Course Description:

This introductory level course examines a range of contemporary topics and issues through the lens of a comparative study of differing concepts and perspectives of public administration. Imbedded in the organization and focus of this course is a concerted effort to overcome notions that American administrative structures and approaches reflect the ideal type of contemporary administrative style.

Course Objectives:

The objectives of this course center upon comparing and contrasting issues and concerns central to public administration systems within a selected set of countries worldwide. To attain these objectives the course will explore an array of interrelated questions and issues that reflect a marriage of public administration and comparative politics. These include governance in contemporary societies, including administrative reforms, privatization, “empowerment”, the impact of globalization on state administrative structures and policies, devolution, and other concerns relevant to public sector administrators in Latin America, Europe, Asia and Africa. Each of these topics will carry a host of tangential questions and concerns that emerge under comparative analysis.

Although not a requirement for this course, the successful completion of an introductory course in public administration and/or comparative politics would be beneficial.

This course will concentrate upon exploring eight very challenging questions. While each may not be addressed completely, collectively they are seen as forming a philosophical foundation for inquiry into the subject as well as the basis for further study of comparative public administration. These questions will not be addressed in any particular sequence and one or more portions may be included as part of any given course module discussion.

1. How can we explain variable political power and control of public bureaucracies between, among and within political systems?
2. What are the relationships between the executive, legislative, and judicial sectors of a polity vis-à-vis the national bureaucracy?
3. What are the interactions between political parties, elite groupings and/or pressure groups, and the administrative system of a state?
4. How can we explain the variations in the pattern of organizational authority and form within and between public organizations and between political systems of given states? How do these patterns of behavior influence governance within and between political systems.
5. How can we best explain the differing unintended functions public bureaucracies perform within and between political systems?
6. What accounts for the variations in behavior, education, and recruitment of public bureaucrats within and between political systems? What are the methods of recruitment and promotion within bureaucracies of various political systems?
7. What are some influences exerted by socio-economic variables, governmental patterns and historical legacies upon a given national bureaucracy?
8. What are the behavioral characteristics of a given bureaucracy in terms of ethics and accountability? Can we clearly identify the concepts of public interest and responsiveness to the public in administrative behavior within and between political systems?

The class is organized into nine modules with each module addressing a specific topical area. Specifics as to length and content of each module, reading assignments, discussion topics and study questions can be found in the Course Outline portion of the course.

Module 1 – Course Introduction and Perspectives

Module 2 – Evolution of Comparative Public Administration

Module 3 – Nature of Comparative Public Administration

Module 4 – Comparative Bureaucratic Systems

Module 5 – Comparative Perspectives on Governance – an initial view

Module 6 – Comparative Public Management

Module 7 – Comparative Public Finance and Budgeting

Module 8 - Comparative Public Policy Formulation

Module 9 – Concluding Perspectives

Please visit the Virtual Bookstore to obtain textbook information for this course:
http://rodp.bkstr.com

Please visit the Virtual Bookstore to obtain textbook information for this course:
http://rodp.bkstr.com

The minimum requirements can be found at http://www.rodp.org/students/hardware_software.htm.

The minimum requirements can be found at http://www.rodp.org/students/hardware_software.htm
Please note, some courses do require additional software. Information about additional software can be obtained from the Virtual Bookstore or your instructor.

Please see the separate page inside the course to find instructor contact information as well as a statement of virtual office hours and other communication information.

There will be two examinations, both will be open book and in essay format. Both examinations will be comprised of both short and long essay questions and will require the students to display both an understanding of the critical comparative aspects of the administrative systems examined and the ability to apply these comparative aspects in brief cross-system analysis. Students will be provided an “address format” for submitting examinations and papers.

The following grading scale will apply:

100 – 90 = A
  89 – 80 = B  
  79 – 70 = C
  69 – 60 = D
  59 and below = F

Class Discussions:  The class will center upon a series of discussion questions posted each week which focus on the topic for that week. Discussion questions will be posted in three week increments. This approach will allow for any “tweaking” of the topics to address real-time comparative administration issues which might arise during the course. Students will be evaluated on their participation in the weekly discussion assignments. Each student will be required to respond to the discussion questions and replies to these questions will be posted on the course discussion board. These responses should be seen as responses in a regular class discussion. Specific comments on discussion policies and procedures will be provided as necessary.

Course Paper:   Each student will produce a 10-to-12 page research paper focused on a contemporary issue within comparative public administration. A topic list will be provided by the instructor however, students may modify these topics or examine other topics with approval of the instructor. Research investigation is expected to include citation of at least three articles from established professional journals in the field. Paper quality will be that expected of upper division undergraduate students and MUST INCLUDE citations (APA format) and a bibliography.

Class Participation:

Students must participate in all interactive aspects of the course.  Students must use discussion threads and e-mail to communicate with the instructor and other students. Students are expected to communicate with the instructor as a learning resource, students must check the course bulletin board frequently for announcements, and students must actively participate in threaded discussion events.

Check your Course Calendar for the dues dates for assignments and dates for all examinations. Specific policies will be explained by your instructor.

Cheating and other forms of academic misconduct, including plagiarism, are prohibited. The instructor has the authority to assign a zero for the exercise or examination or to assign an F in the course in the case of academic misconduct.
Students should use the WebCT mail rather than a personal email address. Emails should not be sent to the instructor under another person's name. Please include a subject line when e-mailing the instructor or other class members. Please ask permission before sending e-mails with large attachments.
Students are expected to learn to navigate in WebCT, keep abreast of course announcements, and complete all assignments by the due dates. If, for any reason, a student has a question about an assignment or realizes that an assignment cannot be completed on time, the instructor should be notified immediately. If technical problems arise, they must be dealt with immediately.
The discussion board and chat room are for class purposes only. Please remember to be courteous to other users at all times. They will be monitored. Make sure that you remember that even though you may not mean to be rude or cruel sometimes e-mails and postings can be misunderstood. Please be respectful and mindful of the instructor and your fellow students. Course netiquette should be observed in all communications.
 

• Columbia Guide to Online Style by Janice R. Walker and Todd Taylor
• Citation Styles Online http://www.bedfordstmartins.com/online/cite6.html

Library

The Tennessee Virtual Library is available to all students enrolled in the Regents Degree Program. Links to library materials (such as electronic journals, databases, interlibrary loans, digital reserves, dictionaries, encyclopedias, maps, and librarian support) and Internet resources needed by learners to complete online assignments and as background reading must be included in all courses. 

Students With Disabilities

Qualified students with disabilities will be provided reasonable and necessary academic accommodations if determined eligible by the appropriate disability services staff at their home institution. Prior to granting disability accommodations in this course, the instructor must receive written verification of a student's eligibility for specific accommodations from the disability services staff at the home institution. It is the student's responsibility to initiate contact with their home institution's disability services staff and to follow the established procedures for having the accommodation notice sent to the instructor.

Syllabus Changes

The instructor reserves the right to make changes as necessary to this syllabus. If changes are necessitated during the term of the course, the instructor will immediately notify students of such changes both by individual email communication and posting both notification and nature of change(s) on the course bulletin board.

Technical Support

If you are having problems logging into your course, timing out of your course, using your course web site tools, or other technical problems, please contact the AskRODP Help Desk by calling

1-866-550-7637 (toll free)

or go to the AskRODP website at:

http://help.rodp.org