The Impact of Mega-events on Local Politics
This course is about power in urban governance — who has it, how it is acquired, how it is used, and what it is used for. One of the most visible objects of power is the “mega-event” or “mega-project.” In the context of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, and also the 2015 Pan-Am and Parapan Games to be held in Toronto (including major sports venues on the UTSC campus) it seems appropriate to examine the impact of mega-events on local politics and the urban environment.
You will read the book Olympic Dreams: The Impact of Mega-events on Local Politics (Lynne Rienner Publishers, 2001). The book is short, clearly written, and relates directly to the ideas about urban politics introduced in the first part of the course.It is available on the bookstore.
The organization of the book is typical of academic writing. The first part of the book introduces a theoretical framework, which is then used to explain what happened in several empirical cases. The core of this assignment is to think about how empirical research can be used to illuminate, prove, or disprove theories.
(1) READING JOURNAL:
Being able to read and compactly summarize text is a valuable skill in academic and professional environments. The purpose of the Reading Journal is to give you practice in reading and note-taking, and to ensure that you read the book a bit at a time during the term rather than all at once at the end!
You will submit two Reading Journal entries. In the first one, due Oct.7, you will cover the theoretical chapters of the book — Chapters 1, 2, and 3. Look out for theories and key terms. For example, what do they mean by “consumption-oriented economic development,” the “post-federal era,” an “urban mega-event strategy,” and an “urban regime”? The objective is briefly summarize the main points, not every little detail.
For the second journal entry, due Oct. 28, you will read two of the three case study chapters (your choice of chapters 4, 5, or 6) and the concluding chapter (chapter 7). Your objective is to identify and summarize the most important pieces of factual information that support the theories and arguments presented in the first three chapters.