This course will examine the policy issues and politics that face urban areas, with particular attention paid to the specific city that surrounds us: New York. We will begin by evaluating different theoretical perspectives on who holds power in cities and why. We also examine the crucial role of race and ethnicity within urban power structures. Next, we will survey some important episodes from the historical development of cities, including the rise of urban machines and the progressive reform movements that attempted to defeat them. Then we will turn to an examination of urban political economy, including fiscal crises and globalization. Finally, we will situate urban politics within broader political contexts of regional and national politics, including a look at how cities like New York confront terrorism.
You have chosen to study city politics while you are located in what is often described as the quintessential city. Therefore, throughout the course we will attempt to take advantage of our proximity and examine policy issues taken from contemporary New York City politics. Our engagement will include guest speakers and, during one class, a field trip (location to be determined).
Required Texts
Students are encouraged to purchase the following book:
The Urban Politics Reader
Elizabeth A Strom, John H Mollenkopf (eds)
Routledge Urban Reader Series (2006)
ISBN: 9780415319966
This book is available from Shakespeare and Company (939 Lexington Avenue, at 69th Street). You may be able to find a less expensive used copy online. If you purchase online or elsewhere, however, make sure that you can get the book in a timely fashion.
Additional readings may be assigned throughout the semester through the use of handouts, library access, and online links at the course website.
Course Requirements
- Come to class prepared. Complete all required readings beforehand, and bring your textbooks to class.
- Participate. Attend class regularly and on time—you cannot participate if you are not present—and join your colleagues in critical analysis of the assigned readings. In order to encourage participation, you will be asked to complete the following assignment:
- Summaries. Write six (6) one-page summaries of assigned readings throughout the course of the semester. Guidelines for summary writing will be distributed during the first class. In general, you can submit summaries whenever you would like, with the following restriction: one summary must be completed in September, with an additional one (two in total) due by the mid-term exam. Still, I encourage you to WRITE YOUR SUMMARIES EARLY – do not wait until the end of the semester, or you may run out of time to complete your required seven.
- Complete all other written assignments:
- Exams. You will be given two examinations during the course, a mid-term and a final. The final exam focuses primarily on material covered in the second half of the course, but may build upon and refer to material discussed earlier. Exams will consist of brief essay questions, with the questions distributed in advance. Questions will be based on the required readings and on classroom discussions.
- Papers. A 9-10 page research paper is required, with final draft due towards the end of class. Details for the assignment, including deadlines and instructions, will be distributed in class during the semester.
Your grade will be based on your written work and your class participation. Course requirements will be weighted as follows when calculating your grade:
- Papers: 25%. The paper will be worth one-fourth of your grade (25%). Grading criteria will be included when the paper assignments are distributed. A one letter grade penalty will be imposed upon late papers without valid documentation (e.g., medical emergency).
- Exams: 50%. Of the two exams, your lowest grade will be worth 20%, while your highest will be worth 30%. Make-up exams will be given only when proper documentation for the absence is provided.
- Participation: 25%. Submission of all required summaries establishes a base participation grade of B. Failure to submit a summary will lower this grade by one-third of a letter (e.g., B to B-). Excessive lateness or absences may lead to further reductions, while frequent and thoughtful contributions to class discussion will have the opposite effect.
Academic Integrity
Students should be aware of the college’s policies regarding cheating, plagiarism and any other kind of academic misconduct as outlined in the MMC Academic Honesty Policy. These policies will be discussed briefly during the first class, and are available here. Students who have questions or concerns about their written work should discuss these with the instructor before submitting any assignments.
Special Needs
Any student who is learning disabled, whose primary language is other than English, or who has other special needs and may thus require special accommodations should notify me immediately.
Course Schedule (subject to change)
Below are scheduled readings assigned for the semester. Please note that these assignments may need to be changed as the semester progresses; any changes will be announced in class and posted on the course website. All readings can be found in the Urban Politics Reader unless otherwise noted.
Friday, September 5
Introduction
Urban Politics: An Overview
-- Wyly et al., A Top 10 List of Things to Know About American Cities
POWER AND POLITICS
Friday, September 12
The Community Power Debate
-- Dahl, Who Governs?
Urban Interests
-- Peterson, The Interests of the Limited City
Friday, September 19
Urban Regimes
-- Stone, Looking Back to Look Forward: Reflections on Urban Regime Analysis
Race and Ethnicity
-- Browning, et al, Can People of Color Achieve Equality in City Government?
-- Reed, Demobilization in the New Black Political Regime: Ideological Capitulation and Radical Failure in the Post-Segregation Era
Friday, September 26
Race and Ethnicity
-- Gurwitt, Black, White, and Blurred
-- FILM: Street Fight
CITY HISTORY
Friday, October 3
Urban Machines
-- Plunkitt of Tammany Hall (available on course website)
-- Croker, Tammany Hall and the Democracy
Progressive Urban Reform
-- Bridges and Kronick, Writing the Rules to Win the Game: The Middle-Class Regimes of Municipal Reformers
Friday, October 10
Postwar Economic Development
-- Mollenkopf, The Postwar Politics of Urban Development
Community Empowerment
-- Dreier, Community Empowerment Strategies: The Limits and Potential of Organizing in Low Income Neighborhoods
Exam Review
Friday, October 17
MID-TERM EXAMINATION
Friday, October 24
Guest speaker – T.B.D.
URBAN POLITICAL ECONOMY
Friday, October 31
Fiscal Crises
-- Shefter, The Political Economy of Urban Fiscal Crises
The Global City
-- Sassen, Overview and Economic Restructuring as Class and Spatial Polarization
-- Solnit, Detroit Arcadia (available on the course website)
Friday, November 7
Guest speaker – T.B.D.
CITIES, STATES, NATIONS
Friday, November 14
National Urban Policy
-- Bissinger, Urban Sacrifice
Regionalism
-- Dreier, et al, Regionalisms Old and New
Friday, November 21
Field trip – to be determined
Friday, November 28
NO CLASS – THANKSGIVING BREAK
Friday, December 5
Cities and Terrorism
-- Eisinger, The American City in the Age of Terror
Course Review
Exam Review
Friday, December 12
FINAL EXAMINATION
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