Schedule, Assignments and Announcements
Political Sociology, Fall 2000
For general information on the course, consult the syllabus.

  Grades Here

This page will be updated regularly, so be sure to reload each time you check it.  If you have a question for Dr. Goertzel, send it here.  Readings from "Generations" are from the book Generations:  The History of America's Future by Strauss and Howe.

Tuesdays	Thursdays
Sep 5 - Intro to the Course.  Discussion of the 2000 elections.  Reading: Campaign 2000 Readings.	Sep 7 -  Social Classes, Pressure Groups, and Policies.  Reading:  Chapter 2 of Political Society.  Gore Offers Vision of Better Times for the Middle Class.
Sep 12 - Continued discussion of theories in political sociology.  Sample Pressure Group Web Sites. Civic Groups in Venezuela.  Review of Bowling Alone. Gore Gains with Female Voters.  To Help Bush, NRA withholds backing.	Sep 14   Optional computer lab class;  look for me in the Computer Center, BSB 108/109 if you need help.  Assignment One due by 5 p.m. friday,
Sep 19   Social Movements, Generations and the Circulation of Elites.  Reading:  "Generational Cycles in Mass Consciousness." A Streaming Video Summary of this article is available (requires Real Player).  Reading:  Latest NY Times Poll on the Election Campaign.  Marital Status is Shaping Women's Leanings, Survey Shows.	Sep 21    Reading: Generations, chapters 1 to 3(read for concepts and generalizations, not details)   Reading:  A Political Wallflower has a Full Dance Card.   Review Questions on Strauss and Howe.
Sep 26 Reading: Generations, chapters 4 and 5.  Review for first exam. Targeting the Working Class. Gore Takes on Big Business. Gore the Populist? Review Guide for first exam.	Sep 28  First Midterm Examination.  Assignment Two, due by 8 a.m. tuesday, Oct 3.  Midterm Grades Here.
For the next few weeks, on Tuesdays we will be discussing specific elections in American history.  In addition to the relevant material from Generations, you should read the materials posted on WEBCT by students in the class on this election and the selections on the relevant elections in the Encyclopedia of American Parties, Campaigns and Elections.  The  selections can be downloaded and printed from the online reserve at the library. Another good source is:	For the next few weeks, on Thursdays we will be discussing issues in the 2000 election campaigns.  In preparation for each discussion, please read the materials posted on WEBCT by students in the class for the date in question.  You will find these under "presentations." The Gallup/MSNBC/Zogby tracking poll..  This one tends to be more favorable to Gore than the CNN poll, due to the way it is weighted to predict who will actually vote.  It will begin daily tracking polls of key states Oct 30.
Oct 3 Assignment Three, due by 5 p.m. wednesday. Reading: Generations on the Progressive and Missionary Generations.  Discussion of the elections of 1896 to 1928.  Reporters:  Chelsea Aiken on William McKinley, Sabrina Daniels on William Jennings Bryan, Jeanette Block on Theodore Roosevelt, Scott Cairns on Alton Parker, Andrea Carr on Eugene V. Debs, Rocco Catalono on William Howard Taft, Kimberly Doyle on Warren Harding, Maegan Dufner on Coolidge,  Donna Fitzgerald on LaFollette, (nobody for Woodrow Wilson?)   First Presidential Debate Tonight at 9 p.m.  A commentary on political rhetoric, then and now.  Nicholas Lehman argues that Bush's campaign is modeled on McKinley's (Search for McKinley in this manuscript).  Gore's image in the debates.  Bush's plans for the debates. Camille Paglia's diatribe against Bush and Gore.	Oct 5  Discussion of Abortion (Chelsea Aiken and Daniel Kulisek) , Child Care (Andrea Carr and Brianne Nieves), Education (Jessica Cohen), Gun Control (Kimberly Doyle and Christopher Staszewski) , Environment (Nikki Coleman and Jamie Potter), Vice Presidential Debate Tonight at 9 p.m. CNN Gore/Bush Issue Comparison Page.  "In the Spotlight, the Debaters Stick to What they Do Best."  "Nader Excluded from Debate Audience Despite Having a Ticket"
Oct 10 Reading: Generations on the Lost Generation and selections from the Encyclopedia (see Oct 3).  Discussion of the Elections of 1932 to 1944  Reporters:  Brad Isaacson on FDR,Daniel Kulisek on Alfred Landon, Amanda Wolfe on Wendell Willkie, Timothy McElroy on Thomas Dewey. A Comment on the VEEP Debate.	Oct 12 Discussion of Health Care (nobody; see Basic Differendces in rival proposals on drug coverage), Welfare (Traci Kelly, Chris Yetman) , Social Security (nobody) , Budget Surplus (Jeanette Block and Timothy McElroy),  What if there's no cure for health care's ills?
Oct 17  Reading: Generationson the G.I. Generation and selections from the Encyclopedia (see Oct 3).  Discussion of the elections of 1948 to 1956.  Reporting:  Tania Miranda on Harry Truman, Brianne Nieves on IKE, (nobody for Adlai Stevenson)? Final Presidential Debate Tonight - Questions from the audience this time.	Oct 19 Discussion of Taxes (Adam Gipe and Erich Grace) , Labor (nobody?) , Immigration, (Maeghan Dufner and Amanda Wolfe) Monetary Policy (not covered), Farm Policy (Sabrina Daniels),  Affirmative Action (Jonathan Marks)  Roots of Prosperity Reach Past Clinton Years.
Oct 24    Readings:  Generations on the Silent Generation and selections from the Encyclopedia.  Discussion of the elections of 1960 to 1972.  Jamie Potter for Nixon, (nobody for JFK). Ivette Rodriguez on Barry Goldwater, Christopher Staszewski on HHH, Jonathan Marks on George McGovern. The Empty Center of Campaign 2000.  Single Issue Groups Double Efforts.  I'm Undecided and I'm Not Stupid.	Oct 26   Discussion of Defense (Rocco Catalano), Foreign Policy Ivette Rodriguez) , Trade (Brad Isaacson and Robert Richards),  Campaign Finance Reform (Scott Cairns and Tania Miranda).  The Candidate Match-O-Matic Quiz.  Democrats trying to steal Nader's thunder.   An anti-Nader editorial and a pro-Nader op-ed.  Today we will see a video on third party candidacies.
Registration Starts October 30.  The Sociology Department Registration Newsletter is now Online.
Oct 31 - Reading:  Generations on the Boomers and selections from the Encyclopedia.  Discussion of the elections of 1976 to 1984 .  Reporting:  Tamike Love on Gerald Ford, Jessica Cohen on Ronald Reagan,   Why People Support Third Parties.   Why the polls disagree. Reuters/MSNBC/Zogby tracking Poll Gallup Election 2000 Poll Results	Nov 2 - Reading:  Generations on the 13ers and Millennials  and selections from the Encyclopedia (see Oct 3).  Discussion on Quorum.org including "The Most Disconnected Group of Potential Voters in History."   Discussion of the elections of 1988 to 1996. Youth Voting Strategies the 2000. Slate on Gore's Final Offensive.  Gore accuses Bush of Waging Class Warfare.  Bush returns fire over Social Security.  Nader Sees a Bright Side to a Bush Victory.  Nader:  Unsafe at Any Speed? Sam Donaldson Interviews Nader. Protests against the "Phony Election." Second protest site.
Nov 7 - Election Day. Review for Midterm .  The historical material is on the NY Times historical page and in the Encyclopedia of American Parties, Campaigns and Elections, as well as your contributions to WEBCT.  The  selections can be downloaded and printed from the online reserve at the library.  If you still don't have this, you can download it in the library for ten cents a page if the computers in the computer center don't work for you (they say they have upgraded them).  Or just read it on screen.  For the issues, the Times published up-to-date summaries in the key areas on Sunday, but they seem to have taken down the links.  I will distribute photocopies in class today and on thursday.  There is other information on their  2000 Election Page including A Race In Which Candidates Clung to the Center.   The article  George W.'s America gives an interesting overview of this campaign as compared to the past, particularly the Coolidge and Harding presidencies.	Nov 9 -  We will discuss the  Election Results and the likely future of American Politics. Voters remain divided until the very end. A closer look at the voters. State by State Results.  Exit Poll Breakdown. Why Gore (Probably) Lost.  Victory May Prove Hollow. As for the Winner, what has he won?   Andrew Sullivan:  The Democrats are Finished.  John Judis:  The Democrats are Just Gettimg Started.
Nov 14 Second Midterm Examination.  Review Guide.   Grade Roster Here.   After the midterm, we will focus on other countries.  Each of you will be asked to post a brief summery of the socio-political conjuncture in a particular country.  Countries are available on a first-come first-serve basis from the list of Economist Country Surveys, which also provide the information you need.	Nov 16 -  Poverty and Development in Developing Nations. (because of copyright restructions, this is posted under READINGS on our WEBCT site). Thinkers on the Left Respect in Europe but not here.  Assignment Four due by 9:30 on November 28.
Nov 21  Who's trying to steal the US Election? Peruvian Crisis. Simulation of voting on a Brazilian Voting Machine:  Click on Simulacao de Votacao. On Brazil (map)(Impulso Cover):   Brazil:  Country Survey. "Pragmatism vs. Nationalism in Fernando Henrique Cardoso's Brazil," and  "The Flight of the Beetle:  Party Politics and the Decisionmaking Process in the Cardoso Government"	Danceoff- a solution to the election deadlock Thursday, Nov 23 - Thanksgiving Holiday
Nov 28 - Europe & North America:  Scott Cairns/Ireland, Rocco Catalano/Italy, Jessica Cohen/Germany, Maegan Duffner/Britain, Traci Kelly/France, Timothy McElroy    Ireland, Chris Yetman/Canada. Canadians vote Monday, .Canadian Liberals Win Straight Majority.	Nov 30  Third World:  Brianne Nieves/Mexico, Jamie Potter/Venezuela, Ivette Rodriguez/Argentina, Nikki Coleman/Nigeria,  Tamika Love/Jamaica, Amanda Wolfe/Taiwan, Jeanette Block/Korea, Daniel Kulisek/India & Pakistan.  Another Bump in a Rocky Road for Columbia and Venezuela. US Election:  Public Split.  Voting Procedures in other countries.  Castro going to Mexico City for the Inauguration on Thursday.
Pityaranta offers a grim slice of Russian life.  At 9 a.m., two residents start early on the day's drinking.	For quick information on countries try....... The Infoplease Countries of the World Page.
Dec 5 - Middle East & Central Asia:  Brad Isaacson/Israel, Andrea Carr/Egypt, Chelsea Aiken/Turkey, Sabrina Daniels/Japan -- Reading on Tanzania. Fox inauguration.  Challenges for Mexico.  Fox and the Zapatistas.  Mozambique Govt Site.   Mozambique Problems.  African Success Story.  Zimbabwe Success Story.  Ghana. South African Economy.  Africa's Democratic Joys and Tribulations.  Venezuelan Voters Approve Removal of Labor Leaders.	Dec 7   Daniel Kulisak/Balkans;  Tania Miranda/China, European Union/Robert Richards,, Tamika Love & Kimberly Doyle /Indonesia.
Dec 12 - last day of class - Adam Gipe/Australia, Christopher Staszewski/Nordic Countries and anyone else who missed their date.  Liberia.   My Trip to Moscow.    Decline of health in Russia.  Review for third exam.	Friday, Dec 15, 2 p.m. - 5 p.m.  Third Exam.   Grades Here.

We will be using the WEBCT system for assignments, presentations and bulletin board postings this semester.  Instructions for signing up are available.   Unless otherwise instructed, all assignments must be submitted to the WEBCT Assignment Dropbox by the hour and day specified at the latest. WEBCT will not accept late assignments, nor will it allow you to revise an assignment once it is submitted.  Late assignments may be emailed to the instructor for half credit up to one week after the date due. Once you have signed up, you can access WEBCT here.