State and Local Politics

Gov 222

Spring 2013

Class Presentation Assignments

The purpose of these assignments is threefold. First, I want to develop your expertise in the nuances of your region's political institutions, policy, and political culture. Secondly, I want to develop your political science researching and analytical skills. All of these assignments encourage you to think systematically about political phenomena, to think theoretically, and to understand the importance of empirical verification—in short, to become a political scientist. Thirdly, I want to develop your oral and data presentation skills.These exercises are also designed to help you do basic quantitative and qualitative analysis and present your findings to your classmates using a variety of computer programs. Your presentations will be available on-line here.

 

Division of Responsibility Spring 2013

Region	States	Students
Deep South	Alabama, South Carolina, Mississippi, Georgia
New South	Virginia, North Carolina, Florida, Maryland or Tenn
Northeast	New Jersey, New York, 2 of CT, MA, or PA
Pacific	California, Oregon, Washington, Hawaii
Mountain Latino/South west	Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado
"Clean/Good Govt"	Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Vermont

Here are my Oral Presentation Guidelines for how to give a good presentation.

Class Assignment #1 Socio-Economic and Demographic Analysis

Class Assignment #2 The Causes and Consequences of Interparty Competition

Class Assignment #3 Who is powerful and why? Who are the 600 pound gorillas in your states?

Class Assignment #4 Understanding Your State Legislatures

Class Assignment #5 Understanding Your State Governors

Class Assignment #6 Understanding Your State Judiciaries