Southern Politics

SOUTHERN POLITICS

POL 461

Dr. Thornberry Spring 2003

Chambers 327 Ext. 2282

Scope and Coverage:

“The South may not be the nation’s number one political problem, as some northerners assert, but politics is the South’s number one problem.” -- V. O. Key

The idea of the South as a separate political unit is over a century and a half old. We will look at how history has shaped the modern South and how that South has influenced the rest of the nation. We will pay particular attention to how race, economics, and religion have shaped the political choices of the region. Using Key’s classic as our starting point, we will ask how much and in what ways the South has changed in the last 50 years.

Much of our time will be spent looking at political forces as they operate in the several states. The class as a whole will examine North Carolina and South Carolina as examples of the Peripheral South and the Solid South respectively. Each student will choose one other state to follow in some depth. Part of the goal will be to discover how each state differs from a mythical typical Southern experience.

Required Texts:

Peter Applebome -- Dixie Rising

Earl and Merle Black -- Politics and Society in the South

Charles Bullock and Mark Rozell (eds.)-- The New Politics of the Old South

Robert Caro -- Path to Power

James Glaser -- Race, Campaign Politics, and Realignment in the South

Melissa Greene -- Praying for Sheetrock

Tony Horowitz -- Confederates in the Attic

V. O. Key -- Southern Politics in State and Nation

Participation:

Since this course is a seminar which meets only once a week, attendance and participation are both essential. Each class period is focused on a particular theme. A tentative list of readings is give on page 3 of this syllabus. Each person is expected to have done the reading before coming to class. Bring the relevant texts for the week with you.

Each Monday by 8:00 a. m. you should email me a comment for the week. These should be two to three sentences long. You can raise a question (or questions), disagree with a specific point, illustrate a theme with an example from your state. The goal is to give us a starting point for discussion. I will print these and bring them to class to use as the basis of our conversation that week. I will grade each of them on the basis of depth of thought and contribution to our common understanding. I will also give you a weekly grade on class participation. These grades will form 15% of your total grade.

Papers:

The first two papers in this course will ask you to respond to particular questions that come from the reading. Below is a suggested list. I may add other questions as we go along. These are not research papers but rather a chance to reflect in depth on the readings we have done. Your bibliography should consist mostly of readings from the course.

Dates due -- Feb 12 and March 26, though early papers are welcome. Each paper should have a thesis diligently supported by the readings. 5 to 7 pages. They count 15% each.

1. Compare your state to either North or South Carolina as appropriate.

2. Is the case study of LBJ a representative example of Southern Politics?

3. Can North Carolina still be called a Southern state? If so, in what ways? If not, why not?

4. What has changed most about your state since 1950? What caused the change? What is its political

significance?

5. What is the most important thing that Key or Horowitz tells us about race and Southern politics?

6. What does Greene show us about the difficulties of achieving equality via the Voting Rights Act?

7. Why does The War still play a significant role in Southern Politics? Why 1860-1864 rather than 1865-1870, for example, as the critical time frame?

8. Is the enfranchisement of blacks the most important change in the Southern electorate during the past 50 years? What other changes might compete for that label?

9. Has there been a Southern realignment? If so, how and why? If not, what has prevented it?

The third paper has a more restricted focus. It is due April 30 at 8:00 am. It should be 5 to 7 pages plus tables as needed. You will need a bibliography for this one and research beyond the regular class readings. The topic: Glaser presents several theses about Southern Congressional elections. Apply at least one of these to a recent Congressional election for an open seat in your state. Do not pick a "special election." Discuss what difference the timing of elections makes: Presidential years, mid-term, or special. Rather than submitting a question this week, be prepared to make a presentation in class about the election you chose. The paper will count 20% and the presentation 5%.

Exam:

There will be an open book take home exam which will be due May 14 at 8:00 am. No footnotes or bibliography are necessary here. 30% All work is covered by the Honor Code.

Tentative Schedule

Jan 21 -- Preview: Birth of a Nation Dessert and film 7:00 p. m.

559 Lorimer Road

Jan 22 -- Introduction: The South as a political entity -- Phil Duncan

Jan 29 -- Old South--Carolinas: A 182-209; BB 1-97; K Ch 1, 7, 10;

W. J. Cash: The Mind of the South [on reserve] -- “Of the Man at the Center,” “Of the Frontier the Yankee Made”

Feb 5 -- Old South --elsewhere: K your state plus Part III.

Feb 12 -- Case Study I: K Ch 12; Caro: Intro., 1-49, 79-97, 202-214, 241-292, 306-385, 389- 475, 497-528.

Feb 19 -- New South-- Carolinas: A 1-22, 116-181; Bullock 1-47,141-165, 261-275; BB 1-72.

Feb 26 -- New South--elsewhere: A 24-55,90-114, 272-296; Bullock --your state.

[We may substitute individual meetings for class this week.]

Spring Break

March 12 -- Race: K Ch 26-29; A 57-88, 211-236; BB 75-171; H 76-84, 89-124, 204-208, 331- 225, 352-378.

March 19 -- Case Study II Civil Rights: Greene -- all

March 26 -- Modern Confederates: H 1-44,52-57,66-70,157-165, 175-183, 242-252, 266-270, 282-291; A 298-321.

April 2 -- Southern Electorate: K Part IV + Ch 25; BB 175-231.

April 9-- South in National Politics: K Ch 13, Part II, Ch 31; BB 232-275

Easter

April 23 -- Modern elections: Glaser -- all

April 30 -- reports on modern Congress by state

May 7 -- Future of the South: A 323-345; BB 276-316.

JOP, 1998, Earl Black, “Newest Southern Politics.”

In writing papers, you are expected to follow all rules of standard English and to produce a product of which a literate person would be proud. Buy a dictionary and use it. Use computer programs to check your spelling. Avoid slang, contractions, indefinite antecedents, starting sentences with conjunctions, ending them with prepositions, using split infinitives, relying on "et. cetera," and the thousand other sins of which First Year English tried to cure you. Papers should be typed, have a cover sheet, and be held together firmly with some marvel of modern technology. Notation should be in the style of in text citations (Jaggar 38) and be supported by a Works Cited page at the end. Textual footnotes are permitted, but should be used judiciously.

Please pay careful attention to the suggestions which follow. You can certainly insure better grades on any written assignment by observing the conventions mentioned there. I will mark papers for grammar and spelling as well as content. Points will be deducted for those who persist in obvious errors. You should have access to a Little-Brown Handbook as a reference for grammar and usage. If you do not have one from English composition or HUMES, borrow one.

1. Commit yourself to a specific stance. Frame and answer useful and interesting questions. Be controversial; don't be wishy-washy. There is no substitute for an interesting hypothesis.

2. Have something to say. Present a thesis. Take a stand. Prove a point. You need to show that there may be other points of view, but you should show that your ideas are worth consideration.

3. Pre-write. Take time before you actually start the paper to jot down the major points that have to be made. Consider what details you want to emphasize and what examples will illustrate your ideas. Develop your thoughts. Not only the whole paper but also each paragraph should have a beginning, a middle, and an end.

4. Use specific examples. Quote directly from sources where appropriate and useful.

5. Be selective. Do not try to tell me everything you know. Use illustrations as an example of a larger point. Never waste time merely summarizing situations.

6. Find your own voice. At times the first person may be appropriate. Write for a specific audience. Be clear and consistent in addressing that audience. Also be clear about your persona.

7. Use action verbs. Choose distinct nouns. Avoid "this" when the reference is vague.

8. Pay attention to spelling, punctuation, and grammar. [Examples include: Avoid split infinitives. Do not begin sentences with conjunctions except on rare occasions. Do not end sentences with prepositions. Avoid abbreviations.]

11. Watch transitions. Try reading your work out loud to a sympathetic friend. Can someone who hears your thoughts make sense of them?

12. Be sure to leave enough time for revising, editing, and proofreading your papers. You ought to have 24 hours between each draft. Two drafts are a minimum.

13. Keep a journal of your own errors. You will identify patterns of mistakes that will make improving your writing much easier.