POLS 200-01, Urban Politics, Fall 2006

Abstract

This course is designed to be an introduction to local government. The primary focus will be the interaction between mayors, city councils, constituents and civil servants as they influence local public policy and decision-making. The course will broaden understanding of how units of local government work and how decisions get made at the local level. One of the objectives of the course is to engage students in a dialogue about issues facing local governments and to encourage students to be involved in local government over the course of their careers. The course will be divided into three parts. Part I will concentrate on background information--city governance structures ,the role and function of local government and how local governments work on a day-to- day level. Part II will dwell on the major issues facing cities and their elected representatives. Part III will focus upon applied decision-making and help students understand how power gets exercised through constituencies and collations. The course will require proactive student involvement with local governments through participant observation and key informant interviews. The course is intended to be a discussion course with the instructor framing issues and students contributing detail and evidence from their reading and research.