Political Science 4693 (20014):

State Administration

Prerequisite: Junior Standing

Fall 2006 Syllabus: MWF 7:30-10:15 PM—LAR 116

ABOUT THE INSTRUCTOR:

Dr. Brett S. Sharp, Associate Professor, has considerable experience as a public administrator in state government. He received his Ph.D. and Master of Public Administration from the University of Oklahoma and a Bachelor of Science in Political Science/Public Affairs with a minor in Religious Studies from Oklahoma State University. Dr. Sharp has conducted several research projects over state government and has consulted with numerous state agencies on a variety of issues. He is a past president of the Oklahoma Chapter of the American Society for Public Administration and serves on the State of Oklahoma Certified Public Manager Advisory Board.

            Office Hours:  Mon/Wed/Fri 9:30-10:00 AM or Wed 7:00-7:30 PM (and by appointment)

            Office:            LA 102-J (in Political Science suite)                                      Email: bsharp@ucok.edu

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

            Web Site:        http://www.libarts.ucok.edu/political/faculty/sharp                 Room: LAR 140

COURSE DESCRIPTION:

This course is a study of the administrative institutions, policy making processes, and political environment of state government. The course emphasizes the application of theory to practice.

TEACHING METHODS/LEARNING EXPERIENCES:

This class depends on active student participation and includes several case studies, guest speakers, presentations of readings, and other in-class simulations. Classroom questions and discussion are strongly encouraged. Students will attend class sessions to orient them to basic concepts and information concerning the practice of state administration. Students are responsible, through self-study and reading assignments, to learn relevant state administration concepts and practices. The student is responsible for retaining backup copies of all homework assignments turned in. Students should be aware that some flexibility is retained in the syllabus to accommodate invited speakers and other learning opportunities. Students should also regularly check the professor’s web site for any class announcements.

TEXTS

Smith, Kevin B. (Ed.). (2006). State and Local Government 2005-2006 (5^th Ed.). Washington, DC: CQ Press. [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:                                                 1st Reaction Paper & Presentation                                  15%

                              90 -100          =          A                                    2nd Reaction Paper & Presentation                                 15%

                              80 - 89           =          B                                    Mid-Term Exam                                                              20%

                              70 - 79           =          C                                    Research Paper                                                                20%

                              60 - 69           =          D                                    Final Exam                                                                      20%

                                0 - 59           =          F                                     Class Participation                                                           10%

Course Schedule - Fall 2006

CLASS ATTENDANCE & PARTICIPATION

Attendance has its privileges. Class attendance is an important part of succeeding in this class and is expected of all students. Class time provides an opportunity for you to ask questions, clarify issues, and deepen your understanding of the concepts covered in the text. If you are absent, you are responsible for getting any notes, assignments, and schedule changes made on that day. If you come in late, you are responsible for seeing that the attendance record is correct.

Above and beyond the expected class attendance, students are required to complete the readings as assigned (see course schedule) prior to the beginning of the class period. Demonstrated mastery of the assigned readings through class discussion is necessary to earn full participation points.

 READING ASSIGNMENTS

Readings as assigned on the course schedule must be completed before the date indicated.

REQUIREMENTS FOR CASE REACTION PAPER & PRESENTATION

Twice during the semester, students are assigned to do a 3-page reaction paper of a state administration case as presented in the assigned textbook, State and Local Government 2005-2006 edited by Kevin B. Smith. Each student will turn in their reaction paper at the beginning of the class on the evening assigned. The paper should include a brief synopsis of the major theme of the case followed by your reaction and analysis. These cases are based on true events and participants. The student is strongly encouraged to conduct outside research in order to update the case since its original publication—in other words, what has been happening in that jurisdiction since the article was first written? The paper should demonstrate an understanding of key concepts covered in class and should also strive to be creative, integrative, thought-provoking, and interesting. Students will then lead the discussion for those state administration cases addressed by their respective reaction papers. Students should be prepared to ask their classroom colleagues a series of thought provoking questions to stimulate discussion. These two assignments will be graded on quality and clarity of presentation, use of grammar, contribution to class discussion, identification of key issues to be resolved, thoroughness of analysis, strength of recommendations, and outside research.

RESEARCH PAPER

Students will write a research paper addressing a contemporary issue in state administration. The paper should be 15-20 pages long and prepared according to an accepted style convention such as APA or Chicago/Turabian. The paper will be graded on topic selection, format, grammar, writing style, organization, content delivery, analysis, research quality, and research documentation. This paper is due Friday, December 6.

EXAMINATIONS

There will be two examinations during the semester. The final exam will be comprehensive. These exams may be comprised of essay, short answer, and/or multiple choice questions. Make up examinations will not be offered except for documented emergencies. Even then, an alternate form of the examination will likely be substituted. In case of school cancellation due to weather or other reasons during the scheduled time for the final exam, university policy will be followed in the assigning of grades, which in the past has included the professor’s best judgment to what the student has earned up until that point. Therefore, you should not depend upon the final exam to make up for previously poor grades.

ADA STATEMENT

The University of Central Oklahoma complies with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the American with Disabilities Act of 1990. Students with disabilities who need special accommodations must make their requests by contacting the Coordinator of Disability Support Services, Ms. Kimberly Fields at (405) 974-2549. The DSS Office is located in the Nigh University Center, Room 415. Students should also notify the instructor of special accommodation 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 state administration. Typically, one point will be offered for each event. Examples include attendance at a presentation given by a state leader on campus. Other opportunities will be announced in class or can be proposed by students.

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. Plagiarism is cheating. A student may discuss exercises with others before preparing his or her own responses, but should only turn in their 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.

Turnitin.com Plagiarism Syllabus Statement: UCO subscribes to the Turnitin.com plagiarism prevention service. Students agree that by taking this course, all required assignments may be subject to submission for textual similarity review to Turnitin.com for the detection of plagiarism. All submitted assignments will be included as source documents in the Turnitin.com restricted access reference database for the purpose of detecting plagiarism of such assignments.

Use of the Turnitin.com service is subject to the Terms and Conditions of Use posted on the Turnitin.com website. Turnitin.com is just one of various plagiarism prevention tools and methods which may be utilized by your faculty instructor during the terms of the semesters. In the UCO Student Handbook, there is a process for contesting any plagiarism allegations against you.

Schedule for Case Reaction Papers & Presentations

 Date                               State Administration Case                                                                               Student Name