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Syllabus
POSC 389 --- Special Topics: Culture Wars
Section 52774
Spring 2005
Instructor: Michael Craw
Office: 219 Mather House
Office Hours: MW 9-10, 1:30-2:30 and by appointment
Mailbox: 110 Mather House
Office Phone: (216) 368-5265
Cell Phone: (812) 325-6042
Class Times: MWF 10:30 – 11:20
Room: 542 Sears
E-mail: mcc20@case.edu
Course Description
The American public today appears to be deeply divided
on a set of issues that in prior years were largely in
the background: so-called “cultural” issues, such as gay
and lesbian rights, abortion and sex education. These
issues differ from traditional bread-and-butter
socioeconomic issues in that they inject government
policy into the distribution of values rather than
resources. In this course, we will explore how and why
these issues have come to dominate national and local
political agendas in recent years and how policymaking
on these issues differs from that on socioeconomic
issues. We will also consider one cultural policy area
in-depth: gay and lesbian rights. In this policy area,
we will consider the organization of interest groups,
public opinion, media coverage, and the roles of
political institutions like Congress and the courts on
policy outcomes. By the end of the course, students will
have a deeper understanding not only of the in-depth
policy areas, but of the American policymaking process
in general.
Communications
The easiest way to get in touch with me is by e-mail
(mcc20@case.edu). In addition, I will from time to time
use e-mail to communicate information about the class
(e.g. cancellations or changes in the reading
assignments and class discussion topics). In general, I
will send such messages to your Case e-mail account, and
so if you do not have a Case e-mail account or you do
not check it regularly, please see me as soon as
possible. You may reach me at my cell phone number above
during reasonable hours (before 11 p.m.). Or you may see
me during my office hours or by making an appointment to
see me.
Course Requirements and Grading
I will evaluate student performance in this class
according to the following components:
Participation: 10%
Mid-term Exam: 25%
Final Exam: 25%
Paper/Group Presentation: 40%
Participation: One of the primary objectives of
this class is to develop your ability to critically
analyze political and public policy issues. This is best
done by actively engaging in discussion of policy issues
with others who are well informed about an issue and who
can bring different experiences to the discussion. Class
participation, therefore, will be a factor in your final
grade. Students are expected to come to class prepared
for discussion by having studied the assigned reading in
advance. From time to time we may carry out in-class
exercises and I will use your participation in these
exercises to help me assess this component of your
grade.
Exams: There will be two exams in this class, a
mid-term and a final, each worth 25% of your final
grade. The mid-term exam will be on Wednesday, March 2,
and will cover material on the syllabus through February
25.
The final exam will be on Thursday, April 28, from 8:30
– 11:30 a.m. This exam will be a comprehensive exam.
As a rule, I do not allow people to take make-up exams
except under exceptional circumstances or in cases of
medical or personal emergencies. If you must miss an
exam, I require at least one week’s notice to schedule a
make-up exam. Missing an exam without sufficient advance
notice or a verifiable medical excuse (e.g. a doctor’s
note) will result in a zero on the exam.
Paper and Presentation: Part of being a good
political scientist is being able to evaluate public
policy issues critically and to present your findings to
other people. To this end, you will select a cultural or
moral policy topic on which to focus for the semester
during your first week in class. Over the course of the
semester, you will complete a paper on a research
question pertaining to your topic. You will develop your
paper in three stages. First, you will write a 3-5 page
research proposal, in which you discuss your research
question, why it is significant, and possible sources of
information. You are required to conduct interviews with
at least two individuals on your policy issue as part of
your project, and you should identify individuals you
might talk to for your interviews in your proposal. You
will have a chance to submit a draft of your proposal to
a partner in class for comments prior to submitting it
to me for approval. The final draft of your proposal is
due to me by 5:00 on Friday, February 11. You will make
an appointment with me the following week to discuss
your proposal. The proposal counts as 12.5% of your
overall paper grade, or 5% of your total grade in the
class
In the second stage of your paper, you will complete a
draft of your paper and conduct an oral presentation in
class discussing your research question and your
findings in late March or early April. For the oral
presentation, you will teach the class about your policy
issue and what you have learned about it. There will be
two presentations per class session, and so you should
plan on having a total of 25 minutes of presentation
time. Leaving about 10 minutes for questions and
discussion, therefore, you should plan your presentation
for about 15 minutes. As a class, we will grade your
oral presentation based on level of content,
organization and presentation skill and clarity. I will
consider the class assessment as well as my own
assessment of the presentation in determining your grade
on this component. The oral presentation will be 25% of
your overall paper grade, or 10% of your total grade in
the class.
A draft of your research paper will be due to me on
Wednesday, April 6. I will not grade this draft, but I
will read it, make comments and suggestions, and return
it to you for revisions. Of course, if you would like me
to read earlier drafts of your paper, you are free to
see me during office hours.
The third stage is for you to complete the final draft
of your paper. Your final paper is due to me by 5:00
p.m. on Friday, April 22. The final paper grade is 62.5%
of your overall paper grade, or 25% of your final course
grade.
I encourage you to work outside of class with other
class members on your papers and presentations (though,
of course, the paper you turn in must be your own work).
To that end, you may wish to take down the names and
contact information for a few classmates:
Academic Integrity
Cheating, plagiarism and other violations of academic
integrity standards will not be tolerated. Any work
turned in that is in violation of these standards will
automatically receive a grade of zero and the matter
will be referred to the Academic Integrity Board.
For your reference, the university defines academic
misconduct in the following ways:
"All forms of academic dishonesty including cheating,
plagiarism, misrepresentation, and obstruction are
violations of academic integrity standards. Cheating
includes copying from another's work, falsifying problem
solutions or laboratory reports, or using unauthorized
sources, notes or computer programs. Plagiarism includes
the presentation, without proper attribution, of
another's words or ideas from printed or electronic
sources. It is also plagiarism to submit, without the
instructor's consent, an assignment in one class
previously submitted in another. Misrepresentation
includes forgery of official academic documents, the
presentation of altered or falsified documents or
testimony to a university office or official, taking an
exam for another student, or lying about personal
circumstances to postpone tests or assignments.
Obstruction occurs when a student engages in
unreasonable conduct that interferes with another's
ability to conduct scholarly activity. Destroying a
student's computer file, stealing a student's notebook,
and stealing a book on reserve in the library are
examples of obstruction. (Case Academic Integrity
Board)"
Textbooks
Three textbooks are required for this class:
1) White, John Kenneth. 2003. The Values Divide.
New York: Chatham House.
This book makes the case that it is values (as opposed
to other considerations such as economy) that are most
important in understanding the course of American
political outcomes since the 1960s.
2) Fiorina, Morris P. 2005. Culture War? The Myth of
a Polarized America. New York: Pearson.
This book runs counter to some of the claims made in
White. Fiorina argues that the polarization of
Americans, particularly on culture war issues, is
largely over-hyped. We will compare and contrast White
and Fiorina, attempting to reconcile them.
3) Button, James W., Barbara A. Rienzo and Kenneth D.
Wald. 1997. Private Lives, Public Conflicts: Battles
over Gay Rights in American Communities. Washington:
CQ Press.
This text delineates the policymaking environment in
which gay rights issues play out in American politics.
We will use it to explore how culture war issues are
handled in the American policymaking process.
In addition, I will place other reading assignments on
reserve with the Kelvin Smith Library or I will
distribute them in class.
Course Outline
This outline is tentative, and both topics and reading
assignments may be adjusted through the semester
depending on student interest and speed of progress. I
will announce changes in class.
Monday, January 10 --- Course introduction
Wednesday, January 12 --- Voter behavior and the values
divide
Reading: White, Introduction
Friday, January 14 --- No class
Monday, January 17 --- No class (Martin Luther King, Jr.
Day)
Wednesday, January 19 --- The “inverted election”
Reading: White, Chapter 1
Friday, January 21 --- Campaigns and values (with Renee
Lipson)
Reading: TBA
Come with a paper topic to discuss
Monday, January 24 --- Mass opinion: is there a values
divide in the electorate?
Reading: White, Chapter 2
Wednesday, January 26 --- Mass opinion: what is the
values divide in the electorate?
Reading: Fiorina, Chapters 1-2
Friday, January 28 --- Discussion topic ______________________
Reading: TBA
Monday, January 31 --- Partisanship and the values
divide
Reading: Fiorina, Chapter 3
Wednesday, February 2 --- Mass opinion on abortion
Reading: Fiorina, Chapter 4
Friday, February 4 --- Drafting a research proposal
Monday, February 7 --- Mass opinion on gay rights
Reading: Fiorina, Chapter 5
Wednesday, February 9 --- The Republican Party and
values
Reading: White, Chapter 3
Friday, February 11 --- The Democratic Party and Values
Reading: White, Chapter 4
Proposals due today at 5:00 p.m.
Monday, February 14 --- Presidential campaigns
Reading: White, Chapter 5
Wednesday, February 16 --- “Four Party Politics”
Reading: White, Chapter 6
Friday, February 18 --- Discussion topic 2
___________________
Reading: TBA
Monday, February 21 --- Party cleavages
Reading: Fiorina, Chapters 6-7
Wednesday, February 23 --- Issue evolution
Reading: Adams 1997 “Abortion: Evidence of an Issue
Evolution”
Friday, February 25 --- Reform
Reading: Fiorina, Chapter 8
Monday, February 28 --- Values and September 11
Reading: White, Chapter 7
Wednesday, March 2 --- Mid-term Exam
Friday, March 4 --- Discussion topic 3
_______________________
March 5 – March 13 --- Spring Break
Monday, March 14 --- Characteristics of morality policy
Reading: Tatalovich and Daynes, 1988, Foreword and
Introduction
Wednesday, March 16 --- Characteristics of morality
policy
Reading: TBA
Friday, March 18 --- Overview of GLBT Issues
Reading: Ellis (in Tatalovich and Daynes 1988), Chapter
4 (Gay rights)
Monday, March 21 --- Origins of the GLBT social movement
Reading: TBA
Wednesday, March 23 --- Interest group mobilization
Reading: Walker (1991), Chapter 2
Friday, March 25 --- Interest group ecology and movement
conflict
Reading: Clendenin and Nagourney (1999), Chapter 16;
Walker (1991), Chapter 4
Monday, March 28 --- Presentations
_______________________
Wednesday, March 30 --- Presentations
____________________
Friday, April 1 --- Presentations
__________________________
Monday, April 4 --- Discussion topic 4
______________________
Reading: TBA
Wednesday, April 6 --- Structure of the GLBT movement
Reading: BRW, Chapter 2
Draft research paper due today at 5:00 p.m. today
Friday, April 8 --- No class
Monday, April 11 --- Organization of opposition to gay
rights
Reading: BRW, Chapter 6
Wednesday, April 13 --- Anti-discrimination laws
Reading: BRW, Chapter 3
Friday, April 15 --- Policy implementation
Reading: BRW, Chapter 4
Monday, April 18 --- Schools and GLBT youth
Reading: BRW, Chapter 5
Wednesday, April 20 --- Gay marriage
Reading: Pinello, Chapter 1
Friday, April 22 --- Gay marriage
Reading: Pinello, Chapter 2
Final paper due today at 5:00 p.m.
Monday, April 25 --- Course wrap-up
Reading: TBA
Thursday, April 28 --- Final exam, 8:30 – 11:30 a.m. |
