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SYLLABUS
URBAN AND MUNICIPAL MANAGEMENT SPRING 2013
COURSE NUMBER: 762:317:01
INSTRUCTOR:
TIME/LOC:
OFFICE HOURS:
DR. ALAN D. CANDER alan.cander@rutgers.edu 848-932-2757
WEDNESDAY
3:55 PM TO 6:55 PM
RAB 209A
TUES &THURS
2:30 PM TO 5:00 PM
CSB 259
INTRODUCTION
This class is intended for advanced undergraduates. Some of you may be Bloustein School
majors and some of you will come from a variety of different majors, which brings different
perspectives to the class! This class introduces you to how municipal government actually
works, especially in large and mid-size cities. Specifically, the course emphasizes the political,
economic, social, and demographic settings, themes, and processes within which cities and their
governments have existed (or which they created themselves) and operated from colonial times
to the present. Our focus is primarily on American cites over about the last century and a half
and, thus, we are taking a somewhat historical perspective. We augment our understanding of
these various forces that affect municipal decision-making through the lens of the governmental
and developmental history of New Haven, Connecticut from about 1800 through the late
twentieth century. New Haven is an old port city located at the extreme northeastern edge of the
extended New York Metropolitan Area in Southern New England. It is world-famous for Yale
University and pizza (always a good thing). Head only one half hour north and east from there
and you are suddenly deep within Red Sox, Patriots, and Celtics territory and you may be
reading the Boston Globe while drinking a tonic or a frappe instead of a soda or a milkshake.
Of the assigned readings, Judd and Swanstrom take a more general, fundamental view of cities,
their histories, the socioeconomic and political forces that have shaped them, and their future
challenges. Rae explores how these themes and processes have played out in New Haven, a city
which – with its big, world-famous university, medical complex, and pizza addiction – resembles
a certain city near and dear to us with a big, world-famous university, medical complex, and
pizza and grease truck addiction at the southwestern end of the New York region.
As needed, I may assign additional short journal or newspaper readings. If so, I will place them
on the class Sakai site under Resources.
PRIMARY COURSE OBJECTIVES
 Gain an understanding and appreciation of the political, economic, social and
demographic settings, themes, and processes within which cities and their governments
have existed (or which they create themselves) and operated from colonial times to the
present
 Explore these settings, themes, and processes through the lens of the urban managerial
history of one particular, medium-sized city, which is New Haven, Connecticut.
 Further explore these issues and gain insight into the “urban condition” through a term
paper project of your own design that enhances your research and writing skills and oral
presentation skills.
 Explore some of the basics of the city management process.
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COURSE REQUIREMENTS AND EXPECTATIONS
Basis for Your Final Grade
10% = Short (5-page, double-space typed, 12-point font) response/reflection paper
20% = In-class midterm
10% = Take-Home Final (5-page, double-space typed, 12-point font)
30% = 10-12 page research paper (double-space typed, 12-point font)
15% = In-class presentation on your research paper
15% = Class attendance and ACTIVE participation
Grading Scale
A is 90 or higher
C+ is 77 - 79
B+ is 87 - 89
C is 70 to 76
B is 80 - 86
D is 60 to 69
F is 59 and lower
Readings
1. Judd, Dennis R. and Swanstrom, Todd. (2010). City Politics: The Political Economy of
Urban America. (Eighth Edition). New York: Longman.
2. Rae, Douglas W. (2003). City: Urbanism and its End. New Haven: Yale University
Press.
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The schedule for the readings you are required to do for this class are listed in the
Readings and Assignments section of this syllabus
You MUST complete all of the readings prior to the Wednesday class meetings.
Some of the readings are rather dense and, therefore, you will probably need more than
one night to complete them. We will discuss the readings in class and I will call on
people to discuss them. I also welcome, and expect, you to raise your own questions
about the readings. That always enriches the learning experience.
What to Concentrate on in the Readings
 Major political, social and economic factors and parameters and the changes in these
factors and parameters (demographics, pre-industrialization, transportation innovations,
industrialization, the Great Migration, the Depression, deindustrialization,
suburbanization, and so forth)
 Geo-Spatial dynamics: where were people and businesses locating and why? We can use
New Haven as a lens to help us understand this dynamic.
 Who (actors) was shaping policies and plans and what organizations and institutions were
involved in municipal management (using New Haven as a lens)?
 Who benefitted from policies and improvements and who did not (again, using New
Haven as a lens)?
Short (5-page) Response/Reflection Paper
For the response/reflection paper, I will provide you with a relatively generalized question based
on some of the readings (Judd and Swanstrom readings to be exact). You will respond to the
question with specific references to the readings but also will provide your reaction to the
material in a paragraph or two that reflects your understanding of how cities are governed and
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what challenges you supposed they faced. Perhaps you were dismayed or surprised by the
readings and what they reveled about how cities are governed and what challenges they face - or
even nonplussed. Be a bit bold and let me know.
This paper will be handed out in class on February 20th and is due February 24th uploaded
onto the class Sakai site by 9:00 PM.
Mid-Term
The mid-term will contain both short answer and essay questions. It is scheduled for
March 13th.
Final Exam
The final exam will be a take-home essay of no more than 5 pages, double-spaced, 12-point
font that I will hand out May 1st. It will be due May 9th uploaded onto our Sakai site by
9:00 PM.
Research Paper
The most important assignment for the class is a research paper (term paper). Here, you have
your choice of any topic relevant to the course that I approve. You certainly will have no
shortage of material to choice from for topics, approaches, or angles. I am asking that you use
your imagination to develop a paper that is adventuresome and analytic and reflects some
thinking outside the box. This paper should total 10 to 12 pages in length, double-spaced, not
counting notes, references, and graphics. You must use sources beyond the texts, my class
lectures, and any additional readings I assign. A little later in the semester I will provide a list of
subject areas for possible paper topics as well as more explicit parameters on sources.
Please note that I fully expect the research paper to be an original product that you write for this
course only. You CANNOT turn in a prior or current paper from another class – or whole
sections of such papers – and pass any of that off as the paper for this class. Similarly, no
other forms of plagiarism will be tolerated. We take such misconduct very seriously here at
the Bloustein School. Please see the section labeled Academic Integrity in this syllabus.
In a related vein, Wikipedia and other online and hard copy encyclopedias are good places to
begin research - primarily for the sources that they list. You can use Wikipedia, and similar
sources, as jump-off points but do not cite them and do not plagiarize them.
Research papers are due May 5th uploaded onto the class Sakai site by 9:00 PM.
In-Class Presentation of Your Paper
We will hold the presentations on May 1st. Depending on the class size, you should hold the
presentation to a maximum of 10 to 12 minutes. Upon my approval, you may use PowerPoint or
any other sanctioned media to engagingly convey the information.
A Note on Writing the Research Paper and the Response/Reflection Paper
I fully expect all of your writing in the short reflection paper, the term paper, and the takehome final to meet advanced undergraduate standards. That means proper grammar, correct
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spelling, well-constructed sentences, well-constructed paragraphs with topic sentences and
supporting sentences arranged with good, logical flow, proper citations, and a list of sources.
Poor quality writing containing, among other problems, mistakes in spelling, grammar and
punctuation; unclear or confusing fragments masquerading as sentences; run-on sentences;
overly long paragraphs; and paragraphs with no topic sentence or more than one major theme,
will lower your grade. Students often complain that professors are too concerned about grammar
at the expense of content but if your grammar or sentence structure is so poor that I cannot
understand what you have written then you automatically have a content problem. It is truly
difficult to separate content from grammar and sentence structure/usage. Always carefully revise
your writing and proof-read your work.
Class Participation and Attendance
Class participation is a major requirement in this class and I expect your participation to
be active. Active participation means more than simply attending class. It means raising
your hand to respond to the class discussions about the readings, providing your reasoned
opinion, and/or posing questions about material that you found difficult or unclear or that further
piqued your curiosity. Certainly, I do not expect you to have “the singular brilliant answer”
[there really is no such thing in the social sciences] when you participate in class but I do want to
know what you think, what you did and did not understand from the reading materials, what you
thought made sense, what you thought were not good arguments, and how you related the
readings to your own academic and non-academic knowledge and experiences. Although I will
be lecturing at times I will also be working hard to establish a dialogue with my students
because that enhances the learning environment.
I will take attendance during each class. If I find that you are sitting back and not actively
participating I will call on you because students benefit more from the learning experience by
becoming actively engaged in class discussions. It is also a great way to build up your
confidence about speaking in front of others.
You are permitted only one unexcused absence for the entire semester. If you are
legitimately sick or expect to miss one or two classes, please use the Rutgers University absence
reporting website, which is located online at https://sims.rutgers.edu/ssra/ to indicate the date
and reason for your absence. Any further unexcused absences will lower your class
participation grade.
Check Sakai Weekly
Check our class Sakai site and your Rutgers email to stay informed and on top of the class
activities and requirements. I use Sakai to make important class announcements. You are
responsible for keeping track of those announcements and any changes in requirements.
Academic Integrity
Plagiarism and cheating or copying from other sources or from each other’s work in any manner
is not tolerated and will result in a grade of 0 (zero) for that assignment. As well, taking whole
sections from your own previously written papers from other classes and plopping them into any
of the written assignments for this class (i.e. the take home final and the term paper) will not be
tolerated and will result in a 0 (zero) grade for the assignment. I use software (Turn It In) on
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Sakai that will reveal any and all forms of plagiarism. Please consult the updated Academic
Integrity document on the web: http://academicintegrity.rutgers.edu/integrity.shtml#l
Classroom Behavior/Manners
 I expect you to respect the views, comments, and experiences of your fellow
classmates and will not tolerate disrespectful, intimidating, or insulting behavior.
 Disruptive behavior during class time is not permitted. This includes holding side
conversations, listening to and/or singing along with your IPOD, working on your laptop
or other computerized equipment even if it is academically related, reading non-related
course materials, playing videos, playing cards, texting, twitter, reading emails, surfing
the Internet, and so forth. Such behaviors and activities will not be tolerated. If I catch
you I will ask you to leave the class and that will negatively impact your class
participation grade. No exceptions.
 Laptops are permitted in class but ONLY for taking notes and looking up
information directly relevant to our class. Please seat yourself to minimize
keyboard noise and distractions in fairness to the other students.
 Snack food is permitted as are coffee, tea, soda, juice, etc.. Minimize food noises/odors.
 All cell phones, IPODS, and related electronic equipment must be silenced or turned
off during class time. Students who persist in disrupting the class will be asked to leave
and will receive an unexcused absence for that class.
READINGS AND ASSIGMENTS
January 23
January 30
February 6
February 13
February 20
Introduction
Nineteenth –century context: Judd & Swanstrom: Preface and Chapters 1-4
Twentieth-century explosion: Judd & Swanstrom: Chapters 5-8
The uneasy resolution I: Judd and Swanstrom: Chapters 9 – 11
The uneasy resolution II: Judd and Swanstrom: Chapters 13-15
Short reflection paper (5 pages, double-spaced, 12-point font) handed out
and due Feb. 24th at 9:00 PM uploaded onto the class Sakai site.
One paragraph description of proposed research paper topic due in class.
February 27 Nineteenth-century urbanism (New Haven): Rae: Preface and Chapters 1-3
March 6
Nineteenth-century urbanism continued (New Haven): Rae: Chapters 4-6
March 13
In-class Midterm Exam
March 16-24 No Class: Spring Break
March 27
New Haven’s difficult times: Rae: Chapters 7-8
April 3
New Haven’s temporary resolution: Rae: Chapter 9-10
Dr. Cander’s lecture on urban renewal and eminent domain
April 10
New haven’s long-term resolution: Rae: Chapter 11
Visit to a local planning office [likely New Brunswick City Hall]
April 17
New Haven’s long –term resolution: Rae: Chapter 12
April 24
Summation and review of the class and major themes. Consultation on papers and
presentations.
May 1
Last class: Presentations on Term Papers. Take-Home Final handed out.
May 5
Research Papers due uploaded onto class Sakai site by 9:00 PM
May 9
Take-home Final due uploaded onto class Sakai site by 9:00 PM.