The Program in American Institutions is a new interdisciplinary, non-concentration program in LSA for all liberal arts students. The program complements existing concentrations to enhance students' understanding of economic, political and social institutions in this country, how they developed, and how they compare to those in other countries. The new courses are a collaborative effort between faculty from History, Economics, Political Science, Sociology, Business Administration, Law, the Institute for Social Research, and the Institute for Labor and Industrial Relations.
440/Poli. Sci. 437. Financial Institutions and Economic Change. Econ. 201 and 202. (4). (SS).
This course analyzes the structure, regulation, and role of financial institutions in a changing American economy. Subjects include: the process of economic change; the allocation of capital; the organization and function of financial institutions; and the nature and consequences of public regulation. Economic development and innovation are important public issues, which many public policies proposed to further these ends. The allocation of capital generally, and financial institutions specifically, plays a vital role in this process. Their performance in facilitating transactions among savers, investors, and consumers can enhance or inhibit economic activity, opportunity, and change. The organizations performing these tasks are very heterogeneous and function under an extensive array of national and state policies and regulations. The regulations and technology governing this industry are rapidly changing and will have substantial implications for our economic welfare. Students will study problems of economic change, industrial policies, financial institutions, and their role in our society through analytical readings drawn from economic, political science and finance and through a comparative study of financial institutions in other industrialized countries. (Jackson)
445. Techniques of the Regulatory State. Poli. Sci. 111. (4). (SS).
This course reviews the various techniques by which government regulates private behavior; the particular industry on which we will focus is the health care industry. Since the most pervasive technique of government regulations of medical services is the common law developed and enforced by courts, we will begin with legal regulation of the physician-patient relationship. Topics will include patient and family rights to control treatment decisions, non-treatment for the terminally ill and for defective newborns, and the law of medical malpractice. In the area of explicit government regulation we will cover price and entry regulation through subsidy (Medicare and Medicaid) and quality control through professional licensing and discipline. There will be three short (not to exceed 10 pages) analytical papers based on the class materials; these will be designed to teach legal reasoning and health policy analysis. The papers will account collectively for 40% of the grade; the final exam will account for 60%. Course materials will be multilithed, and will consist primarily of legal cases, government reports, and commentaries on the same. Class attendance is required, and in any event is necessary for adequate performance on the papers and the examination. (Payton)
461. Industrial Relations in the United States: Past Experiences and Future Possibilities Junior standing and permission of instructor. (4). (SS).
This course will focus on the industrial relations system in the United States: what it is and where it might be going. The first part of the course will be a brief summary of the current American system. This will be followed by a look at the impact of the current economic situation on the American system (i.e., concession bargaining, plant closings, etc.). Then the industrial relations systems in other countries (Western Europe, Japan, and Australia) will be examined as possible new models. Finally, the future of the American system will be discussed in the context of changing economic times and other models. This course, designed for juniors and seniors who have had some previous social science background, will be primarily a lecture format, but hopefully there will be a great deal of interaction and discussion. The grade will be based on a paper and in-class exams. There will be no single text, but rather a series of readings from a variety of sources. (Schwartz)
462/Poli. Sci. 416. Governing the Bureaucracy in the United States. Junior standing or permission of instructor. (4). (SS).
This course will focus on the relationships between elected officials and administrators in the United States, especially on the efforts of elected and appointed officials to monitor and control the behavior of those in the "permanent government" (career bureaucrats). The course will emphasize the relationship between Congress and the bureaucracy, particularly congressional oversight of policy and administration. Students must have junior standing, secure the permission of the instructor before enrolling in discussion section, and have completed Poli. Sci. 111. Lectures and seminars. Class participation is an essential part of the course. Papers required. (Aberbach)
472. American Family Life in the Past. Junior standing and permission of instructor. (4). (SS).
This course is an undergraduate research seminar which provides an opportunity for students to do original research. Students who have taken the previous lecture course on American Institutions and the Development of the Family (American Institutions/471 History 571) will be encouraged to enroll, but others will be admitted as well. Students will write an original research paper on the interaction between American Institutions and the family using historical sources. The focus of the seminar will be on family life in mid-nineteenth-century Michigan. Students will have an opportunity to utilize an extensive individual-level census data-set on four townships in Washtenaw County in 1860 (about 10,000 cases) that has been developed especially for this seminar. Those who would prefer not to use this machine-readable data-sets may rely more heavily upon the primary literary materials located at the Michigan Historical Collections on North Campus. Throughout the course, the emphasis will be on the basic elements of research design and the production of an original term paper that is not only well-researched, but also clearly and concisely written. The grade in the course will be based mainly upon the final research paper although the quality of the student's classroom participation will also be taken into consideration. (Vinovskis)
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