Samson, Steven Alan

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Liberty UniversityDigitalCommons@LibertyUniversityPedagogical Resources Helms School of Government1977State and Local Government 1977 SyllabusSteven Alan SamsonLiberty University, ssamson@liberty.eduFollow this and additional works at: http://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/gov_fac_pedThis Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Helms School of Government at DigitalCommons@Liberty University. It has beenaccepted for inclusion in Pedagogical Resources by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@Liberty University. For more information, pleasecontact scholarlycommunication@liberty.edu.Recommended CitationSamson, Steven Alan, "State and Local Government 1977 Syllabus" (1977). Pedagogical Resources. Paper 29.http://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/gov_fac_ped/29psc 230 ST~TE IIt ND LOCAL GOVERNIvlENT Te oks Oregon Department of Education, Government Stedman, St Loc Governments F st Quiz: Thursday, 19 Nidterm : Thursday, May 3 oond Quiz and Essay Exam: Thursday, r1ay Essay or Term Paper Due: Thul"'sday" May 24 Final : T r1ay 31 Hid rm Readings: Read Stedman, ,,1 Oregon" pts" I, Stedman, chs .. 8 Oregon" to page from page 7 7 RESEft. R!(1H PROJECT The purpese of the pr~ject is to introduce students to local ~elitical instituti~ns$ familiarize them with relevant infcrmation sources, and help them sharpen their research and writing skills. The project will invelve the f~llowing cG~onents: library research, field experience, ani a written paper., Library Research@ First, select a suitable public agency, political party, campaign, er interest group fer investigation. You may want te check several such organizations in the telephone iirectery befere making your final selection. Then, locate infermatien abeut the agency frem the library and ether resources. other sources might incluie the Historical Society, State Archives, the agency's own recoris, newspaper "morgues,~ or files kept by political action groups. Relevant information might include newspaper or magazine articles, books, agency publicatiens, er minutes of pulEllic meetings. In your \')ibliography ,note· at least six references which shoula inclu.e ene each of any ~eurof the following: a) newspaper articles, b) magazine articles, c) beoks, .) official publications, e) editorials, f) minutes of'meetings, t;) enabling legislatien er statutes, h) lawsuits or other court cases, i) archival records, or j) by-laws ef the or~anizatien. Yeu will have seme latituie in ietermining whether a ~articular resource is "relevant" to your fiel~ research. Field Research. This may be the 'best place to start because members or the agencies themselves can direct yeu t~ ~eGQ sources of inf'ermatien. First, call the agency to ietermine if' an@ when ~u'blic meetings are heli. It would be best to cheose an or~aniza­tien that has regular weekly or monthly meetings. Seme agencies, like ca~aign organizatiens,may or may net welcome nen-members. By law, hewever, public agencies like city councils must heli re~ular meetings that are open to the public~ Then, take notes en the structur~ anti substance af the meeting", What issues are raised? De yeu ietect persenal or iae.logical conflicts? How well attenaea are the meetings? What is accem~lishei? Ask questions or ceniuct interviews, either at the meeting or later, if yeu want to get better acquaintea with the precess, the personalities, or the issues. Written Paper. The term paper sheul. ltJe a1:i(!ut ,4 .. 6 ~ages in length, typewritten, .ouble-space~, f'ootneted, ani follewei by a separate bibliographic pa~e. Yeu will be graiei en ~erm an~ centent. C$nsult haniouts en footnote ani biblie,raphic fermse Comment on the s~ecific articles, books, ani pamphlets yeu consulte. by neting what they are abeut ani how useful they are fer your purposes. Your paper sheuli inclu.e a thesis statement (theme o~ yeur paper), specific illustrations of your theme, ani a cenclusien. Pr.ofreai your papers fer gra~uar, spelling, ani sentence structure. It wouli be helpful to make an eutline of what yeu want te say ~ef'ore you start writing. Remember, papers are iue the last week in Mayo Plagiarized papers will not be accepted, nor will papers that fail to meet the above requirementse Please leave me an extra copy of your bibliography. Local Political Institutions. Check the Oregan ~ Book or the tele~hone directory for listi~s in the area. Many political ~arties and interest groups are listed in the white pa~es: for example, the Democratic Party, the Republican Party, the Socialist Workers Party, the John Birch Society, the League of Women Voters, Oregon :Student Public Interest , Research Group (OSPIRG), Common Cause, the Oregon State Bar, American Friends Service Committee, the Cham~er of Commerce, 1000 Friends of Oregan, City Club of Portland, Greenpeace, and various profeSSional associations. The Libertarian Party is headquartered in Eugene. Many lobbying organizations, like the Association of Oregon Counties and the League of Oregon Cities, are located in Salem. Information Sources. The school library contains such research tools as the card catalogue, periodical indexes like Readers' Guide, almanacs, and encyclopedia yearbooks o The card catalogue is the best place to begin since it is most likely to have some loeal sources. Portland state University has a much wider selection but PCC stUdents are not permitted to borrow the materials. PSU has a large number of indexes, including various newspaper indexes o Many of these are on microfilm. The Multnomah County Library has several branches and is a public libraryo More specialized libraries may be found at the Oregon Historical Society, the University of Oregon Health Sciences Center, and the Northwestern School of Law at Lewis and Clark College" Besides these resources, many public agencies and private organizations issue newsletters and keep information collections. The Archives Division and Legislative Research in Salem are both good sources of public policy informatione 

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