MONEY AND POLITICS IN AMERICA
Spring 2015
Professor Richard K. Scher
204 Anderson Hall
352-273-2356
rkscher@ufl.edu
Office Hours: Tu/Th 1:45-3:15
and by appointment
CLASS SYLLABUS
“We can have democracy in this country, or we can have great wealth
concentrated in the hands of a few, but we can't have both.”
Justice Louis D. Brandeis
“In the Soviet Union, capitalism triumphed over communism. In this country,
capitalism triumphed over democracy.”
Fran Lebowitz
Course Description – This is a course about inequality of resources, specifically
money. Put more simply and directly, this is a course about the way Big Money and
its allies in government engage in politics and create policy so that the rich get
richer at the expense of the vast majority of Americans.
Classes – students are expected to attend class regularly, and come prepared to
participate actively in our community of scholars. Students are expected to read the
required materials in advance of class, and come prepared to use them as a vehicle
for discussion. Attendance will NOT be taken, but students are responsible for
everything that happens in class whether present or not. Likewise they are
responsible for ALL of the information on the syllabus. In particular, students must
pay careful attention to due dates for written assignments – in this class, NO LATE
PAPERS will be accepted under any circumstances except for excused absences as
listed by UF. Early submission of written work is always acceptable and welcome.
Students should take advantage of the instructor's office hours to discuss issues
with him.
Absences from Class  The instructor firmly believes that students have a right to make choices about
how they spend their time, including coming to class. He is not a policeman, he
does not take roll, he comes to class every day to provide, as best he can,
observations and insights into Money and Politics, and to discuss with and among
students why the topics of this course are valuable to them.
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Those who feel that this is a worthwhile use of their time are invited to attend
regularly, and to become full participants and partners in the intellectual journey
the class offers.
But the instructor is well aware that students have competing demands on their
time. They need to decide whether or not those competing demands are more
valuable to them than coming to class, or if some seeming obligation outside of
class obviates or takes precedence over the need to attend. The decision is the
students’ alone, and entirely.
Thus, it is not necessary to ask the instructor’s permission to miss class, because
he cannot give it. It is not necessary to inform the instructor about an absence,
because that is the student’s business, not his.
Nor is it good student practice to ask, in the event of an absence, if he/she missed
anything “important.” The instructor designs each class with the idea that the
topic of the day is important; otherwise, why bother?
And what students need always to remember is that their choice of how they will
use their time has consequences. The instructor urges students to think them
through before deciding to miss class.
NOTE: NO CLASSES OR OFFICE HOURS WILL BE HELD JANUARY
8, FEBRUARY 19.
Examinations – there is no midterm exam in this course. There is a cumulative and
comprehensive take-home final examination of the essay variety, based on readings,
class materials, films, etc. It will be handed out on the last day of class, Tuesday,
April 21 and e-mailed to students via the list serve later in the day. It will be due the
following Tuesday, April 28, at noon in the instructor’s office. NO LATE PAPERS
WILL BE ACCEPTED WITHOUT the prior approval of the instructor, subject to the
stipulation below.
Make-up Policy – students with UF approved excused absences will be permitted to
make up missed assignments or turn in assignments/examinations late as long as
appropriate documentation is presented, without penalty. Assignments or
examinations missed or turned in late that do not meet UF approved reasons, or
which are not accompanied by publicly verifiable documentation, will receive a
grade of ZERO. No exceptions.
Required Readings – there are three kinds of readings in this course: a required
book, a recommended book, and a large number of articles, most of which are
online. The latter will be sent to students via the class list serve. It is essential that
students read the required materials in a timely fashion, as some written
assignments are based on them and they are crucial for class presentations and
discussion. Specific due dates for readings will be announced in class, occasionally
over the list serve as well.
 Required books are:
o Robert Reich, BEYOND OUTRAGE
 Recommended books:
o Joseph Stiglitz, THE PRICE OF INEQUALITY
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o Hedrick Smith, WHO STOLE THE AMERICAN DREAM
Required articles:
Sent via class list serve
 Students must read and archive these readings, as they will be needed for
written assignments and the final examination.
 NOTE: These will be posted to the class list serve as they become relevant to
the topic considered in class. Students are expected to read the pieces ASAP
as they are sent out. The instructor usually will announce in class when he is
sending out readings, but he may forget to do so. Again, students should
watch their inbox regularly for arrival of readings as well as other
announcements.
Class List Serve – the UF Registrar provides a list serve for each class, and
maintains it. The instructor has nothing to do with it, except to use it to provide
readings and announcements. Students must consult it regularly, remembering that
the Registrar uses the email address you provided at registration, not the one you
might use regularly and privately. If you have a problem with the list serve, or
realize you are not receiving items sent on it, consult the Registrar, not the
instructor.
Films – films may be shown in class (always on Thursdays, double period day).
These may include but are not necessarily limited to the following:
 Frontline: Poor Kids
 Heist: Who Stole the American Dream
 Other
Students are just as responsible for the content of the films as for the readings and
class presentations/discussions.
Course Topics –
 Money and Politics in America – Where are we now?
o Reading - Reich
 The Ideology of Greed
o The Primacy of Private Property
o The Politics of “Free” Markets
 Rampant and Growing Inequality – The Fruits of the Last 35 years
o The Extent of Contemporary Inequality
o Poverty
 Frontline – Poor Kids
o Jobs and Wages
o Social Mobility – what happened to it?
o Middle Class, Lower Class – what’s happening to them?
 Does Inequality Matter?
o Money Talks
 Public Education
 Buying Elections
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 Voting Rights
o Impeding Economic Growth
o Issues of Democracy and Fairness
The Politics of Economic Inequality – how did we get here from where we
were?
o American Economic Policy – 1932-mid 1970s
o The Rise of Anti-Governmentalism and the Decline of Public Goods:
Replacing Economic Policy with Political Ideology
 Trickle Down Doesn’t – the sophistry of Supply Side economics
 Austerity
 Tax Breaks, Subsidies, Corporate Welfare, and the Big Money
Culture of Dependency
 Deficits
 Sequestering
 Deregulation
 Too Big to Fail
 Taxes
We’ve Seen This Before – Lessons from History
o Right Wing Politics, Voodoo Economics – Europe and America
o The Decline of Keynes, the Triumph of Hayek and the Austrians
o Thomas Piketty and the New Economics
The Great Recession 2007-Present – How did it happen? What does it tell us
about money and politics in America?
o Video: Heist – Who Stole the American Dream
What About American Democracy? Are the politics of money in America
endangering it?
Is There a Way Out? Or Are We Stuck, and Worse?
Projects –
Each member of the class must complete three projects, one Group project, one
Individual one, and an Action project:
 Group project – students will self-divide themselves into small groups (at least
two people but preferably no more than five) and investigate an example of
government policy benefitting Big Money and/or the rich at the expense of most
Americans.
 Groups are free to choose any instance they wish (examples include, but are not
limited to, government bailouts, deregulation, the power of “Too Big to Fail”
ideology, the demise of Glass-Steagall, tax cuts for the rich, deficit-chasing and
sequestering, etc.), and it may but does not necessarily have to include racial and
gender dimensions. The point of the assignment is to examine how and why this
matter being investigated happened, and what its consequences are for the US,
especially the creation, perpetuation, and augmentation of economic inequalities.
 Groups must prepare a report on their findings:
o The report can be written, or it can be a video, or something else;
 PowerPoint reports are NOT acceptable;
o The report should be 5-7 pages in length (or the equivalent if it is not
written) and be fully documented and referenced;
 Groups should consult with the instructor about their choice of topics and the
format of their report.
 Note: In the past one or another student has not joined a group. The instructor
allowed them to complete the assignment individually. THIS IS NO LONGER
THE CASE. Failure to join a group and participate actively results in a grade of
ZERO (0) for the assignment. NO EXCEPTIONS, don’t even ask.
 Due date: April 16, 2015, at the end of class; no late reports will be accepted
without prior approval of the instructor.
Individual project –
 Each student must complete ONE (1) short individual project:
o The project is on a topic of the student’s choosing;
 It must be compatible with the subject matter of this course, but it
need not overlap with the subject matter;
 Projects can be written up as a paper (3-5 printed, double-spaced
pages), but other formats are possible;
 Regardless of the format, projects should be fully
documented and referenced;
 Students should consult with the instructor about the topic chosen
and preferred format;
o Due Date: April 9, 2015, at the end of class; no late reports will be
accepted without prior approval of the instructor.
Action project –
 Students, either individually or in their groups, must find and investigate a
specific instance they identify in the world outside the classroom which
demonstrates how government policy creates and perpetuates inequalities. The
example can be on campus, or someplace off of it (it need not be limited to the
United States). Students will prepare a brief (3-5 page, printed double spaced,
fully documented) paper (or short video, or some other medium/format) which
illustrates both what is happening, how it happened, and what if anything can be
done to turn it around.
o Students should consult with the instructor about the topic chosen and
preferred format;
o Due Date: April 21, 2015, at the end of class; no late reports will be
accepted without prior approval of the instructor.
Criteria for Grade:
 Group Project – 25 pts.
 Individual Project – 25 pts.
 Action Project – 25 pts
 Final Examination – 25 pts.
Grading Scale:
 90-100: A
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80-89: B
70-79: C
60-69: D
<60: E
+/- grades will be awarded at the margins (for example, 78/79 is a C+; 77 is a
C; 80-82 receive a B-, 83 is a B).
NOTE: All written assignments MUST be given to the instructor as hard copies. He
cannot download and print them. Anything sent as an attachment will NOT be
accepted. Sorry about this, it’s a logistical and budget issue.
NOTE: Because of budget constraints, there is no hard-copy version of this syllabus.
Nor is it posted on any website. There is only the e-version. Please download it or
preserve it in some way so you will have ready access to it.
NOTE: help is available on campus for students having trouble coping, for whatever
reason. Please see the instructor for suggestions and referrals – he will not pry into
your affairs, but will try to guide students needing assistance to the right place.
NOTE: students with disabilities or other recognized/protected conditions should
register with the appropriate office on campus, and arrange with the instructor for
accommodation.