Syllabus

Civic Participation and Community Leadership

PPS 49, Spring 2004
Tuesdays, Thursdays, 2:15-3:30 p.m.
150 Sanford Institute Building
Duke University

Alma G. Blount, Instructor
blount@pps.duke.edu
613-7323
Room 110 Sanford Institute
Office hours by appointment

Blackboard web site:
https://courses.duke.edu

This seminar addresses a series of questions about defining and revitalizing democracy at the grassroots. September 11 and the war in Iraq have forced many people in the United States to examine their ideas about patriotism, government, and community. Our political landscape is complex, the U.S. role in the world is often controversial, and it is not at all clear how ordinary citizens can find their voices and influence public policy.

We will begin the semester by investigating current events at the national and international levels as we pose the question, "What does it mean to be an informed and engaged citizen right now?"

1. How do we find our bearings in the swirl of dangerous international issues facing us these days? What resources and skills can help us make sense of things? Where should we anchor ourselves in order to develop a reasoned perspective about the U.S. role in the world?

2. What are the key issues facing us in the 2004 presidential election? What do we make of these policy questions, and do our opinions matter? As citizens, how do we muster the power to make sure our interests and concerns are addressed?

3. How do ordinary citizens develop the confidence and power to tackle common problems in local communities? What are the basic political skills citizens need to learn in order to accomplish their agendas? Is it possible to build successful, broad-based coalitions that link the public, private and nonprofit sectors in supporting community initiatives?

4. What kind of leadership can help us develop a shared vision for public life? Is it possible for institutions and citizens to collaborate effectively across the fault lines of race, class, and religious differences? How can groups with divergent self-interests, unequal power, and diverse political allegiances find common purpose in creating safe and healthy communities?

Students will have an opportunity to develop group discussion skills and to practice the civic arts as we engage with the material of the course. We will use the class as a laboratory for exploring our individual and collective civic values. Through class debates and presentations, we will also develop our leadership abilities for public discourse, argumentation and decision-making.

What does it mean to be an informed and engaged citizen?

Introduction and overview of the course
Week 1 - Thursday, January 8
(Reading instructions for week 2 will be distributed in class.)

Part 1: Trying to come to terms with our role in the world
Week 2 - January 13, 15
Week 3 - January 20, 22
Week 4 - January 27, 29
Week 5 - February 3, 5

· Michael Hirsh. At War With Ourselves: Why America is Squandering Its Chance to Build a Better World. New York: Oxford University Press, 2003.

Articles:
· David Rieff. “Who Botched the Occupation? New York Times Magazine, November 2, 2003.
· Michael Ignatieff. “The Burden: With a Military of Unrivaled Might, the United States Rules a New Kind of Empire. Will This cost America Its Soul—or Save It?” New York Times Magazine, January 5, 2003.
· James Joseph. “The Lure of Empire: The United States in the World.” Unpublished article, 2002.

Selected excerpts and chapters:
· Todd S. Purdum. A Time of Our Choosing: America’s War in Iraq. New York: Times Books/Henry Holt and Company, 2003.
· Bernard Lewis. The Crisis of Islam: Holy War and Unholy Terror. New York: The Modern Library, 2003.
· Joseph S. Nye, Jr. The Paradox of American Power: Why the World’s Only Superpower Can’t Go It Alone. New York: Oxford University Press, 2002.
· Royce Flippen, Editor. The Best American Political Writing, 2003. New York: Thunder’s Mouth Press, 2003.
· George Packer, editor. The Fight is For Democracy. New York: Perennial, 2003.
· Benjamin R. Barber. “The Myth of Independence.” From Fear’s Empire: War, Terrorism, and Democracy. New York: W.W. Norton and Company, 2003.
· Iain McClean and Alistair McMillan. The Oxford Concise Dictionary of Politics. Oxford, G.B.: Oxford University Press, 2003.
· M.L. Ross. What Every American Should Know About the Rest of the World. New York: Plume, 2003.

Part 2: Following national politics and debating policy priorities
Week 6 - February 10, 12
Week 7 - February 17, 19
Week 8 - February 24, 26
Week 9 - March 2, 4

Political literacy 101
Choosing the President 2004: A Citizen’s Guide to the Electoral Process. League of Women Voters. Guilford, Connecticutt: The Lyons Press, 2003.

Selected chapters:
· Stephen F. Rohde. American Words of Freedom, by Webster’s New World. New York: Hungry Minds Press, 2001.
· American Government: Cliff Quick Review. New York: Hungry Minds Press, 2001.
· Gina Misiruglu. The Handy Politics Answer Book. Detroit: Visible Ink Press, 2003.
· Bruce Miroff. Icons of Democracy: American Leaders as Heroes, Aristocrats, Dissenters and Democrats. University Press of Kansas, 2000.

The 2004 Presidential Campaign
· New York Times, Washington Post, selected political journals, including: Foreign Affairs, Washington Monthly, Foreign Policy, The American Enterprise, The New Republic, The American Prospect, Brookings Review, Mother Jones, First Things.
· Selected web resources

Articles:
· Richard Brookhiser. “The Mind of George W. Bush.” Atlantic Monthly, April 2003.
· Samantha M. Shapiro. “The Dean Swarm.” New York Times Magazine. December 7, 2003.

Political engagement 101: are the millennials ready to rock the boat?
· “Youth Civic Engagement: Basic Facts and Trends.” (Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement/CIRCLE) January 2002.
· “How Young People Express Their Political Views.” (CIRCLE) July 2003.
· “Getting out the Youth Vote in Local Elections: Results from Six Door-to-Door Canvassing Experiments.” (Gree, Gerber and Nickerson, CIRCLE) May 2002.
· Suzanne Fields, “Students on Campus Weigh In: How Young Conservatives Got Their Groove.” Washington Times, June 2, 2003.
· Eric Czarnik, “We’re Here, We’re Conservative, Get Over It.” Wayne State University Newspaper, June 3, 2003.
· Jonah Goldber, “Liberals Need to Get Hip to Young Conservatives.” Orlando Sentinel, June 7, 2003.
· “Right Young Things.” The Economist, July 26, 2003.
· Hal Crowther. “These Kids are all Right.” The Independent, Oct. 15, 2003.
· “Citizens or Cynics? Young Voters Cannot Be Engaged with Faux Sincerity.” Pittsburgh Post Gazettte, Nov. 19, 2003.
· John Della Volpe, Institute of Politics Survey—“Campus Kids: The New Swing Voter.” May 21, 2003.
· Press Release: “New IOP Poll Finds American College Students Politically Conflicted, but Leaning In Favor of President Bush.” Institute of Politics, Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University. Oct. 2003.
· John Della Volpe. IOP Spring Survey: “U.S. College Students: Politically Untapped.” May 21, 2003.

Thursday, March 4: Mid-term essay due by 5:00 p.m.
March 8-12--No class, Spring Break

Part 3: Building power and taking action in local communities
Week 10 - March 16, 18
Week 11 - March 23, 25
Week 12 - March 30, April 1
Week 13 - April 6, 8

Case studies/small group teaching modules:

Media politics: Rx for a democratic press
· Herbert J. Gans. Democracy and the News. New York: Oxford University Press, 2003.

Power politics: strategies for building broad-based citizens’ networks
· Edward T. Chambers. Roots for Radicals: Organizing for Power, Action and Justice. New York: Continuum, 2003.

Electoral politics: how to run for local office
· Judge Lawrence Grey. How to Win A Local Election: A Complete Step-by-Step Guide. New York: M. Evans and Company, 1999.

Policy politics: What is the new inequality, and why should we be concerned?
· Paul Krugman. “The End of Middle Class America (and the Triumph of the Plutocrats).” New York Times Magazine, October 20, 2002.
· Robert B Reich. “Broken Faith: Why We Need to Renew the Social Compact.” The Nation, February 16, 1998.
· Jeff Madrick. “Inequality and Democracy.” From The Fight is For Democracy, George Packer, editor. New York: Perennial, 2003.
· Richard B. Freeman. “Solving the New Inequality.” The New Inequality: Creating Solutions for Poor America. Boston: Beacon Press, 1999, pp. 3-30.
· Ernesto Cortes, Jr. “What About Organizing?” The New Inequality. Pp. 66-72.
· William Greider. “Public Works.” From The Soul of Capitalism: Opening Paths to a Moral Economy. New York: Simon and Schuster, 2003.
· Ted Halstead and Michael Lind. “New Economy, New Social Contract,” from The Radical Center. New York: Anchor Books, 2001.

Part 4: Exercising leadership for public life
Week 14 - April 13, 15

Leadership as adaptive learning in communities
· Ronald A. Heifetz and Donald L. Laurie. “The Work of Leadership.” Harvard Business Review, December 2001, pp. 131-140.
· Ronald A. Heifetz and Marty Linsky. Leadership on the Line: Staying Alive Through the Dangers of Leading. Boston: Harvard Business School Press, 2002. (Selected chapters.)
· Ronald A. Heifetz and Riley M. Sinder. “Political Leadership: Managing the Public’s Problem Solving.” The Power of Public Ideas, Robert Reich, ed. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press, 1988, pp. 179-203.
· Ronald A. Heifetz, “The Personal Challenge.” Leadership Without Easy Answers. Cambridge, Massachusetts: The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 1994, pp. 250-276.
· William Greider. “Conclusion: The American Moment.” Who Will Tell the People, pp. 405-415.
· Alinsky, Saul. “Reveille for Radicals.” Reveille for Radicals. New York: Vintage Books, 1946, 1969, pp. 190-204.

Wrap up discussions; review and preparation for final paper
Week 15 - April 20

Course Requirements

· Attend all classes. Be on time.
· Read the lead editorial and one op-ed column in the New York Times every day for the entire semester.
· Complete the assigned readings each week before class.
· Weekly assignments will include essays, group discussions on our Blackboard web site, and a few quizzes. (Total of 12 weekly assignments) Guidelines will be announced in class and posted on our course web site. Please submit your assignments via the web site no later than 9:00 pm on the Monday due dates.
· Find your voice. This is a leadership class. Be creative, challenging, and fully present in our class discussions.
· Write a mid-term essay, due Thursday, March 4.
· Participate fully in your small group teaching module. Each group will teach the entire class about a case study topic in the third part of the course.
· Produce a final paper (due during exam week) that integrates ideas about citizen leadership developed over the course of the semester.

Grading Policy
Class participation: 20%
Weekly assignments: 30%
Mid-term Essay: 15%
Small group teaching module: 20%
Final paper: 15%

Required Books

1. At War With Ourselves. Michael Hirsh. New York: Oxford University Press, 2003.
2. Democracy and the News. Herbert J. Gans. New York: Oxford University Press, 2003.
3. Roots for Radicals. Edward T. Chambers. New York: Continuum, 2003.
4. How to Win a Local Election. Judge Lawrence Grey. New York: M. Evans and Company, Inc. 1999.
5. Choosing the President 2004. League of Women Voters. Guilford, Conn.: The Lyons Press, 2003.

Please note: The required books can be purchased in the textbook department of the Regulator Book Shop on Ninth Street.

Other Required Readings
All other readings will be distributed in class the week prior to the reading assignment, or will be available on electronic reserves through Perkins Library.

Please subscribe to the New York Times (daily and Sunday) for the entire semester, beginning the first week of class.