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The American City (History 1253 and Political Science 1253) James Alexander (zander+@pitt.edu) University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown Johnstontown, Pennsylvania, USA Spring 2000 |
SYLLABUSThis course is designed to expose you to the American City as a political and historical entity. Naturally there is no one city which embodies the American experience so thoroughly that study of that one city would suffice. Yet throughout American history, cities do reflect common trends, common themes, and the interplay of common economic, sociocultural and political forces to such a degree that the study of the experiences of various American cities over time will reveal some understanding of current American cities and the dilemmas they face. To begin with, cities are fundamentally spatial clusterings of people and productive resources, often exercising sovereign political authority and reflecting a common political will. Usually we refer to cities without giving consideration to their specific legal boundaries, preferring instead to focus on their larger social and economic dynamics. After all, when we refer to Pittsburgh or New York or London or Vienna, we consider each as a city broadly speaking, not as a specific legal entity. That we assume is a technicality better left to scholars, lawyers, and the courts. As social scientists, however, we cannot afford to be so simplistic. As historical entities, cities must be viewed through the prism of the spatial, economic and social forces that shaped them. As political entities, cities must be viewed through the prism of the legal-constitutional system in which they evolved. No single focus will do. Therefore, we will begin by focusing on American cities as economic rather than political entities in order to understand the types of problems that are unique to cities and how those problems can be addressed through collective (i.e. political) means. We will then investigate how these unique problems have been addressed (or avoided) politically by officials in American cities in the 18th and 19th centuries in order to gain some historical perspective on the politics of cities. We will discover that the contemporary manner in which we address problems unique to cities has changed very little from the pattern established in the early 1800s. By the end of this course, you will have a better understanding of the sheer complexity of urban problems and valuable perspective on the traditional ways in which they are addressed in current politics. Such an understanding will only come from your exposure to a wide range of historical, political, sociocultural and economic literature and ideas about American cities. Hence, this will be a reading/writing-intensive course. There will be no exams in the traditional sense, but rather frequent reading and writing assignments will be required. The course is designed for students who are truly interested in the American experience from an urban-interdisciplinary perspective and not for the feint-hearted. Caution: This course does not count as a DOS elective. Course RequirementsBecause this course presumes you have little background on this subject, the focus will be on readings on the diverse dynamics of the American City and you will be required to write clear and detailed summaries or interpretations of what you have read. Class sessions will be devoted to discussing conceptual models or historical themes of how cities have evolved and how cities defined and addressed their collective (political) problems. These discussions in turn will provide you with a broader context in which to understand the readings.Specifically, you will be required to write formal review essays on required and supplemental readings and formal interpretive/analytical essays on the historical and political dynamics of the American City, drawing upon class discussions and required readings. Those will be summarized in each section of the course described below. Required texts
COURSE OUTLINE |
SECTION I
The location of manufacturing and service industries, migrations of populations (urbanization and suburbanization), conditions of urban growth, and the evolution of basic public services in American cities.
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Required readings
Supplemental readings (21)
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SECTION II
The concept of political authority in liberal/republican society, the role of states and state constitutions after the American Revolution, the evolving legal status of municipal corporations, the impact of the Civil War, industrialization, and massive immigration into cities, the emergence of political machines and "bosses," the nativist reaction in American national politics.
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Required readings
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SECTION III
Political reform movements, the "good government" and home rule, fragmentation of the authority of cities, rise of the federal role, contemporary urban dilemmas (such as housing, employment, education, etc.) as national political issues.
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Required readings
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CALCULATION OF FINAL COURSE GRADESYour evaluated work in this course will be composed entirely of a series of prepared formal essays that either summarize and interpret aspects of the required or supplemental reading, or integrate ideas and readings at the end of each section of the course. There will be no in-class exams in the traditional sense; your grade will be entirely composed of the evaluations of the assigned essays, turned in on the dates cited below and following the style sheet distributed in class. Late essays or failure to follow the assignment or the style sheet will result in grade reduction. Your written work in this course will then amount to 9 literature reviews and 3 sets of interpretive essays, totaling approximately 22-25 single-spaced pages and 200 points for the semester. |
| Assignment | Points | Length or Pages |
Due Date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Section I | Review of Mahoney | 10 | 1 | Tues. January 18 |
| Review of Melosi | 10 | 1 | Tues. January 25 | |
| Supplemental article review | 15 | 2 | Tues. February 1 | |
| Interpretive essays I | 30 | 3-5 | Tues. February 8 | |
| Section II | Review of Lutz | 10 | 1 | Thurs. February 17 |
| Review of Kutler | 10 | 1 | Thurs. February 24 | |
| Supplemental article review | 15 | 2 | Thurs. March 2 (before spring break) |
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| Interpretive essays II | 30 | 3-5 | Tues. March 14 (after spring break) |
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| Section III | Review of Barrett | 10 | 1 | Tues. March 28 |
| Review of DiGaetano | 10 | 1 | Tues. April 11 | |
| Rosenzweig review essay | 20 | 3 | Tues. April 18 | |
| Interpretive essays III | 30 | 3-5 | On or before Fri. April 28 |
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NOTEAcademic Integrity: Students must comply with the UPJ Guidelines on Academic Integrity and rules of conduct outlined in the Student Handbook. All of the work presented as their own must be their own. Additional copies of the Guidelines are available in Biddle 133.Students with Disabilities: Students with disabilities who require special accommodations or other classroom modifications must notify the instructor and the Director of Disability Resources and Services (Biddle 133) in writing no later than the fourth week of the semester. Documentation of a disability may be needed to determine the appropriate accommodations or classroom modifications. |
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Syllabus prepared 9 January 2001 for H-Urban Teaching Center. Syllabus copyright 2000 James Alexander. All rights reserved.
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