Federalism and the Progressives

MPP 640

(3 units)

This seminar course focuses on the hundred-year journey and relationship between Federalism and the Progressives without a preconceived agenda or knowledge of the "legacy" involved. The intellectual impact of the Progressive historians on the way Americans look back at their history will be explored. A major concern is how the founding is portrayed and the extent to which the Progressives might be heavily reliant on the role of university-trained experts to create and implement public policy, thus generating the emergence of the administrative state. The legislative branches at all levels of government and the attempt to secure "good government" will be critiqued, including the extent that Federalism influenced the origin and development of the Progressive Movement and the way Americans think about the federal arrangement.