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UNC-Chapel Hill PLSC 497B - PLSC 497 Syllabus

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The Pennsylvania State University Departments of Political Science and Sociology PLSC 497 Protest, Social Movements, and Public Policy: A Research Seminar Professors Frank Baumgartner and John McCarthy Spring 2009 M, 3:35-6:35pm, 268 Willard Frank R. Baumgartner John D. McCarthy 227 Pond Building 912 Oswald Tower phone: 863 8978 phone: 863 8260 email: [email protected] email: [email protected] Office hours: M, 1:30-3:30 and appt Office hours: by appt. This course is designed for students interested in exploring methods of research in the social sciences. We will explore particular aspects of how social movements emerge, why some issues become the objects of concern and action in public policy, and how public policies change over time in response to social forces of many kinds. Mostly, the focus will be on teaching you how to do hands-on, original research projects. In this sense the methods that you learn about how to do research will be just as important as the substance of what you learn about any particular areas of public policy. In fact, we will put more emphasis on teaching research skills. Given the hands-on focus of the class, participation and intellectual engagement are fundamental. While the assigned readings are not particularly onerous, we have high expectations about the time and effort each student will spend on their research projects. Compared to other courses, this will be relatively time consuming and we will expect your final projects to be highly professional. Of course, we’ll also teach you how to reach those standards, but be prepared for work. Also, class attendance is fundamental, as you’ll see in the grading structure below. Consider the following public policy issues / social movements: Climate change Nuclear power Women’s rights Drunk driving Smoking Gambling Pornography / censorship Mandatory sentencing / 3 strikes laws Racial profiling Health care / insurance availability Agricultural subsidies Free trade / globalization Minimum wage Labor rights Social Security Contraception / family planning Underaged drinking / binge drinking Illegal / illicit drug use Gun control Start thinking right away about what of those issues interest you particularly. Early in the semester, you’ll decide if you want to participate in a group project or work only on your own.Baumgartner and McCarthy Spring 09 Syllabus 2Groups will consist of 4 or 5 students each, and each group will do coordinated research into one of these issues. Don’t worry, this is not a standard group project. Rather, each of you will work on a separate part of the project, but you will coordinate your efforts. Over the semester you will each do original research into the history and development of social movements, organizations, media coverage, or public policy toward the issue you have chosen. Together with others working on the same issue, you will make presentations in class. In addition, each of you will write a separate and independent term paper focusing on your part of the group project (say, just the media coverage part, for example) and comparing it to another public policy issue. Thus, you’ll actually end up doing focused research on two different issues, not just one. You’ll also have other detailed assignments requiring you to get familiar with various resources for research on any public policy. If you choose not to do the group project, that’s fine but you’ll have to present your research on your own, and you’ll need to focus more in depth on many aspects of one single policy. In any case you’ll need to pick a topic immediately for your semester’s study, and we will only allow you to work on a topic where we’re confident you’ll be able to find appropriate data covering a long range in time so that you can trace the policy over time. This eliminates some topics that may interest you, but it’s important that everyone follow a similar strategy, and there are plenty of interesting topics that can be studied over time, so we’ll insist that you find one. Readings will focus on articles from the recent professional literature on the growth of interest groups and SMOs as well as on theories and indicators of policy change over time. In addition, we’ll read about research methods. We’ll also do overviews of a number of data resources including the Policy Agendas Project (www.policyagendas.org), the historical record of the New York Times available on line, Associations Unlimited, Lexis-Nexis electronic bibliographic resources, and other data resources. Often, we’ll have assignments related to those projects. Since each student will be researching a different topic, but using similar methodologies during the term, there is a premium upon students helping one another. Class discussions will provide a time to explain your own research projects as well as to get feedback from others. By the same token, helping other students in their research projects, through constructive criticisms and suggestions is an integral part of the class. Accordingly, when one student makes a presentation to the class, the other students should be ready to give feedback and help. This is not a class in which to sit quietly. Assignments will be as follows: 20% Class participation 25% Small assignments / homework based on the different data sources 20% Your contribution to a group-based or individual presentation about a given issue 35% Term Paper comparing the issue from your group project to another of your choice 100% total A note on attendance. Because the class only meets once a week, therefore just 15 times throughout the semester, skipping class without a compelling reason is just not allowed. To enforce this concept, and encourage not only attendance but also engaged participation (impossible if you are not in class), we will deduct ONE FULL GRADE if you miss class twiceBaumgartner and McCarthy Spring 09 Syllabus 3during the semester (not counting university allowed absences, or serious illness). Miss class more than 4 times, grade will be no higher than a D. We realize this is draconian. There are no required textbooks for purchase. The course web site, available through Baumgartner’s home page (http://www.personal.psu.edu/frb1/teachingmaterials.htm) will contain links to all the relevant articles, web sites, and data sources. Any papers not available on the web site will be distributed in class. The following


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UNC-Chapel Hill PLSC 497B - PLSC 497 Syllabus

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