Faculty Contact Information:
Richard Miller UMUC-Europe
Unit 29216
APO AE 09102 | |
Consultation:
| 30 Minutes before and after class or by appointment. | |
Required Texts and Readings:
Texts used exclusively in this course:
Anderson, J.E. (2000). Public policymaking (5th ed.). Houghton Mifflin.
Dye, T.R. (2004). Understanding public policy (11th ed.). Prentice Hall.
Text used in multiple courses: American Psychological Association. (2001). Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (5th ed.). Washington DC: Author. | |
Supplementary Readings:
| Each instructor has his or her preferences for supplementary reading material that may be added here. In addition, all graduate students should be prepared to utilize the UMUC online library. The library contains a large number of full text academic journals that are free of charge and immediately available. The library homepage also contains a number of links related to improving students' research and writing skills. | |
Recommended Journals:
| A variety of full-text, online, free-of-charge and pay-per-view academic journals are listed on the PA Webboard (http://webboard.ed.umuc.edu/~pa). The Public Administration Review is the lead journal in the discipline and is especially useful for this course. Arts and Letters Daily at (www.artsandlettersdaily)on the web is also useful. | |
Course Description:
| Prerequisites: Undergraduate economics and American political science or American government, and PUAD 501 or PUAD 502, or permission of the Program Director. Focuses on the analysis of costs and benefits in the selection of public policy choices. Students analyze public policy alternatives, factors, and processes involved in policy development, including the rulemaking that occurs after legislative enactment of public programs. | |
Course Goals:
| As a required course in the policy track of the M.P.A., this course develops analytical skills necessary to the study of public policy. Students learn to apply a variety of common theoretical and conceptual approaches to policy development and policy analysis. | |
Course Objectives:
At the conclusion of the course, students will be able to:
- Analyze public policies using standard conceptual and theoretical models.
- Evaluate policy options based on various assumptions of policy formulation and implementation.
- Investigate the relationships between historical and current policy proposals on the public agenda.
- Utilize electronic and technological solutions to accomplish policy analysis.
- Utilize electronic resources to find primary source documents, data, statements on best practices, and research articles related to policy analysis.
- Develop and present viable policy recommendations or proposals.
| |
Grading Information:
Grades for this course will be assigned as follows:
A 90%
B 80 – 89%
C 70 – 79%
F Below 70%
Please note that Bowie State University does not use "D" for graduate students. The grade F(a) is used to designate academic failure. F(n) is used to designate failure for non-completion. Grades of Incomplete or Withdrawal are governed by UMUC-Europe policies. For further details, please refer to the UMUC-Europe Graduate Catalog. Hard copies of the catalog are available in your local Education Center. | |
Course Requirements:
Graduate school at the masters level focuses on helping students obtain the education needed for success as professionals in their chosen fields. Thus, UMUC-Europe Graduate Programs and Bowie State University share the common goals of promoting excellence in academic scholarship through thoughtful inquiry and the skillful application of knowledge and theory for the betterment of society.
In order to maximize your graduate educational experience in general and this course in particular, you are required to:
Participate in classroom discussions...............20%
Write graduate level papers or case studies........30%
Orally/visually present prepared material..........20%
Complete a written examination.....................30% | |
Description of Course Requirements:
Successful graduate students in American universities dedicate approximately three hours of preparation/study time for every hour spent in the face-to-face classroom. Thus, the following course requirements were developed on the assumption that students would be prepared to spend approximately 150 hours of their own time working on them. In an 8-week term, that is the equivalent of a half-time job. Most 14-week graduate distance education courses require at least 10 hours per week of dedicated time, plus time spent in the virtual classroom.
Participate in classroom discussions: You are expected to come to class prepared to engage in all discussions in a professional and informed manner.
Write graduate level papers or case studies: You are required to conduct professional-level research, including appropriately citing works of others and avoiding plagiarism. Resubmission of course work from previous classes (whether or not taken at UMUC, UMUC-Europe or BSU), partially or in its entirety, is not acceptable in this course and will result in an automatic failure on the assignment.
Orally/visually present prepared material: You are required to present your research in a professional manner. In a face-to-face course, this typically means an oral presentation accompanied by appropriate visual material. In a DE class, this means creating a visual/textual presentation for your instructor and classmates.
Complete a written examination: The examination process in this class will assist you in developing the writing and critical thinking skills necessary to successfully passing the comprehensive exam required of all graduate students. The questions used for this course will either be taken directly from past comprehensive exams or written as though to be included on a comprehensive exam.
Specific Requirements
1) Preparation of an overview of a methodological approach to policy study or analysis and presenting this overview to the class.
2) A written term paper of 15-20 pages dealing with a policy issue that includes a discussion of the issue and the role and views of major stakeholders. The paper should includes an Executive Summary which would enable a busy decision maker to understand the major issues facing public policy makers dealing with this issue. The paper will also form the basis of an oral presentation in class and submission to the instructor.
3) Preparation and presentation of a “Fast Turnaround” assignment which quickly summarizes key issues in a selected area of Public Policy. Written material is limited to three pages, and any Powerpoint presentation is limited to 5 slides. | |
Course Schedule:
This schedule presents 16 units or modules, with each unit corresponding to a regular three-hour weekday meeting, a half-day on weekends, or a full week of DE.
October 30
Module I Topic: Introduction, Explanation of Course Requirements. Course Goals and Objectives. General Overview of Public Policy Making and Analysis.
Module II Topic: Approaches to the Study of Public Policy
Readings: Dye, Chapter 1,2
Anderson, Chapter 1,
Assignment: Each student will select one of the approaches to the study of public policy outlined in Dye, Chapter 1 and develop a 15-minute oral presentation that provides an overview of the approach for delivery during Module 1 on November 13th. Students should be prepared to answer questions about the utility of the model or approach for the study of public policy and identify a couple of cases in which it has been used.
October 31
Module I Topic: The Process of Policy Development
Film: The Power Game
Readings: Dye, Chapter 3, Anderson, Chapter 2
Module II Topic: Rationality and Irrationality in Public Policy
Readings: Dye, Chapter 4
November 13
Module I Topic: Student Presentations on approaches to policy analysis.
Readings: Dye, Chapters 5 and 6 and Heclo, H. “Issue Networks and the Executive Establishment” in King, A., ed. (1978)The New American Political System, Washington, D.C.: American Enterprise Institute. Note: This essay is also found in Stillman, R.J. (2000) Public Administration: Concepts and cases (7th ed.). Houghton Mifflin. If you have completed PUAD 501, you have probably already read the article. If so, skim it.
Module II Topic: Incrementalism and Interest Groups
Readings: Dye, Chapters 7 and 8 and Anderson, Chapter 4.
November 14
Module I Topic: Inter-agency Relationships in Public Policy Making. Guest Speaker, Mr. Gregory L. Sukys, Senior Environmental Attorney, US Dept. of Justice
Readings: Dye, Chapters 9 and 10
Module II Topic: State Policy Making
Readings: Dye, Chapter 12
Note: Term paper topics should be submitted at this time.
December 4
Module I Topic: Elite and Mass Interaction in Policy Making
Readings: Dye, Chapter 11
Module II Mid-Term Examination
December 5
Module I Topic: Security Policy Post 9-11
Readings: Dye, Chapters 13 and 14
Module II Topic: Security Policy, continued
Reading: Kaplan, R (1994) “The Coming Anarchy” Atlantic Monthly, Vol.273 No. 2
Retrieved September 28th from Academic Search Primer.
Note: “Fast Turnaround” Option/Policy Paper Topics Assigned
December 18
Module I Topic “Speaking Truth to Power: Getting Political Decision Makers to use Science”
Guest Speaker, Dr. Deborah Shields, Research Economist, United States Forest Service
Readings: Handout on Data Quality Act
Module II Topic: Policy Implementation
Reading: Anderson, Chapter 6
Presentations on “Fast-Turnaround” Option/Policy Papers
December 19
Module I Topic: Policy Implementation, continued
Readings: Dye, Chapter 12,and Chapter 15 Anderson, Chapter 7
Module II Presentation of Papers, Evaluation | |
Academic Policies:
The University has a license agreement with Turnitin.com, a service that helps prevent plagiarism from internet resources. I may be using this service in this class by either requiring students to submit their papers electronically to Turnitin.com or by submitting questionable text on behalf of a student. If you or I submit part or all of your paper, it will be stored by Turnitin.com in their database throughout the term of the University's contract with Turnitin.com. If you object to this temporary storage of your paper, you must let me know no later than two weeks after the start of this class. Please Note: If you object to the storage of your paper on Turnitin.com, I may utilize other services to check your work for plagiarism.
The official university policy on Plagiarism and Academic Dishonesty can be found at http://www.umuc.edu/policy/aa15025.shtml. Section I.C. states: Faculty may determine if the resubmission of course work from previous classes (whether or not taken at UMUC), partially or in its entirety, is acceptable when assigning a grade on that piece of course work. Faculty must provide this information in their written syllabi. If the resubmission of course work is deemed to be unacceptable, a charge may not be brought under this Policy and will be handled as indicated in the written syllabi.
Please refer to Description of Course Requirements for specific information on how resubmissions will be treated in this course and to the UMUC-Europe Graduate Catalog for information on the following:
Academic Integrity
Course Load
Exception to Policy
Grade Appeal Process
Make-up Examinations
Nondiscrimination
Students with Disabilities
Hard copies of the catalog are available at your local Education Center. | |
Faculty Bio:
| Richard Miller is Collegiate Professor with the University of Maryland University College-Europe. His most recent work experience was serving as International Projects Coordinator for the US Office of Surface Mining (OSM). He also served as Chief of the Office of Planning and Analysis and Chief of the Office of Regulatory Development and Issues Management in OSM. Other positions he has held include working as a Senior Policy Analyst in the US Bureau of Land Management's Office of Policy Analysis and as a Regulatory Analyst in BLM's Division of Legislation and Regulatory Affairs. He was a National Association of Schools of Public Affairs and Administration Fellow and an American Political Science Association Congressional Fellow. He was an Associate Professor of Public Administration at California State University, Bakersfield, and Assistant Professor of Political Science at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. He has a B.A. in International Relations and an MPA and Ph.D. in Public Administration from the University of Southern California. | |