ECON 340 - Public Finance
4 credits
Tiffany, F.
Prerequisites: ECON 190
Despite claims to the contrary, not every good or service can be provided by a perfectly competitive market: Sometimes there is a role for government. Public Finance explores the rationale for government intervention in economic activity and its effects on the economy. This course will examine “market failures” caused by external costs and benefits, as well as the existence of public goods, as justifications for government intervention. We will also look at examples of government intervention in such area as retirement insurance (Social Security) and health care, both issues of current concern. Taxation and its impact on income distribution, as well as the equity and efficiency of the tax system, will also be considered. The course will have a lecture/discussion format. Grades will be based on three midterm exams and a comprehensive final exam.
GEOG 230S 01 Urban Geography
4 Credits
Medvedkov, O.
Pre-requisites: Minimum Math Placement 22, Permission of instructor
World urbanization has increased dramatically in the course of the 20th century. More people in the world live in urban areas than in rural setting. Developing countries, with large portion of their population yet in rural areas, face an extremely fast rate of urbanization, and lead the world in number of mega-cities, often surrounded by shanty towns. Is this development sustainable? Developed countries are facing urban sprawl that drives demand for energy resources further. Is ‘smart growth' a solution for addressing this problem? What is the origin of urban growth and decline in general, and how Midwestern cities are affected by de-industrialization? How spatial organization of North American cities is different from European, Latin American or Asian cities? All these questions and many more will be a focus of this course. A lecture/discussion format is anticipated, combined with field and computer lab assignments.
GEOG 290S 01 Business Geographics
4 Credits
Medvedkov, O.
Pre-requisites: None
Geography plays in increasingly important role in many business decisions. In fact, a surprisingly large amount of information is geographical in character. It is related to such features as zip codes, street addresses, company or school locations, census tracts, cities or states. Micro marketing is gaining in importance because supply and demand is structured geographically. Until recently, business examined geography with colored pencils on legal pads or by pushing pins into wall maps. There is a better way. Business Geographics allows students to have hands-on experience in handling data and maps in a computer lab. This course brings the power of visualization into solutions of real world problems such as marketing, direct customer targeting, finding potential customers, site selection, and international trade. During the course, students will conduct several projects analyzing spatially business data, handling database conversion, geocoding, managing GPS, and mapping. The final project is centered on local business or public issues.
HIST 201: Local History Project
4 Credits
Taylor, T.
Local History Project explores local history, primarily that of Springfield and of Wittenberg. The emphasis is on hands on work, though we also read narrative history and primary sources. The emphasis is on the story of the local community and on how to utilize local resources to discover that story and to tell it to others. We meet one evening per week for 3.25 hours, and the course requires various kinds of work during the rest of the week. The projects will include oral history interviews related to the Wittenberg Oral History Project and to the Crowell—Collier plant closure of 1956. You also will write up a house history and conduct one research project of your own choosing, related to Springfield or to Wittenberg history. Our area is rich in history and in resources for studying that history. The Heritage Center of Clark County contains a fine local history museum, an extensive collection of local artifacts, as well as a high quality archive and library. Wittenberg's own history is preserved in its archives in Thomas Library and in its rare book collection. Both Wittenberg and the city possess a rich array of old buildings that, when understood, speak to us powerfully about the people that lived here before us. Springfield's story parallels that of the rise and fall of Midwestern industrial cities: its position on the nation's transportation grid; its utilization of natural resources and cheap labor; the evolution of its city government to a city manager system; and its relative decline in the modern era with the departure of its manufacturing base. Likewise, Wittenberg's story parallels that of hundreds of small church-related colleges founded in the nineteenth century: in its curricular history, its responses to increasing specialization in the twentieth century; and in its shifting student populations.
POLI 222S 01 Urban Politics
4 credits
Baker, R.
An examination of politics and government in American cities. Emphasis is on how changes over time in local political structures and processes have affected the delivery of services at this most basic level of our federal system. The course has a lecture/discussion format. Two exams, quizzes, and a simulation will be required. 02/11
POLI 320 1W Public Administration
4 credits
Baker, R.
Prerequisites: POLI 101S and Jr class standing
Using a systems framework, this course focuses on politics and policymaking of the federal bureaucracy. Emphasis is on how bureaucrats and bureaucratic agencies interact with each other, and with other political actors at the federal level. The course combines lectures with seminar discussion format. Students will be asked to write 4 critical book reviews, and an article summary. Two essay exams will also be given. 02/11
WRITING INTENSIVE
SCED 200L Liberal Studies Colloquium: In the Shadow of the Organization: Bureaucracy and Individual Autonomy
4 credits
Baker, R.
Prerequisite: ENGL 101E
Organizations are elaborate plans of cooperation to achieve a goal. As such, inherent tensions between individual autonomy and bureaucratic structure exist that have the potential for undermining the goals of the organization. Taking the existence of these tensions as its initial premise, this course explores several of them in an effort to consider their implications not only for organizations, but also for the individuals who work in them. Questions surrounding this tension to be considered include: What is the nature of bureaucratic organization? What about bureaucratic rules; what are their functions, and why don't we like them? What motivates workers more--extrinsic or intrinsic rewards-- and are private sector workers more productive than public sector workers, or do they at least work harder? Are internal or external controls better at controlling worker behavior? Is simply doing as one is told a good excuse for avoiding responsibility for bad organizational outcomes? How can managers and employees promote ethical behavior? Are basic bureaucratic structures (e.g., hierarchy) and procedures ethically problematic or even evil? The course objective is for the student to develop a critical understanding of the natural tension between the organization and the individual, and how it relates to, and affects our life, work, and sense of community. The course uses the @witt@home format, combining limited classroom meetings and web-supported interactive work.
SOCI 201 01 Urban Geography
4 Credits
Medvedkov, O.
Pre-requisites: Minimum Math Placement 22, Permission of instructor
World urbanization has increased dramatically in the course of the 20th century. More people in the world live in urban areas than in rural setting. Developing countries, with large portion of their population yet in rural areas, face an extremely fast rate of urbanization, and lead the world in number of mega-cities, often surrounded by shanty towns. Is this development sustainable? Developed countries are facing urban sprawl that drives demand for energy resources further. Is ‘smart growth' a solution for addressing this problem? What is the origin of urban growth and decline in general, and how Midwestern cities are affected by de-industrialization? How spatial organization of North American cities is different from European, Latin American or Asian cities? All these questions and many more will be a focus of this course. A lecture/discussion format is anticipated, combined with field and computer lab assignments.
SOCI 350 01&02 Race and Ethnicity
4 Credits
Rowell, K.
Pre-requisites: None
Race and ethnicity continue to be important markers of identity, stratification, and political action in the world. This course will expose you to concepts and theories that can promote an understanding of the roles of race and ethnicity in contemporary society and guide new ways of thinking about these issues. Specifically, the course will introduce you to the sociocultural analysis of race and ethnic group membership in its various historical and geographical contexts around the world. Why has racial/ethnic group membership remained a salient factor in social life? What factors perpetuate racial/ethnic stratification? When does racial/ethnic group membership form the basis of social and political mobilization? Key concepts will be critically evaluated, with attention drawn to their ideological basis, explanatory power, and policy implications. Students will be encouraged to think critically about the social issues under study and their relevance to their own lives as members of a global society.
URBN 171: Introduction to the City
4 credits
Copeland, W.
Prerequisites: None
The purpose of this course is to introduce students to the academic study of the city. We shall examine a number of important issues facing cities which raise more general tensions in urban life from different perspectives. A typical segment of the course will consist of readings and presentations from two or three disciplines addressing a common issue. The principal objective of the course is to get students to think more critically about cities, their problems, and some possible solutions. Assignments will include weekly quizzes and three examinations.
