KENDRA BISCHOFF

Post-Doctoral Fellow

Stanford University

kendrab1 (at) Stanford (dot) edu

Home | About Me | Current Research | Published Papers | Curriculum Vitae | Teaching

Instructor

Urbanst 111/Polisci 121/Soc 149X/Soc 249X: Urban Politics

Autumn 2007

This course is an introduction to urban politics in the United States. It is designed to familiarize students with the principal actors, institutions, and policies of sub-state government in the United States. Throughout the course we will focus on the issues currently facing American cities and discuss how those issues have developed and how they have been addressed. Many of the political challenges faced by urban governments relate to two major characteristics of cities. First, unlike federal and state governments, municipal governments lack much of the formal authority necessary to resolve issues that arise within their borders, leaving economic growth and development – one area over which cities possess effective policy instruments – as the primary focus of metropolitan public policy. Second, residents of metropolitan areas in the United States are highly heterogeneous in terms of ethnicity, race, and class. Historically, this fact has influenced nearly every aspect of urban politics and continues to play a significant role today. In the first half of the class we will learn about the heritage of municipal government in the U.S., the development of their responsibilities, and the role of federal and state governments in municipal affairs. The second half of the course will cover policy challenges that reflect the prominent influence of economic development and residential demography in urban politics. Among the topics to be covered are growth and development, political machines, inequality and segregation, regionalism, suburbanization, housing, schools as urban institutions, and the new politics of exclusionism and security.

Course Syllabus

Teaching Assistant

Soc 200: Senior Seminar for Sociology Majors

Spring 2007

Instructor: Brian Colwell

Soc 202: Preparation for Honors Thesis in Sociology and Urban Studies

Winter 2007

Professor: Doug McAdam

Soc 1: Introduction to Sociology

Fall 2006

Professor: Doug McAdam

Other Teaching Positions

I am currently advising two undergraduate senior honors theses in the Ethics in Society Program at Stanford University.

2011-12

During graduate school, I was a tutor for the Oral Communication Program at the Center for Teaching and Learning at Stanford University. As an Oral Communication Tutor, I helped undergraduate and graduate students prepare for presentations and improve their public speaking skills more generally.

2007-2011