Comparative Urban Politics – Fall 2013
Pl. Sc. 422
Mr. Myers
319 Pond Lab
djm8@psu.edu
230 Theatre Building
T/R. 8:00 – 9:15
Phone: 865-1973
.
SCOPE AND GOALS OF THE COURSE:
Comparative Urban Politics (Pl. Sc. 422) emphasizes how national, regional and local policy makers shape
and govern cities and metropolitan regions in the United States and Latin America. It also analyzes the
political, social and economic forces involved in this shaping and governing. Pl.Sc. 422 has two major
subdivisions. First, the course examines government and political change in the urban regions of the
United States. The second focuses on politics in urban Latin American, with an extended case study of
selected issues in Caracas (Venezuela).
Students should take away from Political Science 422 a basic knowledge of urban political
institutions and actors in the United States and Latin America. Students also are expected to develop a
familiarity with the most recent thinking about how cities and city centered regions shape the urban built
environment and reflect the political power and wealth of nations.
The political dynamics of cities in the United States and Latin America are illustrative of analogous
processes in Europe, Asia, Africa and Oceania. Obviously, a course that attempted to cover cities in all
major geographical regions would be so wide ranging as to be shallow and superficial. In depth analysis
necessitates restricting the universe to be studied. Political Science 422's focus on United States and Latin
American cities facilitates discussion and analysis of such important urban problems as growth, class
conflict, public order, service management, finances, land-use planning and spatial competition within
national urban systems.
REQUIRED TEXTS
The following required texts are available for purchase at one of the local bookstores:
Gilbert, Alan. 1998. The Latin American City. Nottingham, UK.: Russell Press.
Spink, Peter, Peter Ward & Robert Wilson. 2012. Metropolitan Governance in the Federalist
Americas. Notre Dame, University of Notre Dame Press
Vogel, Ronald K. & John J. Harringan, 2007. 8thed. Political Change in the Metropolis.
New York: Longman.
OPTIONAL TEXT
Jose Galvan. 2006. 3rd ed. Writing Literature Reviews. Glendale, CA.: Pyrczak Publishing
SUPPLEMENTAL
Other required materials are on closed reserve in Pattee Library or on electronic reserve. All
electronic reserve materials are accessible through the online Cat. Go to http://www.lias.psu.edu/ and
click on the link to the Cat, then click on the blue Course Reserves button. A search screen will appear,
and students can search for reserves by instructor name, course number or course name. As the reserve
list for Pl.Sci.422 contains more than one item, click on the Detail Button to the right of the course title to
display the link to an electronic reserve document. Click on the Help button at any time for more
information. The syllabus specifies the times at which the materials to be downloaded come into play.
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Comparative Urban Politics – Fall 2013
Pl. Sc. 422
CLASS SCHEDULE AND READING ASSIGNMENTS
DATE
TOPIC
I. CITIES AND URBAN POLITICS IN THE UNITED STATES
Week 1 (August 26 – 30)
Session 1 - Introduction and Course Overview
Session 2 – Urban Evolution and Political Process
Required reading: Vogel & Harrigan, cp. 1; Neuwirth, cp. 5; Beauregard, Robert A.
“Atop the Urban Hierarchy” (available as a download from closed reserve)
Week 2 (September 2 – 6 )
Session 1 Emergence of Metropolitan America
Required reading: Vogel & Harrigan, cp. 2.
Session 2 Presentation of the Written Assignment and Topic Selection Preliminaries
Required reading: Galvan, Writing Literature Reviews, pp. 1 – 42
Week 3 (September 9 - 13)
Session 1 Ethnic-based Politics in the American City
Required reading: Vogel & Harringan, cp. 3
Session 2 Topics Machine Politics and Reform
Required reading: Harrigan & Vogal, cp. 4
** beginning with this class, half of each second weekly meeting will be
devoted to discussion and “in class” presentations by student teams.
Class discussion/presentation by Team 1
Week 4 (September 16 – 20 )
Session 1 Politics of Racial and Social Change
Required reading: Vogel & Harrigan, cp. 5
Session 2 Changing Urban Political Economy
Required Reading: Harrigan & Vogal, cp. 6
Class discussion/presentation by Team 2
Week 5 (September 23-27 )
Session 1 Community Power and Leadership
Required reading, Harrigan & Vogal, cp. 7.
Session 2 Urban Sprawl & Land Use
Required reading: Harrigan & Vogal, cp. 8; Frug.
“City Land Use” cp. 7 (available as an electronic download)
Class discussion/presentation by Team 3
Written Team Conferences with the professor must be completed by 5pm on Tuesday, September 24)
Week 6 (September 30 – October 4 )
Session 1: The New Regionalism
Required reading: Harrison & Vogal, cp. 9
Session 2: Metropolitan Government
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Pl. Sc. 422
Required reading: Harrigan & Vogal, cp: 10; Wilson in Spink, cp. 3
Class discussion/presentation by Team 4
Week 7 (October 7 – 11 )
Session 1 National Urban Policy and the Future
Required reading: Harrison & Vogal, cps: 11, 12.
Review for the first examination
Session 2 First Examination (25% of total grade)
II. CITIES AND POLITICS IN LATIN AMERICA
Week 8 (October 14 – 18 )
Session 1 Latin American Cities: Colonial Roots and Growth
Required reading: Eisenstadt, S & A. Sherar, “Latin America.” In Society, Culture
& Urbanization, pp. 97-121 (available as two downloads from electronic reserve).
Session 2 Urban Landscape of Contemporary Latin America
Required reading: Gilbert, cps. 1, 2; John Rapley. 2006. “The New Middle Ages.”
Foreign Affairs, May/June. 95-103 (available as a download from electronic reserve).
Class discussion/presentation by Team 5
Week 9 (October 21 – 25 )
Session 1 Politics of Migration
Required reading: Gilbert cps. 3
Session 2 Politics of Land Access
Required reading: Gilbert cps. 5
Class discussion/presentation by Team 6
Week 10 (October 28 – November 1 )
Session 1 Managing Urban Services
Required reading: Gilbert, cp. 6;
Session 1 Politics of Housing
Required reading: Gilbert, cps. 4;
Class discussion/presentation by Team 7
Week 11 (November 4 – 8 )
Session 1 Politics & Violence in the Shantytowns
Required reading: Enrique Desmond Arias & Corinne Davis Rodriguez. 2006.
“The Myth of Personal Security: “Criminal Gangs, Dispute Resolution and Identity in
Rio’s Favelas.” Latin American Politics and Society 48, 4, pp. 53 – 82;
(available as a download from electronic reserves)
Session 2 Presentation and Discussion of Tables Summarizing Literature for Written Work
Required reading: Galvan, cp. 7 “Building Tables to Summarize Literature.”
Week 12 (November 11 – 15)
Session 1 Presentation and Discussion of Tables Summarizing Literature for Written Work
Required reading: Galvan, cp. 8 “Synthesizing Literature Prior to Writing a Review;” cp. 9
“Guidelines for Writing a First Draft.”
Session 2 Urban protest and the law
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Pl. Sc. 422
Required reading: Gilbert cp. 7.
Class discussion/presentation by Team 8
Week 13 (November 18 - 22)
Session 1 São Paulo: Political Dynamics
Required reading; Myers/Dietz, Cp. 10
(available as a download from electronic reserves)
Session 2 Metropolitan Government in São Paulo
Required reading: Spink, cp. 4
Thanksgiving Holiday (November 25 – 30)
Week 14 (December 1 – 6 )
Session 1 Venezuela: Stop-Start Metropolitan Governance
Required Reading: Myers in Spink, cp. 7.
Team Written Assignment due at the beginning of the class on Tuesday, December 3.
Session 2 Caracas: Political Evolution of the Primate City
Required reading: Myers/Dietz, cp. 4.
(available as a download from electronic reserves)
Class discussion/presentation by Team 9
Week 15 (December 9 – 13 )
Session 1 Caracas: Politics of Populist Clientilism
Required reading: Michael Penfold Becerra. 2007. “Clientilism and Social Funds:
Evidence from Chavez’s Misiones.” Latin American Politics & Society 49, 4: 63 – 84.
Session 2 New Directions in Latin American urban politics
Required reading: Gilbert, cp. 8; Spink, Ward & Wilson, cp.8
Discussion, review for the final examination and course evaluation SRTE’s
Examination #2 (25%) of total grade
LECTURES:
It should be emphasized that the lectures and the reading assignments, although interrelated, are
by no means identical, nor are they tied together by the same titles and rigid lockstep schedule.
Generally, the lectures tend to deal with more precise topics and to be more interpretive, but less
descriptive than the reading materials. Accordingly, the readings should be completed on schedule, and
NOT after the lectures have been directed.
OFFICE HOURS:
Professor Myers' scheduled office hours are on Tuesday & Thursday, from1:30pm to 3:00pm. For
exceptional problems additional hours can be arranged, by special appointment in advance. Students are
urged to make regular use of the scheduled office hours of the professor.
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GRADES:
For all students in this course, Political Science 422, the final course grade will be based
approximately on these percentages:
Examination #1
- 25%
Examination #2
- 25%
Written project
- 35%
Conference
(5%)
Class presentation (5%)
Final review
(25%)
Participation & Presentation - 15%
TOTAL 100%
OPERATIONAL GUIDELINES:
1. Attendance: It is expected that students will attend the lecture and discussion sessions,
starting at 8:00am. Absence from class in this course, or for that matter in virtually any course, places the
student at a disadvantage. It is the student's responsibility to overcome that disadvantage by: a)
obtaining the notes on classroom lectures, preferably from at least two fellow students. b) requesting a
new test to be administered or for a short extension of a project deadline IF the absence was a valid one
(illness, death in the family, etc.); c) undertaking other remedial actions deemed appropriate.
2. Dropping the Course: Students who drop the course will do so with the grade on record at this
time.
3. Due Dates and Times: Scheduled tests are administered on the stated date, at the announced
time. Written work submitted after class on Tuesday, December 3 will be subject to the same grade
penalty that would be accorded if the paper had been turned in at the next meeting of the class.
4. Failure to meet ALL requirements: A student who fails to submit ALL written requirements for
this course -- including the two scheduled tests and the written exercises -- has NOT met the
requirements of this course. Failing to meet all requirements of this course will mean an "F" grade for the
semester. The fundamental principle or ethic for this course is that the mature student accepts
responsibility with accountability, as does the professor.
5. Make-ups: None. There will be no make-up tests in this class. In a genuine hardship case,
appropriately documented, an entirely new test will be given. Since students who miss a test will have
had additional time in which to study and prepare, that new test will include all new material assigned up
to the date on which the new test is given.
6. Pass/Fail: Students who take the course pass/fail should understand that the pass/fail cannot
be revoked later on in the semester. This university wide regulation has been a matter of some concern
to students who earned "A" and "B" grades in this course in years gone by. As a matter of record,
moreover, there have been very few "D" grades in this course over the years.
THE TESTS:
There will be two scheduled examinations. Each will include critical essays and multiple-choice
questions. The student will be expected to demonstrate knowledge of BOTH the lectures and the
assigned readings. Critical essay study questions will be distributed prior to each examination.
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Pl. Sc. 422
THE WRITTEN EXERCISE
This exercise, including the team conference with the professor, is worth 35% of the total grade.
Materials pertaining to the exercise will be distributed and discussed in class during the second week of
the semester.
Academic Dishonesty
The Department of Political Science, along with the College of the Liberal Arts and the University, takes
violations of academic dishonesty seriously. Observing basic honesty in one's work, words, ideas, and
actions is a principle to which all members of the community are required to subscribe.
All course work by students is to be done on an individual basis unless an instructor clearly states that an
alternative is acceptable. Any reference materials used in the preparation of any assignment must be
explicitly cited. Students uncertain about proper citation are responsible for checking with their instructor.
In an examination setting, unless the instructor gives explicit prior instructions to the contrary, whether the
examination is in-class or take-home, violations of academic integrity shall consist but are not limited to
any attempt to receive assistance from written or printed aids, or from any person or papers or electronic
devices, or of any attempt to give assistance, whether the one so doing has completed his or her own work
or not.
Lying to the instructor or purposely misleading any Penn State administrator shall also constitute a
violation of academic integrity.
In cases of any violation of academic integrity it is the policy of the Department of Political Science to
follow procedures established by the College of the Liberal Arts. More information on academic integrity
and procedures followed for violation can be found at:
http://www.la.psu.edu/CLA-Academic_Integrity/integrity.shtml
Disabilities
The Pennsylvania State University encourages qualified people with disabilities to participate in its
programs and activities and is committed to the policy that all people shall have equal access to
programs, facilities, and admissions without regard to personal characteristics not related to ability,
performance, or qualifications as determined by University policy or by state or federal authorities. If you
anticipate needing any type of accommodation in this course or have questions about physical access,
please tell the instructor as soon as possible. Reasonable accommodations will be made for all students
with disabilities, but it is the student's responsibility to inform the instructor early in the term. Do not
wait until just before an exam to decide you want to inform the instructor of a learning disability; any
accommodations for disabilities must be arranged well in advance.
Web sites of interest
The web site for Professor Myers’ home page: http://polisci.la.psu.edu/faculty/myers/myers.htm
The Political Science Department is in the process of upgrading its web site and will continue to do so
during this and future academic years. In the undergraduate section you will find a wealth of
information including course schedules, faculty office hours, faculty home pages describing their areas
of teaching and research activities, answers to questions about advising, internship opportunities,
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Pl. Sc. 422
announcements, and much, much, more. Check back often: we will continuously update our
information about internships and career opportunities: http://polisci.la.psu.edu/
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