PMGT 201.11 (CRN 83797) Fundamentals of Political Management Mondays 7:10-9 p.m. Phillips Hall 110

Dr. Chuck Cushman Phone: (202) 994-6000 email: cushmanc@gwu.edu Office Hours: By Appointment

Course Learning Objectives:

This course is a historical, structural, and strategic introduction to the field of political management, and to the many potential roles you can play as a political manager. The course has three learning objectives; by the end of the course, students will:

• Understand the historical development of the field of political management and its connections to American politics since 1933. We will review political developments in the postwar period (1945-present), and relate them to the development of political management as a field and profession. What we think of today as the profession of practical politics barely existed before World War Two; postwar history is the context for the development of the field.

• Recognize the complexity of the public policy system in the United States and explore their roles in the system as political managers. We will explore the system of public policymaking in the United States and begin to see how political managers take part in that system. What is public policy, and what is the role of politics (party and positional) in setting the government’s policy agenda? Fact is, all policy choices are POLITICAL decisions: What does that mean for the political manager, and how can each of us affect policy outcomes?

• Understand the role of strategic thinking in politics and develop their own individual political and career strategies. We will begin the study of political strategy as a way to bring political context, policy goals, and your own career goals together.

The overall aim of the course is to provide you with the basic knowledge and theory needed to understand the major trends in recent politics (the advent of mass media, especially radio and television; the impact of Vietnam and Watergate; the civil rights movement; the rise of the modern conservative movement; the rise of political consultants; the growth of issue organizations; grassroots lobbying; impact of campaign finance reform; the impact of new technology on political management and on public policy) and to understand the development and roles of political management in our political system. This course should help you to develop the keen sense of history and understanding of politics you must have to be effective.

Course Description:

The course addresses each of these aims in a separate section. Part One reviews postwar US political history, and shows how political management grew as a profession in response to a changing political system. Part Two offers three perspectives on how institutions – not only

organizations, but also their rules and procedures – influence policy outcomes. In this section, we will begin to see how political managers can help to shape the issues we talk about in politics and the decisions we come to on each of those issues; we will also see how rules shape outcomes, and what that means for the political manager. Part Three introduces the idea of political strategy: how do political managers decide what to do, what issues to pursue, what candidates to support? How do we see beyond the next vote in Congress, or the next election, to a career-long view of political engagement? We will close with a review of the lessons learned in the course and a reflection on the interplay between politics, power, and policy.

Course Delivery:

We will execute this course in hybrid fashion – that is, part of the course will be traditional lectures/seminars in Monroe 250, and part of it will be held online through the Blackboard course system (we will discuss this system in our first class). When we meet for class at the start and finish of each of the three sections of the course, we will discuss the reading for that lesson, review the previous online lessons, and prepare for the succeeding online discussion. In the weeks where you will doing the readings and discussions online through the Blackboard site, we will conduct a live chat instead of coming to class (using Blackboard) from 7:15-8:15 PM; you will also have discussion boards open for each of the online lessons. The intent of this is to free up some time for more reading and reflecting, and to introduce you to the online world, which is becoming a major factor in both higher education and in American politics.

Graded Requirements:

One pagers                             20%

Discussion boards                  15%

Paper One                              25%

Paper Two                              25%

Reflection paper                     15%

100%

One Pagers: Twenty percent of the grade is based on a set of weekly one-page (300 word) assessment of the week’s reading (you must write five of these papers, and can pick any five lessons from Lessons 2—11 and 13, the lessons marked with an asterisk [*]). In each one-pager, you answer three questions:

• What, VERY briefly, is the main argument of the week’s material?
• Offer your analysis of the reading—does it make a sensible, supported argument?
• Does the reading help you make sense of the course objectives… should we read it, or is there something else that would be better?

The second and third questions are the key ones; summarize the argument quickly so you can devote more thought to those two questions. These one-pagers are due at the end of each class period – you may turn in hard copy or e-mail them to me.

Discussion Boards: Fifteen percent of the grade comes from weekly discussion boards connected to the sessions where we do the chat session. Each week, every student must make an original comment on the reading for that session, and respond cogently to two other comments. The boards are open – I will not specify the issues to be raised or the questions we should answer. Whatever inspires or confuses or irritates you from the reading: that is what we should talk about. We will continue that discussion from the boards to the chat session each week, and we will wrap all of these discussions up at the end of each section on our classroom session.

Paper One: Twenty-five percent of the grade comes a 2,500-3,000 word paper you will submit at the end of Part One of the course. The topic of the paper is the development and evolution of the job you want to pursue in politics. You are to use the course texts in Part One to assess the historical development of your chosen political management job through the postwar period. How did this job enter into American politics, and how did it evolve from its inception to the present?

Paper Two: Twenty-five percent of the grade comes from the second paper, which explores the public policy impacts people in your chosen political job can have. How do people in your selected job shape the agenda, or specify alternatives, or help choose the decision makers?

Reflection Paper: Fifteen percent of the grade comes from a short (1500 words maximum) reflection paper due at the end of the course. This is a personal reflection of what you have learned in the course, how you learned it, your expectations versus the reality of the class, and your thoughts on the program, specifically, how you aim to help us accomplish our mission:

The Graduate School of Political Management seeks to make politics better by educating its students and professionals in the tools, principles and values of participatory democracy, preparing them for careers as ethical and effective advocates and leaders at the international, national and local level.

I have no set format for the reflection paper. I want you to come at this assignment any way that makes sense to you – and that helps me understand how you have engaged in this effort.

“Incomplete” Policy:

I will not offer “incomplete” grades to any student who fails to turn in the one-pagers or the policy papers by the end of the term. Late submission of your papers will be subject to automatic grade reduction at the rate of one letter grade per week. Any paper submitted after the last day of the course will be issued an automatic failing grade. Start working early and complete the assignments on time.

Course Expectations:

Political managers are leaders and therefore must live their ideals, such as those contained in the GW code of academic integrity. I expect all students to follow it completely; review it at http://www.gwu.edu/~ntegrity/code.html and live by it!

You are a graduate student, and should have mastered research skills and argumentative writing already. I expect you to be able to make a strong case for your assessments, and to be able to do so clearly, with correct reference to the experts. Grammar, spelling, and proper citations matter! We use the American Psychological Association (APA) style manual; you may want to buy Mastering APA Style: Student’s Workbook and Training Guide, by Harold Gelfand and Charles J. Walker ($24.95, ISBN: 1-55798-891-9), if you are unfamiliar with the style. It is a useful reference and the APA style is designed to be simple and clear. I will return all papers in this course after reviewing them, and if your grade is below a B, you MUST re-submit that paper, with corrections, for a regrade. If you cannot communicate clearly, you will fail in Washington!

I am usually in my office, so I do not have any official “office hours” for students; my door is open. Please feel free to come see me anytime, on any topic. It is usually best to check via phone or email just to make sure I am free.

Required Texts:

Birkland, Thomas. 2005. An introduction to the policy process: Theories, concepts, and models of public policy making. Second Edition. ME Sharpe. ISBN: 9780765614896.

Johnson, Dennis W. 2007. No place for amateurs. 2^d edition. Routledge. ISBN: 978-0-415-95787-8.

Kingdon, John. 2002. Agendas, alternatives, and public policies. 2^d Edition. Pearson Longman. ISBN: 0321121856.

Maraniss, David and Michael Weiskopf. 1996. “Tell Newt to shut up!” Simon & Schuster. ISBN: 0684832933.

Micklethwait, John and Adrian Wooldridge. 2005. The right nation: Conservative power in America. Penguin. ISBN: 0143035398.

Patterson, James A. 1997. Grand expectations. Reprint edition. Oxford University Press. ISBN: 0195117972.

Schwartz, Peter. 1996. The art of the long view. Currency. ISBN: 0385267320.

Shirky, Clay. 2008. Here comes everybody: The power of organizing without organizations. Penguin. ISBN: 1594201536.

Stone, Deborah. 2001. Policy paradox: The art of political decision making. Revised Edition. W.W. Norton & Company. ISBN: 0393976254.

Sun Tzu. The art of war (any edition).

Winograd, Morley, and Richard Hais. 2008. Millennial makeover: MySpace, YouTube, and the future of American politics. Rutgers. ISBN: 0813543010.

Classroom Emergency Preparedness and Response Information

To Report an Emergency or Suspicious Activity: Call the University Police Department at 202-994-6111. If the line is unavailable or you are calling from another University location, dial 911.

Shelter in Place – General Guidance: Although it is unlikely that we will ever need to shelter in place, it is helpful to know what to do just in case. No matter where you are on campus, the basic steps of shelter in place will generally remain the same:

• If you are inside, stay where you are unless the building you are in is affected. If it is affected, you should evacuate. If you are outdoors, proceed into the closest GW building or follow instructions from emergency personnel on scene.
• Shelter-in-place in an interior room, above ground level, and with the fewest windows.
• Shut and lock all windows (locking will form a tighter seal) and close exterior doors.
• Turn off air conditioners, heaters, fans. Close vents to ventilation systems if you can.
• Make a list of the people with you and call UPD so they know where you are sheltering.
• Visit GW Campus Advisories for incident updates http://campusadvisories.gwu.edu or call the GW Information Line 202-994-5050. If possible, turn on a radio or television and listen for further instructions. If your e-mail address or mobile device is registered with Alert DC, check for alert notifications.
• You will get word as soon as it is safe to come out.

Evacuation: An evacuation will be considered if the building we are in is affected or we must move to a location of greater safety. We will always evacuate if the fire alarm sounds. In the event of an evacuation, please gather your personal belongings quickly (purse, keys, cell phone, GWorld card, etc.) and proceed to the nearest exit. We will examine the exit routes at our first class meeting. Do not use the elevator. Once we have evacuated the building, proceed to our primary rendezvous location, the GSPM offices at the MPA building, suite 401. In the event that this location is unavailable, we will meet at the Marvin Center, monumental entrance (on the 21^st street side).

Schedule:
Date:	Topic and readings:
31 Aug	1: Introduction/Overview: Course structure, assignments
	CLASS MEETING
	Reading: None
	PART ONE American Politics and the Rise of the Political Manager
14 Sep	2: Postwar America: From New Deal to the New Frontier (1932-61)
	CLASS MEETING
	Reading: Patterson: Introduction; Prologue; chs. 1-9, 16-17 Supplemental Sources: Galbraith, John Kenneth. 1998. The affluent society. Mariner Books.
21 Sep	3: High point of Liberalism: The Great Society and civil rights (1961-69)
	CLASS MEETING: MOVIE NIGHT! The Fog of War
	Reading: Patterson, ch. 13, 15, 18, 19, 21-25 Micklethwait and Wooldridge, ch. 3 Supplemental Sources: Perlstein, Rick. 2009. Before the storm: Barry Goldwater and the unmaking of the American consensus. Paperback Reprint Edition. Nation Books.
28 Sep	4: Collapse of the New Deal consensus (1960s)
	CHAT SESSION 7:15-8:15 PM
	Reading: Complete Lesson 3 and Lesson 5 readings Supplemental Sources: Johnson, Part 1 Available on Blackboard site: Hamilton, “Political Polling” Johnson, “The Business of Political Consulting” ——, “Elections and Public Polling: Will the Media Get Online Polling Right?”
5 Oct	5: Rise of Conservatism to Reagan’s heirs (1964-2008)
	CHAT SESSION 7:15-8:15 PM
	Reading: Micklethwait and Woodridge, chs. 1, 2, Parts II and III Maraniss and Weiskopf Supplemental Sources: Schulman, Bruce. 2001. The Seventies: The great shift in American culture, society, and politics. Da Capo. Perlstein, Rick. 2008. Nixonland: The rise of a President and the fracturing of America. Scribner.
12 Oct	6: Looking to the future: Here come the Millennials (2008 to ?)
	CLASS MEETING
	Reading: Winograd and Hais Note: Assessment Paper One is due by 10 PM, Friday, 16 October
	PART TWO Politics, Public Policy, and the Political Manager
19 Oct	7: Structure, rules, and outcomes: Understanding the public policy process
	CLASS MEETING
	Reading: Birkland
26 Oct	8: Problems, solutions, and agenda setting: An alternative analysis
	CHAT SESSION 7:15-8:15 PM
	Reading: Kingdon
2 Nov	9: Decision making in a political setting*
	CHAT SESSION 7:15-8:15 PM
	Reading: Stone
9 Nov	10: The future is now: Here comes everybody
	CLASS MEETING
	Reading: Shirky Supplemental Sources: Johnson, Part Two and Ch. 10 Tapscott, Don, and Anthony Williams. 2006. Wikinomics: How mass collaboration changes everything. Portfolio Books. Surowiecki, James. 2004. The wisdom of crowds. Anchor Books. Available on Blackboard site: Corrado, “History of Federal Campaign Finance Law” Buckley v. Valeo (1976) (majority opinion) Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act (BCRA) Note: Assessment Paper Two is due by 10 PM, Friday, 13 November
	PART THREE Introduction to Strategic Thinking
16 Nov	11: What is strategy? Hard vs. soft power
	CLASS MEETING
	Reading: Sun Tzu Available on Blackboard site: Nye, “Soft power” and “Benefits of soft power” Keohane and Nye, “Power and Interdependence in the Information Age”
23 Nov	12: Strategy in action: International political consulting
	CLASS MEETING: MOVIE NIGHT! Our Brand is Crisis
	Reading: Review Week 11 readings
30 Nov	13: Thinking past the next election: long-range planning
	CHAT SESSION 7:15-8:15 PM
	Reading: Schwartz
7 Dec	14: Conclusion: Political managers as leaders
	CLASS MEETING
	Reading: None Note: Reflection Paper is due by 10 PM, Friday, 11 December