2011-12 Public Administration (MPA)
Application and acceptance to the program is required. (Non admitted students with a bachelor’s degree and Evergreen undergraduates are eligible to take MPA electives on a space available basis: see the MPA home page for more information.)
The Master of Public Administration degree is offered in three areas of concentration: Public & Nonprofit Administration, Public Policy and Tribal Governance. Students in these three concentrations are organized into two cohorts: the General cohort (Public & Nonprofit Administration and Public Policy concentrations) and the Tribal cohort (Tribal Governance concentration).
| Title | Standing | Credits | Schedule | F | W | S | Su | Description | Preparatory | Faculty |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| General Cohort | ||||||||||
| 1st Year Core - General | ||||||||||
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Context of Public Administration
Laurance Geri, Lee Lyttle and Doreen Swetkis |
GRGraduate | 6 | 6-10p Tue, 5-9p Fri (Sep 23), 9a-5p Sat (Sep 24), 9a-5p Sun (Oct 16) | F 11Fall | Throughout the 1st year Core the fundamentals of administering for the public good in a globalized world are explored. In Fall quarter we examine the foundations of administration and democracy in an environment where boundaries are no longer clearly defined and public administration is practiced everywhere (e.g., governments, tribes, non-profits, for profits, social entrepreneurial organizations, etc). We focus on the enduring issues of U.S. public administration and the political, social, economic and environmental contexts of effective public administration. | Laurance Geri Lee Lyttle Doreen Swetkis | ||||
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Doing Democratic Public Administration
Laurance Geri, Lee Lyttle and Doreen Swetkis |
GRGraduate | 6 | 6-10p Tue, 9a-5p Sat (Mar 10) | W 12Winter | Throughout the 1st year Core we explore the fundamentals of administering for the public good in a globalized world. In Winter quarter, we explore what it takes to administer for the public good in a democracy. Our focus is on doing administration (management, organizational theory, etc.) with an emphasis on democracy, democratic processes and the roles and relationships of administrators and citizens in the complex web of democracy | Laurance Geri Lee Lyttle Doreen Swetkis | ||||
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Policy, Finance, and Budgeting for Public Administration
Laurance Geri, Lee Lyttle and Doreen Swetkis |
GRGraduate | 6 | 6-10p Tues, 9a-5p Sat (June 9) | S 12Spring | Throughout the 1st year Core we explore the fundamentals of administering for the public good in a globalized world. Spring quarter we examine the policy and fiscal foundations of doing the public's business, building on the concern for democratic administration explored in the Winter quarter and adding a critical element: funding. Public budgets provide dramatic evidence of social priorities. The process for setting priorities, the methods of funding those policies and implementation of those priorities within organizations are central to this course. In addition to public agencies, social priorities and funding are increasingly advanced through non-profit and even for-profit institutions. Examining the changing roles of public, private, and non-profit institutions add to our understanding and practice. | Laurance Geri Lee Lyttle Doreen Swetkis | ||||
| 2nd Year Core - General | ||||||||||
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Analytical Techniques I
Cheryl Simrell King, Heather Moss and Marc Baldwin |
GRGraduate | 6 | 6-10p Thur, 9a-5p Sat (Oct 15) | F 11Fall | Analytical Techniques for Public Service is a two-quarter course sequence for second year MPA students. Each quarter focuses on approaches to applied research in public administration, public policy and non-profits with an emphasis on issues relevant to governments. In the Fall, the following questions frame the work: 1) What are the modes of inquiry that have framed and are framing the field of public administration? 2) What is involved in producing the inputs, outputs, and outcomes for data analysis? 3) How do we turn data into information and information into decisions? 4) How are analytical techniques practiced in everyday public service? Our intent is to gain a better understanding of how to approach, critique, use, analyze, and communicate research in public service. | Cheryl Simrell King Heather Moss Marc Baldwin | ||||
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Analytical Techniques II
Cheryl Simrell King, John Gates and Marc Baldwin |
GRGraduate | 6 | 6-10p Thurs, 9a-5p Sat (Mar 10) | W 12Winter | Analytical Techniques for Public Service is a two-quarter course sequence for second year MPA students. Each quarter focuses on approaches to applied research in public administration, public policy and non-profits with an emphasis on issues relevant to governments. In the Winter, we respond to the following questions: 1) What are the various approaches to conducting social science research? 2) How do we analyze and interpret quantitative and qualitative data? 3) How do we turn data into information and information into decisions? 4) How do we present useful information? Our intent is to gain a better understanding of how to approach, critique, use, analyze, and communicate research in public service. | Cheryl Simrell King John Gates Marc Baldwin | ||||
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Capstone
Cheryl Simrell King, John Gates and Doreen Swetkis |
GRGraduate | 6 | 6-10p Thurs, 9a-5p Sun (June 10) | S 12Spring | Students "cap off" their studies in the MPA program by taking the Capstone course. In this course, students reflect upon, and integrate, their learning in the program and engage in an applied demonstration project of their own design, demonstrating the knowledge, skills and abilities gained in the MPA program | Cheryl Simrell King John Gates Doreen Swetkis | ||||
| Public Policy Concentration | ||||||||||
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Foundations of Public Policy
Laurance Geri |
GRGraduate | 4 | 6-10p Wed | F 11Fall | "Public Policy" is the sexy alter ego of public administration. The study of policy tantalizes us with the possibility that we may learn the secrets to how big policy decisions are made, and have an impact on those decisions. This is a particularly fascinating time to study this topic. The first 18 months of the Obama Administration have brought the most intense debate on policy issues since the early days of the Reagan era, on topics as varied as the economic stimulus, financial sector reform, health care, education and energy. These have the potential to alter vast sections of our society.This course will provide an overview of the concepts and issues in the field of public policy. As the first course in the TESC MPA program policy concentration, it is intended to provide an introduction to the study of public policy processes and to the practice of policy analysis. We will consider the economic and political rationales offered for public intervention in our society and economy, and critique the many models analysts have created to describe the policy process. The course will emphasize two contrasting approaches to policy analysis-a classic approach epitomized by rational, benefit cost analysis, and an interpretive model that features deliberative processes at the core of democratic systems of governance. Comparing and contrasting these models, we seek to provide guidance for future policy analysts in our representative democracy, in a system where marginalized groups still find it difficult to gain entrée to the policy process | Laurance Geri | ||||
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Advanced Research Methods
T. Steven Marshall |
GRGraduate | 4 | Feb 17-19, Mar 2-4, 5-9p Fri, 9a-5p Sat/Sun | W 12Winter | T. Steven Marshall | |||||
| Tribal Cohort | ||||||||||
| 2nd Year Core - Tribal | ||||||||||
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Analytical Techniques I for Tribal Governance
John Gates and Cheryl Simrell King |
GRGraduate | 6 | 1-5p Fri, 8:30a-5p Sat/Sun, Sept 30-Oct 2, Oct 14-16, Nov 4-6 | F 11Fall | Our goal is to practice research design and analysis. We will apply multiple ways of knowing by using both quantitative and qualitative methodologies. Our intent is to gain a better understanding of how to approach, critique, use, analyze, and communicate research in tribal governance and administration. In the Fall, we will respond to the following questions: 1) How can we re-frame our approaches to research to serve in the contexts of tribal governance and administration? 2) What is involved in a culturally relevant approach to reading research? 3) How can we understand the relationships between data, information, and decisions? 4) How are analytical techniques practiced in tribal governance and administration? 5) What is the nexus of traditional knowledge, western paradigms, and quantitative/qualitative methodologies? | John Gates Cheryl Simrell King | ||||
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Analytical Techniques II for Tribal Governance
Linda Moon Stumpff and Cheryl Simrell King |
GRGraduate | 6 | Jan 20-22, Feb 3-5, Feb 17-19, 1-5p Fri, 8:30a-5p Sat/Sun | W 12Winter | Analytical Techniques II for Tribal Governance is a yearlong core program for second year MPA students. Each quarter focuses on indigenous and traditional knowledge approaches to applied research in public administration and public policy with an emphasis on issues relevant to tribal governments. Each quarter builds on the previous one to create an integrated learning experience. This program begins with the assumption that: through reciprocal community-based research construction, using culturally appropriate methods, interpretation, and with ethical and credible analysis our world can be better understood. The intent is to gain a better understanding of how to approach, critique, use, and present research within the context of tribal governments. The emphasis in this program is to make informed decisions for implementing self-governance. | Linda Moon Stumpff Cheryl Simrell King | ||||
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Capstone for Tribal Governance
Linda Moon Stumpff and Alan Parker |
GRGraduate | 6 | April 6-8 & 20-22, May 11-12, 1-5p Fri, 8:30a-5p Sat/Sun | S 12Spring | Students “cap off” their studies in the MPA program by taking the Capstone course (6 credits). Students must complete 40 credits in the program prior to enrolling in the Capstone course. Students are responsible for reviewing their student records at theend of Winter quarter to ensure that they are eligible to enroll in the course. In the Capstone course, students reflect upon their learning in the program and engage in an applied demonstration project of their own design (demonstrating the knowledge, skills and abilities gained in the MPA program). | Linda Moon Stumpff Alan Parker | ||||
| Tribal Concentration | ||||||||||
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Tribal Economics
Alan Parker and Linda Moon Stumpff |
GRGraduate | 4 | 1-5p Fri, 8:30a-5p Sat/Sun (Nov 18-20, Dec 2-4) | F 11Fall | This class will focus on the unique roles that tribal governments plays in relation to economic, business and community development within Indian reservations and the surrounding areas. As the primary local government within reservation boundaries, tribes are responsible for determining which business enterprises may be licensed, which economic activities are to be permitted for individuals and corporations and which are to be tribally-managed. Tribal governments are responsible for regulating all land uses and to assess the environmental impacts of development proposals. In fulfilling these responsibilities, tribal governments constitute the primary authority charged with safeguarding the public good and protecting the tribal community from any harmful impacts business operations. At the same time tribes strive to create an environment in which legitimate business and commerce may flourish. Tribal governments have the authority to impose taxes on business transactions in order to generate revenue for public services. They must also fund the development of physical infrastructure such as roads, utilities, etc. Tribes are responsible for "community development" which includes construction and maintenance of public housing, schools, health care facilities, public recreation and cultural preservation. In this course, we will examine how tribal governments balance these complex and challenging roles in the context of cultural compatibility within the tribal community and effective integration with surrounding communities and public land-management agencies. | Alan Parker Linda Moon Stumpff | ||||
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Tribal Policy
Linda Moon Stumpff and Alan Parker |
GRGraduate | 4 | Feb 24-26, Mar 9-11, 1-5p Fri, 8:30a-5p Sat/Sun | W 12Winter | This course explores tribal regulatory functions and policy-making from internal and external perspectives at the local, regional, national and international levels. The context of the policy-making, and thus decision-making, processes, will be examined from the perspective of building political capacity into tribal institutions. The course is designed to confront complex and changing alternatives through understanding policy analysis skills that build political capacity and contribute to the development of equitable and feasible policy alternatives. The focus on processes and choice among alternatives explores how to determine regulatory apparatus is needed to achieve objectives and what administrative structures are crucial for providing services and achieving policy goals. The course is designed to develop skills and abilities that support these goals, including conflict resolution, negotiation, policy design, and the analysis of alternatives and learning system strategies. Examples may be drawn from critical and current tribal issues tribes including land use planning, cultural resources, the establishment of codes, housing authorities, and implementation of programs like TANF.Tribal Policy is required for Tribal concentration students and an elective for others with instructor's permission. | Linda Moon Stumpff Alan Parker | ||||
| Electives | ||||||||||
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Administering Tribal Courts and Indigenous Justice Systems
John Gates |
GRGraduate | 4 | 6-10p, Wed | F 11Fall | This four hour elective course considers administrative practices designed to improve justice delivery systems in tribal and indigenous courts within domestic and international settings. Students will examine the types of justice systems currently operating in Indian Country, primarily in the areas of adult, juvenile, family, and tribal wellness and healing. Alternative dispute resolution models employed by tribal nations will also be considered. Existing resources and training available to tribal courts will be identified, and discussions will be directed to tailor those resources to meet the specific needs of individual tribal and indigenous communities today. Issues regarding tribal jurisdiction and opportunities to establish and strengthen tribal/state collaboration will be examined alongside possible systemic changes required to achieve sustainable justice systems for future generations. | John Gates | ||||
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Doing the Public's Business
Stephen Buxbaum |
GRGraduate | 2 | 6-10p Mon (Oct 3, 10, 17, 24 & 31) | F 11Fall | This course explores how public programs, projects and services are conceived, approved, funded and financed; using case studies about environmental, infrastructure and affordable housing projects and activities. Students will learn about how resource allocation decisions are made, how public value is determined and how levels of government work with and sometimes against each other as they take action to meet public needs. Course is intended for MPA or MES students and upper division undergraduates. | Stephen Buxbaum | ||||
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Indigenous Justice Systems
John Gates |
GRGraduate | 4 | 6-10p, Wed | F 11Fall | This four hour elective course considers administrative practices designed to improve justice delivery systems in tribal and indigenous courts within domestic and international settings. Students will examine the types of justice systems currently operating in Indian Country, primarily in the areas of adult, juvenile, family, and tribal wellness and healing. Alternative dispute resolution models employed by tribal nations will also be considered. Existing resources and training available to tribal courts will be identified, and discussions will be directed to tailor those resources to meet the specific needs of individual tribal and indigenous communities today. Issues regarding tribal jurisdiction and opportunities to establish and strengthen tribal/state collaboration will be examined alongside possible systemic changes required to achieve sustainable justice systems for future generations. Undergraduates will be accepted with Junior or Senior status. | John Gates | ||||
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Legislative Policy
Karen Fraser |
GRGraduate | 4 | 5-9p Fri, 9a-5p Sat/Sun (Nov 18-20, Dec 2-4) | F 11Fall | Legislative Policy, taught by Washington State Senator Karen Fraser, will deepen perspectives on what public policies are made by legislature. Students will also learn about many of the "nuts and bolts" of the state legislative policy making process, including consideration of bills and resolutions, expenditures and revenues, gubernatorial appointments, initiatives and referenda, legislative staff and other professional opportunities, scheduling, negotiating strategies, and much more. This class will examine the political context of the legislative policy making process, including: state and federal constitutions, tribal treaties, interstate compacts, international treaties, local governments, elections, elected legislators and other elected officials, relationships to executive and judicial branches, political parties, interest groups, lobbyists, media, citizens, open government processes, accountability to voters, initiative and referenda, delegation of legislative authority to administrative agencies, and more. Students will explore a variety of specific legislative issues. | Karen Fraser | ||||
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Natural Resource Policy
Linda Moon Stumpff |
GRGraduate | 4 | 5-9p Fri, 9a-5p Sat/Sun (Oct 21-23, Dec 9-11) | F 11Fall | This course explores the history, impacts and responses to environmental laws and initiatives on public and tribal lands. The roles of federal, state, local, tribal and international bodies will be covered in relation to current issues such as global warming and access to water. Exploring the roles of science and public participation in the policy-making process provides focus for assignments and readings. On the 40th anniversary of NEPA, the National Environmental Policy Act, its influence on current environmental issues delineates additional challenging areas for student research | Linda Moon Stumpff | ||||
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Nonprofit Success
Doreen Swetkis |
GRGraduate | 4 | 9a-5p Sat/Sun (Oct 1-2, Nov 5-6, Nov 12) | F 11Fall | While the effective management of public, private, and nonprofit organizations share some key elements, this course focuses on topics that are unique to the nonprofit sector. Some of these issues arise because of the nature of the sector such as the volunteer nature of nonprofit boards of directors, or the inevitable tension between organizational mission and funders' demands. Others are included because of the significant changes in the nonprofit sector during the last twenty-five years. Increased involvement in public policymaking, enlarged roles in implementing public initiatives, the more cohesive identity of the sector as a defined piece of the economy and administrative state, and the heightened professionalism demanded by funders all converge to make the day-to-day management of nonprofit organizations in the twenty-first century a challenging task. This course is designed to provide you with an opportunity to think through some of these issues. It will provide some context that will help you more clearly understand the conditions that you observe either working in a nonprofit organization today, in the future, or in studying or interacting with nonprofit organizations. | Doreen Swetkis | ||||
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Performance Measures
Timothy Winchell |
GRGraduate | 2 | 5-9p Fri, 9a-5p Sat/Sun (Dec 9-11) | F 11Fall | The last few decades have produced a relentless focus on organizational performance measures as a means to lead, manage, and account for results in public and nonprofit agencies. How have these experiences helped inform our current understanding of organizational programs, activities, and outcomes? Are there other crucial organizational tools that are needed to form an integrated management approach? Please join us as we work together to define the future direction of organizational change through our examination of key readings, group work, seminar discussions, and personal reflection. | Timothy Winchell | ||||
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Sustainable Leadership and Decision Making
Michael Mucha |
GRGraduate | 2 | 5-9p Fri, 9a-5p Sat/Sun (Oct 28-30) | F 11Fall | This course will focus on ways for the manager or team leader to use sustainability as a management competency to achieve community or organizational goals in a way that empowers people, promotes healthy eco systems and creates thriving and vibrant communities. Instead of viewing sustainability as being an abstract end goal, this course will focus more on how students can lead in a sustainable way. This course will also help students use sustainability as a decision-making platform to build trusting relationships, channel creativity and create balanced solutions that last and have fewer unintended consequences. | Michael Mucha | ||||
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Education Policy
Kathe Taylor |
GRGraduate | 4 | 6-10p Mon (Jan 9, 23, 30, Feb 1, 13, 27, Mar 5, 12), Wed (Jan 11, 25) | W 12Winter | According to Washington state law, the purpose of a high school diploma is to "declare that a student is ready for success in postsecondary education, gainful employment and citizenship, and is equipped with the skills to be a lifelong learner." How do policies from disparate education sectors--early childhood, K-12, and higher education--set the stage for these goals to be reached? In this course, we will examine this broad question by exploring in depth the complex inter-connections between education policy and practice. We will analyze selected education policies from national, state, and local levels as a way of understanding what education policy is, who makes it, what its intended outcomes are, how it is implemented, and how well it works. | Kathe Taylor | ||||
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Emerging Issues in the Nonprofit Sector
Doreen Swetkis |
GRGraduate | 2 | Feb 10-12, 5-9p Fri, 9a-5p Sat/Sun | W 12Winter | This two-credit course will examine issues that have impacted the nonprofit sector in the last few years including succession planning, changes in the legal environment, technology and social networking, fundraising trends, international nonprofits, venture philanthropy, etc. Written assignments will consist of two or three small papers and a larger final paper. | Doreen Swetkis | ||||
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Graduate Level Writing
Emily Lardner |
GRGraduate | 2 | 6-10p Wed, (Jan 18, Feb 1, 15, 29, Mar 14) | W 12Winter | The goal of this course is to provide students with opportunities to continue developing as writers in particular professional contexts. Specific writing tasks will come from the graduate programs and projects students are working on. Students will develop portfolios of work, including ongoing reflective assessments about ways to manage their writing/thinking processes. | Emily Lardner | ||||
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Human Resource Policy
Pamela Peters |
GRGraduate | 4 | Jan 27-29, March 16-18, 5-9p Fri, 9a-5p Sat/Sun | W 12Winter | Pamela Peters | |||||
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Local Governance
Stephen Buxbaum |
GRGraduate | 2 | 6-10p Mon (Jan 23, 30, Feb 6, 13, 27) | W 12Winter | Washington State's local governance system evolved out of a unique set of geographic and political circumstances leading to the creation of a web of over 50 different types of local governing bodies. This course explores how the state's system of local governance influences the delivery of public services and helps to determine the investment of public and private capital. We will examine how the existing governance system serves to drive public policy and consider how economic and environmental issues and interests are testing the viability of our current system. We will use case studies and systems thinking exercises to probe the dynamic relationships between cities, counties and special purpose districts as they struggle to deliver critical programs and services. | Stephen Buxbaum | ||||
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Non-Profit Development and Grant Writing
Laurance Geri |
GRGraduate | 4 | Jan 13-15, Feb 4-5, 5-9p Fri, 9a-5p Sat/Sun, Mar 7, 6-10p Wed | W 12Winter | In this course students will work through the process of researching, developing, and writing a grant proposal. Writing grants is both a formal process of developing and writing a particular type of document (that must be clear, concise, and highly rational) and a challenging form of problem solving that requires innovative thinking, creativity, and the willingness to take risks. This program will explore both of these elements of the grantwriting process and critique the complex relationships between the philanthropic, governmental and nonprofit sectors that form the context of the grantwriting process. | Laurance Geri | ||||
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Public Speaking
Marla Elliott |
GRGraduate | 2 | Mar 2-4, 5-9, Fri, 9a-5p Sat/Sun | W 12Winter | Oral eloquence still counts when you need to explain, persuade, collaborate, and lead. This intensive weekend course will help you learn to use your voice, body, and personal presence with confidence when speaking to others. You will learn to channel stagefright into creative energy and to organize your thoughts into a structure your audience can grasp. Students will write, revise, rehearse and present a short speech; they will also have opportunities to practice speaking impromptu. Credit will be awarded in Public Speaking. | Marla Elliott | ||||
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Tribal Policy
Linda Moon Stumpff and Alan Parker |
GRGraduate | 4 | Feb 24-26, Mar 9-11, 1-5p Fri, 8:30a-5p Sat/Sun | W 12Winter | This course explores tribal regulatory functions and policy-making from internal and external perspectives at the local, regional, national and international levels. The context of the policy-making, and thus decision-making, processes, will be examined from the perspective of building political capacity into tribal institutions. The course is designed to confront complex and changing alternatives through understanding policy analysis skills that build political capacity and contribute to the development of equitable and feasible policy alternatives. The focus on processes and choice among alternatives explores how to determine regulatory apparatus is needed to achieve objectives and what administrative structures are crucial for providing services and achieving policy goals. The course is designed to develop skills and abilities that support these goals, including conflict resolution, negotiation, policy design, and the analysis of alternatives and learning system strategies. Examples may be drawn from critical and current tribal issues tribes including land use planning, cultural resources, the establishment of codes, housing authorities, and implementation of programs like TANF.Tribal Policy is required for Tribal concentration students and an elective for others with instructor's permission. | Linda Moon Stumpff Alan Parker | ||||
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Comparative Administration
Linda Moon Stumpff |
GRGraduate | 2 | May 4-6, 5-9p Fri, 9a-5p Sat/Sun | S 12Spring | This class takes an international perspective on comparative public administration. We will explore comparative methodologies and theoretical positions that lead to applied frameworks for study. One position holds that there are definable universal principles of public administration that reach across nations and cultures. The opposing position holds that culture and indigenous institutions create significant distinctions between administrative systems. Another view holds that the political/constitutional regime shapes the administrative institutions and practices. Major class activities include discussion and debate of the various positions and applied group research in class..Content: Readings will consist of the equivalent of two books and some articles: seminar papers are to be prepared before class. You will be able to choose from a list of books that will be available by Feb. 21. Order online or obtain books from bookstores. Some material will be posted on Moodle. In addition, groups will do guided research and prepare a short paper and presentation that compares the administrative systems of two nations for the final day of class | Linda Moon Stumpff | ||||
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Design Thinking for Public Administration
Cheryl Simrell King |
GRGraduate | 2 | April 13-15, 5-9p Fri, 9a-5p Sat/Sun | S 12Spring | Cheryl Simrell King | |||||
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Governing for Human Rights, Social Justice and Advocacy
Marc Brenman |
GRGraduate | 4 | May 11-13, June 1-3, 5-9p Fri, 9a-5p Sat/Sun | S 12Spring | Public administrators, planners, and managers will inevitably face problems and controversies involving civil and human rights, social justice, equity, fairness, and discrimination. The changing demographics of the United States are making it a more diverse place, with more demands for culturally competent services; globalism means that administrators and managers will be engaged more in international issues. At the same time, declining resources make service distribution and allocation more difficult. If the planner and manager makes mistakes, or is perceived by a demographic subgroup as acting in an unfair or neglectful way, she/he can garner bad media attention, official complaints, and public criticism. A slip of the tongue can end a career. Doing the right thing from a social justice perspective can involve difficult moral and ethical analysis, decisions, priority setting, and follow-through.This course aims to provide and prepare public administrators, planners, and managers with the tools necessary to manage such controversies, create more equitable solutions, look at social justice in an informed way, and advocate for necessary change in effective ways. With this knowledge, she/he will not be blind-sided by issues of race, ethnicity, gender, disability, sexual orientation and identity, religion, and other protected class issues. An objective is to provide insights into the concerns of these and other protected classes and traditionally discriminated against groups. There is no one answer to the needs and demands of traditionally discriminated against group representatives, but many good questions that can be asked. Many types of advocacy are available. The tone of the class is not accusatory or guilt-inducing, but rather uses examples from the history of governance in the United States and internationally of how organizations have successfully and less-than-successfully coped with the growth of demands and needs in a rights-based culture and polity. Reference is made to international human rights schema and how they compare to US constructs and legal limitations. The course includes models for thinking about, evaluating, prioritizing, implementing, and evaluating social equity interventions. Course activities include discussion of difficult and controversial human rights issues in an emotionally safe environment; a set of readings compiled for this course, many from primary sources; a unique glossary of social justice and equity terms; a civil rights timeline of US history to help set events and discussions in historical context; exercises and projects in media and website review; personal reflection on self-identification; and social equity impact analysis of an organization the student is familiar with. | Marc Brenman | ||||
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Health Policy
Victor Colman |
GRGraduate | 4 | 6-10p Wed | S 12Spring | The study of health policy can take many forms. There are some standard topic areas in this broad arena, including medical cost, access and quality. However, a sole focus on these areas only provides a two-dimensional (and a very medical model) view of this dynamic policy topic. The world of (which concerns itself with the health of the community as a whole) necessarily includes policy-based approaches to creating and assuring conditions that can positively impact individual health status. This upstream focus on public health remains an unrealized (or at least underutilized) goal in health care reform debates. | Victor Colman | ||||
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Local Governance Finance
Stephen Buxbaum |
GRGraduate | 2 | April 20-22, 6-10p Fri, 9a-5p Sat/Sun | S 12Spring | This course provides students with a basic understanding of the sources and uses of revenues that are available to local governments to support public programs, services and projects. Emphasis is placed on learning about the politics of the budgetary process as well as understanding the fundamentals of the statutory framework that cities, counties and special purpose districts must work within as they strive to sustain their core services. | Stephen Buxbaum | ||||
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Organizational Change
Laurance Geri |
GRGraduate | 4 | April 27-29, May 19-20, June 8, 6-10p Fri, 9a-5p Sat/Sun | S 12Spring | Organizations, as human constructions, are inherently flawed. But that doesnt mean that they must be utterly ineffective, or abysmal places to work. This course will examine ways to figure out the underlying causes of organizational problems, consider common models for planned organizational change, what enables some interventions to succeed while others fail, and the skills and traits needed by internal and external organizational change specialists. | Laurance Geri | ||||
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E-Communications and E-Government
Larry Dzieza |
GRGraduate | 4 | 6-10p Tue/Thu (Jul. 31 - Aug. 30) | Su 12Summer | The course will focus on understanding the role and management of technology in the public sector. Information technology is increasingly "how organizations get things done" but using IT effectively has special challenges in the public sector. These challenges include how organizations, built for stability not speed, are adapting to the rapid pace of technological change, succeeding within a risk-averse political climate, and satisfying stakeholder's and the public's high-expectations for low-cost, convenience, transparency, and protection of privacy. Finally, we will consider the contribution a new generation of workers may bring to increasing public participation and transforming service delivery. | Larry Dzieza | ||||
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Energy Policy
Laurance Geri |
JR - GRJunior - Graduate | 4 | 9a-5p Sat/Sun (Jun. 30 - Jul 1, Jul 14 - 15, Jul. 28) | Su 12Summer | As we approach another Presidential election, US energy policy is more unsettled and more politicized than at any time since the oil shocks of the 1970s. This course will examine how public policy in the energy sector is crafted in the U.S. and other countries. We will also explore the many dimensions of energy including sources; technologies; the operation of energy markets; and the economic, social, national security, and environmental implications of energy use. | Laurance Geri | ||||
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Grant Writing Essentials
Sylvie McGee |
JR - GRJunior - Graduate | 4 | 5-9p Fri, 9a-5p Sat/Sun (Jun. 30, Jul. 21-22, Aug. 11-12, 24) | Su 12Summer | Use hands-on practice to learn to write successful grants! We will start with an introduction to grants and their place in the development of nonprofit organizations and learn the sound planning skills needed for strong proposals. Students will write a grant for a nonprofit organization, getting feedback on each section as it is developed. A list of organizations seeking grant writing assistance will be provided**. Using interactive learning and assigned tasks, we will focus on planning, research, evaluation techniques, budgeting and how to effectively communicate issues and needs in a clear and concise manner. **NOTE: If you have a non-profit or government agency you wish to write for, you MUST contact me in advance of the first day of class, so that I can send a form to be filled out by the agency and review their readiness. | Sylvie McGee | ||||
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Politics, Leadership, and the Policies they Create
Amy Gould |
JR - GRJunior - Graduate | 4 | 6-10p Wed. (Aug 1 & 15), 9a-5p Sat/Sun (Aug 4-5 & 18-19) | Su 12Summer | Harold Lasswell stated, "politics is about who gets what, when, where, and how." Therefore, we need leaders who can access the underpinnings of politics and the consequences of political ideologies. Students will be actively engaged in politics by first understanding where politics come from and the myriad of ideologies in practice. Further, students will focus on how they can hone their own leadership style. We will explore how engagement in politics can test our character regularly. To this end, Bill George stated, "successful leadership takes conscious development and requires being true to your life story." As members of a learning community and society, we will endeavor to excavate the nature of leadership and the relational space of politics via classic and contemporary readings, guest speakers, seminar, debate, lecture, and workshops. We will seek to understand the dynamics of politics by applying leadership techniques for decision-making through field journals, policy analysis, and legislative testimony. We will also pursue an understanding of philosophical foundations of Western political thought, the history of the U.S. Constitution and constitutions of regional Tribal Nations, and concepts of political "otherness" that come about in designing public policies. In this pursuit we will define multiple political ideologies and assess the nexus of leadership and politics. In sum, we will dig in to what many talk about but few really understand: politics, leadership, and the policies they create. Students will have the opportunity to develop leadership skills of active listening, analytical thinking, scholarly dialog, effective communication, and writing for public administrators. | Amy Gould | ||||
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Public Speaking
Marla Elliott |
JR - GRJunior - Graduate | 2 | 5-9p Fri, 9a-5p Sat/Sun (July 6-8) | Su 12Summer | Marla Elliott | |||||
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Strategies for Graduate Writers
Emily Lardner |
SR - GRSenior - Graduate | 2 |
5-9p Fri (Aug 10), 9a-5p Sat/Sun (Aug 25-26)
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Su 12Summer | Writing in professional graduate level programs requires clear, concise, and systematic ways of communicating your ideas. The goal of this course is to provide students with opportunities to add new ways of writing to their current repertoires and thereby enhance their analytic thinking skills. Specific writing tasks will come from the graduate programs. Students will develop portfolios of work, including ongoing reflective assessments about ways to manage their writing/thinking processes. Moodle will be used for practicing and sharing drafts; on campus work will focus on interactive workshops; and all students will meet individually with the instructor for customized coaching on their work. | Emily Lardner | ||||