Political Science 5930: Advanced Public Affairs

Prerequisite: Graduate Standing

Syllabus for Spring 2006 Individual Study in Government

ABOUT THE INSTRUCTOR:

Dr. Brett S. Sharp, Assistant Professor, has been a practicing public administrator in state and local government for over fourteen years. He received his Ph.D. and Master of Public Administration from the University of Oklahoma and a B.S. in Political Science/Public Affairs with a minor in Religious Studies from Oklahoma State University. He is currently the Associate Director of the Oklahoma Policy Research Center at UCO. Dr. Sharp is certified as a Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR) through the Society for Human Resource Management. He is the immediate past president of the Oklahoma Chapter of the American Society for Public Administration.

            Office Hours:  Mon/Wed 3:15-4:15 and Wednesday 7:00-7:30 PM (and by appointment)

            Office:            LA 102-J                                                                                Email: bsharp@ucok.edu

            Telephone:      (405) 974-5526                                                                       Fax:    (405) 974-3823

            Web Site:        http://www.libarts.ucok.edu/political/faculty/sharp

COURSE DESCRIPTION:

Analysis of contemporary public administration and public affairs issues and cases related to citizen participation, decision making, ethics, public health, national defense, bureaucracy, organizational behavior, budgeting and finance, planning, policy analysis, leadership, privatization, management, and human resources. Emphasis on case studies.

TEACHING METHODS/LEARNING EXPERIENCES:

The student is responsible, through self-study and reading assignments, to learn relevant administrative concepts and applications.

TEXTS

Linden, Russell M. (2002). Working Across Boundaries: Making Collaboration Work in Government and Nonprofit Organizations. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publishers. [Required]

Stillman, Richard J. (2000). Public Administration: Concepts and Cases (7th Ed.). Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company. [Required]

Scott, Gregory M. & Garrison, Stephen M. (2006). The Political Science Student Writer’s Manual (5th Ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice-Hall. [Recommended]

EVALUATION METHODS AND GRADING

            Instructor will determine course grades                             Grading components include:

            using the following scale:                                                                 Book Review                                 20%

                            90 -100        =         A                                                         Annotated Case Studies                 50%

                            80 - 89        =         B                                                         Final Exam                                     30%

                            70 - 79        =         C 

                            60 - 69        =         D 

                              0 - 59        =         F 

Course Schedule - Spring 2006

REQUIREMENTS FOR BOOK REVIEW

Write a 7-10 page, double-spaced typewritten report over Russ M. Linden’s, Working Across Boundaries: Making Collaboration Work in Government and Nonprofit Organizations. Your report should be in the form of an essay which includes a concise summary and more extensive analysis of the book. This report is due at the beginning of class, Wednesday, April 21. As part of your analysis, answer the following questions within the text of your report:

            1.         What is the purpose of this book and its central thesis (philosophy or perspective)?

            2.         Does the book achieve its goals?

            3.         What is the method or approach used by the author to reach his conclusions?

            4.         Are the conclusions credible?

            5.         What are the implications for the study and practice of public administration?

            6.         What are the primary strengths and weaknesses of the book?

            7.         Would you recommend this book to someone interested in public administration? Why or why not?

REQUIREMENTS FOR ANNOTATED CASE STUDIES

For each case study from the textbook by Stillman, the student will prepare a 1-2 page summary and analysis of the contents. These notes on the case studies should be combined together into one document and turned into the professor at the end of Week 15. Superior papers and presentations will demonstrate original research to update case studies as relevant.

EXAMINATION

There will be one final exam during the semester. It will be comprised of essay, short answer, and/or multiple choice questions. The final exam will be comprehensive. Since the exam will be scheduled at the convenience of the student and professor, a make up examination will not be offered.

ADA STATEMENT

The University of Central Oklahoma complies with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. Students with disabilities who need special accommodations should make their requests by contacting the coordinator of Disability Support Services at 974-2459. Their office is located in the Administration Building, Room 211. Students should also notify the instructor of special accommodations needs by the end of the first week of class.

EXTRA CREDIT

Up to five (5) percentage points of the overall total may be earned by attending select events related to the study or practice of public administration or the study of public policy and affairs. Typically, one point will be offered for each event. Attendance and/or participation in the Student Symposium in any capacity will also earn extra credit.

OUTSIDE WORK

Based upon the Oklahoma Regents’ Statement on Course Workload and Homework [OSRHE II-2-34], a college student should expect to spend 3 hours, on average, on outside work for each hour spent in class. The message the Oklahoma Regents are trying to communicate is that if you have a full time job (30-40 hours) you should not simultaneously expect to maintain a full-time academic schedule (15 hours). If you expect to do well, expect to put in the time!

ACADEMIC HONESTY

Cheating = Failure (please refer to attached Academic Integrity Statement). Cheating is unacceptable conduct and will result in an automatic grade of “F” for the course, and be reported to Academic Affairs. Students are required to do all of the work for this class on their own. Copying answers to exercises or examinations from anyone constitutes cheating. Allowing another student to copy one’s answers will be treated as cheating. A student may discuss exercises and case briefs with others before preparing his or her own answers, but the answers must be each student’s own work product. Consulting with the instructor about any assignment does not constitute cheating and is encouraged.

The Political Science Department of the University of Central Oklahoma is asking all students taking political science courses to read the following Academic Integrity Statement. Our purpose in doing so is to ensure that all our students are aware of what is improper academic behavior.

Academic Integrity Statement

As members of the academic community, students are expected to recognize and uphold standards of intellectual and academic integrity. The Political Science Department expects that its students will conduct themselves honestly. This means, above all, that students submit for credit work that is the product of their own efforts. Principles of academic integrity require that all dishonest work be rejected as a basis for academic credit, and that students refrain from any and all forms of dishonorable conduct in the course of their academic work.

The examples and definitions given below are intended to clarify the standards by which academic honesty and integrity is judged. The list is merely illustrative of some of the more common infractions. It is not intended to be exhaustive. Any question a student has about what constitutes inappropriate behavior should be directed towards their instructor. The rule of thumb to follow is: If in doubt, ASK!

Definitions and Examples

Plagiarism - Plagiarism is presenting another person’s work as one’s own. Plagiarism includes not only the exact use of another’s words, word for word, but also the paraphrasing or summarizing of the works of another person without acknowledgment, including the submitting of another student’s work as one’s own. The student is responsible for understanding the legitimate use of sources, the appropriate ways of acknowledging academic, scholarly, or creative indebtedness, and the consequences of violating this responsibility. In case of doubt, give a citation of the author you are using. Failure to indicate the extent and nature of one's reliance on other sources is plagiarism. A plagiarized paper will result in a failing grade on the work in question, and perhaps, for the entire course.

Cheating on Examinations - Cheating on examinations involves giving or receiving unauthorized help before, during, or after an examination. Examples of unauthorized help include the use of notes, texts, or “crib sheets” during an examination (unless receiving instructor approval), or sharing information with another student either during or after an examination.

Falsification - It is a violation of academic honesty to misrepresent material or to fabricate information in an academic exercise or assignment (e.g. false or misleading citation of sources, the falsification of the results of experiments or of computer data).

Multiple Submissions - It is a violation of academic honesty to submit substantial portions of the same work for credit more than once without the explicit consent of the instructor to whom the material is being submitted the second time.