POLS 4555H: RAILROADS AND AMERICAN POLITICS

Fall Semester AY2010-2011
Department of Political Science
University of Georgia
Athens, GA, 30602-1615

Classroom: Baldwin 301
Time: 12:30 - 1:45PM Tuesday, Thursday

Instructor: Keith T. Poole

Office: Room 304D Baldwin Hall
E-Mail: ktpoole@uga.edu
WebSite: Voteview Home Page

Office Hours: By Appointment

The following texts will be used in this course:

• John F. Stover, American Railroads


• Harold C. Livesay, Andrew Carnegie and the Rise of Big Business


• John Steele Gordon, An Empire of Wealth

Requirements

Grades will be determined by three examinations -- two mid-semester exams and a final exam. The exams will consist of short answer essay questions. The midterms will be worth ¼ each and the final 1/2 of the course grade.

The final is scheduled for Thursday, 9 December 2010 from 12:00 - 3:00 pm in Baldwin 301

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Course Outline

1. Introduction: Why are Railroads Important?
   
   Assignment:
   
   
• Chapters 1, 2 and 3, An Empire of Wealth
  
  Agenda For Topic 1
  
  Handout For Topic 1 (Part 1)
  
  Energy Consumption in the USA
  
  Handout For Topic 1 (Part 2)
  Handout For Topic 1 (Part 3)
  
  The Railroad in American Life
  The Unanticipated Effects of Economic Change
  The Unanticipated Effects of Economic Change -- Wired Magazine 2010
  Do Real Output and Real Wage Measures Capture Reality? The History of Lighting Suggests Not, by William D. Nordhaus (Yale University, September 1994)
  
  
2. American Politics, Economics, and Business prior to the Railroads: 1800 - 1830
   
   Assignment:
   
   
• Chapters 4 - 8, An Empire of Wealth
  
• Chapters 1 and 2, American Railroads
  
  Agenda For Topic 2
  
  Handout For Topic 2
  
  
3. Railroads as Big Business
   
   Assignment:
   
   
• Chapters 9 - 12, An Empire of Wealth
  
• Chapter 3, American Railroads
  
  Agenda For Topic 3
  
  Handout For Topic 3
  Early Railroad Corporate Charters
  Why Railroads Became the Dominant Form of Transportation
  
  
Study Questions for First Exam (23 September 2010)


4. Andrew Carnegie, the Standard Railway of the World, and the Industrialization of the U.S.
   
   Assignment:
   
   
• Chapter 13, An Empire of Wealth
  
• Chapters 1 - 11, Andrew Carnegie
  
  Agenda For Topic 4
  
  The Political Problems of the Railroads (part 1)
  The Importance of the Pennsylvania Railroad
  Handout For Topic 4
  
  
5. The Nature of Railroad Competition
   
   Assignment:
   
   
• Chapter 5, American Railroads
  
  Agenda For Topic 5
  
  Handout For Topic 5
  
  
6. Railroads and the Development of Agriculture
   
   Assignment:
   
   
• Chapter 4, American Railroads
  
• Chapter 14, An Empire of Wealth
  
  Agenda For Topic 6
  
  Handout For Topic 6
  The Sources of the Railroads Political Problems
  
  
Study Questions for Second Exam (28 October 2010)


7. Railroads and Government Regulation: 1887-1920
   
   Assignment:
   
   
• Chapters 6 to 8, American Railroads
  
• Chapters 15 to 17, An Empire of Wealth
  
  Agenda For Topic 7
  Corrupt Practices by Railroad Managers
  Handout For Topic 7 (Part 1)
  Supreme Court Rulings on State Regulation
  The Interstate Commerce Act of 1887
  Regulatory Acts 1903-1916
  Handout For Topic 7 (Part 2)
  


Study Questions for Final Exam (9 December 2010)


8. Railroads Triumphant: 1980 - 2001
   
   Assignment:
   
   
• Chapters 9 and 10, American Railroads
  
• Chapters 18 to 20, An Empire of Wealth
  
  
9. Railroads and the Future of the American Transportation System
   
   Assignment:
   
   
• Stop This Train! Are Trains Slower Now than they were in the 1920s? Tom Vanderbilt, Slate, May 15, 2009
  
• Beware of Low Flying Aircraft! Chris Camp, The Northwest's Own Railfan
  
• Improve Existing Rail Lines for Passenger Trains
  

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Site Links

NOMINATE Data, Roll Call Data, and Software
Course Web Pages: UGA (2010 - )
Course Web Pages: UC San Diego (2004 - 2010)
University of San Diego Law School (2005)
Course Web Pages: University of Houston (2000 - 2005)
Course Web Pages: Carnegie-Mellon University (1997 - 2000)
Spatial Models of Parliamentary Voting
Recent Working Papers
Analyses of Recent Politics
About This Website
K7MOA Log Books: 1960 - 2010
Bio of Keith T. Poole
Related Links

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