, December 1996/January 1997)
*Barabak, "Redistricting Fuels Partisan Frenzy" (LA Times, July 25, 2001)
*Barabak, "Democrats Rule the Redistricting Roost in California" (LA Times, July 25, 2001)
*Greenhouse, "Justices Permit Race as a Factor in Redistricting" (NY Times, April 19, 
2001) 

America by the Numbers: Tables on Voting Behavior
*Table: "Social Groups and the Presidential Vote"
*Table: "Voting and Registration: November 1996"
*Table: "Voter Turnout by Demographic Factors"
*Table: "Participation in National Elections, By Population Characteristics, 1996"
*Table: "Percentage of White Major Party Voters Who Voted Democratic for President
by Union Membership, 1944-1996" 
*"The Growth of the Gender Gap in Party Identification"


Week 11 Money, Interest Groups, and Campaigns
Tues., Nov. 13, Dreier lecture; Thurs., Nov. 15, sections 

Topics: What are interest groups? What are the different kinds of interest groups? How do people organize themselves to gain a voice in government decision-making? What are class, industry, consumer, labor, and other groups? What resources do they use to get their voices and views heard? What role does money play in gaining influence in politics? Who benefits from the influence of money in politics? How much do election campaigns cost? Where does the money come from? Does this make any difference in the kinds of issues that get discussed and policies that get made by government decision makers? What kinds of reforms of campaign finance laws are under discussion? What are the pros and cons of these proposals? What role did money play in the 2000 elections? 
(As part of this week's readings, students will use the Project Vote-Smart website (www.vote-smart.org) and find out the major sources of campaign contributions to their hometown Congresspersons (U.S. House of Representatives) and her/his voting record. 
Film: "Free Speech for Sale"
Readings:

Money and Elections
MSS: 
Chapter 8, "Campaigns" 
Chapter 9, "Interest Group Politics" 
*Domhoff, "America Is Controlled By a Ruling Social Class" (from Who Rules America Now?)
*Sifry, "How Money in Politics Hurts You" (Dollars & Sense, July/August 2000)
*Corrado, "Financing the 2000 Elections" (from Pomper, ed., The Election of 2000)
*Loewenberg, "The Bush Money Machine" (Nation, April 10, 2000)
*Silverstein, "Gore's Secret List" (Nation, April 10, 2000)
*Miller and Sifry, "Labor's Lost" (American Prospect, August 14, 2000)

Interest Groups and Lobbying
*Wayne, "Trade on Their Names" (NY Times, May 23, 2001)
*Pasternak, "Bush's Energy Plan Bares Industry Clout" (LA Times, Aug. 26, 2001)
*Toner, "Debate on Patients' Rights Sends Lobbyists Into Battle" (NY Times, June 20, 2001)
*Leeds, "Health Care Firms Spend Big to Head Off Reforms" (LA Times, July 23, 2000)
*Dreyfuss, "Toxic Cash: How Lobbyists Poisoned the EPA" (American Prospect, Winter 1995)
*Noah, "Environmentalists Take a Leaf From Book of Right and Target Enemies, Allies 
in Issue Campaigns" (Wall Street Journal, July 19, 1996)
*Judis, "The Most Powerful Lobby" (In These Times, Feb. 21, 1994)
*Labaton, "How A Company Lets Its Cash Talk" (NY Times, Oct.17, 1999)
*Bunting, "Dole Lent Clout to Gallo Winery" (LA Times, Oct. 16, 1996)
*Eilperin, "Speaker Hastert Offers Access, For a Price" (New Orleans Times-Picayune, March 11, 1999)
*Stone, "Under the Gun" (National Journal, June 5, 1993)
*Mydans, "Freshman Withstands An NRA Fusillade" (NY Times, May 9, 1994)
*Woellert, "Flash Point on the Road to the White House" (Business Week, Aug. 16, 1999)

The Debate Over Campaign Finance Reform
*McCain, "The Scandal in Our Midst" (Newsweek, August 17, 1998)
*Goldberg, "Vermont's `Clean Money' Law Will Finance Underdog's Campaign" (NY Times, June 15, 2000)
*Dreyfuss, "Reform Gets Rolling: Campaign Finance at the Grassroots" (American Prospect, July/August 1999)
*"Four Possible Routes Toward Campaign Finance Reform" (Chart) (NY Times, April 6, 1997)
*Wayne, "Scholars Urge New High Court Ruling" (NY Times, Nov. 10, 1996)
*Goldberg, "Vermont Ruling Redefines Campaign Finance Law" (NY Times, Aug. 11, 
2000)

Week 12 The Media. Public Opinion. and Politics
Tues, Nov. 27, Lare lecture; Thurs., Nov. 29, sections

Topics: What is public opinion? How do you know what the public thinks about a particular issue?  When and how is public opinion important in influencing politics and public policy? What are the different types of media that are relevant to our understanding of politics and policy making?  What influence do each of those types play in the political/policy process? What does "setting the agenda" mean? What determines whether something is "newsworthy"? Are the media biased?  How? How do you know if they are biased? What has been the role of the media in covering the first year of the George W. Bush Administration and the response of the Congress to the Bush agenda? How does this interaction between the media and those institutions illustrate the observations you have made concerning the role of public opinion and the media in shaping American politics and public policy?

Films: "The Great Health Care Debate" and "The Public Mind"
Readings: 

MSS, Chapter 3, "Public Opinion and Political Culture" (pp. 51 - 73 only)
Chapter 6, "The Media: Setting the Political Agenda"
*Morin, "The Power of the People" (Washington Post Weekly, July 23-29, 2001)
*McChesney, "Oligopoly: The Media Game Has Fewer and Fewer Players" (Progressive, November 1999)
*Frankel, "You Can't Dam the Money" (NY Times Magazine, Feb.20, 2000)
*Lieberman, "Covering Health Care Reform: Round One" (Columbia Journalism Review, Sept/Oct 1993)
*Lieberman, "The Selling of Clinton Lite" (Columbia Journalism Review, March/April 
1994).
*"Five Media Myths about Welfare" (Extra!, May/June 1995)
*Witt, "We Rarely See Those Who Labor" (Baltimore Sun, Aug 22, 1999)
*Squires, "Death of the Fourth Estate" (New Perspectives Quarterly, 1992)
*Fallows, "Why Americans Hate the Media" (Atlantic Monthly, February 1996)
*Croteau, "Challenging the 'Liberal Media' Claim" Extra!, July-August 1998)
*Smoller, "The Unmediated Presidency" (Orange County Register, March 28, 1993)
*Kovach and Rosenstiel, "The Unexamined Presidency" (NY Times, May 1, 2001).
*Brooks, "Let's Have an Argument" (Weekly Standard, Aug 13, 2001)
*Thompson, "Bush Getting Mixed Reviews" (North San Diego Times, July 22, 2001)
*Leo, "Is there an echo? Real Stories often get lost in the maw of media groupthink" (US News, July 31, 2001)
*Dolny, "Think Tanks Y2K: Progressive groups gain, but right cited twice as often" (Extra!, July/Aug 2001)
*Pozner, "Power Shortage for Media Women" (Extra!, July/Aug 2001)
*Coen, "Free Trade = Freedom: FTAA Coverage Spins Pro-Business as Pro-Democracy" (Extra!, July/Aug 2001)


Week 13 Grassroots Movements, Protest, and Citizen Activism
Tues, Dec. 4, Dreier lecture; Thurs, Dec. 6, sections

Topics: Why and when do people resort to unconventional forms of political participation, such as protest, to get their voices heard by government decision-makers? Isn't protest a way for people to take the law into their own hands? Isn't this undemocratic? What kinds of protest movements have played a role in our nation's political history? What kinds of issues have protest movements focused on? How does protest emerge? What kind of strategies and tactics do protest movements use? How effective is protest in influence government and public policy? Why?
Films: "Fight in the Fields: Cesar Chavez & the Farmworkers" and "Union Summer"
Readings:
MSS: Chapter 10, "Mass Movement Politics" 
Chapter 19, "Afterword: The Prospects for Popular Democracy" 

Reform Movements in U.S. History
*Brownstein, "Imbalance of Power Defines Struggle Over Health Care" (LA Times, July 25, 1994)
*"Women's Suffrage," (from Robert Cooney and Helen Michalowski, The Power of the People, 1977)
*Bonnie Mitelman, "Rose Schneiderman and the Triangle Fire" (American History Illustrated, July 1981)
*Williams,"Blasting the Barriers to Citizenship" (Social Policy, Spring 1989)

The Revival of the Labor Movement?
*Mosle, "How the Maids Fought Back" (The New Yorker, Feb. 26/ March 4, 1996)
*Verhover, "The New Language of American Labor" (NY Times, June 26, 1999)
*Greenhouse, "Priest vs. Big Chicken In Fight for Labor Rights" (NY Times, Oct. 6, 1999)
*Greenhouse, "Janitors, Long Paid Little, Demand a Larger Slice" (NY Times, April 26, 2000)
*Hornblower, "Labor's Youth Brigade" (Time, July 15, 1996)
*Candaele and Dreier, "LA's Progressive Mosaic" (The Nation, Aug. 21, 2000) 

Community and Environmental Movements
*Stengel, "Bowling Together" (Time, July 22, 1996)
*Loeb, "Soul of a Citizen" (Utne Reader, July/August 1999)
*Gardner, "Good COPS" (In These Times, November 1, 1993)
*Rosen, "Who Gets Polluted?" (Dissent, Spring 1994)
*Easterbrook, "Here Comes the Sun" (The New Yorker, April 10, 1995)

WRITING ASSIGNMENTS FOR POLITICS 101

Material Covered Passed Out Due in Class
Week 1 Thurs., Aug. 30 Thurs., Sept. 6 
Weeks 1, 2 & 3 Thurs., Sept. 13 Thurs., Sept. 20
Week 4 & 5 Thurs., Sept. 27 Thurs., Oct. 4
Weeks 1-7 (Midterm) Thurs., Oct. 11 Thurs., Oct. 18
Weeks 8 & 9 Thurs., Oct. 25 Thurs., Nov. 1
Weeks 10 & 11 Thurs., Nov. 8 Thurs., Nov. 15
Weeks 12 & 13 Thurs., Nov. 29 Thurs., Dec. 6
Weeks 1-13 (Final Exam) Thurs., Dec. 6 Friday, Dec. 14*

*The final exam should be handed in to your professor's office by 4 p.m., Friday, December 14.


FILMS FOR POLITICS 101

These film are a required part of the course. All films will be shown at 7 p.m. on the Tuesdays listed below, in Weingart Hall, Room 117. The film showings generally will take from one to two hours. There will be a brief discussion following the films.

September 11: "Trade Secrets"
September 18: "The Democratic Promise" and "Never Say Die" 
September 25: "The American President"
October 2: "Global Assembly Line" and "Zoned for Slavery"
October 9: "Children in America's Schools"
October 16: "Taken for a Ride"
October 23: "Your Loan is Denied"
October 30: "Dare to Compete: The Struggle of Women in Sports"
November 6: "Vote for Me"
November 13: "Free Speech for Sale"
November 27: "The Public Mind" and "The Great Health Care Debate"
November 28: "Fight in the Fields" and "Union Summer"


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