POLS 207 Los Angeles Politics

This is a course about urban politics that takes Los Angeles as its case study. Because of the pattern of growth in the area Los Angeles is broadly defined to encompass the city the county and the region. Since politics is the study of power we will examine power in the context of the city; who has it who seeks it how has it shifted over time and what consequences result from it being exercised? Significant attention will be paid to the agency of those who have at various times had the least power in the city; how are they represented or not represented how can they influence the exercise of power? Many look to Los Angeles as a paradigmatic city. We will query the appropriateness of this observation as we identify key concepts in urban politics apply them to Los Angeles and then consider how much Los Angeles sets follows or deviates from trends.