DEMOCRATIC POSSIBILITIES

  (POLS 295 – Section B:  No. 91404)

 

Time:                          Wednesdays 3:35 – 6:25 p.m.                                                              Fall 2004

                     

Place:               523 Old Mill

 

Professor             Frank Bryan          

Tel:                   656-0570

Office:              Room 540 Old Mill Building

Office Hours:            Tues. and Thurs. 11-12:30 pm, Wed. 1:30 – 3:30 pm,  and by appointment

Web Page:            http://www.uvm.edu/~fbryan

WebCT:            http://webct.uvm.edu:8900

Email:               frank.bryan@uvm.edu

 

            This is a research seminar that directs students in the use of quantitative data to test hypothesizes derived from communitarian or what Jane Mansbridge calls “unitary” democracy and I call “real” democracy. It seeks to provide a thorough grounding in communitarian theory, an understanding of the world’s best operating example of real democracy, the New England town meeting, and the ability to use a number of statistical tools and methodological procedures. The fundamental question is: “Can ordinary citizens govern themselves?”

 

 

Required Text: 

 

Frank Bryan, Real Democracy: The New England Town Meeting and How It Works

 

 

Additional Readings on reserve:

 

Daniel Kemmis Community and the Politics of Place (hard copy reserve)

Jane Mansbridge Beyond Adversary Democracy p. 3-35, 39-125 (E-reserve)

Carey McWilliams Democracy and the Citizen p. 79-101 (E-reserve)

Joseph Zimmerman The New England Town Meeting p. 83-101 & 164-196 (E-reserve)

 

 

 

Grading System:

 

            Seminar Participation                           30%

            Final Paper                                                  70%

 

 


 

      CLASSROOM PROTOCOL

 

1.             Students are expected to attend and be prepared for ALL regularly scheduled classes.

 

2.             Students are expected to arrive on time and stay in class until the class period ends.  If a student knows in advance that s/he will need to leave early, s/he should notify the instructor before the class period begins.

 

3.             Students are expected to treat faculty and fellow students with respect.  For example, students must not disrupt class by leaving and reentering during class, must not distract class by making noise, and must be attentive to comments being made by the instructors and by peers.

 

4.                Instructors will inform students of any special alterations to the syllabus.

 

5.             Students are expected to check their WebCT mail.

 

*****************************************************************

  THE COURSE

 

Class Schedule

 

            September 1            Introduction to the Seminar

 

            September 8     The Communitarian Ideal

 

                                                Mansbridge Beyond Adversary Democracy p. 3-35 (E-reserve)

                                                McWilliams Democracy and the Citizen p. 79-101 (E-reserve)

                                                Bryan Real Democracy p. 1-23

 

            September 15   Town Meeting

 

                                                Mansbridge Beyond Adversary Democracy p. 39-125 (E-reserve)

                                                Zimmerman The New England Town Meeting p. 83-101 & 164-196 (E-

reserve)

                                                Bryan Real Democracy p. 25-54; 255-297

 

            September 22            Research Methods I: Fundamentals of Correlation and Regression

 

                                                Daniel Kemmis Community and the Politics of Place (hard copy reserve)

 

            September 29            Research Methods II: Designing and Using Graphs

 

                                                No reading assignment

 

            October 6            Attendance at Town Meeting

 

                                                Bryan Real Democracy p. 57-136

 

            October 13            Participation in Town Meeting

 

                                                Bryan Real Democracy p. 139-186

 

            October 20         Women in Town Meeting

           

                                                Bryan Real Democracy p. 189-231

 

            October 27            Conflict and Issues

 

                                                Bryan Real Democracy p. 233-254

 

            November 3            Preliminary Findings

 

            Nov. 10, 17   Student Presentations and Critiques

            & Dec. 1, 8