CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY, SACRAMENTO

OVERVIEW

This seminar is intended to provide an analytical perspective on the administrative and policy processes in which you are engaging. It is hoped this will assist you both in understanding issues related to your placements (by linking theory with practice), and in putting the entire Fellowship year in context.

The course is divided sections. In the fall we will focus on the electoral context for state government as well as "skills that every Fellow should have." Spring topics will in part be determined by a survey of Fellows late in the fall; at a minimum, however, we will cover "life in the bureaucracy" and the ethics of government service. The last few meetings in the spring will be devoted to seminar paper presentations.

CONDUCT OF THE SEMINAR

The term "seminar" is accurate. While I will guide the conversation, summarize points and draw lessons, the bulk of class time will be devoted to general discussion of course topics. Case studies will be used to help focus attention on concrete situations that illustrate seminar topics. Each of you also will gain insights from your own work, and I expect that you will share them.

I have included specific discussion questions in the syllabus. These questions are intended to help guide your reading and preparation.

THE "OPEN FORUM"

Over the years we have learned that Fellows encounter issues, concerns, and interests that are not well encompassed by the syllabus established at the beginning of the year. To accommodate this tendency, approximately every four weeks the seminar will be reserved for the "open forum." I will not prepare any specific topics or readings for these days. Instead, I will assign small groups of Fellows to meet and plan an agenda. Appropriate class sessions might center on the following:

• Discussion of placement related issues/concerns (e.g., Fellows' relations with mentors and career employees)

• Presentations and/or debates on topical policy issues (e.g., water policy); outside speakers might be engaged for this purpose); and

• Field trips supplementing those conducted during the orientation period.

I will be glad to meet with the assigned Fellows to offer suggestions, recommend readings, etc. However, it will remain the Fellows' responsibility to identify appropriate background materials as well as plan and guide the open forum sessions.

CALENDAR

We will generally follow the CSUS academic calendar, except that we will meet in January, 2001 while the University is on semester break. The Christmas/New Year break is scheduled for the last two weeks of December, and . Additionally we will not meet during the University’s spring break as well as one or two weeks in early May, depending on the schedule for the Executive Fellowship selection committee.

READINGS

Many of the required readings for the fall will be contained in the following books, provided Fellows free of charge by the Center for California Studies.

2000 Executive Fellowship Journal;

Mark Baldassare, California in the New Millennium: The Changing Social and Political Landscape(Berkeley: University of California Press, 2000); and

Gerald C. Lubenow, ed., California Votes-- The 1998 Governor’s Race (Berkeley: Institute of Governmental Studies, 1999)

A course reader containing additional required readings also will be available from the Center. I have deliberately tried to emphasize high quality readings, while keeping the page requirements manageable. Accordingly, I expect that people will have completed the required readings by the seminar date.

ATTENDANCE

The seminar is a required part of the Executive Fellowship experience. Consistent attendance at seminar meetings is expected. Mentors are aware of this requirement, and have been instructed to ensure that Friday mornings are free for Fellows to attend the seminar.

Nevertheless, it is quite possible that on rare occasions Fellows will need to miss a seminar meeting because of unavoidable conflicts with other work needs (e.g., the need to be out of Sacramento to make a presentation on a topic directly related to one's placement). We expect this will happen no more than two times. Any Fellow who finds it necessary to miss a seminar meeting should clear it first with me. Missing more than two seminar meetings without prior clearance will result in a lowered class participation grade, a possible salary dock, and a possible administrative review of the Fellow's status.

ASSIGNMENTS AND GRADING

The main written assignment will be a seminar paper, due at the end of spring. The seminar paper should 1) evaluate how state public policy might best address a particular problem or implement a policy, and/or 2) analyze why decision makers chose a particular policy option or specific policy implementation strategy (and not some other option/strategy). Normally I would anticipate that seminar papers will relate to Fellows' placements. A seminar paper prospectus will be due in early January.

In addition, there will be three short individual written assignments, one in the fall and two in the spring. There also will be a fall group project.

This seminar will be graded, with the grading scale similar to that which is generally used in graduate public policy and administration programs (for such courses, grades below B- are usually considered failing).

Deadlines for assignments are specified in the syllabus, and are to be taken seriously. If someone is unable to meet the deadline for placement or other reasons, arrangements should be made with me prior to the due date. Non-excused late assignments will be penalized.

Final course grades will be determined in accordance with the following weighting scheme.

DETAILED SEMINAR DAY
INFORMATION

I. THE ELECTORAL CONTEXT

The aim of this section is to consider how electoral politics influence the actions of executive branch actors. Key issues include the way members of the general public tend to make decisions, the impact of political parties, the strategic choices available to candidates, and the messages that should (and should not) be read into election results.

October 6: What Does (and Doesn’t) Move Voters?

Readings

John R. Zaller, "Monica Lewinsky’s Contribution to Political Science," PS: Political Science and Politics 31 (1998), pp. 182-189

Susan B. Hansen, "Governors’ Job Performance and State Unemployment: The Case of California," State and Local Government Review 31 (1999), pp. 7-17

Helmut Norpoth, "Is Clinton Doomed? An Early Forecast for 1996," PS: Political Science and Politics 28 (1995), pp. 201-207

Discussion Questions

1. What does the Monica Lewinsky flap tell us about public opinion?
2. Facing complicated choices, how do voters’ simplify their decisions?
3. What do the readings suggest about the upcoming presidential election?

October 13: Partisanship and Voting Decisions

Readings

Baldassarre, California in the New Millennium, chapter 3

Larry M. Bartels, "Partisanship and Voting Behavior, 1952-1996," American Journal of Political Science, 44 (2000), pp. 35-50

Discussion Questions

1. Do parties still "matter?"
2. How significant is the upsurge in Californians who label themselves "independents?"

October 20: Case Study of the 1998 Governor’s Race in California

Readings

Lubenow, The 1998 Governor’s Race, chapters 1, 4, 5, 6 (skim remainder)

Discussion Questions

1. What were the key strategic choices made by Gray Davis and Dan Lungren?
2. To what extent did the Davis campaign fit the "temper of the times?" Might the result have been different if the election had been earlier?
3. How might someone John Zaller have explained the results of the 1998 gubernatorial election?

October 27

Open Forum

November 3

Individual Assignment Due: Memo Re 2002 Governor’s Race

Discussion

Come to class prepared to discuss your assignment

November 10: Election Post-Mortem

Guest Speakers

To be announced

Readings and Discussion

Come to the seminar having read election analysis in the Sacramento Bee, Los Angeles Times, and either the New York Times or Washington Post; be being prepared to discuss these interpretations

II. SKILLS EVERY FELLOW SHOULD HAVE

I assume that Fellows are very likely to be asked to write memos, draft longer reports, find data, work in groups, and make oral presentations. This section aims at enhancing your skills in these areas.

November 17: Library and Data Base Resources

Note: meet at the CSUS library

Reading

Ted Lascher, "The Moderately Skilled Layperson's Guide to Using the CSU System's Social Science Databases," typescript, 1998

Discussion Questions

1. How can you find academic literature and other literature relevant to a particular policy topic?
2. What kind of social science data sets are widely available to people within the academic community? How would you find and obtain a relevant social science data set?

December 1 (no seminar November 24; Thanksgiving break): Memo Writing and Longer Writing

In Class Exercise

Critique/revision of a memo

Reading

Executive Fellowship Journal chapter by Pieternel Barèl

Discussion Questions

1. Why are so many memos so awful? How can memo-writing be improved?
2. How does Barèl organize her argument? What kind of evidence does she use? How convincing is her conclusion?

December 8

Open Forum

December 15: Group Work/Making Presentations

Group Assignment and Presentation Due

Discussion

Come to class prepared to discuss your assignment.

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