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The following syllabi were sent to us per our invitation to share them in our journals. We received many more and they will be published in future Proceedings. As we hope these documents will be of use to the teaching of policy studies and curriculum development, we would like to encourage professors to send us their material for consideration. Syllabi of previous issues can be seen online at www.psocommons.org
I. Introduction to Public Administration
Prof. Paul Manna
Paul Manna is an associate professor of government and public policy at the College of William and Mary. His research and teaching interests focus on federalism, implementation, K-12 education policy, and applied research methods.
Course description
This class addresses a common but understandable misperception about American government Many people believe that elected officials and judges are the most consequential actors in the country's political system. However, policies and judicial decisions are not self-executing. Rather, they rely on public bureaucracies and thousands of public administrators to implement them. To understand the role of public administration in the United States, this course examines the administrators who manage and implement policy, the tools they use, and the environments in which they work.
Readings
* James Q. Wilson. 1989 [or 1991]. Bureaucracy: What Government Agencies Do and Why They Do It. New York: Basic Books. ISBN 978046500785.
* Donald F. Kettl. 2007. System Under Stress: Homeland Security and American Politics (2nd ed.). Washington, DC: CQ Press. ISBN 978087289333.
* Roger W. Cobb and David M. Primo. 2003. The Plane Truth: Airline Crashes, the Media, and Transportation Policy. Washington, DC: Brookings. ISBN 0815771991
Assignments and grading
The course stresses three skill sets -discussing ideas, writing, and thinking on your feet in timed settings- that all students trained in the liberal arts should possess. Mastering these skills will help you make positive contributions in your future classes, the workforce, and the communities where you eventually reside.
30% Class participation and attendance
15% Midterm exam in-class part
15% Midterm take-home part
20% Final exam in-class part
20% Final exam take-home part
I will base final course grades on the following scale, with partial-percents typically rounded to the nearest full percent: A 93-100, A- 90-92, B+ 88-89, B 83-87, B- 80-82, C+ 78-79, C 73-77, C-...