Professor Rick Keiser
Fall 2003
POLITICAL SCIENCE 367
Political Science 367 will explore the people, the environment, and the values
associated with American suburbs, particularly in the post-WWII era. We will pose
questions about the social, political, economic, psychological, gender, and racial implications
of suburbia. We will consider why, given the ubiquitous criticisms of suburbia, so many
Americans continue to strive to live there. Over the course of the term, we will analyze the
evolving patterns of suburban life from a variety of perspectives: history, political science,
literature, film, journalism, sociology, architecture, and material culture.
A seminar is a collaborative enterprise. In a seminar, students take important
responsibility for producing stimulating discussions and presenting the results of their
thinking. The faculty member and peers are responsible for questioning and prodding so that
we can most quickly discover which ideas deserve our continuing attention. For most of the
term, we will discuss a common set of readings and viewings in order to build our
understanding of suburbia and its historical and contemporary relationships to American
politics and culture. As well, nearly everyone has some familiarity with suburbia or
suburban culture; your background and experiences are a treasure of resources from which
we can all learn. But you must follow the rule of framing your experiences through the class
materials rather than merely emoting about your past and your experiences.
The success of the course (and whether it is a fun learning experience) will depend
both on your willingness to complete the reading and viewing assignments on time and your
eagerness to participate. Read actively, consider keeping a journal of your impressions, and
record ideas you aren't prepared to evaluate yet but want to think about further.
Grading: Class participation and each of the four writing assignment will be 15 percent. The
causal sequencing assignment will be worth 5 percent. The final paper will be worth 20
percent. Late penalties of an entire grade and page limit penalties of one-third grade will be
enforced.
Office Hours: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday, 9-10 am and by appointment.
Sign up sheet on my door.
Week One
S. Van Evera, "Hypotheses, Laws, and Theories: A User's Guide," and "What are Case
Studies?" Only pages 7-30 are required. Master the definitions of independent, dependent,
antecedent and intervening variables. We will use this terminology during the term.
Readings in the next two classes set out themes that we will trace throughout the term. They
also raise debates in which we will repeatedly engage. After these readings we will turn to a
more chronological approach to suburbia and this will serve as raw material for our
engagement with these themes.
J. Garreau, Edge City, “Edge City,” and “New Jersey.” and Sharpe and Wallock, “Bold New
City …?” and responses (Historians). Come prepared to give a summary of each article,
including specific page numbers and quotes that illustrate the author’s view.
Week Two
R. Putnam, Bowling Alone, chs. 1, 12, 14 and A. Stark, "America, the Gated?" Wilson
Quarterly (Winter 1998). (Political Science/Sociology)
Come prepared to give a summary of each article, including specific page numbers and
quotes that illustrate the author’s view.
Historical Development of Suburbia
K. Jackson, Crabgrass Frontier, chs. 1-6. The author is discussing changes that can
accurately be called revolutionary. What are the agents (causes) of change? Is change the
result of individual and democratic decisions (following Tocqueville or an economic
invisible hand), cultural predispositions (rooted where?), governmental decisions,
entrepreneurial profit-making activity, technological changes, or some other non-constant?
Week Three
Jackson, chs. 7-13. Reconsider the questions of last class. Are some of these causal variables
independent while others are intervening and still others are antecedent? Specify! Would
analysis be facilitated if we decided that there were multiple types or species within what
Jackson calls suburbanization (hence separate dependent variables, each with a separate
explanatory story)? I encourage you to develop a typology of suburbs; any attempt will be
discussed seriously in class, and be much appreciated.
"The Common Good: Public or Private." In R. Baxandall and E. Ewen, Picture Windows:
How the Suburbs Happened (ch. 6); and "Postwar Housing Politics: The McCarthy Hearings
on Housing." In R. Baxandall and E. Ewen, Picture Windows: How the Suburbs Happened
(ch. 8).
Week Four
Sociological perspectives: Community vs. anomie, identity vs. conformity, fear vs. security
B. Kelly, Expanding the American Dream, ch. 3; B. Nicolaides, My Blue Heaven, chs. 1, 6,
7, and Epilogue Escape from what, community for whom, security from what, at what price?
Jackson, chs. 14-16; S. Chawkins, "Homes Sprouting and Farms Dying"
(latimes.com/news/state/reports/suburbs) Do these two authors seem to agree or disagree
about the nature of suburbia in the late 20th century? How does this/these suburbia
portrayal(s) differ from the post-World War II portrayal?
Causal Sequencing Assignment Due: After reading almost all of Jackson, how would you
rank order the causes of suburbanization in the 19th century and in the 20th century? Which
variables seem to be antecedent, independent and intervening? Justify your rankings and
designations. (Two pages maximum, double spaced).
Week Five
B. Friedan, The Feminine Mystique, chs. 1, 2, 10, 12.
"David Riesman" Time, Sept. 27, 1954;
W. McClay, The Masterless: Self and Society in Modern America, chs. 7-8;
L. Stevens, "Are Suburbs Harmful to Your Mental Health?" (nytsyn.com/live/Depression).
J. M. Smith, "Online but not antisocial" New York Times (February 18, 2000);
"Mall of America packet."
Week Six
D. Kelley, "As Suburbs Change, They Still Satisfy," Los Angeles Times
(latimes.com/news/state/reports/suburbs).
M. Kaszuba, “For more suburbanites, security …” Star Tribune, Feb. 23, 2003.
A. Jarrell, "The Face of Teenage Sex Grows Younger," New York Times (April 3, 2000).
L. Mundy, "Sex and Sensibility," Washington Post (July 16, 2000).
B. Harris, "A Wake-Up Call for a Suburban Refuge," Los Angeles Times (Feb. 7, 1999).
M. Graham, C. Bahls, and R. Giordano, "Unease outside city limits: Drugs and gangs
flourish," Philadelphia Inquirer (September 28, 1998).
Film Assignment #1 -- Comparative analysis of at least 4 of the first 6 films (5 pages, double
spaced). No introduction or conclusion, pick two or three themes and compare, contrast, and
make an argument that links to class materials.
Man in the Gray Flannel Suit; The Graduate; Avalon; Edward Scissorhands; Pleasantville;
The Truman Show.
J. Barron, "A Suit of High-Priced, Hight-Tech Armor…" New York Times (August 6, 2000).
J. Garreau, "Phoenix: Shadow Government," Edge City (ch. 6).
E. McKenzie, "From Garden City to Privatopia," Privatopia (ch. 1).
E. McKenzie, "Trouble in Privatopia," The Progressive (October 1993).
P. Goldberger, "It Takes a Village: The anti-sprawl doctors make a manifesto," The New
Yorker (March 27, 2000).
Week Seven
Political Coalitions and Race in Suburbia
R. Cook, "Suburbia: Land of Varied Faces and A Growing Political Force," Congressional
Quarterly (May 24, 1997).
S. Garland, "The 'Burbs Fight Back," Business Week (June 2, 1997).
J. Katz, “Democratic House Moderates Hope to Make More Suburban Inroads.”
R. Teixeira, “Where the Democrats Lost” American Prospect, Dec. 16, 2002.
R. Gurwitt, “The Quest for Community” Governing, June 1998.
D. Moberg, “All together now,” Chicago Reader, October 17, 1997.
S. Thernstrom and A. Thernstrom, "Cities and Suburbs," America in Black and White (ch. 8).
New York: Touchstone, 1997.
"Old Towns, New Families." In R. Baxandall and E. Ewen, Picture Windows: How the
Suburbs Happened (ch. 15).
"New Immigrants." In R. Baxandall and E. Ewen, Picture Windows: How the Suburbs
Happened (ch. 17).
A. O'Connor, "Learning to Look Past Race," (latimes.com/news/state/reports/suburbs)
Week Eight
D. Dent, "The New Black Suburbs," New York Times Magazine (June 14, 1992).
D. Gordon, "'White Flight' Taking Off in Chicago Suburbs," Chicago Reporter 26:8
(December 1997).
“From Ghetto to Suburb,” The Economist, Oct. 7, 1995, p. 33.
C. Conte, “The Boundaries of Choice,” Governing, Dec. 2002.
W. Glaberson, "Beach Club Settles Suit on Race Bias," New York Times (April 4, 1992).
Political Analysis: Write a 5 page, double spaced memo to any of the presidential candidates
from the two major parties. Present a detailed strategy for how the candidate should
approach the suburbs, offer rationales for what themes should be highlighted and which
should be avoided, and suggest a policy idea that the candidate could call his or her own
that would appeal to suburban voters.
Week Nine
TBA
T. C. Boyle, The Tortilla Curtain. We will discuss in class. Paper must be turned in at start
of class. Late penalty of one entire grade per day.
Literature Assignment: Write a 5 page, double spaced essay that illustrates the presence of
themes from our class in this book. How does this novel break new ground in its portrayal
and critique of suburbia?
Week Ten
Film Assignment #2 -- Comparative analysis of at least 4 of the second 6 films (5 pages,
double spaced). No introduction or conclusion, pick two or three themes and compare,
contrast, and make an argument that links to class materials.
Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House; The Stepford Wives; Heathers; Serial Mom;
Welcome to the Dollhouse; American Beauty.
OR
Material Culture Essay: Pick something that is or was advertised and marketed to
suburbanites and describe first and then analyze the methods and probable logic of this
marketing. What themes from our course are evident in the appeal? Three pages minimum,
double spaced, with appendixes of pictures or ad copy.
FINAL Project: I want you to piece together one complete paper that incorporates all of the
writing assignments of this course. This is not simply a paste job. This is an opportunity for
editing and improvement, for inclusion of new materials, for finding a central theme or
themes that can serve as the introduction and organizing principle of the paper, and for
creating very smooth transitions that bridge and link the sections. 26 page maximum.