COURSE SYLLABUS
PADM 6430 Seminar in Contemporary Public Policies
Summer 2016
Professor: Kyujin Jung, Ph.D.
Phone: 615-963-7251 (office)
Office: TSU Avon Williams Campus, Room 411 / Email: [email protected]
In Office hours: Tuesday & Thursday 12:00 to 5:00 PM, online by skype (kj2y2h) or by appointment
If you need help, E-MAIL or CALL me as soon as you have problems, DO NOT WAIT.
DO NOT USE the Email in eLEARN because when I reply the reply bounces, it does not get back to you in a timely
fashion; make sure you email me at [email protected]
A. Course Description and Objectives
This course aims to provide policy researchers and professionals with a set of conceptual frameworks for
analyzing the political environment of public policy and policy research, and to practice forming effective
strategies for policy analysis, program evaluation, policy design, and advocacy. The concepts, skills, and
analytical tools students learn in the course rest upon a foundation of economic principles, institutional analysis
and, to a lesser extent, political and social psychology. They identify patterns of behavior and outcomes, ways of
thinking about those patterns and outcomes, and methods of analysis that facilitate understanding and
prediction, and, ultimately, the shaping of strategies to improve the success of policy researchers in their
professional life. The course is aimed at both MPA and doctoral students including leaders of government
agencies and nonprofits. The course objectives are:
1. To give you an understanding of contemporary public policies and its procedures relevant to the
field of public administration;
2. To give you practical applications of public policy analysis that students can use when managing in
the public sector.
We will use cases, social scientific readings, discussions, and lectures to achieve the goals of the course. The goal
of each session is to augment your ability to analyze, evaluate, formulate or implement some facet of political
analysis or strategy. Accordingly, some weeks deal directly with translating policy research into policy or the
intersection of policy analysis and politics. Others deal more generally with the political environment of public
affairs. It is assumed that each student will come prepared for the class sessions; that means you should have
read the assignments, prepared yourself for a competency examination, and a discussion of method real world
relevancy.
B. Required Texts: You must have the following text to take the course, in the edition specified. No exceptions.
1. CQ Researcher (2016). Issues for Debate in American Public Policy. SEVENTEENTH EDITION. CQ Press. ISBN:
9781506347158
2. Michael E. Kraft & Scott R. Furlong (2014). Public Policy: Politics, Analysis, and Alternatives. FIFTH EDITION. Sage,
CQ Press. ISBN-10: 1483345785; ISBN-13: 978-1483345789
ADDITIONAL REQUIRED READINGS
Any additional readings will be posted in the course content section of eLearn under the appropriate week.
The syllabus is a contract between you, the student and me, the professor. The due dates on the syllabus for
assignments are non-negotiable. You can turn in assignments early but not late. If the assignments are not in the course
Dropbox or presented in the discussion boards on the due date, you will receive a zero. If you do not take the Midterm,
you will receive a zero.
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Audience and Prerequisites.
There are no prerequisites for this course other than graduate student status in the MPA or Ph.D. programs.
Quality of Written Work.
As academics and professionals in service or in training, I expect you to adhere to a high standard in your written work.
Leave yourself time to reread and revise written work before the due date. Grammar and spelling errors distract the
reader and lessen your credibility, in the classroom as in the workplace, and will affect the evaluation of your work.
Grading and Due Dates. Assignments are due to the appropriate eLearn Dropbox by 11:59PM on the due date, or if
an online discussion is assigned, full participation must be complete by that time.
Remember that if the www.tnstate.edu website is down, you should try to access eLearn directly at
https://elearn.tnstate.edu/. If you are unable to submit to eLearn, you must submit your written assignment or
discussion posts in a Word document BY EMAIL TO [email protected] BY THE DUE DATE/TIME. No hard copy
assignments will be accepted. You should plan ahead so that last minute computer issues do not derail your submission
of assignments on time.
I reserve the right not to accept late work for a grade. All deadlines are announced in advance to allow you to plan
for completion. Late work may be assessed a substantial penalty or receive a zero depending on the reason and degree
of lateness. The value I emphasize in making decisions about late work is equity, which includes weighing the efforts of
students who also had demands on their time, but submitted work on time nonetheless. Most of the students in our
program work full-time, and many have family commitments. Forgetting a deadline or not planning well to allow
completion of work, given other demands on your time, is not a sufficient reason for not submitting an assignment on
time. Job expectations and non-emergency family events are also time commitments you should seek to plan around,
not appeal to at the last minute as an excuse. Hybrid course with online lecture format requires careful time
management, self-motivation and attention to deadlines in order to achieve at the level desired, and this motivation
must come from the student.
Dropping or withdrawing from a class. I cannot withdraw you from the class myself; if you want to withdraw, you need
to complete the required actions in myTSU by the last date of possible withdrawal (you are responsible for knowing this
date, always see the appropriate TSU Academic Calendar). Faculties are, however, obligated to report nonattendance/participation or stopped attendance/participation at certain intervals during the semester, which can result
in your being taken out of the course by the registrar. If you stop fulfilling class requirements but do not take the proper
actions to withdraw by the deadline, and you remain on my roster at the end of the semester, you will receive a course
grade based on what you completed plus zeros for the course elements you did not complete. This often results in an F.
Incompletes are given only after consultation with me, with documentation of the official reason, and for students who
completed coursework satisfactorily past the point of the withdrawal deadline; they are rare and meant for unusual
circumstances that arise late in the semester.
ASSESSMENT - Discussions. See also the Guideline provided in eLearn, which includes examples of discussion posts at
different evaluation levels. MINIMUM PARTICIPATION: For every discussion, you must make at least two substantive
posts. If you don’t provide at least two substantive posts, you have not satisfactorily completed the discussion and you
will receive a grade no higher than 70 if you make just one post (maybe lower, depending on the quality of your single
post) or 0 (if you didn’t post at all) on the discussion. GRADING APPROACH: You may post more than twice if desired. I
will not include in your grade a post which is simply a short response to another post (“Good point! I agree with what So
and So says.”) that does not add any information or original thought. You may make short, interactive posts in the
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interest of having a back-and-forth productive dialog, but remember I will only consider towards your grade those posts
which make a meaningful, original contribution to the discussion. Those substantive posts may be in reply to another
person’s post depending on when you came into the discussion and what the instructions were, but if the posts are “in
reply” they must still make a meaningful and original contribution to count as “substantive.” It is hard to make a
valuable contribution that is less than about a paragraph, but you do not have to write a book to get credit. The grade
assigned for your discussion contributions will be holistic.
ASSESSMENT - Reading Reflections are graded on a 100-point scale. Detailed instructions for these assignments will be
provided in eLearn. Reading reflections are designed to be able to be completed within a week – however, they will
likely take more time than usual discussion participation; they will typically be 1-1.5 single-spaced pages long. Please
plan accordingly with respect to time allocation in the week a reflection is due.
ASSESSMENT – Policy analysis proposal – A guideline will be provided for this in eLearn.
ASSESSMENT – Policy analysis – A guideline will be provided for this in eLearn.
Percent of Grade
In-class Discussion (facilitator)
20
Online Discussion (4 total; all count)
40
Policy analysis proposal
10
Policy analysis final paper
30
100
Scale (text descriptions adapted from TSU Catalog):
A
90% - 100%, Work of exceptional, professional quality which indicates the highest level of attainment on an
assignment.
B
80% - 89%, Work above average which indicates a high level of achievement.
C
70% - 79%, Work of average quality representing substantial fulfillment of the minimum essentials of an
assignment.
D
69% - 60%, Representing passing work but below the standards of graduation quality. Some minimum essentials
not completed.
F
59% and below, Failure: representing unacceptable performance on an assignment. Few to no minimum
essentials completed. May be assigned for plagiarism or academic dishonesty by the instructor (for an
assignment or the course; see TSU Catalog, Academic and Classroom Conduct.
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Additional Important Information
Plagiarism will not be tolerated. The university allows instructors the right to assign a failing grade to any work which
violates the rules of academic integrity. All work must be yours, and any sources must be appropriately cited. Review
the definition of plagiarism at: http://www.plagiarism.org/ If you are caught cheating or plagiarizing you will receive a
zero for that assignment.
Incompletes. An incomplete will only be given if ~ 80% of the course work has been satisfactorily completed and the
student is unable due to an unexpected personal emergency to turn in the final 20% of the course work by the course
completion date.
Student’s Grievances. Students with questions, disagreements concerning coursework, availability of the instructor or
other course related issues should talk to the instructor first. If the student has talked to the instructor and has not
found resolution to the problem, s/he may then approach the department chair. This procedure provides a fair route
for grievance resolution that will be acceptable to the instructor, the student, and other students in the class.
eLearn. All written assignments are submitted ONLINE via eLearn. Remember that if the www.tnstate.edu website is
down, you should try to access eLearn directly at https://elearn.tnstate.edu The Help Desk phone number is 615-9631239. It is not the Professor’s responsibility to teach you how to use eLearn, thus it is the student’s responsibility to learn
the university’s software tool. If there is a systemic problem with e-Learn, it is your responsibility to contact the
Professor BEFORE the DEADLINE to make arrangements to turn in your assignment in another electronic format. The
professor is not responsible for assuring that the eLearn system is functional at the due date time, so it is strongly
suggested that you turn in your dropbox assignments in advance.
DISABILITY ACCOMMODATION STATEMENT
TSU is committed to creating inclusive learning environments and providing all students with opportunities to learn and
excel in their course of study. Any student with a disability or condition which might interfere with his/her class
performance or attendance may arrange for reasonable accommodations by visiting the Office of Disability Services
(ODS). ODS is located in Kean Hall, room 131 and can be reached at 963-7400 or www.tnstate.edu/disabilityservices .
You will be required to speak with ODS staff and provide documentation of the need for an accommodation. If you
qualify for an accommodation you will be provided with a document stating what type of classroom accommodations
are to be made by the instructor. It is your responsibility to give a copy of this document to the instructor as soon as
you receive it. Accommodations will only be provided AFTER the instructor receives the accommodation instructions
from ODS; accommodations are not retroactive. You must follow this process for each semester that you require
accommodations.
SEXUAL MISCONDUCT, DOMESTIC/DATING VIOLENCE, STALKING
TSU recognizes the importance of providing an environment free of all forms of discrimination and sexual harassment,
including sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence, and stalking. If you (or someone you know) has experienced
or is experiencing any of these incidents, there are resources to assist you in the areas of accessing health and
counseling services, providing academic and housing accommodations, and making referrals for assistance with legal
protective orders and more.
Please be aware that most TSU employees, including faculty and instructors, are “responsible employees”, meaning that
they are required to report incidents of sexual violence, domestic/dating violence or stalking. This means that if you tell
me about a situation involving sexual harassment, sexual assault, dating violence, domestic violence, or stalking, I
must report the information to the Title IX Coordinator.
Although I have to report the situation, you will still have options about how your situation will be handled, including
whether or not you wish to pursue a formal complaint. Our goal is to make sure you are aware of the range of options
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available to you and have access to the resources you need. You are encouraged to contact TSU’s Title IX Coordinator to
report any incidents of sexual harassment, sexual violence, domestic/dating violence or stalking. The Title IX
coordinator is located in the Office of Equity and Inclusion, McWherter Administration Building, Ste. 260 and can be
reached at 963-7494 or 963-7438. For more information about Title IX and TSU’s SART or policies and procedures
regarding sexual, domestic/dating violence and stalking please visit: www.tnstate.edu/equity.
If you wish to speak to someone confidentially, who is not required to report, you can contact the TSU Counseling
Center, located in the basement of Wilson Hall, at 963-5611 or TSU Student Health Services, located in the Floyd Payne
Campus Center room 304, at 963-5084. You may also contact the following off campus resources: Sexual Assault Center
of Nashville at 1-800-879-1999 or www.sacenter.org or the Tennessee Coalition to End Domestic & Sexual Violence at
615-386-9406 or www.tncoalition.org .
HARASSMENT & DISCRIMINATION
Tennessee State University is firmly committed to compliance with all federal, state and local laws that prohibit
harassment and discrimination based on race, color, national origin, gender, age, disability, religion, retaliation, veteran
status and other protected categories. TSU will not subject any student to discrimination or harassment and no student
shall be excluded from participation in nor denied the benefits of any educational program based on their protected
class. If a student believes they have been discriminated against or harassed because of a protected class, they are
encouraged to contact the Office of Equity and Inclusion at McWherter Administration Building, Ste. 260, 615-963-7494
or 963-7438, www.tnstate.edu/equity.
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IMPORTANT CAVEAT ABOUT READINGS LISTED: While core readings are shown below, I reserve the right to adjust the readings schedule by adding short pieces or articles in a
given week as the semester evolves. If I do so they will be added to the module by the open time for Week 1 of that module. If you read ahead based on the schedule below,
remember to check the Readings area when each module actually opens to look for any such added readings. NOTE: “C1” = Chapter 1 “PDF” – readings are available in PDF
format in the eLearn content area.
Week
THEME
What Is Public Policy?
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CORE READINGS
ACTIVITIES
 Kraft & Furlong (2014) C1 – Week 1
 John (2012) C1 – PDF on eLearn
Module 1 – COURSE INTRODUCTION
 Kraft & Furlong (2014) C4 – Week 2
Module 2 – POLICY ANALYSIS: AN INTRODUCTION (ONLINE)
Tuesday 7/5
Reading reflections – closes
11:59pm Monday 7/11
ISSUES FOR DEBATE IN CONTEMPORARY PUBLIC POLICY
Environment
 CQ (2016) C1, C2 – Week 3
 Kraft & Furlong (2014) C11 – Week 3
Module 3 – ENVIRONMENTAL AND ENGERGY POLICY
PROPOSAL FOR POLICY ANALYSIS DUE (to DROPBOX) by 11:59pm
Monday 7/11
Tuesday 7/12
2
 Kraft & Furlong (2014) C2 – Week 4
Module 4 – GOVERNMENT INSTITUTIONS AND POLICY ACTORS
(ONLINE)
Reading reflections – closes
Economy & Business
 CQ (2016) C3, C4 – Week 5
 Kraft & Furlong (2014) C7 – Week 5
Module 5 – ECONOMIC AND BUDGETARY POLICY
Tuesday 7/19
3
 Kraft & Furlong (2014) C3 – Week 6
Module 6 – UNDERSTANDING PUBLIC POLICYMAKING (ONLINE)
Reading reflections – closes
4
11:59pm Monday 7/18
Healthcare
 CQ (2016) C12, C13 – Week 7
 Kraft & Furlong (2014) C8 – Week 7
11:59pm Monday 7/25
Module 7 – HEALTH CARE POLICY
Tuesday 7/26
 Kraft & Furlong (2014) C5, C6 – Week 8
Module 8 – PUBLIC PROBLEMS AND ASSESSING POLICY
ALTERNATIVES (ONLINE)
Reading reflections – closes
Homeland Security
 CQ (2016) C14, C15, 16 – Week 9
 Kraft & Furlong (2014) C12 – Week 9
11:59pm Monday 8/1
Module 9 – FOREIGN POLICY AND HOMELAND SECURITY
Tuesday 8/2
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Week 10 – PRESENTATION: POLICY ANALYSIS FINAL PAPER DUE (to
DROPBOX) by 11:59pm Thursday 8/4
MAPPING ASSESSMENTS TO LEARNING OBJECTIVES AND COMPETENCIES
Assessment
Policy Analysis
Project
(all formats)
Bloom level
CREATE/EVALUATE
Learning objectives
 Written Expression – Demonstrates written
communication practices (organization, clarity, spelling,
grammar) expected of an entry-level professional public
administrator.
 Analysis and Synthesis, Originality of Thought/Approach
 Creation of Original Figures or other Visual Communication
of Information
 PLUS OTHERS DEPENDING ON CONTENT CHOICE
Reading
Reflections
Discussions
ANALYZE/APPLY
 Written Expression – Demonstrates written
communication practices (organization, clarity, spelling,
grammar) expected of an entry-level professional public
administrator.
 Accuracy and precision – Demonstrates specific, detailed
understanding acquired about the assigned topic,
questions or issues.
 Critical thinking – Demonstrates critical thinking, including
synthesis and evaluation, in written work.
ANALYZE/APPLY
 Various, depending on content assessed in that
module
 Communication - Demonstrates communication practices
(organization, clarity, spelling, grammar) expected of an
entry-level professional public administrator
 Accuracy and precision – Demonstrates specific, detailed
understanding acquired about the assigned topic,
questions or issues.
 Critical thinking – Demonstrates critical thinking, including
synthesis and evaluation, through novelty and or depth of
contribution.
 Various, depending on content assessed in that
module
Related MPA competencies
 Apply systematic research processes to
novel problems and produce research
in written format
 Prepare communications– both written
and oral–in appropriate medium and
depth for diverse audiences and
stakeholders
 PLUS OTHERS DEPENDING ON
CONTENT CHOICE
 Prepare communications– both written
and oral–in appropriate medium and
depth for diverse audiences and
stakeholders
 Various, depending on content assessed
in that module
 Prepare communications– both written
and oral–in appropriate medium and
depth for diverse audiences and
stakeholders
 Various, depending on content assessed
in that module