I choose one topic: Changes in the new government with respect to the previous government in RI compare with 1-2 other states. Professor told me: you can choose one area of interest and look at it in RI and 1-2 other states.
COURSE DESCRIPTION
State governments play a key role in American politics, policymaking and administration. They occupy the middle ground in our intergovernmental system and are often on the leading edge with new policy ideas and approaches. States are the “laboratories of democracy” in our political system. In this course we will survey the terrain of American state government by studying the diversity of political institutions (e.g. courts, legislatures), political processes (e.g. elections, political parties), and public policies (e.g. health care, education), as well as challenges faced by state administrators and managers.
This diversity among state governments highlights many interesting questions and issues that pose important challenges for state policymakers and concerned citizens. For example: Should states adopt term limits for governors and legislators? Should citizens be allowed to vote on legislation through initiatives? Should judges be elected, appointed, or chosen in some other way? All of these questions, and more, have been answered in different ways by different states. Our goal is a closer look at the role of American states in contemporary politics, policymaking and administration.
This class will have a particular focus on the role of governors in providing leadership and policy direction for state government. We have a unique opportunity to explore this field given that Massachusetts has a new Governor taking office just before this class begins. We will focus on Governor Baker and other new state governors throughout the semester.
LEARNING GOALS
Learning goals for this course include:
• Understand and critically assess the major political institutions, processes and key policies of American states;
• Recognize & appreciate diversity of political institutions, processes & policies at the state level;
• Understand and apply various criteria, such as equity and participation, that can be used to analyze choices in the design of state political institutions and processes;
• Understand and critically assess the challenges facing states in implementing federal initiatives
• Prepare and write a memo on a particular topic;
• Conduct comparative state research on a topic chosen by the student; write a research paper with appropriate citations and format on this topic; present findings of research to the class.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS
Readings: Primary readings are from the following books, which are available at the bookstore and on-loan at the library:
Gray et. al. 2013. Politics in the American States: A Comparative Analysis. 10th Edition. CQ Press.
Rosenthal. 2013. The Best Job in Politics: Exploring how Governors Succeed as Policy Leaders. CQ Press.
Other readings may be made available to students via BlackBoard or in class as assigned. Students are expected to complete all readings prior to class and be prepared to discuss major points during class.
Two other books by Alan Rosenthal – The Third House: Lobbyists and Lobbying in the States (2001) & The Decline of Representative Democracy: Process, Participation & Power in State Legislatures (1998) – will be extremely helpful for understanding the legislative and lobbying areas of state government. They are highly recommended but not required.
There are a number of Internet sites with useful information on states. Periodic references will be made to these sites:
Pew Center on the States – http://www.pewstates.org/.
Governing.com – http://www.governing.com/.
Council of State Governments – http://www.csg.org/index.aspx.
National Conference of State Legislatures – http://www.ncsl.org/.
National Governors Association – http://www.nga.org/cms/home.html.
Assignments: Assignments for the course include:
Two Memos: Students will complete two memos related to new governors in various states. We will discuss the details of this assignment during the first class.
Research Paper: Each student will complete a research paper on an approved topic of his/her choosing. A class presentation will be made at the end of the term.
Final Exam: There will be a take-home exam on material integrated from the entire course.
Last Completed Projects
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