Requirements

Michael C. LeMay, Public Administration: Clashing Values i the Administration of Public Policy, 2nd edition (2006)

Richard J. Stillman II, Public Administration: Concepts and Cases, 8th edition. Houghton Mifflin (2005)

Barry G. Rabe, Statehouse and Greenhouse: The Emerging Politics of American Climate Change (2004)

Other readings will be hyperlinked to the class schedule web page, or available from Electronic Reserve (also linked to the class schedule web page). Readings will be added to the web page over the course of the semester, so please review it weekly.

The Hacker book is not just for use in this class, but for use in all of the classes you take in the PA program. It includes instruction in how to conduct research, compose a paper, ensure correct grammar, punctuation, etc. as well as how to cite sources.

You are expected to attend each class, prepared to discuss the assigned readings and cases. While our discussion of a topic will be broader than the LeMay reading, you should be prepared to answer the review questions he poses at the end of each chapter. You should also be prepared to respond to the questions posed by Stillman in each assigned chapter, as well as any I may also add (which will be hyperlinked to the class schedule page). I reserve the right to call on you and ask you one of the pre-assigned questions. Class participation will be the determining factor if your final score falls on the border between two grades. If you must miss a class during the semester, you are required to turn in written answers to at least three of the questions posed by LeMay and the Stillman.

Each of the following assignments specifies a page limit (or time limit, in case of the oral presentation). These limitations are specified for a reason. Public administrators are busy, and do not have time to read long papers or listen to lengthy briefings. It is important that you learn to deliver concise oral presentations and written papers.

I suggest that you consult the Hacker book whenever you sit down to write a paper as it contains many suggestions for how to write effectively and correctly. You are required to use the APA in-text style for citing reference in your papers, unless I approve another style. (See p. 381 of the Hacker book.)

There are style sheets that provides additional information about each assignment. Please make sure you read it before beginning your work.

The purpose of this assignment is two-fold. The first is to acquaint you with the case study as a method of learning. In a case study, your are given information about an actual situation. You must apply analytical skills to determine the key issues and then to come up with a recommendation(s) as to how to proceed. We expect your first effort to analyze a case will be difficult. By the time you reach the capstone course (PA 800) you should have much more knowledge and greater analytical ability to apply to the case. The other purpose, then, is to comply with the requirement that academic programs such as the MPA program have some means by which they can evaluate student learning. In this case you will tackle the same case study in PA 800 and the knowledge and skills you have developed should come through. The case study paper is due on Sept. 17.

The purpose of this assignment is to acquaint you and with specific public administration concepts and the journals in which they are discussed. It is also an exercise in conducting research, writing an effective and concise briefing paper that properly cites its references, and delivering an engaging and informative oral briefing. The oral briefing gives your classmates the opportunity to learn about the concept from you. You will be asked to sign up for one of the concepts on a list circulated during the first two weeks of class. You are to prepare a briefing paper (maximum of 5 pages) that addresses the issues outlined on the style sheet for the assignment. Those papers are due . Then, on the evening indicated on the style sheet, you will present that briefing orally to the class. The paper should be based on at least six sources, four of which are from scholarly journals (see list of journals and other sources on style sheet) and must use the APA in-text method of citation. The concept paper is due Oct. 1.

The purpose of this assignment is to engage your thinking about, and analysis of ethical issues facing public administrators. As described by Professor William Gormley in a recent article in Public Administration Review, mysteries often pose public servants grappling with troubling ethical dilemmas. In this assignment, you will choose one of the mysteries included on the list in the style sheet (or another of your choice that meets the criteria), and write a paper (maximum of five pages) that discusses ethical issues that are raised in the context of the novel. Your paper is due on Oct. 29.

The purpose of this assignment is to engage your thinking about the challenges public administrators and elected officials face in dealing with significant policy issues. In this case, the policy you will write about states' response to climate change, and your paper will be based on Statehouse v. Greenhouse by Barry G. Rabe. The assignment's purpose is also to provide you with experience working with a team, as ability to work with a team has become a necessary skill in today's workplace. Your team grade will be based on the paper your team hands it. Team grades will be adjusted for individual members based on the team-member assessment instrument you each complete. The paper is due Nov. 26.

The purpose of this assignment is to provide you with the opportunity to relate the class readings and discussion to the "real world" issues faced by public managers. For this assignment, you will arrange an interview with someone who has had at least three years of professional experience working as a career employee (not elected) in a public sector or nonprofit agency. Your interview questions will address at least three of the specific topics that were discussed in the class, as well as the general subject of administrative reform. Your discussion of the interview results as they relate to the specific topics should address the semester's assigned readings on that topic. The paper is limited to five pages double-spaced and is due on the last day of class: Dec. 17.

A Note on Plagiarism

Whenever words are taken directly from another author without quotation marks and direct attribution to the author, it constitutes plagiarism which is a serious and punishable offense at this university. Please ensure that your papers are written in your own words, that ideas and facts taken from others are clearly attributed to them, and that anything taken verbatim from another source is enclosed in quotation marks. Citations can take the form of footnotes or in-text references, but there should be a full bibliographic reference somewhere in the document. In the case of a direct quotation, the citation should include the page number where the quote was found as well. Direct quotes from another author should be used sparingly, and only when the point you are making is stated best by using someone else’s words.