Department of Public Policy & Administration California State University, Bakersfield

Transcription

1 Department of Public Policy & Administration California State University, Bakersfield PPA 671 Spring 2007 Chandrasekhar Commuri Graduate Survey of Public Policy & Administration Wed PM; RNEC 105; CRN ccommuri@csub.edu (phone) (fax) Office: BDC A-117 Office hours: Tue AM, 4-6 PM; Thu. 4-6; & by appointment Assignment Due Dates Weekly reviews Book review presentation Book review report Final exam Any four weeks of your choice June 6 by 7 PM Course Information Catalog description Course overview Goals MPA program goals This MPA graduate core seminar examines the major concepts and issues in public administration, the history ad the development of the modern public service and the bureaucracy. The students will do an investigation of the role of the public sector in American society, law, economy, and current trends in the public sector. Key course areas are the national political institutions and processes, and professional standards and ethics are studies. This survey seminar examines a selection of issues, ideas, and problems impacting contemporary public administration. Topics range from knowledge creation, the politics of history, PA s role in civil society, and motivation, leadership, and decision making. By the end of the course students should: 1. Identify important issues impacting contemporary PA and understand why they are important 2. Identify the role of PA in civil society 3. Identify the characteristics of synthetic thinking 4. Demonstrate synthetic thinking in their discussions and writing The course meets the following goals of the MPA program (through the listed assignments): 1b: Students will be able to produce focused, coherent, and grammatically correct written communications applicable to government and nonprofit management. (Exam essays, book report) 2c: Students will be able to explain the key elements of public administration theory, organizational theory, and organizational behavior. (Exam essays, class discussion) 3a: Students will be able to apply theories to practical policy and administrative situations. (Exam essays, class discussion) 3d: Students will be able to describe and apply a range of ethical perspectives to ethical dilemmas inherent in Public Administration. (Class discussion, book report) -1-

2 3f: Students will be able to organize and defend an argument. (Class discussion, presentation, weekly reviews) Reading Materials Reader Book for review The course uses a reader containing articles and is available for temporary checkout at the circulation desk of the library. Each student will select a book from the provided list for the review presentation and report. Many of the listed books are in the CSUB library or at the Beale library. CSUB s library can get these books for you through interlibrary loan (if you give them enough notice). Assignments Attendance & participation Weekly reviews Book report Final Exam Since this is a seminar, the course depends heavily upon class discussions. You are expected to attend every class session having completed the assigned readings. Every session will involve students in discussion through questions on the readings. Respect for the opinions of others should be demonstrated in these discussions. These are one page (single spaced, 10 or 12 point font) reviews of each week s assigned readings. The review will identify the common themes in the readings and comment on how the readings throw light on the themes. You must also provide one or two discussion questions at the end of the reviews (I may use these questions during class discussions). You can select any four weeks to submit these reviews (you don t have to signup in advance). Submit a copy of the assignment (no s) at the start of the class session. Do not submit late or if you are not attending a class session. You do not have to include citations and references. If you submit more than four reviews, you will receive credit for the best four scores. This assignment consists of a presentation and a written report on a book you choose from the assigned list. By the second class session you will have to tell me which book you will review and select a date for your presentation. The list of books is online at Presentation: The 10 minute presentation should consist of a brief discussion of the premise of the book followed by your analysis and critique of its key arguments. You must present one or two discussion questions to the class at the end. Written report: The due date for the book report will be provided when you sign up for your presentation. In this 5 page report (double spaced, 12 point font) you will summarize the key arguments in the book and critique it. You will also relate the ideas in the book to the themes we discuss in the class and in the other readings. Please submit a hard copy (no E- mail) and follow the APA style manual. This assignment provides an opportunity for you to synthesize the literature and arrive at an original position on some of the questions we explore during the term. I will assign a list of questions from which you will select. This take-home final exam is due on June 06 by 7 PM. -2-

3 Late submissions Two points will be deducted from your total score for every day that an assignment is late. Evaluation Points for assignments Weekly reviews (4 x 15) = 60 Book report (presentation) = 20 Book report (written) = 40 Final exam = 50 Attendance = 10 Participation = 20 Maximum possible points = 200 Schedule Letter grade cutoffs A: 180; A-: 170; B+: 160; B: 150; B-: 140; C+: 130; C: 120; F: below 120 Week 1 3/28 Introduction; overview of the course; discussion of expectations; epistemology Week 2 4/4 Knowledge creation in PA Cohen S., Eimicke, W., & Horan, J. (2002, September). Catastrophe and the public service: A casestudy of the government response to the destruction of the World Trade Center. Public Administration Review, 62, Frederickson, H. G., & LaPorte, T. R. (2002, September). Airport security, high reliability, and the problem of rationality. Public Administration Review, 62, Hummel, R. P. (1991, Jan/Feb). Stories managers tell: W hy they are as valid as science. Public Administration Review, 51(1), Schmidt, M. R. (1993, Nov/Dec). Grout: Alternative kinds of knowledge and why they are ignored. Public Administration Review, 53(6), Week 3 4/11 History -Light, P. C. (2006, Jan/Feb). The tides of reform revisited: Patterns in making government work, Public Administration Review, 66(1). -Stivers, C. (1995, Nov/Dec). Settlement women and bureau men: Constructing a usable past for public administration. Public Administration Review, 55(6). -Guy, M. E., & Newman, M. A. (2004, May/Jun). W omen's jobs, men's jobs: Sex segregation and emotional labor. Public Administration Review, 64(3). -Lampe, D. (2006, Jan/Feb). History "rhyming" itself. Public Administration Review, 66(1). -3-

4 Week 4 4/18 Social capital -Putnam. R. (1996). The civic enigma. The American Prospect. -Putnam, R. (2002, 11/February). Bowling together. The American Prospect. -Rice, T. W., & Arnett, M. (2001). Civic culture and socioeconomic development in the United States: A view from the states, 1880s-1990s. The Social Science Journal, 38. -Beyerlein, K., & Hipp, J. R. (2005, December). Social capital, too much of a good thing? American religious traditions and community crime. Social Forces, 84(2). -Powers, R. (2002, March). The apocalypse of adolescence. The Atlantic Monthly. -Berry, J. M. (2005, September/October). Nonprofits and civic engagement. Public Administration Review, 65(5). Week 5 4/25 Third party government -Gazley, B., & Brudney, J. L. (2005, Mar/Apr). Volunteer involvement in local government after September 11: The continuing question of capacity. Public Administration Review, 65(2). -Brooks, A. C. (2004, May). The effects of public policy on private charity. Administration & Society, 36(2). -Chambre, S. M. (1999). Redundancy, third-party government, and consumer choice: HIV/AIDS nonprofit organizations in New York organizations. Policy Studies Journal, 27(4). -W yszomirski, M. J. (1998, 1/October). Lobbying reform and nonprofit organizations: Policy images and constituent policy. Policy Studies Journal, 26(3). -Brooks, A. C. (2003, Jul/Aug). Challenges and opportunities facing nonprofit organizations. Public Administration Review, 63(4). -Levine, J. B. (2005, Fall). Sharing power. Stanford Social Innovation Review, 3(3). Week 6 5/2 Organizational behavior -Lee, S. H., & Olshfski, D. (2002, Sep). Employee commitments and firefighters: It's my job. Public Administration Review, 62. -Ellemers, N., De Gilder, D., & Haslam, S. A. (2004). Motivating individuals and groups at work: A social identity perspective on leadership and group performance. Academy of Management Review, 29(3). -Wright, T. A. (2003, May). What every manager should know: Does personality help drive employee motivation. Academy of Management Executive. -Latham, G. P. (2004, November). The motivational benefits of goalsetting. Academy of Management Executive, 18(4). -Schweitzer, M. E., Ordonez, L., & Douma, B. (2004, June). Goal setting as a motivator of unethical behavior. Academy of Management Journal, 47(3). -4-

5 -Locke, E. A. (2004). Guest editor's introduction: Goal-setting theory and its applications to the word of business. Academy of Management Executive, 18(4). -Smith, W. J., Howard, J. T., & Harrington, K. V. ( 2005, 22 March). Essential formal mentor characteristics and functions in governmental and non-governmental organizations from the progran administrator's and the mentor's perspective. Public Personnal Management, 34(1). Week 7 5/9 Decision making -Nutt, P. C. (2004, November). Expanding the search for alternatives during strategic decision-making. Academy of Management Executive, 18(4). -Miller, C., & Ireland, R. D. (2005, February). Intuition in strategic decision making: Friend or foe in the fast-paced 21st century. Academy of Management Executive, 19(1). -Ganster, D. C. (2005, July). Executive job demands: Suggestions from a stress and decision-making perspective. Academy of Management Review, 30(3). -Beck, M., Asenova, D., & Dicson, G. (2005, Jul/Aug). Public administration, science, and risk assessment: A case study of the U.K. bovine spongiform encephalopathy crisis. Public Administration Review, 65(4). -Romzek, B. S., & Ingraham, P. W. (2000, May/Jun). Cross pressures of accountability: Initiative, command, and failure in the Ron Brown plane crash. Public Administration Review, 60(3). -Bottom, W. P. (2006, January), by M. H. Bazerman, & M. D. Watkins. Academy of Management Review, Predictable surprises: The disasters you should have seen coming, and how to prevent them. Week 8 5/16 Leadership -George, J. M. (2000). Emotions and leadership: The role of emotional intelligence. Human Relations, 53(8). -Krantz, J. (2006). Leadership, betrayal and adaptation. Human Relations, 59(2). -Lucas, J. W. (2003, June). Status processes and institutionalization of women as leaders. American Sociological Review, 68. -Macaleer, W., & Shannon, J. (2002). Emotional intelligence: How does it affect leadership? Employment Relations Today. Week 9 5/23 Ethics -Cunliffe, A. L., & Jun. J. S. (2005, May). The need for reflexivity in public administration. Administration & Society, 37(2). -Veiga, J. F. (2004, May). Bringing ethics into the mainstream: An introduction to the special topic. Academy of Management Executive, 18(2). -5-

6 -Segal, L. (2002, Jul/Aug). Roadblocks in reforming corrupt agencies: The case of the New York City school custodians. Public Administration Review, 62(4). Week 10 5/30 W ed. 6/6 Review and presentations. Final exam due (Drop off in my office by 7 PM). Other Policies Academic honesty & classroom conduct Incompletes Students with disabilities Cell phones Changes to the syllabus All CSUB students are expected to maintain high standards of academic integrity. Please refer to the university catalog for the official policy in this regard. Severe penalties apply for cheating, plagiarism, submitting someone else s work as one s own, and for other instances of academic dishonesty. Similarly, all students are expected to demonstrate professionalism and respect for others so that academic discourse and debate can occur freely. Students should display courtesy and consideration towards each other in all their communications. Disruptive behavior will destroy a positive learning environment and thus will result in disciplinary sanctions. Students are expected to finish this course once they are past the drop and add date. An incomplete may be given at my discretion if there is a documented emergency. In accordance with university policy special accommodations will be made for students with disabilities. Students needing accommodation will need to notify me by the second week of the term. CSUB s Office of Services for Students with Disabilities has stringent deadlines for handling examination materials. Students should contact that office at the earliest possible date. Please turn off cell phones during the class session. I may need to change items in the syllabus under some circumstances. I will post an addendum in such cases on my web site: (3/27/2007) -6-