California's Urban Politics:  Los Angeles as Laboratory

California State University, Northridge

Political Science 404
Spring  1999

Professor Matthew Cahn                       Wednesday: 2:00 - 4:45 pm
Office: SH 208                                      Phone: 677-6518
Office Hours:    Monday 10-11 am        Email: matthew.cahn@csun.edu
              &  Wed 1-2 pm & 5-6 pm

 

Course Description

 

Politics is, more than anything else, a process of getting other constituencies to do what you want.  Nowhere is this process more competitive than in large metropolitan areas -- urban cities.  This class explores the role urban politics plays in determining the policy options cities choose, as well as in defining the character and identity of those cities.  Los Angeles is the nation=s second largest city, with some 3.6 million residents, and a metropolitan sphere of influence including some 12 million people.  And though we think of Chicago as the ACity with Big Shoulders,@ and New York as Gothic City, Los Angeles is instrumental in helping us assess the structure and function of cities in the late 20th and early 21st century. As a consequence, we will take advantage of our urban environment -- using Los Angeles as a laboratory of study.

 

Required Reading

            Judd & Swanstrom: City Politics   (Longman, 1998, 2nd Edition)

Dear, Schockman, & Hise: Rethinking Los Angeles   (Sage Publishers, 1996)

William Fulton: Los Angeles: The Reluctant Metropolis   (Solano Press Books, 1997)

The reading for the class is substantial.  As a senior level class you should expect to read between 150 to 200 pages per week.  In addition, you can expect to spend several hours per week in the library and doing field work (collecting data) to complete your research project..  The quality of your education, and of the class, depends entirely on the energy you put in.

 

Course Requirements

 

Class Participation        10%

Midterm Exam  30%

                                    Research Paper           30%

Final Exam                   30%

 

The course employs the traditional +/- grading system.  Requirements include participation in working groups, discussion, weekly exercises, and completion of a semester research paper.  There are no midterms and there is no final exam.  University policy requires me to remind you that cheating or plagiarism (representing the work of another as one's own) will result in an "F" and may result in further disciplinary measures.

 The Research Paper

Each student will develop and write an individual research paper based on urban politics and using Los Angeles as a laboratory (focus of analysis).  The final research paper will be the culmination of the semester's work, and must include a clear discussion of the research question, a review of the relevant scholarly literature, a description of the methodology employed, summation of data, and most importantly, analysis of that data.  As always, the papers must use proper citation and bibliographic format.

 

Semester Outline 

 

Please note that reading MUST be done PRIOR to day it is listed.  Please plan accordingly.

 

Part I: Theoretical Issues in Urban Politics

 

Week I (2/3): Introduction: Urban Politics in Perspective

- Politics as Process

- Politics in American Cities

(Judd & Swanstrom chs. 1-2)

 

Week II (2/10): Contested Terrain: Political Conflict in Cities

- Political Entrepreneurship

- Coalitions & Machines

(Judd & Swanstrom chs. 3-5)

 

Week III (2/17): The City in National Politics

- Urban Migration

- The Rise and Fall of National Urban Policy

(Judd & Swanstrom chs. 6-8)

 

Week IV (2/24): Urban Fractures

- Growth and Growth Management

- Suburbanization

- Urban Decay and Revitalization

- The Urban Future: Coexistence or Devolution?

(Judd & Swanstrom chs. 9-14)

** Research Question Due **

 

Part II:  Rethinking Los Angeles

 

Week V (3/3):  Los Angeles as Model

- Rethinking Los Angeles

- Structure and Economy

- Winners and Losers

(Dear, Schockman, Hise chs. 1-4)

 

** Self-Guided Walking Tour of Los Angeles **

(To be Discussed in Class)

Week VI (3/10): Governance in Los Angeles

- Structure of Governance

- Revisiting the City Charter

- Secession and Discontent

- LA Past, LA Future

(Dear, Schockman, Hise chs. 5-7 & Adobe LA)                      

 

Week VII (3/17): Culture and Identity

- Multiculturalsim

- Racial Politics

- Secession and Identity

(Dear, Schockman, Hise chs. 8-10)

 

Week VIII  (3/24): Reform & Re-Imagining LA

- School Reform

- Health Care

- Re-Imagining

(Dear, Schockman, Hise chs. 11-14)

 

Week IX (3/31): Spring Recess

 

Part III: Los Angeles: The Reluctant Metropolis

 

Week X (4/7): Urban Growth

- Politics and  Power

(Fulton, Intro & chs. 1-3)

 

Week XI (4/14): Water and Development

- Infrastructure

(Fulton, Intro & chs. 4-6)

 

Week XII (4/21): Land and Money

- Growth Management and Suburban Politics

- Sales Tax Canyon

(Fulton, Intro & chs. 7-10)

 

Week XIII (4/28): Consequences

- Urban Containment

- The Politics of Insulation

(Fulton, Intro & chs. 11-13)

 

Part IV: Urban Politics Revisited

 

Week XIV (5/5): Winners and Losers

- Winners and Losers

- The New Urban Politics

(Reading: TBA: Complete Research)

 

Week XV (5/12): Present Papers & Final Discussion       ** Final Papers Due **

 

Final Exam As Scheduled

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Matthew Cahn
Department of Political Science
California State University Northridge
18111 Nordhoff Street
Northridge, CA  91330-8254
(818) 677-3488
matthew.cahn@csun.edu