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Political Science 358
Political Advocacy
Fall 2009
Wednesday Night: 6:00-8:50pm
Instructor: Daniel Faulk
Office Hours: Wed 9:00-9:30pm (FH 152)
Email: [email protected]
Home Phone: 707 442-8563 ( 9:01am -6:32pm M-F only)
Final: Furlough Day: December 16, 2009
"What we have to learn to do, we learn by doing."
Aristotle
If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a
hundred battles. If you know yourself but not your enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer
a defeat. If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle.
Sun Tzu's "Art of War"
This course is a work in process....
HSU Catalog Description:
PS 358: Political Advocacy: practical advocacy experience before the California legislature. Field trip
to Sacramento.
Introduction:
Political Advocacy 358 is not your “normal” academic course. We will not be studying how the NRA
lobbies Congress or how the United States “encouraged” but did not “assist” the brief coup in
Venezuela. What we will be doing is thinking about power relationships, how to change these
relationships and then working to change power relationships. Changing power relationships is not a
neutral activity, it has consequences that are sometimes profound and often unexpected. As actors in the
process of changing power relationships you will be expected to be mindful of the consequences of
your actions on yourself and others. You will be expected to be a consequential thinker before, during
and after you implement a program that will change an existing power relationship. Political Science is
the study of formal and informal power relationships. This course, however, is Politics; it is a course in
changing power relationships and reflecting on the process of change and thinking about the
justification for these changes in our community and in our world.
Course Objectives:
1. Students will develop an analysis of power and how power is used within institutions.
2. Students will illustrate, both in writing, and visually, power relationships.
3. Students will articulate and illustrate, both in writing and visually, alternatives to existing power
relationships.
4. Students will consider the possible intended and unintended consequences of various courses of
action in changing power relationships.
5. Students will develop skills for careers in political advocacy.
6. Students will develop analytical skills needed to evaluate power relationships over time.
Course Requirements:
1. Political Action Project
2. Course Journal and Summary Essay
3. Field Trip/s
4. Class participation/In-class assignments
Text:
Rules for Radicals by Saul Alinsky
The Prince by Nicole Machiavelli
Dreaming The Dark by Starhawk
Films:
Illusion of News
One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest
Eyes On the Prize: A Nation of Law?
Matewan
Elizabeth
Course Outline:
Weeks One-Three: Introduction
Discussion Topics:
Goals and course objectives.
Analysis of Education System, student roles and institutional values
Citizenship
Ideals and Values in Politics
Change inside and outside institutions and systems
System integrity vs systemic contradictions
Student reflection on issues/concerns
Weeks Four-Six: Vision and Process
Ideal Solutions and Process of Change
Discussion Topic:
Integrity/Democracy Work: How can we create a common vision for the class out of the particular
ideals, out of the unique views and aspirations? Come to the table with your vision, listen to each
vision and consider how other visions reflect on your own vision. Are you hearing what you want to
hear or what is really being said and desired? Is process the goal or is the goal the justification for
process? How do you facilitate a discussion that reveals differences so that the real issues can be
addressed? Who should have a voice at the table? What does the language mean, what do the values
really stand for, how do you reach an understanding of the real meaning behind the vague or abstract?
What is it that people are afraid to reveal about their true motives and goals? Is there a difference
between respect for a person and respect for an idea, must you respect all ideas, how do you differ
within the context of respect? What are the consequences of specific values, goals, methods?
Weeks Seven- Ten: Leadership vs. Management, The Zen of Politics
Sacramento: Trip 1
Discuss: Trip to Sacramento.
Discussion Topics:
Discuss personal motives for political action and styles of political involvement. What is the difference
between leadership, management and administration? How is leadership in conflict with management?
Why are both leadership and management needed to sustain organizations working for change. Small
View ( Direct Action, resistance, protest, small minded specific issue etc..) vs.. Large View (Vision and
long term goals, ecological thinking, context and consequence etc..). How do small minds and large
minds see the world? How do you see the world?
.
Discussion and In Class Exercise:
Persuade a person that your idea, solution to a specific problem is the best solution: five minutes.
Prepare your presentation, think about most effective arguments, evaluate success of presentation, self
and other? What did you know, what didn't you know that you needed to know?
What is the fundamental difference between Political Advocacy and Force ( D.A.)? How does an
advocate approach an issue that they care about, how does the self absorbed " activist “ approach an
issue? What is the difference of approach and what are the consequential outcomes of different
approaches?
Discussion: The Art of Lobbying is_______________
Force: self righteous/ego, the assumption that one knows the whole truth
Manipulation: Listen only to be heard, arrogance that one is right but will entertain another to get what
one wants
Seduction: Listen to understand and consider alternative perspectives while maintaining own goal
Integrity: Mutual search for whole truth and justice of all perspectives being heard
In class:
Review time-lines and discuss trip to Sacramento and how it ties into political goals of each
group/individual.
Students will work with their groups or organizations to solidify goals and objectives and assign
responsibilities.
Discuss appointments with interest groups and legislative staff for Sacramento trip.
Trip 1:
Thursday:
Leave HSU@ 5:00 pm.
Arrive in Sacramento@ 11:00 p.m.
Check in to Hotel, tents, garages
Dumpster Diving ( contact Food Not Bombs for best locations)
Dan’s Phone in Sacramento: 707 616-9548
Friday:
Tour Capitol
Meet with legislative staff Assembly/ Senate
Meet with executive staff
Meet with consultants to committees
Meet with Lobbyist
Individual Meetings
5:00 pm. Leave for HSU or stay the night and leave next morning for HSU
Arrive back at HSU
Weeks Eleven- Fifteen: Retail and Wholesale Politics/Lobbying/ Illusion and the
Construction of Reality
Class Topics:
Review Trip 1:
1. Summary of interviews and meetings
2. Lessons for lobbying from visit to Sacramento
3. Thank you notes
Community Organizing:
Interview local community organizers
Discussion of organizing efforts
Summary of presentations
Updates on action and discussion of goals and objectives of student directed projects
Week Twelve or Thirteen:
Plan Trip II
Week Fourteen:
Sacramento Trip II
This is your lobbying trip.
Leave Thursday @ 5:00 pm
Arrive in Sacramento @ 11:00 pm
Friday:
Meetings with interest groups
Legislative staff
Legislators
Regulators
Return to HSU Friday night or Saturday day
Week Fifteen/Final
Review Sacramento Trip II
and....
Class Discussion Topic:
Discussion: What is the language of wholesale politics and how do you put on a good media event?
How do you align your message with theme, visual, sound bite and participants to reflect your core
message? How do you work with media to get your message to the target audience, how do you reverse
engineer the oppositions message to reach and neutralize opponents? How do you construct a campaign
where the message is more powerful than the individual delivering the message? How does your group
insure that one person is not the " spokesperson" for your cause ( even if they are exceptionally
articulate). How do you use symbolic images to align yourself with mainstream values? How do you
make sure that your words reflect and communicate your real message? What is the difference between
a media event and a protest rally or a protest? Why are protest dangerous media events?
Additional Topics if Time Allows:
Discuss establishment of a media campaign, design a media campaign for projects, continue work with
groups on media projects.
Discuss fund-raising and have interview with local fund raiser in class.
Discuss community outreach to clubs and organizations and have interview in class with local elected
officials and community organizers.
**************************
Course Process/ Assignments:
Epistemology/ Class Discussion:
How do we learn?
What does is mean to be a good student?
What do we mean by good?
What do we mean by student?
Who defines good?
How is good a political concept?
How does the definition of student have a political consequence?
What are the power relationships in the educational system?
Examine each role in the educational system: how does each individual identify their place and role in
the system?
Assignment: Construct a model of HSU’s educational structure and discuss the
arrangement of power in this structure.
Discuss roles within institutions and role of institutions within systems.
Evaluate systems of thought, values and morality as reflected by structures.
What are our social obligations? (Reference: Socratic Citizenship by Dana Villa)
What is a citizen and how does this differ from a subject?
What does it mean to be a good citizen?
What is a good subject?
How does our concept of citizenship influence how we view our political institutions?
What is citizenship?
What is the responsibility of a citizen to themselves, to their community, to the state?
What does it mean to be loyal or patriotic? Loyal to what. Patriotic to what?
What role should citizens play in decisions? Should they be active or passive? Does intelligence and
nobility or virtue play a role in who should be a participant in the decision making process?
How do recent decision makers in the Bush Administration view Plato’s concepts of citizenship?
Is politics a calling? Is it an innate talent of the few or is it the duty of the many?
Is being an informed citizen enough?
What would qualify as being an “ informed “ citizen?
Is being active a requirement of good citizenship? Active to what extent, within what confines?
What do we mean by being an active citizen?
What is the difference between being a subject and being a citizen?
How do the recent decisions by the HSU and CSU administration illustrate the “ systems” view of
students in relationship to institutional citizenship?
What is the benefit of maintaining existing institutions and systemic relationships?
Assignment: After discussion of the above concepts in class write your reflections in
your journal.
Who am I ?
Why am I an individual?
What does it mean to be an individual?
How did I come to be who I am?
How was my identity shaped by my environment?
What are my values?
How do my values compare to those who grew up with me and around me?
How important are my values to my personal identity?
How do my values determine my moral construction of individual and social morality?
Have my values changed recently, what has caused these changes?
What does it mean to have fundamental beliefs?
What role do emotions play in how I determine what is right and wrong?
Have you ever thought something was right or wrong and then changed your mind over time?
Assignment: Reflect on who you are as a political person, how you came to be this
person and the relationship between your values, beliefs, the social construction of
reality and your political views.
Ideals:
What is the perfect world?
No, really, what is the perfect world?
OK, if you can’t visualize the perfect world, then reflect on this, what is the best world imaginable?
What is the best of all possible worlds?
What makes the world you imagined the best that could be imagined?
What are the practical limitations on perfection?
What do you mean by human nature and how do humans develop this nature, or is this nature a genetic
construction?
If humans are by their nature a certain way how does this influence the concept of perfection? In other
words how can something be perfect or ideal that is not in alignment with human nature?
Individual Process:
Assignment: Describe your perfect world, what it looks like and its foundational
values. Draw a visual image of this world, or an image that represents your desired
reality.
Collective Process:
In Class Assignment: Create One Ideal Vision out of Your Collective Process
(synthesis)
What is justice?
What formula would you use to determine that an act or situation was just?
How do you recognize an injustice?
Describe an event in your own life that affected you that was not just?
What were the values violated by the action that made it unjust? Are the values particular to you or are
they universal values that apply in all situations and to all people?
Are there circumstances in which different people should be treated differently because of the situation
they are in? How would you determine that different treatment for different people was just?
Describe the nature of injustice? Is injustice different than the advantage of the strong over the weak? Is
there a natural principle that reveals when an injustice is occurring or has occurred? What role does
history and knowledge play in determining if a situation is relatively just or unjust?
Is order more important than justice? In other words does order itself even when it creates injustice
preferable to the chaos that might result from attempting to create justice?
Assignment: Why is it critical for a person to consider justice and the benefits of
the existing order before, during and after they initiate change in a power
relationship?
Problems
What needs to be fixed, repaired, reformed, improved?
Why is change needed?
Who or What is hurt by the current situation?
What are the historic roots of the current situation?
How do you know that something is wrong with the current distribution of power?
If you had the power in this relationship would you alter the relationship?
Why would you change the relationship if you had the power to change the relationship, in other
words, how is this current relationship benefiting you and why would you give up this benefit?
Could you change the situation without giving up your position of authority? Would the change be real
or an illusion?
What is the responsibility of those that are harmed by this relationship?
Does the situation require the strong to be altruistic or benevolent OR does the situation require that the
oppressed become empowered?
Do those who have institutional power know that there is a problem?
Do they perceive the situation as a problem?
Does the current situation have the possibility of becoming a future problem if it isn’t dealt with now?
What are future consequences that might affect those in power if this situation continues?
How will this problem affect those who are harmed currently if situation is not changed?
Discuss this within the realm of 1. Global Warming 2. Global Terrorism 3. Pre War Iraq
Assignment: Draw a representation of what you see to be a problematic
relationship ( first draw a picture from the view point of those who see the situation
as a problem and then the view from the perspective of those who have a vested
interest in the existing relationship)
Solutions
What do you think is the ideal solution to this problem?
If you were to draw a picture of the solution what would it look like?
Assignment: Draw a Picture of Your Ideal Solution/Relationship ( what does the
world look like when this problem is solved)
Who is in this picture? What are the people in this picture doing? What is it that allows them or enables
them to do what they are doing? What are the events that lead up to this picture.
Assignment: Draw a Story Board that Illustrates the Process that leads to your
Ideal Solution
Where did change begin?
Did the change happen above or below, on what side of the power relationship, what precipitated the
change: was it an event, was it a change in consciousness, was it an act that illustrated the relationship
in a symbolic manner?
Was it action directed at the relationship?
Assignment: Watch the Films from the series Eyes On the Prize and discuss the
Process that lead to change in the Civil Rights Movement
What values were central to the success of the civil rights movement?
What symbols were critical to the movement appealing to the mainstream?
How were the power relationships between African Americans and institutional authority illuminated?
Was the Dream achieved? If not what were the practical limitations that prevented the dream from
being achieved?
Assignment: Based on your own analysis of the history of the civil rights movement
illustrate, using a story board, the process that lead to change in power
relationships in the South
If the civil rights movement fell short of its goals and aspirations, what undermined its success?
How could the political actors have anticipated consequences and planned for them?
What actions would have been more successful in obtaining the movements long term goals?
Which actions were potentially or actually counterproductive to total success and how could these have
been changed or avoided?
Changing Relationships:
The Self
All political action is dependent of the relationship you have with yourself. Who you are, what you
want, why you want it and how you respond to others. When you decide to change a relationship you
must be aware of your baggage, your own issues, your ego and your need for rebellion and approval.
Ignoring any of these personal issues creates a vulnerability that can defeat you and defeat what you are
trying to accomplish.
How can a political person care for their soul, have intellectual and emotional integrity and remain
thoughtful?
What is integrity? Individual integrity? Social integrity? Institutional integrity?
Why is this issue important to you?
What do you want to get out of this process?
How much of your emotional energy are you willing to expend on this issue?
How will your actions affect your other relationships?
What are the immediate and long term cost of this activity?
How will your life be improved by these actions?
How will your life be negatively affected by your participation?
Will the quality of your life and the meaning of your life be improved?
What are the stages of maturity and how do these stages influence action ( rebellion, reform, defense of
established order, revolution etc.)
Assignment: Reflect on and illustrate individual and social integrity.
Assignment:Starting with a large poster board think of every individual that is
affected by the problem you have identified for you political action project. Starting
in the middle of the poster, with the problem, draw lines out to each person and
group that is affected in some manner by this problem. Cluster the individuals
according to how they are affected and by interest that these individuals share in
common.
Next draw a line to all the individuals/groups that benefit from the current
arrangement of power that contribute to the problem/relationship or who are
directly responsible for the continuation of the situation/relationship.
Examine the power relationships between those who are directly affected in a negative way and those
who benefit from the current relationship.
Examine the relationship of common interest between those who benefit and those who are hurt by the
current relationship.
Look for individuals that are not affected by the existing relationship but who have a relationship with
both groups affected by the problem.
Assignment: After consideration of the possible unintended consequences of your
process to create change and the short comings of your ideal solution, redo your
vision and present the view of the best possible solution to your problem and how
you will get to this solution.
Use a story board to illustrate this process with the final panel being your best
possible solution.
Organization for Action
What do you need to know to change this relationship?
Who can make a decision on this issue?
Who do the decision makers listen to?
How do you engage the decision makers in a conversation?
What do you need to know to start a conversation with a decision maker?
Who needs to participate in the conversation?
How do you make sure that a decision make hears you?
What do you want to happen in a conversation with a decision maker?
Who can help you to have this conversation?
Who can prevent this conversation from taking place or make the conversation more difficult?
How do you make the decision maker want to talk to you?
Who is already working on this issue?
Who are your natural allies on this issue?
Who should be your allies but hasn’t thought about how the issue directly affects or indirectly affects
them?
Who has the information that you need to understand this issue?
Who has already laid the foundation?
Who is an expert?
Assignment: Establish a Time-line for Action
First steps for your time-line:
First on your time-line is a list of the individuals directly affected by the problem you have identified.
On you time-line you will list the names and phone numbers of these individuals, you will write a
summary of your conversations with these individuals under the time-line.
Second you will make a contact list of all groups and organizations that are working on this problem or
who have worked on a similar issue. You will write the name of the contact person for each
organization and a summary of the work the group or organization is doing or has done in the past. You
will interview at least one member of each organization to determine what they have learned from their
experience and you will summarize this information on your time-line.
Third you will determine those who has the power to change the current situation and what role they
play in the current problem. You will make a list of every institution that is involved in the issue, who is
the person institutionally responsible for decisions on this issue and who they are accountable to.
Contact each decision maker or those who have access to these decision makers and summarize the
results of your conversation on your time-line.
Fourth organize your interest group and empower individuals to take responsibility. Hold a meeting
and compile a list of everyone that is attending the meeting with phone numbers and responsibilities.
List these on your time-line. Check in with each person to make sure they are not having any problems
with their responsibilities
Fifth meet to report on the outcome of each persons efforts. Summarize the results of your activities on
your time-line and establish out of these discussions your priorities for further action.
Sixth as a group discuss who in a position to make a difference on this issue is most open to a
productive conversation on your concerns, does anyone in the group personally know this person, does
anyone in your group know a person that knows this person? Discuss the persons values and interest in
the issue and the community as a whole. What is their self interest in this issue? Arrange a meeting with
this individual for the purpose of listening to them. Write a summary of your meeting on your timeline.
Seventh as a group evaluate the intelligence you have gathered based on your interview/s. What does
this information tell you about the obstacles to your eventual success on this issue? How do you need to
accommodate the other sides interest to obtain your goals? Where are you flexible in terms of outcome
and what is your groups bottom line? Make sure you facilitate a conversation in your group of your
common values and goals and how these goals are affected by who is making the decisions on this
problem. Summarize your groups discussion and make a clear list of values and goals.
Establish clear roles and expectations for all members of your group or
organization.
Set up meetings to develop goals and objectives with any outside organizations you
work with.
Read and finish: Rules for Radicals
Political Action Group Discussion:
What would Saul Alinsky do? You have identified the important actors on the issue, you know their
point of view, you know who makes the decision, now, how do you get what you want? What methods
do you use to mobilize community support, to influence decision makers, to alter the power
relationship?
Think creatively and be entrepreneurial. To alter the power relationship you must think about: 1.
Retail Politics 2. Wholesale Politics. Your group must preceded with a goal of maximizing your
personal influence on individual decision makers and on the larger community. How will you do this?
Your organization needs to Head in Two directions at once: personal and public. You need to
establish two different time-lines for action at this point and you need to assign resources and
energy of your organization to take advantage of each individual’s particular talent and ability.
- one group (the lobbyist) needs to focus on personal lobbying and establishing a long term and
productive relationships with decision makers and those who influence their decisions directly.
This group works on developing empathy and personal support for the issue.
-the other group (the magicians) needs to think about altering the publics' perception of reality.
The focus of this group must be on outreach to community and civic organizations, the media,
and community leaders. This group works on public perception of reality.
After dividing your organization into two groups you will need to determine who will fulfill certain
roles within each group and who will coordinate the work of both groups.
Responsibilities: These may be combined
Coordination and Management: The coordinators responsibility is to make sure that both groups
remain focused on their shared goals and objectives, that the work of both groups is in alignment with
the overall values of the organization and that actions are compatible with each groups agenda.
Membership Facilitation: The recruitment of new members is essential to the life of an organization
and infusion of new ideas and perspectives, at the same time it is important to consider who fits into the
organization and will be a productive member of the group. The Membership Facilitators role is to
recruit new members, to involve them in meaningful activities, to aid in their responsibilities and to
maintain their commitment. Respect and acknowledgment are critical aspects of recruitment and
retention of individuals.
Wholesale Politics
Media: the media coordinator is responsible for working with the media, establishing press
conferences, developing consistent themes, making sure that the message is clear and effective in the
press, staging media events, developing visuals, writing letters to the editor and working to place
supporters on radio and TV shows.
Community Outreach: Effective community development requires that every community organization
that may have an interest in your issue is cultivated through contacts in the organizations and
presentations to the organizations.
Retail Politics
Lobbyist: the lobbyist is a people person, not a person selling just ideas but a person with high social
intelligence that understands what other people need and value and how to approach people in an
effective and open manner.
Fund-raising: Money is the milk of politics. You need it to succeed and you need a person who knows
how to ask for it and get it.
Emotional Sustenance and Joy: Look if people’s emotional needs are not being met they are not going
to stay around. Emma Goldman once said “ If I can’t dance I don’t want to be a part of your
revolution.” Every gathering must have an element of joy and creative expression. The artist, the
dancer and the actor must feel at home in your organization. Remember you are creating the ideal
world and your organization should reflect the world you wish to create!
People enter politics for various reasons, but the political advocates sole justification is to accomplish
a change in a power relationship that will result in public good. The more invisible the advocate
becomes the more effective they will be in accomplishing their original goal. Empowerment of
community members is both process and outcome of all “ democratic” advocacy work.
If you have been successful in your efforts you will no longer be necessary to the group you created or
worked with, they will be a self sustaining organization with the skills needed to alter political
relationships.
Grades will be based on:
Participation in class discussions, completion of in-class assignments, and evaluation of
your field trips to Sacramento ( or an alternative lobbying exercise) as well as:
Your journal which should contain a list of your contacts, a summary of your
conversations, the specific actions you took to achieve your goal. Your grade will be
based on both the number of specific actions you took to achieve your political goals
and the quality of these actions. Your journal need not contain answers to every
question in the course outline, but an overall reflection on these questions should inform
your actions and should be reflected in your thoughts as presented in your journal. Your
Journal is your political action manual. Every meeting related to your political action
project should be summarized and your journal should reflect the depth of your
experience as a political advocate. Your failures and your successes, your analysis of the
political process and the lessons you have learned that will make you more effective in
the future should be included in your journal.
Journal Executive Summary:
The first three pages of your journal should include:
1. A numerical list of the specific actions you took to achieve your political
objective.
2. A reflection on how effective your action were towards achieving your goal.
3. A reflection on how your practical experience has influenced your understanding
of political power, social responsibility, and your role as a citizen in our system of
governance.
4. Finally, in one paragraph, reflect on how this class and your experiences related to
this class have altered your own theory of politics.
Grades for Journals:
A: A well organized and thoughtful journal AND an outstanding analysis of power
relationships, clear statement of problem/s and goals, thoughtful development of action
plan, sophisticated execution of your political action plan, evaluation/reflection on the
results of your actions.
B: A well organized journal and an in-depth analysis of power relationships, clear goals,
development of an action plan based on your analysis, execution of plan and evaluation
of results
C: Minimal analysis, basic actions to achieve goals, review of action. Minimum grade
required to pass course.
If you work with a community organization an evaluation of your contribution to their
political goals and objectives must be included in your journal. Your attendance in class
and participation in discussion is fundamental to your success in this course.
Academic Integrity: Academic dishonesty is willful and intentional fraud and deception to
improve a grade or obtain course credit. It includes all student behavior intended to gain unearned
academic advantage by fraudulent and/or deceptive means.
Students with Disabilities: should contact me in regard to your specific needs and should contact
the Student Disability Resource Center in House 71, 826-4678 ( voice) or 826-5392 ( TDD)
Earthquakes and Emergency Procedures: Please review the evacuation plan for this
classroom, and where to locate on campus in the case of an emergency. We will discuss these
procedures in class.
Add/ Drop Policy: Students are responsible for knowing HSU's add/drop policy and acting within
institutional guidelines in regards to these matters.
This course outline is the intellectual property of daniel faulk @ 08-4-2009