Metropolitan Politics
(53.240, Section 1)
Fall Semester 2002
Instructor:
Course Time:
Office hours:
Office Location:
Steven Taylor, Ph.D. (staylor@american.edu)
Thursdays, 11:20 to 2:00
Mondays and Tuesdays, 8:45 to 11:45
217 Ward Circle Building
Description of Course
Metropolitan Politics is a course that examines the political systems of local (municipal
and county) governmental units, the relationship of local government to the state and national
government, and the dynamics of the interactions of various constituencies in a metropolis, such
as ethnic groups and the business community. The course also looks at the historical
development of political structures and the impact that reform has had upon these structures.
Also covered will be the impact of suburbanization on the politics of the metropolis.
The following are the items that students will be graded on: a final examination,
participation in a group presentation, a detailed book review replete with references to other
works on the sub-topic, and quizzes following each of six (6) units. Students are exempted
from the quiz on the unit they are presenting on. The tests are worth 25 percent of each
student's grade (five points per quiz), participation in the group presentation is work ten percent,
the detailed book review (due November 13) is worth 30 percent, the final examination is worth
32 percent, and attendance is worth 3 percent.
The following is the grading scale:
# of Points
Grade
93-100
90-92
87-89
83-86
80-82
A
AB+
B
B-
# of Points
Grade
77-79
73-76
70-72
60-69
0-59
C+
C
CD
F
Please be advised that I adhere strictly to the above scale, and I do not change grades if
you are on the edge. Therefore I strongly suggest that you constantly check your point totals
so that there will be no unpleasant surprises at the end of the semester. Moreover, there will
be no extra-credit assignments.
Explanations of Assignments
Tests
There will be six five-point quizzes. Each one will cover the unit preceding the quiz.
However, if a student is presenting on that unit, he/she will be exempt from the quiz. Therefore
each student will take five quizzes. There will be no quiz for the final unit. If you miss a quiz,
you will receive a zero, as no make-ups are given. Therefore it is essential that you plan to
attend on the days of the quizzes.
The final examination will be cumulative, and will cover all seven units. It will be worth
32 percent of your grade, and will be given on December 12, during our regular class time.
Presentations
At the end of each unit, a group of students will present on that unit. Students will be
assigned to a unit (at random) during the first class meeting. Once a student is assigned to a
unit, he/she must make certain that he/she will be in class on that day to present. No changes
will be allowed, and no exceptions will be granted. The presentations should be three-minute
presentations, and they should be on the specific topic of the unit. The presentations will be
oral book reviews on a book or portion of a book (fiction or non-fiction) that focuses on the
specific topic of the unit, focuses on the politics of the metropolis, and that has been approved
by the professor or teaching assistant prior to the presentation. While the professor approves
the book, it is the responsibility of the student to choose the book.
Students who present for a minimum of three minutes, on a relevant pre-approved
book, and who use no notes whatsoever, will be awarded ten points. Students who do so with
an outline that is placed on an overhead projector or written on the board will receive nine
points. Students who read any portion of their report will receive eight points. Students who
read the majority of the report will receive seven points. If you choose to read any portion of
your presentation, please submit a copy of the notes to the professor prior to your presentation.
Students who do not use a relevant topic, or who have not had their reports pre-approved, will
receive zero points. If you have any questions on this, or any other assignment, please
contact me during my office hours.
Detailed Book Review
The book that the student presents on will be the primary source for the detailed book
review, which is worth 30 percent of the grade. The book that you present on should be the
primary source. Your assignment is to examine the concepts that your author has expounded
on, and to look at what other authors have said regarding this topic. You are to use a
minimum of six (6) other sources (for a total of seven), which can include the textbooks, journal
articles, magazine articles, or newspaper articles. They must be properly cited within the
body of the paper. You may NOT cite my lectures as sources. Nor can you use web pages.
If you chose to use the Internet, then look up the parent source that the web page comes from.
But no web page citations will be accepted. Moreover, you must use an accepted citation
style, and must have a bibliography at the end of the paper, as well as citations within the body
of the paper. This assignment is due on November 14. No late papers will be accepted. If
you have any questions about this assignment or any other, please visit the professor.
Office hours are from 8:45 to 11:45 on Mondays and Tuesdays.
Attendance
Your attendance counts as part of your grade. Attendance will be taken twice during
each class, both before and after the break. Each meeting counts as two classes. If you have
zero unexcused absences, you will receive the entire three points. If you have one unexcused
absence, you receive two points. If you have two unexcused absences, you receive one point.
Excuses for absences must be presented before or immediately after the absence.
They must be from an official source (such as the health clinic) on their official stationery.
A note about grading
You have undoubtedly noticed that the final examination counts for more points than any
of the other items. This is the precise reason why I attach no letter grades to any of the
assignments or quizzes. Many students think they have an “A” “Coming into the final.” This is
a misconception. No student has any letter grade until the final is graded, as the final counts
for 32 percent of the grade. Even if a student thought he/she “had an ‘A’ going into the final,” a
poor performance on the final can result in a much lower grade. Therefore it is imperative that
you take the final seriously, and that you do not speculate on what grade you will receive until
after you have taken the final examination.
If you have any questions on any of the assignments, particularly the detailed
book review, please visit the professor for clarification.
Required Textbooks
Harrigan, John J. Political Change in the Metropolis (Sixth
Edition), 1999.
Ross, Bernard and Myron A. Levine. Urban Politics: Power in
Edition). Itasca, Illinois: F. E. Peacock Publishers, Inc., 2000.
Metropolitan America (Sixth
O'Connor, Thomas H. The Boston Irish: A Political History.
University Press, 1996.
Boston: Northeastern
Browning, Rufus P, Dale Rogers Marshall, and David H. Tabb.
Cities. New York: Longman,
1999.
Minority Politics in American
Recommended Textbook
Finegold, Kenneth. Experts and Politicians: Reform Challenges
to Machine Politics in
New York, Cleveland, and Chicago.
Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1995.
***
I repeat, if you have any questions concerning any of the assignments,
particularly the detailed book review, please see the professor.
Lecture Outline
Unit One
Political Machines
Readings
Harrigan, Chapter 3.
Ross, pages 87-112, Chapter 5.
O'Connor, Chapters 1-5
August 29 Forms of Government
(Ross, pages 87-112)
Early Ethnic Settlement Patterns
(O'Connor, Chapters 1-2)
September 5 Ethnic Politics
(O'Connor, Chapter 3, Harrigan, Chapter 3)
September 12 Machine Politics
(O'Connor, Chapters 4-5, Ross, Chapter 5)
September 19 Test on Ethnic and Machine politics
Group One Presentation of the Finegold book:
Unit Two
Progressive Era Reforms
Readings
Ross, pages 159-165
Harrigan, Chapter 4
O'Connor, Chapter 6
Taylor, Steven J. The Impact of Local Leadership Upon the Implementation of School
Desegregation. Unpublished Dissertation, 1996. Read Chapter 5.
September 19 Lecture
(Ross, pp. 159-180; Harrigan, Chapter 4)
September 26 Lecture
(O'Connor, Chapter 6, Taylor)
October 3 Test on Progressive Era Reforms
Presentation of Group Two
Unit Three
Minority Politics in Metropolitan Areas
Readings
Harrigan, Chapter 5
Browning, Marshall, and H. Tabb, entire book
Ross and Levine, chapter 1, pages 116-122, and pp.508-515.
October 3 Lecture
(Harrigan, 5; Ross and Levine)
October 10 Lecture
(Browning, Marshall and Tabb)
October 17 Test on Minority Politics in Metropolitan Areas
Group Three Presentation
Unit Four
Modern Era Reforms and Community Power
Readings
Harrigan, Chapters 1 and 7
O'Connor, Chapters 7-8
Ross and Levine, Chapter 165-187, Chapter 7
October 17 Lecture on Modern Reforms
(Ross and Levine, 165-187, O'Connor, Chapters 7- 8)
October 24 Lecture on Community Power
(Harrigan, Chapters 1, 7, Ross and Levine, Chapter 7)
October 31 Test on Modern Reforms and Community Power
Group Four Presentation
Unit Five
Suburbanization and Metropolitanization
Readings
Ross and Levine, Chapters 10-11
Harrigan, Chapters 6, 9-12
October 31 Lecture on Suburbanization
(Harrigan, Chapter 9-10; Ross and Levine, Chapter 10)
November 7 Lecture on Metropolitanization
(Ross and Levine, Chapters 11-12, Harrigan, Chapters 2, 11-12)
YOUR DETAILED BOOK REVIEW IS DUE ON NOVEMBER 13. If you have any questions
about this assignment or any other, please visit the professor.
November 14 Test on Suburbanization and Metropolitanization
Group Five Presentation
Unit Six
Intergovernmental Relations
Ross and Levine, Chapters 13-14
Harrigan, Chapter 13
O'Connor, Chapter 8
November 14 Lecture
(Ross and Levine, Chapter 13)
November 21 Lecture
(Ross and Levine, Chapter 14, Harrigan, Chapter 13)
December 5 Test on Intergovernmental Relations
Group Six Presentation
Unit Seven
Future Trends in Metropolitan Politics
Readings
Ross and Levine, Chapter 9, 14
O'Connor, Chapter 9
December 5 Future Trends in Metropolitan Politics
(Ross and Levine, Chapter 9, 14; O'Connor, Chapter 9)
***
December 12 Final Examination during our regular class time. Remember that the final is 32
percent of your final grade, so prepare yourself well for this examination.
Final Examinations will be kept on file until January 13, after which they will be disposed
of. If you wish to have a copy of your final examination for future reference, you must pick it up
by January 13.
***
I repeat, if you have any questions concerning any of the assignments,
particularly the detailed book review, please see the professor.