pad739 curriculum syllabus_mar3

7/29/2019 PAD739 Curriculum Syllabus_Mar3

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JOHN JAY COLLEGE OF CRIMINAL JUSTICEThe City University of New York

445 W. 59 th Street New York, N.Y. 10019

PAD 739: Introduction to Policy Analysis

That might be true, but its not what anyone believes.

Department of Public ManagementProfessor: Dr. Wendy P. GuastaferroEmail: [email protected] Office hours: on line and appointment by phone

****THIS IS AN ON-LINE COURSE 100% ON LINE. We will not meet in personduring the semester. You will need regular, quality access to your John Jay email, the course

website (http://www.pad739.wordpress.com ) , and BlackBoard via John Jay.***

I. Course Description

Interpreting and solving complex problems are everyday activities for public administrators, policy analysts and decision-makers, whether they are operating in international, regional,national or local political environments. In this course students will be introduced to avariety of techniques and perspectives that can be applied in real world public policysituations. Becoming more flexible thinkers is essential to learning how to improve public

policy analysis, decision-making and management. Rigid, one-dimensional approaches tounderstanding complex problems often stem from, among other things, constraints relatingto how we perceive time, space, dimension of problems, level of political response, form of governance, and culture and/or gender.

II. Course Goals and Objectives

Whether you think you can or think you cant, you are right Henry Ford.

Goal #1: Participate in and contribute to the policy process

Objective: Develop knowledge of, and apply different policy process models to, various policy,organizational and management topics

Objective: Be able to plan a research or policy analysis project that makes appropriate use of empirical research tools such as data collection, sampling and statistical analysis

Updated:2/14/20133/3/2013
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Goal #2: Analyze, synthesize, think critically, solve problems and make decisions

Objective: Demonstrate reading, writing and analytical skills necessary for decision-making

Objective: Be able to define and diagnose decision situations, collect and analyze data, develop

and implement effective courses of action, and evaluate results

Goal #3: Articulate and apply a public service perspective

Objective: Identify how the values of diversity, equity, integrity, ethical conduct, efficiency,effectiveness, and professionalism shape the formulation and implementation of public policy

Goal #4: Communicate and interact productively with a diverse and changing workforce andcitizenry

Objective: Be able to organize and communicate information to a diverse and changing

workforce and citizenry by means of oral presentations, written documents and digital media

Goal #5: Apply professional and political knowledge and skills to public administration and policyanalysis

Objective: Demonstrate this ability

III. Course Communications

All e-mail communication will be to your jjay e-mail accounts. You must check this accountregularly to keep up with any course announcements.

We will be using the Blackboard course site and the WordPress site(http://www.pad739.wordpress.com ) for some readings, for downloading and uploadingassignments, and for other communications as needed.

We are a diverse group of adults working together to develop your analytical and communicationskills. To become empathetic, ethical and effective policymakers, you will need to be comfortableworking with, working in and communicating in diverse, often highly charged politicalenvironments. Please be respectful and courteous of your colleagues in our coursediscussions. Please feel free and encouraged to draw on your personal experiences in New York City and elsewhere and in your professions when thinking about and analyzing the readings andcourse content. Our lived experiences are fundamental in our professional development.
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IV. Required Texts & Readings:

Bardach, Eugene (2009). A Practical Guide to Policy Analysis: The Eightfold Path to More Effective Problem Solving (4 th Edition). New York/London: Chatham House Publishers,Seven Bridges Press, LLC.

Patton, Sawicki and Clark. (2013). Basic Methods of Policy Analysis and Planning (3 rd edition) .

Other readings/posts/articles as assigned.

You should also read or listen to the local and national news daily . The NY Times ,Washington Post , WNYC, NY1, the BBC, Al-Jazeera, ProPublica, and the PBS Newshour are allreliable, quality news resources.

Readings not in the required texts will be available on Blackboard or WordPress.

V. Course Requirements and Grading

Grading ScaleGrades will be calculated by dividing the total earned points by total possible points.All numeric grades are translated to letter equivalents as follows: 93-100 (A); 90-92 (A-);87-89 (B+); 83-86 (B); 80-82 (B-); 77-79 (C+); 73-76 (C); 72 or below (C-)

Assignments

You are expected to complete the course readings, as well as read the WordPress site and participate meaningfully in weekly on-line discussions.

This class is structured to train you in the foundations of policy analysis and prepare youfor the Capstone. To that end, you will choose a policy topic for exploration over thesemester. I encourage you to choose something you would also be interested in workingon in the Capstone course. This course gives you the opportunity to begin research anddeveloping your analysis of that topic now.

There are 5 required assignments. Every student must complete each of these assignments.There are also 3 or 4 additional assignments. These Menu assignments provide you withoptions to fulfill the course requirements. Whether you have to do 3 or 4 Menuassignments depends on the point values of the assignments you select.

Please see the ASSIGNMENTS section below. This doc has also been saved as a stand-alone handout and can be found at the WordPress site under Course Info.


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ASSIGNMENTS.Remember this is a 100% online course . All assignments are due electronically, via theWord Press course page, or Blackboard. Due dates can be found at p.3 below. There are requiredassignments that all students must complete. The remaining assignments are presented in a menuformat where students will select assignments they are most interested in and that total at least 90points. Please review the following carefully. I will put a video post on our WordPress site walking you

through it.

Required AssignmentsEVERYONE COMPLETESTHESE

Brief description Point value

Assignment 1

Focus:Knowledge, Skills, Recall,

Understanding

Twitter and videointroduction

30

Assignment 2

Focus:Knowledge, Skills, Recall,Understanding

Eli Pariser TED lecture andQuizzes 1 and 2 on Pattonet al Chapter 1 and 2

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Assignment 3

Focus:

Weekly Class Participation(14 weeks starting Feb 4)

Meaningful contributionsto Twitter, DiscussionBoards, on WordPress site.

I cannot stress it enough:meaningful contributions.

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Assignment 4Presentation on policyissue

Focus:Problem Solving

Due at end of semester;details to follow.

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Assignment 5Professor / StudentMeetings

2 during the semesterWill occur on video chat orinstant messenger as youbegin working on yourMENU assignments.

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Students Choice Assignments

Menu of Assignments 6 8 or 9 (whether you have 3 or 4 assignments will depend on point values) You will select a combination of assignments that are most meaningful to you. You need to select assignments that will total 90 points at a minimum At least 2 assignments must be from different focus areas Due dates are set by the professor, see calendar below All assignments require incorporation of course texts and materials Additional, specific information for each assignment will follow

Two examples: You may select A, B, and C = 90 points (focus areas: 2 Knowledge and 1 Synthesis).

Or You may select B, F, G, and J = 95 points (focus areas: 1 Knowledge, 2 Analysis, and 1 Synthesis)

Menu Item Brief description of assignment Point Value of Assignment(need to be able to earnminimum 90 points total)

A) Quizzes


Quizzes on Pattons chapters 3 -9. Mustcomplete 5 of 7 quizzes. See calendar belowfor additional information.

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B) Quotes


You will receive 1-2 quotes I have selectedfrom the readings. You will post a discussionquestion and comment to get the class talking.

You will monitor the posts and keep thediscussion moving forward. Challenge: how doyou move past people giving bland, yeah Iagree sorts of responses? (Because those arenot acceptable!)

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C) Poster or exhibit

Focus:Synthesis and creativethinking

Create a poster or exhibit that illustrates yourunderstanding of the first half (through March22) or the last half (April 1 thru May) of thesemesters key course topics, issues, or ideas.Apply at least 3 points from course readings.

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D) Policy Slogans in theMedia

Focus:Application andperformance

Select a slogan/key message from a currentpolicy issue/debate. Determine the intendedaudience, identify an idea/product/service orobjective the quote was meant to promote,analyze why the point was persuasive or not.Apply at least 3 points from the readings inaddress points above.

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Menu Item Brief description of assignment Maximum Point Valueof Assignment

(need to be able to earn90 points total)

E) Analytic Memo

Focus:

Analysis and CriticalThinking

Students will engage in activities thatconstitute a critical analysis. You will break theprocess down into component parts or roles

and assess each component.

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F) Dialogical Thinking

Focus:Analysis and CriticalThinking

Students will identify a debated/controversialpolicy issue, analyze a source on the topic (anarticle, video, etc.), assess the persuasivenessof the piece.

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G) Graphic Organizer

Focus:Synthesis and CreativeThinking

Create graphic organizer that convertscomplex information into a meaningful

display.

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H) Insights-Resources-Application (IRAs)

Focus:Application andPerformance

In conjunction with an assigned reading,students develop responses to these threecomponents: new perceptions orunderstandings (Insights), a resource theyhave found that amplifies the readingsthemes or information (Resources), and anexample from the students own experiences.

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I) Directed Paraphrase

Focus:Application andPerformance

Students select 2 important public policyprinciples, theories, concepts, or argumentsthat are complex or are typically conveyedusing highly specialized vocabulary intosimpler language that will be understood by adesignated audience.

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J) Popular Press Critique

Focus:Analysis and CriticalThinking

The purpose is to compare the informationthat the general public would normallysee with what we know is accurate accordingto academic sources. Your task is tofirst summarize what you find in the twosources. Next you are to analyze the portrayalof the policy issue in the popular press articleby using course resources and the otheracademic source as your expert againstwhich you evaluate the popular source. Donot spend the entire paper summarizing youroriginal source. The goal is to evaluatecritically the portrayal of the policy issue.

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DUE DATES

QUIZZES.

*The exception to this schedule is the Quizzes. Quizzes are 10 questions worth 1 point each, completedvia Blackboard. You must earn 80% or above on each quiz (not the average of all quizzes). Quizzes willonly be released to students who select this option and are due by Monday at midnight of the weekthe chapter will be assigned. On Tuesdays, all students will have access to the quiz questions for evenmore learning!

If you select the Quizzes assignment you must complete 5 of the following 7 quizzes by midnight :

Quiz 3 Chapter 4 Friday Mar 1 ***Note dates for quizzes***

Quiz 4 Chapter 5 Monday Mar 11 The dates here are correct as of 3/2/2013

Quiz 5 Chapter 3 Monday March 25

Quiz 6 Chapter 6 Monday April 15



Quiz 9 Chapter 9 Monday May 6

ASSIGNMENT # Description Due date1 Twitter / Video Intro Monday Feb 4, midnight2 Eli Pariser / Patton Ch 1 & 2 quizzes

**Ch 1 & 2 quizzes on Blackboard due 2/18**

Monday Feb 11, midnight

3 Weekly participation Evaluated every Tuesday4 Policy Presentations May 9 and May 16

*Students will have to assessother students presentations --the due date for these reviews isWeds May 22

5 2 Meetings w. Dr. G. As scheduled.6 Students Choice * Monday March 187 Students Choice Monday April 88 Students Choice Monday April 29

9 Students Choice(only if you have 4 th menu assignment)

Monday May 6

Please note 3/25 is the week of springbreak. Quiz will be released on Mon Mar18 so you'll have plenty of time to finishbefore spring break.


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Students with Disabilities

Qualified students with disabilities will be provided reasonable academic accommodationsif determined eligible by the Office of Accessibility Services (OAS). Prior to grantingdisability accommodations in this course, the instructor must receive written verification of

a students eligibility from the OAS which is located at L66 in the new building (212 -237-8031). It is the students responsibility to initiate contact with the office and t o follow theestablished procedures for having the accommodation notice sent to the instructor.

Statement of College Policy about Plagiarism

Plagiarism is the presentation of someone else's ideas, words or artistic, scientific or technical work as one's own creation. Using the ideas or work of another is permissibleonly when the original author is identified. Paraphrasing and summarizing, as well as directquotations, require citations to the original source.

Plagiarism may be intentional or unintentional. Lack of dishonest intent does notnecessarily absolve a student of responsibility for plagiarism.

It is the student's own responsibility to recognize the difference between statements that arecommon knowledge (which do not require documentation) and restatements of the ideas of others. Paraphrase, summary, and direct quotation are acceptable forms of restatement, aslong as the source is cited.

Students who are unsure how and when to provide documentation are advised to consultwith their instructors. The Library has free guides designed to help students with problems

of documentation.

VI. Course Outline

**Students should expect to spend at least 1-1.5 hours per week on readings/posts/blogs etc.as indicated by Dr. G. via Twitter, WordPress, or email.

Jan 28 Introduction / getting set up on line (Assignment 1 due 2/4/2013)

Feb 4 Introduction to Policy Analysis

Readings: Bardach, Introduction

Patton et al., Ch.1, The Need for Simple Methods of Policy Analysis


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Feb 11 Policy Analysis Process and Analyst

Readings: Bardach, Appendix A, Specimen Of A Real -World Policy Analysis

Patton et al., Ch.2, The Policy Analysis Process

Feb 18 25 Step One: Problem Framing

Readings: Bardach, Step One: Define the Problem

Bardach, A ppendix C, Understanding Public and Nonprofit Institutions:Asking the Right Questions

Patton et al., Ch. 4, Verifying, Defining and Detailing the Problem

Feb 25 Mar 4 Step Two: Establishing Evaluation Criteria

Readings : Bardach, Step 4: Select the Criteria

Patton et al., Ch.5, Establishing Evaluation Criteria

March 11 Establishing Evaluation Criteria

Readings: Readings TBD.

March 18 Using Evidence in Policy Analysis

Readings : Bardach, Step Two, Assemble Some Evidence and Part II, AssemblingEvidence

Patton et al., Ch.3, Crosscutting Methods

March 25 SPRING BREAK

April 1 Using Evidence in Policy Analysis


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Readings: TBD, but likely series of articles/reports on policy issue allowing us tocompare whether solutions are analogous, replicable, etc., as well asevidence that supports them

April 8 Step 3: Selecting Alternatives

Readings: Bardach, Step Three, Construct the Alternatives

Patton et al., Ch. 6, Identifying the Alternatives

Bardach, Appendix B, Things Governments Do

April 15 Step 4: Analyzing Alternatives

Readings: Bardach, Steps Five and Six, Project the Outcomes and Confront theTrade- Offs

Patton et al., Ch. 7, Evaluating Alternative Policies

April 22 Step 5: Making a Recommendation

Readings: Bardach, Steps Seven and Eight, Decide! and Tell Your Story

Patton et al., Ch. 8, Displaying Alternatives and Distinguishing AmongThem

April 29 Implementation Considerations

Readings: Bardach, Part 3 Smart (Best) Practices Research: Understanding AndMaking Use Of What Look Like Good Ideas From Somewhere Else

p.109-123.

Patton et al., Ch. 9, Monitoring and Evaluating Implemented Policies

May 9 Final presentations Group 1

May 16 Final presentations Group 2

May 22 Last day to submit review of other students presentations (details to follow)

pad739 curriculum syllabus_mar3

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