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INT 303
The New American City

Dr. Knippenberg

Phone: 364-8341

Email: jknippenberg@facstaff.oglethorpe.edu

The purpose of this course is to examine the problems and prospects of politics and policy-making in the new American city and its environs. We will consider the political significance of a number of the factors that characterize this new development, among them the extremes of wealth and poverty, the mix of racial and ethnic groups, and opportunities and challenges provided by progress in transportation and technology.

In the past, the connection between geography and citizenship was relatively clear. If one was "from" Boston, New York, or Paris, one lived within the bounds of that city and accepted the rights and responsibilities associated with citizenship. Now we typically say that we're "from" Atlanta, Houston, or Los Angeles, but mean that we live in a suburb. Our wealth and mobility have given us the means to take advantage of the economic, cultural, and educational opportunities that the city offers without necessarily having to take responsibility for the maintenance of the structures that support these opportunities. We are able to divorce rights and responsibilities in ways that our ancestors could not.

In this course, we will confront this situation by examining in detail some of the policy issues that major metropolitan areas face. These could include housing, economic development, transportation, education, and the environment, among others. In so doing, we will consider not only how these questions are addressed politically, but also the substantive alternatives from which policy-makers and citizens may choose.

It would be folly to undertake such a study without taking advantage of the resources available to us outside the campus gates. "Atlanta" is the quintessential "new American city" marked by urban and suburban sprawl, de facto racial "segregation," uneven economic development, and divided and competing political jurisdictions. Consequently, we may visit sites and will invite policy-makers and civic leaders to share their experience and expertise with us.

In the end, students should be better able to take the lay of the land in virtually any metropolitan area in which they settle. They should understand something of the difficulties it faces and of the choices leaders and citizens must make as they deal with them. In short, they should have taken the first step toward responsible citizenship and perhaps leadership in their communities.

TEXTS:

Required:

Alan Ehrenhalt, The Lost City
Joel Garreau, Edge City: Life on the New Frontier
James Howard Kunstler, Home from Nowhere
Ray Suarez, The Old Neighborhood
Steven Goldsmith, The 21st Century City
Grogan and Proscio, Comeback Cities

Please purchase one of the following books:

Frederick Allen, Atlanta Rising
Gary Pomerantz, Where Peachtree Meets Sweet Auburn

ASSIGNMENTS AND GRADING:

Presentations…….........................................15%
Due:
November 26 - December 7
Research paper proposal and annotated bibliography….15%
Due:
Monday, October 1
Research paper draft…………………………………………………5%
Due:
Monday,October 29
Research paper (15-20pp.)..................................25%
Due:
Friday, December 7
Class participation............................................15%
Final examination..............................................25%
Due:
Friday, December 14

ACADEMIC POLICIES AND REGULATIONS:

In accordance with Oglethorpe's Honor Code, all the work you hand in must be pledged: "I have neither given nor received any unauthorized aid in completing this assignment." For the purposes of this course, "unauthorized aid" consists in plagiarism, which (as "The 'O' Boo" states) "includes representing someone else's words, ideas,...or original research as one's own and, in general, failing to footnote or otherwise acknowledge the source of such work." If in completing an assignment you consult secondary sources, be sure to cite them properly. Unless we announce otherwise, you may discuss any assignment with your colleagues, but the work you submit must be your own. You may find the complete text of the Honor Code in "The 'O' Book."

Attendance is mandatory. I reserve the right to give the grade "FA" to students who regularly miss class.

I penalize late papers two points per weekday, up to a total of ten points, after which I will not accept them. We will not reschedule exams without a medical excuse. I will, however, be pleased to help you manage your academic schedules by granting extensions on papers if you request them one week in advance.

If for some reason you have to take an "Incomplete" in this course, you must arrange it with me before the end of the term. We must agree to a contract containing a schedule for the completion of the course requirements. You must then take the initiative in completing the work.

You may find the grading scale, as well as the policy governing the S/U (satisfactory/unsatisfactory) option, on pp. 67-68 of the 1998-2000 Oglethorpe University Bulletin.

TENTATIVE SCHEDULE OF READING ASSIGNMENTS:

8/29 Introduction

9/5 - 12 Remembrance of Communities Past
Read: Ehrenhalt, all

9/14- 21 The Exploding Present: The Half-Full Glass
Read: Garreau, all

9/24 - 10/1 The Exploding Present: The Half-Empty Glass
Read; Suarez, all

10/3 - 17 The Future: Will It Be Any Better?
Read: Kunstler, all

10/19 - 26 Fixing What Ails Us: Government
Read: Goldsmith, all

10/29 - 11/5 Fixing What Ails Us: Neighborhoods
Read: Grogan and Proscio, all

11/7 - 19 Atlanta as Paradigm
Read: Allen or Pomerantz, all

11/26 - 12/7 Presentations

12/10 Review and Conclusions