POLS 331: Intro to Public Administration
Spring 2007
Professor: Curt Wood
Class Times: Tuesday and Thursday 11-12:15 PM in DuSable 246
Office Hours: Monday and Tuesday 9-10 AM or by appointment
Office Room No. 213 IASBO Building
Email: chwood@niu.edu
Office Phone: (815)
753-6144
This course is designed to provide the student with an understanding of the major public administration theories influencing the discipline, the role of the public bureaucracy in American society, and the interplay of politics and public administration at the national, state, and local levels. This course serves as an introduction to public administration. During the semester we will review topics generally associated with its study and practice such as ethics, social equity, organization theory and behavior, public policy formation, public management, administrative reform, strategic planning and performance management, intergovernmental relations, leadership, human resources, and public finance. Through class discussion, group work, lectures, reading, and praxis papers students will become familiar with the primary issues and challenges facing public administrators today at the local, state, and national levels.
Shafritz, Jay M. and Russell, E.W. 2007. Introducing Public Administration. Fifth Edition. New York: Addison Wesley Longman, Inc.
Goodsell, Charles. 2004. The
Case for Bureaucracy: A Public Administration Polemic, Fourth Edition.
Washington D.C.: CQ Press.
It is my goal to train students to think critically about the major theories of public administration and to link theory with practice through praxis papers and case studies. I will challenge students to think actively by taking responsibility for and becoming involved in their own learning inside and outside the classroom.
Students must write a review of the Charles Goodsell book. The book review should describe the author’s primary message(s) or theme(s), his findings, how these themes and findings relate to the class readings, lectures, and cases, and your reaction to the book. The book review should be no longer than 5 pages. Papers should be double-spaced with 1-inch margins, written with 12-point font, and include a cover page and citations. The book review is due no later than the last regular class. Grades will be based on how well the student integrates the book to theories, concepts, and cases studied in class or in the readings, how well the student understands and explains the book, and how well the paper is written in terms of sentence structure, grammar, and spelling. No late book reviews will be accepted.
Each student will be required to turn in and be prepared to present and discuss five (5) short (no longer than two pages) papers during the semester that relate to one major idea, theory, or concept from the readings to a public administration case, story, or experience. How does the idea/theory/or concept fit (or not fit) with practice on the ground? What are the lessons learned? The case or story may come from a current events article or experience. Praxis papers are due on Thursday of each week. No late praxis essays will be accepted. Only one praxis paper will be accepted each week. Cases must involve public (governmental) organizations and public (governmental) administrators. Grades will be based on how well the student integrates the article or case with the theories and concepts studied in class or in the readings, how well the student understands and explains the case, and how well the paper is written in terms of sentence structure, grammar, and spelling.
The praxis paper should have a title, be double-spaced, have one-inch margins, and 12-point font. Students should cite all sources in a reference section and there should be embedded citations with the author’s last name, year of publication, and page number if a direct quote. If a student turns in more than 5 reaction papers, the professor will drop the lowest grade, bringing the total number of reaction papers to 5. For example, if a student turns in 7 praxis papers, the professor will drop the two lowest grades. Extra praxis papers will also receive extra credit.
Quizzes
There will be a midterm and a final exam. The mid-term and the final exam will be
comprised of multiple choice questions and true/false questions. The final
examination will cover the material during the second half of the
semester. Make-up exams will only be
permitted in the case of extreme emergencies. In order to be eligible to make
up a test, a student must notify Professor Wood prior to the test that
he/she will not be able to take the test at the appointed time. An unexcused absence from an exam will
receive a score of zero.
Each student is expected to fully
participate in class discussion/group work and is encouraged to ask questions
during class. In order to meaningfully participate (i.e. receive credit), each
student must be prepared for class.
Attending class is a prerequisite for participation. Each student is expected to have read the
material prior to coming to class. Sleeping or talking in class is grounds for
a lower participation score. Use of the
Discussion Board on Blackboard will receive credit for in-class discussion.
Letter grades will be based on the standard 100 percent scale (e.g. 90% – 100% = A, 80% – 89% = B, 70% - 79% = C, etc.). The following components are the criteria for calculating the course grade.
Quizzes (4) 10%
Mid-term 20%
Final 20%
Praxis Papers (5) 20%
Book Review 20%
Participation/Attendance 10%
100%
Week 1 (January
16,18): Introduction
Tuesday: Introduction
Professor introduction
Introduce Ernita Joaquin, doctoral candidate
Introduce Neil Wright, GTA
Introduce the teaching assistant (if applicable)
Student introductions
Go over syllabus
Professor will show how to access journals, books, and newspaper articles on the Library Internet site.
Professor will go over citations and
references
Thursday: Lecture/discussion on the purpose and role of government?
Tuesday: Chapter 1 lecture and discussion on what is public administration?
Thursday: Praxis paper due and lecture/discussion on what is bureaucracy and the evolution of bureaucracy and public administration.
Week 3 (January 30, February 1): Public Policy
Tuesday: Chapter 2 lecture and discussion of policy stages and policy theories
Thursday: Praxis paper due and lecture/discussion on types of decision making and case study.
Week 4 (February 6, 8): Ethics
Tuesday: Chapter 5 lecture and discussion of the four types of ethics
Thursday: Praxis paper due and lecture/discussion on the ICMA professional code of ethics and case studies pertaining to the code.
Week 5 (February 13, 15): Social Equity
Tuesday: Chapter 12 lecture and discussion on
what is social equity
Thursday: Praxis paper due and lecture/discussion on social equity in action.
Week 6 (February 20, 22): Leadership
Tuesday: Chapter 10 lecture and discussion of leadership theories.
Thursday: Praxis paper due and leadership case study.
Week 7 (February 27, March 1): Organizational Theory
Tuesday: Chapter 6 lecture and discussion (Ernita Joaquin)
Thursday:
Praxis papers due and lecture on Chapter 6 and the garbage can model of organizational decision-making
(Ernita Joaquin).
Week 8 (March 6, 8): Organizational Behavior
Tuesday: Chapter 7 lecture and discussion of organizational humanism theories. Also, review for Mid-term.
Thursday: Mid-term
Week 9 (March 13,
15): Spring Break
Week 10 (March 20, 22: Strategic Management and Performance Measurement
Tuesday: Lecture/discussion on strategic management (Chapter 9).
Thursday: Praxis paper due and lecture/case study on performance measurement (Chapter 8).
Week 11 (March 27, 29): Public Budgeting and Finance
Tuesday: Chapter 13 lecture and discussion on public budgeting
Thursday: Praxis paper due and lecture/discussion on types of revenues.
Week 12 (April 3, 5): Finance continued and Auditing and Evaluation
Tuesday: Revenue case study and Chapter 14 lecture and discussion on auditing and evaluation.
Thursday: Praxis paper due and auditing case study.
Week 13 (April 10,
12): Intergovernmental Relations (IGR)
Tuesday: Chapter 4 lecture and discussion on the U.S. federal system and vertical IGR
Thursday: Praxis paper due and lecture/discussion on regional government and governance.
Week 14 (April 17, 19): Personnel Management
Tuesday: Chapter 11 lecture and discussion on the civil service and personnel management
Thursday: Praxis paper due and lecture/case study on collective bargaining.
Week 15 (April 24, 26): Administrative Reform
Tuesday: Chapter 3 lecture and discussion on the New Public Management (Ernita Joaquin)
Thursday: Current events reaction paper due and lecture/discussion on the Challenges of privatization (Ernita Joaquin).
Week 16 (May 1, 3):
Tuesday: Dr. Vicki Clark, MPA Coordinator at NIU, and Anne Marie Guerra, City Administrator of Montgomery to talk about the NIU MPA program and what it’s like to be a city administrator.
Thursday: Review for Final Exam
Professor Wood reserves the right to make changes to the above schedule or the syllabus with adequate notice.
Whenever referencing material from the texts, supplemental readings, or lectures, students should include appropriate citations to avoid problems of plagiarism. Students are guilty of plagiarism, intentional or not, if they copy material from books, journals, or other sources without identifying and acknowledging those sources or if they paraphrase ideas from such sources without acknowledging them (NIU Undergraduate Catalog).
NIU abides by Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 that mandates that reasonable accommodations be provided for qualified students with disabilities. If you have a disability and may require some type of instructional and/or examination accommodation, please contact me early in the semester so that I can provide or facilitate in providing accommodations you may need. If you have not already done so, you will need to register with the Center for Access-Ability Resources (CAAR), the designated office on campus to provide services and administer exams with accommodations for students with disabilities. The CAAR office is located on the 4th floor of the University Health Services building (815-753-1303).
The Department of Political Science will recognize, on an annual basis, outstanding undergraduate papers written in conjunction with 300-400 level political science courses or directed studies. Authors do not have to be political science majors or have a particular class standing. Winners are expected to attend the Department’s spring graduation ceremony where they will receive a certificate and $50.00. Papers, which can be submitted by students or faculty, must be supplied in triplicate to a department secretary by February 28. All copies should have two cover pages – one with the student’s name and one without the student’s name. Only papers written in the previous calendar year can be considered for the award. However, papers completed in the current spring semester are eligible for the following year’s competition even if the student has graduated.
Please turn your cell phones off before coming to class. Cell phones may not be used in class, nor is it acceptable to read newspapers or bring persons not enrolled in the course to class.
Undergraduates are strongly encouraged to consult the Department of Political Science web site on a regular basis. This up-to-date, central source of information will assist students in contacting faculty and staff, reviewing course requirements and syllabi, exploring graduate study, researching career options, tracking department events, and accessing important details related to undergraduate programs and activities. To reach the site, go to http://polisci.niu.edu