Fall
2009
DU 461
Tuesday/Thursday
Professor: Kimberly Nelson, Ph.D.
Office: 211
Email: klnelson@niu.edu Office hours: Tuesday
and
by appointment
This course is designed
as a broad introduction to public administration. Public administration differs from many other
areas in academia in that it has a strong practical component. POLS 331 will introduce students to both the
theoretical and practical sides of public administration. Among the topics we will cover this semester
are major theories of management, the policy process, and the relationship
between politics and administration.
Upon completion of the course, students will
have a general understanding of the history and practice of public
administration. Students will also learn
basic concepts from the fields of public budgeting, human resources, and
strategic management.
Required
Texts:
Garvey, Gerald, 1997. Public
Administration: The Profession and Practice (A Case Study Approach).
Balanoff, Howard (ed.), 2007. Annual
Editions: Public Policy and Administration.
Other readings are
available via Blackboard.
Course
Requirements:
Attendance and
Participation (5% each) 10%
Midterm examination 20%
Final examination 20%
Research project 20%
Case study submissions (3
@ 10% each) 30%
100%
Format: All assignments should be
typed in 12-point Times New Roman font.
They should be double-spaced with 1-inch margins. Assignments are due on the date listed on the
syllabus, in hard copy format, at the beginning of the class meeting. In addition, all assignments (except for exam
corrections) must be uploaded to SafeAssign via Blackboard (you have until the
next class meeting to upload the assignment without penalty). Assignments not submitted on time in hard
copy format and uploaded to Blackboard will not be credited toward your grade. All late assignments will receive
a 1-letter grade deduction per day late.
Please see me as soon as possible if you have questions or concerns
about an assignment.
Exams:
The
examinations will be in-class (dates are listed on the schedule). The exams are not comprehensive. Exams will have a mixed format which may
include, but not be limited to, multiple choice, definitions, short answer, and
true/false questions. Make-up exams will
only be given in extreme emergencies and only with prior notice to Professor
Nelson. An unexcused absence on the date
of an exam will result in a score of zero for that exam.
Exam
grades for the first exam will not be curved.
In lieu of a curve, students will have the opportunity to correct their
exam and return the original exam and corrections at the next class
meeting. Corrections should be typed on
a separate piece of paper. For the multiple-choice
questions, an explanation as to why the answer is correct is needed. Students submitting corrected exams will
receive up to ½ of the points missed added to the exam grade. No late
resubmissions will be accepted. If you
do not attend class the day the exams are handed out (and you do not have an
excused absence) you will not have the opportunity to make the corrections.
Research Project
Each student must complete a research project that is due
at the end of the semester. The project
consists of both a written and oral component.
A grading rubric is available on Blackboard that explains how the
assignment will be evaluated.
Written portion (8-10 pages):
Using the newspaper, online
legitimate news sources, or news magazines (Time,
Newsweek, etc.), select a current
event related to public administration.
Avoid issues that are solely political or that are primarily the concern
of the private sector.
Determine which unit we are
covering this semester most closely fits the issue you have selected (fitting your issue into a broader topic
will help you identify the necessary journal sources). Find 3-5 academic
sources related to this topic (academic sources are peer-reviewed journal
articles that we discussed at the beginning of the semester).
Using the articles and your
knowledge of the current event from news accounts, write up a written report
with the following sections:
1)
Introduction
a.
Brief
description of the event/issue
b.
Why
is it important?
c.
Thesis
statement
2)
Governments
involved—identify which branches of government are or should be concerned with
this issue; additionally, describe which levels or government are or should be
concerned. Why? What departments within those governments should
be working on this issue? Why?
3)
Describe
the findings from the academic literature and relate those findings back to the
current event.
4)
Conclusion
a.
Sum
up your main points
Example: If you selected
the topic of the debate about healthcare reform, you might choose to look at it
from the perspective of ethics (one of the units from the class). Ideally, you
would try to find academic sources that address ethical issues in healthcare
reform, or something close to that. For
example, there are many sources that address accountability issues with
privatizing Medicaid and Medicare.
Oral portion of the research project:
The final two class meetings will
be dedicated to discussion of the projects.
Each student will describe his or her topic and the perspective chosen
to examine it. You can do this from your
seat. It is less a formal presentation
than an informal discussion of the issues raised in the papers. If multiple students have similar topics, we
will try to discuss them all at the same time.
Case Study Analyses
Each student is required to complete three (3) case study
analysis projects and submit them for a grade.
Case studies are listed on the syllabus.
The questions at the end of each case are often helpful to complete the
assignment. In paragraph form (3-5
pages), the case analysis should include the following sections:
1)
Clearly
and succinctly, describe the problem or issue that is the subject of the case. Use names to identify key actors in the case.
2)
Identify
those problems or issues that should be the priority for resolution. Do not
list all of the issues, only select those that you believe are most
significant.
3)
Identify
and evaluate 2-3 relevant potential courses of action. Describe each and state their strengths and
weaknesses.
4)
Choose
the alternative that you believe is most appropriate and justify your choice.
A case analysis is not a description of the case. It is a critical analysis of the major issues
of concern in the case. A summary of the
case is not sufficient for this assignment.
A grading rubric is available on Blackboard.
If you choose not to turn in a written case analysis in a
given week, you must still read the case and be prepared to discuss the
questions at the end of the case.
Attendance and Participation:
I will take attendance for every class period. It is important that you attend class as much
as possible. The case study method
depends on adequate student participation and attendance in order to learn the
material presented. Your attendance
grade is a percentage of classes attended.
Your participation grade has a baseline equivalent to the percentage of
classes you attend. Students who
participate regularly will see an increase in that percentage, students who do
not participate regularly will see a decrease.
The maximum score for participation is 100% (5 points of the total class
grade).
Academic Integrity: Students are required to adhere to NIU’s code of student conduct
for academic integrity. Violations will
result in a failed grade on the assignment and possibly the class. You are expected to ensure that all assignments submitted
for a grade reflect substantially your
own work, that work submitted under your name is substantially original, and that you have understood
and learned the competencies in each assignment and not relied primarily on the
knowledge of others. Students whose work
is substantially plagiarized from others will receive a ‘0’ on that assignment
or exam. If you are unclear of what
actions constitute plagiarism, please see me.
Students with Disabilities:
If you are a student with a disability, please meet with me so that I can
arrange accommodations.
Class Schedule:
This schedule is subject to change.
Some links may have changed since preparation of this syllabus.
DATE
|
TOPIC |
ASSIGNMENT DUE |
|
Aug. 25 |
Introduction Understanding case studies |
Chapter 1, Garvey |
|
Aug. 27 |
Writing and researching in public
administration |
Chapter 1, Writing for the Government (on
Blackboard) Curriculum and Case Notes, Boehrer (on
Blackboard) Hurricane Katrina Case (on Blackboard) Handout on
Blackboard—Researching Academic Sources |
|
Sept. 1 |
Context of
public administration—historical development & basic concepts; public vs.
private |
Stillman,
Chapter 1, The Search for the Scope and Purpose of Public Administration (on
Blackboard) |
|
Sept. 3 |
Chapter
6, Garvey: What’s Public? What’s Private? Case 5 |
|
|
Sept. 8 |
Public
Institutions and the politics-administration dichotomy |
Stillman,
Chapter 14 |
|
Sept. 10 |
Federalism and intergovernmental
relations |
Chapter 7, Garvey, Federalism and
Intergovernmental Relations Case 6 |
|
Sept. 15 |
Public
Policymaking & Power |
Stillman, Chapter 4, The Political
Environment, The Case of Administrative Power, |
|
Sept. 17 |
||
|
Sept. 22 |
Organization Theory |
Chapter 3, Garvey, Introduction to Organizational Theory Case 2 |
|
Sept. 24 |
||
|
Sept. 29 |
Organization Behavior--Motivation |
Chapter 10, Garvey, Making the Human
Connection Case
9 Review for
Midterm |
|
Oct. 1 |
||
|
Oct. 6 |
Midterm
Exam |
|
|
Oct. 8 |
Ethics |
Chapter 8, Garvey, Introduction to
Ethics Case 7 ICMA Code of Ethics: http://www.njmma.org/ethics.pdf Annual Editions, |
|
Oct. 13 |
Accountability
vs. Discretion |
Chapter 4, Garvey, Democratic
Accountability vs. Administrative Discretion Case 3 Return midterm exams on October 13 Dubnick—Accountability & Ethics—on
Blackboard |
|
Oct. 15 |
||
|
Oct. 20 |
Efficiency,
compensation, and bargaining |
Chapter 5, Garvey, The Politics of Administrative Choice Case 4 |
|
Oct. 22 |
||
|
Oct. 27 |
Decision Theory |
Chapter
11, Garvey, Modern Decision Theory Case 10 |
|
Oct. 29 |
||
|
Nov. 3 |
Leadership |
Stillman,
Chapter 10, reading and case study
(on Blackboard) |
|
Nov. 5 |
||
|
Nov. 10 |
Personnel/Human Resources Management |
Chapter 2, Garvey, Public Personnel
Administration Case
1 Annual Editions, Reading #13 Organizational Culture |
|
Nov. 12 |
DATE |
TOPIC |
ASSIGNMENT DUE |
|
Nov. 17 |
Social Equity & Current Policy Issues |
Garvey, pp.
227-228 Annual Editions,
Reading #2 The State of Annual Editions,
Reading #20: Privacy Concerns Annual Editions,
|
|
Nov. 19 |
Program Evaluation—Policy Analysis |
Chapter 9,
Garvey, Formal Policy Analysis Case 8 Annual Editions,
Reading #6 Evidence-Based Management |
|
Nov. 24 |
||
|
Nov. 26 |
Thanksgiving Break |
|
|
Dec. 1 |
Presentation of project
findings—research projects due |
|
|
Dec. 3 |
Last Class—Review for final
exam, finish presentations of projects
|
|
|
Dec. 10 |
Final
Exam |
|