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The Introductory Urban Politics Course

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  26 September 2016

Henry J. Schmandt  and
George D. Wendel
Henry J. Schmandt
Affiliation:
Saint Louis University
George D. Wendel
Affiliation:
Saint Louis University
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Extract

This article discusses (1) the extent to which an introductory course in urban politics is currently offered by political science departments in American colleges and universities; and (2) the thrust or orientation of such a course as reflected in survey responses, syllabi, and textbooks. The discussion is based principally on the findings of a mail survey of the 485 political science departments listed in the 1987 Directory of Undergraduate Political Science Faculty and of the 246 departments listed in the 1986 Guide to Graduate Study in Political Science, both compilations published by the American Political Science Association. A total of 377 completed questionnaires were returned, for a response rate of 51 percent. Approximately one-fourth of the respondents also furnished copies of course outlines as requested.

The answer to the question of whether political science departments offer the introductory urban politics course recalls the old bromide of the “half full” or “half empty” water glass. Forty-nine percent of the respondents stated that they offer such a course while 51 % answered in the negative. A small minority questioned the importance of the offering, one respondent commenting, “An urban politics course is not of central importance to an undergraduate curriculum in the liberal arts.” Most non-offering departments, however, tended to be apologetic about the absence of the course from their curriculum, citing various reasons for its exclusion. The two factors most frequently mentioned are lack of resources (31 %) and the coverage of urban material in a state-local government offering (39%).

Type
For the Classroom
Information
The Political Science Teacher , Volume 3 , Issue 3 , Summer 1990 , pp. 5 - 7
Copyright
Copyright © American Political Science Association 1990

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References

Notes

Thanks are due to our colleagues Allan Tomey and Donald Sprengel for their helpful suggestions and to our graduate assistants, Mark Ashby, Mary Holden, Jennifer Jones, Ann Lynch, Kelly Montelone, David Saphian, and Saat Talib for their assistance in processing the data.

1. A third reason (cited by 16% of the non-offering departments) is lack of student interest.

2. The extent to which state laws mandate a state-local (or state government) course for public colleges and universities also contributes to the extent and frequency with which the course is offered.

3. There are signs that interest in the urban field may be on the ascendancy within the political science discipline. One such indication is the formation in 1986 of the urban politics and urban policy section of the American Political Science Association. In the short period of its existence the section has become the seventh largest in the national association. However, our survey provides no evidence that this interest (which is oriented principally to research) has as yet generated increased enrollment in the urban introductory course or encouraged its spread.

4. Total Weighted Score. A measure computed for each of the 171 returns from departments that answered the course coverage question. The score was weighted by assigning points: seven if respondent ranked the category highest in emphasis, six if second highest, and so on. The scores of the individual returns were then aggregated for each category.

Mean Weighted Score. The total weighted score for each category divided by number of respondents (171) who answered the coverage question.

Frequency of Citation. The frequency with which course coverage for the various categories was rated highest.

5. In the “Other” category, only power structure with 14 mentions and urban history with 15 received more than scattered attention.

6. The same pattern prevails with respect to the course titles. Prior to 1960 the favorite designation was “introduction to city (or municipal) government.” After 1960, “urban politics” became the common title (now used by 41% of the respondent departments that offer the introductory course).

7. Required books of a non-text or specialized nature are not included in the count.