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GOVT265
The Government and Cities in America
GOVT265 SP
Next Offered in 9899 SP
Why do we have the cities we do? Is government the cause of
our urban problems? Can it provide solutions to them? This
course will examine the political economy of public policy
in American cities. It will emphasize the importance of
power, economic change, institutional arrangements and race
in urban policy making. We will investigate elite interests
in public policy and grassroots attempts to influence policy
outcomes. Case studies of specific cities and specific
policies as well as more theoretical approaches will serve
as the basis for class discussions. Alternative
perspectives on these issues will be stressed.
MAJOR READINGS
Yates, THE UNGOVERNABLE CITY
Deleon, LEFT COAST CITY, PROGRESSIVE POLITICS IN SAN
FRANCISCO
Feagin, FREE ENTERPRISE CITY, HOUSTON IN POLITICAL AND
ECONOMIC PERSPECTIVE
Ruivlin, FIRE ON THE PRAIRIE, CHICAGO'S HAROLD WASHINGTON
AND THE POLITICS OF RACE
Portes and Stepick, CITY ON THE EDGE, THE TRANSFORMATION OF
MIAMI
EXAMINATIONS AND ASSIGNMENTS
Midterm and final. Short,
analytic papers on reading assignments. Participation in
group assignments on policy issues.
ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS and/or COMMENTS
Unless
preregistered students attend the first class meeting or
communicate directly with the instructor prior to the first
class, they will be dropped from the class list. NOTE:
Students must still submit a completed Drop/Add form to the
Registrar's Office.
COURSE FORMAT: Discussion Lecture
REGISTRATION INFORMATION
Level: UG Credit: 1.00
Gen Ed Area & Dept: SBS GOVT
Prerequisites:
GOVT151 or AFAM283
Last Updated on MAR-03-1998
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Copyright Wesleyan University, Middletown, Connecticut, 06459