| Course
Information |
| Course
Description: |
Set
within the context of contemporary political, social, economic, and
administrative realities, this introductory course in public
administration explores responsive, equitable, effective, efficient, and
accountable governance processes, public policies, and institutional-base
programs. It examines, from a multidisciplinary perspective, those
essential competencies, values, and issues important to public service
organizations and the importance of public policy at the local, state,
national and international levels. |
| Course
Objectives: |
Using a
diverse set of learning experiences to present a general introduction to
the principle components of public administration, completion of this
course will provide the student with a general understand of the complex
environment within which governance occurs as well as the duties,
responsibilities, challenges and problems of public service professionals. |
| Prerequisites
and Corequisites: |
There are
no formal prerequisites for this course, however, it is strongly
recommended that students have completed a freshman level course in
American Government. |
| Course
Topics: |
This
course is presented in five modules and topically follows the outline of
the Rosenbloom text with case studies and addition readings augmentation
from the Stillman text. Topical content presents a general introduction to
the principal components of public administration, including
administrative and organizational structures, decision making, planning,
budgeting, public personnel administration and management, policy
development, analysis, implementation and evaluation, the problems and
opportunities regarding governance, inter-governmental relations and
ethics and is organized as follows:
Module 1: Introduction and
Overview [Prior to Class-Initial Class Session]
Module 2: Foundations
[Three Weeks]
[Week 1] Introduction to the Practice and Profession of
Public Administration
[Week 2] The Administrative Conundrum: The American
Administrative State
[Week 3] Picket Fences or Marble Cake? Federalism and
Intergovernmental Relations
Letter to Editor due at end of week 3
Module 3: Functions [Five
Weeks]
[Week 4] Public Organizations: Design, Structure and
Process
[Week 5] Complexities, Challenges and Crises: The
Environments of Public Decision Making
[Week 6] Managing with People: Public Personnel
Administration and Collective Bargaining
[Week 7] Making a Difference: Policy Analysis and
Implementation Evaluation
[Week 8] Show Me the Money! The Challenges of Public
Budgeting
Exam 1
Module 4: Values [Three
Weeks]
[Week 9] Responsiveness: Governance, Community and
Collaboration
[Week 10] Respect: Public Administration and Democratic
Constitutionalism
Issue Paper due at end of week 10
[Week 11] Responsibilities: Accountability and Ethics in
Action
Module 5: Future Imperfect [One
week]
[Week 12] Reinventing, Reforming, and Reengineering:
Public Administration: The New Public Administration vs. the New Public
Service
Exam 2
|
| Specific
Course Requirements: |
Successful
completion of the course will require the student to become proficient in
the use of basic computer and electronic mail techniques. Each student
must have an e-mail address, preferably one assigned by the TBR college or
university through which they enrolled in the course. |
| Textbooks,
Supplementary Materials, Hardware, and Software Requirements |
| Required
Textbooks: |
Please visit the Virtual Bookstore to
obtain textbook information for this course:
http://rodp.bkstr.com |
| Supplementary
Materials: |
Students
should have access to national, state and local news publications (the
Sunday New York Times is an excellent source) to provide perspectives on
current issues in public administration. |
| Hardware
Requirements: |
Information
on computer hardware requirements can be found on the Regents On-line
Degree Program at http://www.rodp.org/students/hardware_software.htm. |
| Software
Requirements: |
Information
on computer software and other system requirements can be found an the
regents On-Line Degrees Program at http://www.rodp.org/students/hardware_software.htm. |
| Assessment
and Grading |
| Testing
Procedures: |
The first
exam will be "open-book" and will follow completion of Module Three.
This exam will be comprised of short and long essay questions and a case
study. The final exam, also "open book," will be comprised of an
extensive case analysis and will be comprehensive in nature. Both exams
are designed to both reinforce key concepts and allow the individual
student to expand his or her knowledge base via introduction of materials
obtained by personal research work or gained from other students in the
class via chats and discussions. |
| Grading
Procedure: |
All
exams will be provided on-line a minimum of seven days before the due
date. Late exams will be penalized one letter grade for each 24 hour
period late up to 72 hours. Any exam over 72 hours late will receive
a failing grade and not completing the final exam will result in an
automatic failing grade. All assignment dates for a given module will be
announced upon the start of that module and will also be listed in the
assignments section of the course calendar. While the grading emphasis of
the assigned written assignment will be on their topical content and
quality, consideration will be given to the technical quality of the
writing; therefore grammar, spelling, sentence structure, organization,
and the like should not be ignored.
The following exam/exercise
values will be used to compute final grades:
Writing Assignment 1 -
Letter to the Editor: 10%
Writing Assignment 2 - Issue Paper: 20%
Exam 1 - 20%
Exam 2 - 20%
Course Participation - 30%
|
| Grading
Scale: |
The
following grading scale and assignment value percentages will apply:
100 to 90 - A
89 to 80 - B
79 to 70 - C
69 to 60 - D
59 and below - F |
| Assignments
and Participation |
| Assignments
and Projects: |
Public
administration is a very interesting because it is all about how we govern
ourselves. Because written communication is an essential part of the
process of governance as well as a valuable learning skill, several
written exercises are included in the course. These written exercises are
a pivotal feature of the course, serving to reinforce and insure
integration of core concepts. These written assignments will be graded
both on the technical quality of the writing (grammar, spelling, sentence
structure, etc.) as well as its topical content. Although each may
be approached as a separate exercise, the student may wish to focus the
letter to the editor, problem statement and issue paper exercises on a
single public administration related topic. The weekly student reviews of
public administration issues and postings on the bulletin board may
provide ideas for these projects. The following written exercises and
exams will be assigned as part of this course:
Assignments:
1. Written Assignment One:
Letter to the Editor - Date due: End of Week Three - Point value: 10% of
overall grade.
Each student is to write a
Letter to the Editor regarding a public administration issue or concern
that interests him or her. Public administrators often review letters to
the editor as a mechanism for understanding and compiling the concerns and
views of citizens. In addition, effective communication is an important
skill for those wishing to participate in the governance process in such
roles as public administrators, advisory group members, volunteers, or
simply concerned citizens. The letter is to be no more than three
paragraphs long and limited to one page of text. Recommend the student
read some letters to the editor in the national press, national or
professional journals and magazines or your local newspaper to get ideas
as to length, etc.
2. Written Assignment Two:
Issue Paper - Date Due: End of Week Ten
Point value: 20% of overall grade
In order for governance to
be effective, both citizens and public administrators must communicate in
a clear and succinct manner. Very often time is the most important
consideration therefore the ability to state a problem clearly and quickly
is essential.
The challenge of this assignment is to identify a problem
and structure it as an issue requiring a decision. The assignment has two
parts. The first part is a one-page statement of the problem, possible
solutions and recommended solution. The second part is the subsequent
evolution of the problem into an issue paper. For continuity it is
strongly recommended that the same problem identified in the letter to the
editor assignment above be used as the basis for the issue paper.
The problem statement should be
no more than one page in length and include a clear statement of the
problem, at least three possible alternative solutions and a proposed
solution. The one page length is designed to force the student to clearly
define and articulate a problem and present it in a format conducive to
immediate review. To successfully accomplish this task he or she must
reduce a complex problem to an essential paragraph, the possible solutions
to another, and your recommendation to a third. This is not an easy task.
The issue paper is to be
seven to ten pages in length and will include a brief, one paragraph
abstract of the paper, introduction and background on the issue and its
importance, the primary actors involved and their positions on the issue,
discussion of possible solutions or resolution, and a recommendation
regarding solution or resolution. Again, linking this effort to the
letter to the editor assignment will provide the subject and the problem
statement will help structure importance, possible solutions and
recommended solution.
2. Examinations:
Examination 1: Point value - 20%
of course grade - This examination will be given at the end of the Third
Module of the course. The exam will be comprised of short answer questions
and a brief case study. The test will be "open book" using course
texts as well as information gained from on-line discussions and chats.
Examination 2: Point value
- 20% of course grade - This examination will constitute the course final
examination. It will be comprehensive in nature and will be comprised
primarily of a complex case analysis problem.
3. Class Participation:
Point value of 30% of the overall course grade.
Class participation in an on-line course is a unique
experience and will require a personal discipline quite different from
"simply going to class." This course will require students to
both acquire and display the skills necessary to move effectively within
the WebCT environment and the knowledge of the course content required to
achieve a passing grade.
To effectively participate in
the class students must be able to communicate with the instructor and
fellow students via chat room and discussions. Failure to actively
participate in these forums will not only result in missing key ideas and
concepts but also will greatly reduce the opportunity for subsequent
discussions and interactions.
Students will be evaluated
on their participation in each assignment and discussion session and not
on cumulative number of times they log on. Simply put, they must
participate. Just being there will not be enough. Each week students will
be required, as a minimum, to post a item dealing with a public
administrations issue on the course bulletin board. It is anticipated that
these postings, together with the discussion topics will lead to some
spirited discussions. Each course topic is accompanied by a set of
discussion questions designed to focus on the topic objectives. These
discussion topics will be the basis for on-line chat and class session
discussions. Students may be assigned particular discussion items in a
topic in the same way an instructor might call upon a student to explain a
concept in the classroom.
|
| Class
Participation: |
Class
participation in an on-line course is a unique learning experience and
will require a personal discipline quite different from "simply going to
class," [see course participation grading comments above]. This
course will require the student to both acquire and display the skills
necessary to move effectively within the WebCT environment and the
knowledge of the course content required to achieve a passing grade. To
effectively participate in the class the student must be able to
communicate with the instructor and his or her fellow students via chat
room and discussions. Failure to actively participate in these forums will
not only result in the student missing key ideas and concepts but also
will greatly reduce the opportunity for subsequent discussions and
interactions. |
| Punctuality: |
This
course is organized around four foundation modules. These modules serve as
course milestones that allow the student to determine if they are on track
and to provide convenient course material benchmarks. Each module will be
released at a prescribed time to allow for coherent management of the
course. |
| Course
Ground Rules |
|
This
course is offered in what is known as an asynchronous learning
environment. That mouthful of bureaucratic techno-speak simply means that
each student will be moving at his or her own pace within the assigned
module. There will be no required "class meetings" as such but
certainly required course participation. Students are expected to
communicate with their fellow students and to participate in discussions
of assigned topics, learn how to navigate in WebCT, keep abreast of course
announcements, use the assigned college or university e-mail address as
opposed a personal e-mail address, address technical problems immediately,
and observe course netiquette at all times. |
| Guidelines
for Communications |
| Email: |
Guidelines
for e-mail:
Obtain and use a college or university e-mail address as
opposed to their own personal e-mail address.
Create a course file for course related e-mails and
if possible, save to floppy disk at least once a week.
Always include a subject line and reference module.
Use standard fonts.
Do not send large attachments without permission.
Special formatting such as centering, audio messages,
tables, html, etc., should be avoided unless necessary to complete an
assignment or other communication.
Lastly, be careful in the wording of your e-mails.
Remember, without facial expressions some comments may be taken the wrong
way. Most importantly, respect the privacy of other class members. |
| Discussion
Groups: |
Guidelines
for Discussions:
Student interaction is essential for this course to
achieve its objectives. The topic/subject for each week will have both
learning objectives and discussion topics. The discussion topics are
designed to facilitate attainment of the learning objectives, however, the
course will not explore every discussion topic in detail. Students are
expected to have studied, read or skimmed material as noted in the module
outlines and to participate in class discussions and chat between each
other. For some, computer-based interaction will be difficult, for other
it will be easy. The best advice is to take time to prepare and do not be
afraid to express yourself.
Here are some suggestions:
Review the discussion threads thoroughly before entering the discussion.
Be a lurker then a discussant. Try to maintain threads by using the
"Reply" button rather starting a new topic. Do not make
insulting or inflammatory statements to other members of the discussion
group. Be respectful of other's ideas. Be patient and read the comments
of other group members thoroughly before entering your remarks. Be
cooperative with group leaders in completing assigned tasks. Be positive
and constructive in group discussions. Respond in a thoughtful and timely
manner. Last but not least remember that the sharing of learning
experiences is central to the on-line learning process.
|
| Chat: |
Guidelines
for Chat: Chat is the informal side of on-line classroom activities. Much
of the course discussions will take place in the chat environment. When
involved in chat sessions always introduce yourself to the other learners
in the chat session. Be polite, and choose your words carefully. Do not use
derogatory statements. Be concise in responding to others in the session. |
| Web
Resources: |
Examples:
Columbia Guide to Online
Style by Janice R. Walker and Todd Taylor
Citation Styles Online
http://www.bedfordstmartins.com/online/cite6.html\
|
| Library
Services |
| TBR
Virtual Library: |
The
Tennessee Board of Regents 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 |
|
Public
administration is a dynamic subject and there may be events that occur
during the course that could have significant impact on public
administration and governance. It is possible that such events may require
changes in the course syllabus (timing, addition or deletion of a topic,
etc.). Should such action be necessary a revision of the syllabus will be
posted via e-mail as soon as possible and changes made in the course
schedule and requirements. |
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