THE VERMONT POLITICAL SYSTEM
(POLS 123 60119
and VS 123 60514)
Summer 2006
(May 23 – June 22)
Time: |
Tuesdays/Thursdays 1:30 – 5:15 pm |
Place: |
Kalkin
003 |
Professor |
Frank
Bryan |
Tel: |
802-656-0570 |
Office: |
Room 503
Old Mill Building |
Office Hours: |
Tuesdays/Thursdays 1-1:30 pm and by appointment |
Web Page: |
|
Email: |
Examinations |
Date |
Weight |
Mid-term Exam |
June 6 |
40% |
Final Exam |
June 22 |
60% |
TEXTS:
Frank Bryan and John McClaughry, The Vermont Papers
Frank Bryan and Bill Mares, The Vermont Owner’s
Manual
Frank Bryan, Real
Democracy: The New England Town Meeting and How it Works
Michael
Sherman (ed.) Vermont State Government
Since 1965 (on electronic reserve)
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.
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. Instructor
will inform students of any special additions.
5. Students
are expected to check their UVM email
for this course on a regular basis.
Introduction: This course treats the government and
politics of the state of Vermont in the context of conceptual frameworks found
in political science. It therefore has
two goals:
1. To give the
student a firm grounding in the governmental institutions and the political
processes that make the Vermont political system work.
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 Vermont as a case study.
To do
this each section deals with one or more fundamental questions in political
science and asks: What light does the
Vermont experience shed on this question?
Is what we have learned about any given general construct (by studying
Vermont) particular to Vermont? Is it
different elsewhere? In America at
large? In other American states?
Obviously
knowing the Vermont case thoroughly is essential. But it is equally essential to be able to think about Vermont in
terms of what it teaches us about social science. Examples are:
· Does the coming of a two-party system in Vermont verify the hypothesis that competitive party systems are beneficial to the less fortunate in society?
· Does the proliferation of interest groups in Vermont since the 1960's bear out the hypothesis that as "special interest politics" grows in influence the power of democratically elected legislatures declines?
· Does Vermont's two-year term for governor support the hypothesis that longer terms for executives are more conducive to efficient government?
· Does the Vermont town meeting show that the founders were right when they warned about the dangers of direct democracy?
LECTURES
Part
I: |
Vermont
Politics in a Systems Context |
|
A.".
. . I shan't be gone long" Does the “real Vermont” exist? |
|
B. Living in the Backbeyond—Historical
Footprints |
|
C.
Above the “Optimum Climatic Area”–the Socio-Economic Setting |
|
|
Required Reading: |
Bryan
& Mares, The Vermont Owner’s Manual |
|
Bryan
& McClaughry, The Vermont Papers–Chapters
1-5 |
|
Frank
Bryan, “The Back Beyond” (on e-reserve) |
|
|
Part
II: |
The Constitutional Context—Constraints on Political Action |
|
A. Vermont in the Federal Matrix |
|
B. The Vermont Constitution |
|
C. Changing the Vermont Constitution |
|
|
Required Reading: |
Frank M. Bryan, “Reducing the Time Lock on the Vermont Constitution” Vermont History (Winter, 1976), pp. 38-47 (on e-reserve). |
|
Hill, in Sherman 17-30 (on e-reserve) |
|
|
Part
III: |
Local Government and Town Meeting |
|
A.
The Town's Role in Vermont Politics |
|
B. The Nature of Town Meeting |
|
C. Patterns in Attendance and Participation |
|
D. What the Future Holds |
NOTE: |
Frank M. Bryan, Real Democracy: The New England Town Meeting and How it Works, Chapters 1, 2, 3, 6, 8, 10, and 12 need to be read before the midterm exam. |
|
|
NOTE: |
Bryan & McClaughry, The Vermont Papers, chapter 6, 7, 8, 9, 15, and 16 must be read before the final exam. |
|
|
Part
IV: |
Interest Groups, Parties and Elections |
|
A. The One-Party Era |
|
B. Breakthrough Politics |
|
C. New Patterns in the Election Fabric |
|
|
Required Reading: |
Clark Bensen and Frank Bryan, “Strengthening Democratic Control: Vermont’s 1986 Election in Historical Perspective,” Vermont History (Fall, 1988). (on e-reserve) |
|
Graff, in Sherman 77-91 (on reserve) |
|
|
Part
V: |
The Legislature |
|
A. The Reapportionment Revolution |
|
B. The Nature of Legislative Change |
|
|
Required Reading: |
Frank Bryan, “Pivot Point for Democracy,” (on e-reserve) |
|
Sanford and Doyle, in Sherman 31-52 (on e-reserve) |
|
|
Part
VI: |
The Governor and Bureaucracy |
|
A. The Governor in Comparative Perspective |
|
B. The Structure of Bureaucracy |
|
C. Overlays of Confusion |
|
|
Required Reading: |
Fitzhugh, in Sherman 91-106 (on e-reserve) |
|
Douglas, in Sherman 137-156 (on e-reserve) |
|
|
Part
VII: |
The Judiciary, Adjudicating Policy |
|
A. The
Judicial System |
|
B. Choosing Judges |
|
|
Required Reading: |
Dooley, in Sherman 187-242 (on e-reserve) |
|
|