POLS 486 Citizenship and Civic Life in 21st Century

Class Meeting Plan

Spring 2014

Last amended:  March 30, 2014

 

Unit 1:  What is citizenship?  How has it evolved over time?  Has is being changed by contemporary conditions?

 

Wednesday, January 15th

Introduction to Active Citizenship Research Project;  In-class Pre-Survey and Writing Exercise 1; Introduction to Course.

 

Monday, January 20th  – No Class – Holiday

 

Tuesday, January 21st – Attend Logan Neighborhood Meeting, Fourth Memorial Church, 2000 N. Standard, 6:30 p.m.

 

Wednesday, January 22nd

Models of Citizenship, Models of Governance

Reading: Held, David.  1995.   ÒStories of Democracies Old and New.Ó Democracy and the Global Order:  From the Modern State to Cosmopolitan Governance.  Stanford:  Stanford University Press. (C)  Read only intro-1.1, stopping at 1.2 on pg. 16.

 

Monday, January 27th

Democracy and Citizenship continued

We discussed the conditions presented by todayÕs world and how these affect the practice of citizenship, especially being a good informed citizen.

 

Wednesday, January 29th

Four Conceptions of Citizenship

Reading: Van Gustareen, Herman.  1994.  ÒFour Conceptions of Citizenship.Ó  In Bart van Steenbergen, ed.  The Condition of Citizenship.  London, Thousand Oaks, New Dehli:  Sage. (C)

 

Monday, February 3rd

Hannah Arendt, Politics as Human Action

Reading:  Arendt, Hannah. 2000.  ÒLabor, Work, Action.Ó  In Peter Bachz, ed., The Portable Hannah Arendt.  New York:  Penguin. (C)

 

Wednesday, February 5th 

Globalization and Citizenship

Reading:  Schattle, Hans.  2012.  ÒA Dual Dynamic between Globalization and Citizenship.Ó  Globalization & Citizenship.  Lanham, MD:  Rowman & Littlefield (C) (read first section through bottom p. 5; then p. 10 Section on Allegiance, etc., through end of chpt.

Alba, Richard D. 1995.  Review of ÒLimits of Citizenship: Migrants and Postnational Membership in Europe and AuslŠnder--Aussiedler--Asyl: Eine BestandsaufnahmeÓ (Books).  Contemporary Sociology 24(4):  326-329. (C) (recommended)

 

Monday, February 10th

In class Writing Exercise 2 – What is citizenship?  How is it being transformed by contemporary conditions?

In class, selection of issues we are passionate about, issues we feel are pressing for the US civic and political life today; Turn in issues of preference in class.

 

Begin Unit 2:  The American Civic Tradition

AmericaÕs Sacred Symbols

A Mystical Vision of America, AmericaÕs Sacred Symbols, The Genius of Ben Franklin

Reading:  Needleman, The American Soul, Chapter 1, ÒThe Idea of America:  Our AmericaÓ (posted in Blackboard under Course Content)

 

Wednesday, February 12th

The American Civic Tradition:  Reclaiming Myths and Heroes

Paper 1 Assignment Discussed/Explained:  Your Civic/Political Hero/Role Model

Bring to class:  printed version of Instructions for Paper 1, found in Blackboard under Assignments

 

Monday, February 17th – No Class – PresidentsÕ Day

 

Tuesday, February 18th – Attend Logan Neighborhood Meeting, Fourth Memorial Church, 2000 N. Standard, 6:30 p.m.

 

Wednesday, February 19th

No class – work on your papers due Monday!

 

Monday, February 24th

Paper 1 Assignment on Your Civic/Political Hero Due

Sharing about our heroes; Did reading Needleman give you a new way of looking at America, as an idea, a spiritual tradition?

Beginning of Unit 3: Practicing good citizenship

Report back about Logan Neighborhood Meeting – how can we contribute to the neighborhood?

 

Groups for Paper two announced; some time for initial group meeting

 

Wednesday, February 26th

Civic and Political Associations:  What impressed Tocqueville about Democracy in America

Reading: (skim) Tocqueville, Alexis de.  1990.  ÒChapter VII:  Relation of Civil to Political AssociationsÓ and ÒChapter XII:  Political Associations in the United States.Ó  Democracy in America.  Vol I. New York: Vintage Books. (C)

 

 

Monday, March 3rd

Is AmericaÕs Civic Tradition in Decline?  What are the causes of this decline, according to Putnam?  Can you think of trends that are counteracting this decline or fundamentally changing the need for Òsocial capitalÓ as Putnam defines it?

Reading:  Putnam, Robert N.  1995.  ÒBowling Alone: AmericaÕs Declining Social Capital.Ó Journal of Democracy 6(1):  65-78. (F)

 

Wednesday, March 5th

Working Session.  Bring laptops/tablets. 

Do research on your issue; bring the guide to Writing Assignment 2 so you can work on filling it in with your group; what values that resonate through American political culture does your issue represent?

 

Monday, March 10th –Wednesday, March 12th – No Class – Spring Break

 

Monday, March 17th

**Visit Logan Neighborhood COPS Shop – 802 E Sharp – meet there at 11:00

 

Tuesday, March 18th – Attend Logan Neighborhood Meeting, Fourth Memorial Church, 2000 N. Standard, 6:30 p.m.

 

Wednesday, March 19th

Discussion of Political Values.  What values are most salient in American political culture?  How are these reflected in the issues you are studying, in the framing of them?  In class-writing exercise on political values.  What matters to you?  How are your political values represented in the issue you chose?

 

Monday, March 24th

Political Civility – has this been lost in the US?

Final discussions with on your issue with fellow group members. Draft of paper 2/presentation should be in progress. 

Reading:  Strachan, J. Cherie and Michael R. Wolf.  2012. ÒPolitical Civility.Ó PS:  Political Science & Politics.  Symposium:  Political Civility.  Volume 45.  Issue 3.  (July 2012). (F)

 

Wednesday, March 26th

Progress report on Paper 3/Participant Observation.  How many civic events have you written up?  Have you interviewed any citizens yet? Are there are other kinds of groups/citizens youÕd like to find?

 

Monday, March 31st

You should be attending civic functions this month, setting up your interviews with group members. 

Discussion of Logan Neighborhood struggle over the McDonaldÕs on Mission and Hamilton; mapping the issue – who are the stakeholders?  What does each want?  What are the facts?  What do we still need to know?

 

Civically Engaged Argument:  In Search of Facts and Civility

What sources have you discovered offer the best information on your topics for Paper 2?

Reading:  Jamieson, Kathleen Hall and Bruce Hardy. 2012. ÒWhat is Civil Engaged Argument and Why Does Aspiring to It Matter?.Ó PS:  Political Science & Politics.  Symposium:  Political Civility.  Volume 45.  Issue 3.  (July 2012). (F)

 

Wednesday, April 2rd

Has America Lost the Capacity for Civil Debate, Compromise? 

Maybe ItÕs not that Bad:  The Rise and Fall of Nasty Politics in America

Reading:  Shea, Daniel M. and Alex Sproveri.  ÒThe Rise and Fall of Nasty Politics in America.Ó PS:  Political Science & Politics.  Symposium:  Political Civility.  Volume 45.  Issue 3.  (July 2012). (F)

 

 

Monday, April 7th

What is the Constitution for?

Reading:  NYT Op-ed on the Constitution by Georgetown Law Professor Seideman, appeared January 7, 2013.

Why does Seideman think that availing oneself to the Constitution is not helpful in political dialogue?  What does he argue is unique about the American Constitution that makes it a problematic symbol, rhetorical strategy, means of making and remaking public policy?

 

Wednesday, April 9th

No class to compensate you for time at Neighborhood Clean-up

 

Saturday, April 12th

Logan Neighborhood Clean-Up

10:00 – 2:00; Fourth Memorial Church

 

Monday, April 14th

Issue presentation 1: Balancing Liberty and Security in the post-911 World; paper due for this group.

Class wide discussion and analysis of this issue

 

Tuesday, April 15th – Attend Logan Neighborhood Meeting, Fourth Memorial Church, 2000 N. Standard, 6:30 p.m.

 

Wednesday, April 16th

Report back on your experiences with the neighborhood clean-up

Issue presentation 2:  Economic Justice; paper due for this group.

Class wide discussion and analysis of this issue

 

Monday, April 21st – No Class – Easter Monday Holiday

 

Wednesday, April 23rd

Issue presentation 3:  Interdependence and Diversity; paper due for this group.

Class wide discussion and analysis of this issue

 

Monday, April 28th

No class to compensate you for neighborhood clean-up and Logan Neighborhood Meeting attendance – finish your interviews and paper 3!!

 

Wednesday, April 30th

Paper 3 on Participant-Observation due today

What have your learned from the participant-observation experience?

Course Wrap-up; Last In-class Writing Exercise

 

Final Exam – due by Finals Time – Tuesday, May 6, 3 p.m.

Turn in through Blackboard, Assignments page

Understanding Citizenship and Contemporary Civic Life

Write a 10-page reflection paper on your entire experience with the course.  How has this course affected your thinking about citizenship and civic life? How has it shaped your understanding of what good citizens do?  Include reflections on course readings, in class exercises and discussions, your paper on your political/civic hero/role model, the group project on a contemporary political issue and your participant-observation and interviews in your answer.