THE
Lecture Guide and Class Schedule
Professor Frank Bryan
Office: 540 Old Mill Building, Phone 656-0570
POLS 123
COMP. NUMB. 11906
LECTURE: A
GRADING SCHEDULE: WEIGHT
Mid-Term Examination 30%
Town Politics Paper Due 40%
Final Examination 30%
TEXTS: Frank
Bryan and John McClaughry, The
Frank
Bryan and Bill Mares, The
Michael
Sherman (ed.)
Plus assigned readings on reserve. Reserve readings are a key requirement of the course. Be sure to consult the readings list at the end of each section of lectures.
TOWN MEETING DAY ACTIVITY (Required) Saturday, Mar. 3 (limited number available); Monday night March 5; Tuesday day March 6; Tuesday evening March 6 (limited number available). Attendance at class Friday, March 2 and Monday, March 5 is mandatory.
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 additions.
Introduction: This course treats the government and
politics of the state of
(1)
To give the student a firm grounding in the governmental institutions and the
political processes that make the
(2)
To deal with some of the "great questions" that political scientists
seek to answer. Here the intent is to
teach basic concepts by using
To
do this each section deals with one or more fundamental questions in political
science and asks: What light does the
Obviously
knowing the
·
Does the coming of a two-party system in
·
Does the proliferation of interest groups in
·
Does
·
Does the
Method of Instruction: Lecture-Discussion, individualized projects (optional) and a "participant observer" town meeting project.
Writing Assignment: Town Meeting Paper (10-15 pages) Some library research required plus self-generated town meeting data.
LECTURES
Part I:
A. ". . . I shan't be gone long" Does the Areal Vermont@ exist?
B. Living in the Backbeyond--Historical Footprints
C. Above the “Optimum Climatic Area”–the Socio-Economic Setting
Required
Bryan
& McClaughry, The
Hand,
in
Frank Bryan, “The Back Beyond” (on reserve)
Duane Lockard:
Note: Bryan & McClaughry, The Vermont Papers should be read in conjunction with the first half of the course. The sooner you read it the better. It will be covered in its entirety on the mid-term.
Suggested
Charles Morrissey,
Part II: The Constitutional Context--Constraints on Political Action
A. Vermont in the Federal Matrix
B. The
C. Changing the
Required
Hill,
in
Suggested
Part III: Political Socialization
A. The Political Culture of Ruralism
B. Country Mouse and City Mouse
C. Technology and the Axioms of Conflict
Required
Frank Bryan, “How to Preserve the Vermont Character,” (On reserve).
Mathis,
in
Porter
and Terry, in
Part IV: Town Meeting
A. The Town's
Role in
B. The Pete Rafferty Syndrome–Political Efficacy Explored
C. Patterns in Attendance and Participation
D. Hands Off Town Meetings: What the Future Holds
Required
Gillies, in
Suggested
John Guy LaPlante, “What Killed the Town Meeting.” Nation 180 (February, 1958), pp. 96-97.
Andrew Nuquist, Town
Government in
Frank M. Bryan, “Town Meeting Still Supported in
Part V: Interest Groups, Parties and Elections
A. The Changing Nature of Interest Group Politics
B. The One-Party Era
C. Breakthrough Politics
D. New Patterns in the Election Fabric
Required
Clark Bensen and Frank Bryan, “Strengthening Democratic
Control:
Graff, in
Suggested
Edward P. Brynn, “
George T. Mazuzan, “
Roul Tunley,
“The Democrat that Took
Melvin S. Wax, “
Part VI: The Legislature
A. The Reapportionment Revolution
B. Correlates of Voting 1947-1982
C. The Politics of Innovation and Metamorphosis Denied
Required
Sanford
and Doyle, in
Suggested
Frank Smallwood’s Free and Independent (in paper)
published by Stephen Greene press (1976) is the best account of legislative
politics in
Vic Maerki, “A
William J. Smith, “My Poetic Career in
Part VII: The Governorship
A. The Governor in Comparative Perspective
B. Ranking the Governors
Required
Suggested
Frank Bryan, “The Governorship: People, Position, and Power” in Joseph Milbourn (ed.) New England Politics (on reserve).
Part VIII: The Bureaucracy: Implementing Policy
A. The Structure of Bureaucracy
B. Overlays of Confusion
C. Where is the buck, anyway?
Required
Part IX The Judiciary, Adjudicating Policy
A. The Judicial System
B. Choosing Judges
Required