PA 600: Integration of Theories, Methods and Practices in Public Administration


Fall 2008

Saturday 9-12:50 pm

 

Course Objectives

This is the capstone class for the MPA program. It is a transition from the work of gathering skills and knowledge in core and elective classes to the application of skills in creative independent work. Candidates for MPA 600 should have completed, and/or are completing in the current quarter, the core MPA courses: MPA 500 through MPA 505.

The course is divided into three areas: the review of past course work (portfolio) and language skills; the application of knowledge and skills (public service), and the preparation for the culminating paper (proposal).

In 2008 the MPA 600 course will be taught as a hybrid class with about half of the sessions being held on campus and the balance being held on-line using Blackboard.

Texts and Articles

Clark, Irene L. 2007. Writing the successful thesis and dissertation, entering the conversation. Upper Saddle River , N. J.: Prentice Hall.

Creswell, John W. 200_. Research Design: Qualitative and Quantitative Approaches. Thousand Oaks, California: Sage Publications.

 

Shafritz, Jay. 2000. Classics in Public Administration, _th edition. Belmont Ca: Wadsworth Publishing.


Recommended:

Ammons, D. 2002. Tools for decision-making: a practical guide for local government. Washington, D. C.: Congressional Quarterly Press.

Pollack, P. 2005. An SPSS companion to political analysis. Washington, D. C.: Congressional Quarterly Press.

Truss, Lynn 2003, Eat shoots and leaves. New York: Gotham Books

Recommended Memberships, Subscriptions:
Join the American Society for Public Administration at the student rate (www.aspanet.org) and receive Public Administration Review and PA Times. Look for an association (or section of ASPA) relevant to your subfield or topic. Please review ASPA’s code of ethics for public administrators at http://www.main.org/aspa/code.htm .

Assignments:
Culminating Paper Proposal and Presentation (35 Points) :

Each student will prepare a proposal for their culminating experience. Completed and approved proposals enable student to enroll in MPA 695 (Project) or MPA 696 (Thesis). The tasks for completing the proposal are as follows:

  • Select and submit a topic.
  • Draft a problem statement, literature review and methodology for his/her own project. Include Appendix E cover sheet from MPA Student Manual on–line.
  • Present a brief 8 minute summary of the proposal using Power Point.

Portfolio (15 points)

A professional portfolio consists of materials representative of one’s work. It is a collection of one’s accomplishments and a demonstration of one’s abilities. The MPA Portfolio is a required developmental component of the program, designed to assist students in planning course selection and in encouraging students to reflect on and integrate their experiences while in the program. Portfolios can also communicate the quality of one’s work to future employers. Primarily, constructing a professional portfolio should be seen as the basis for continuing career development.

Ideally, students begin keeping their portfolios in MPA 500, recording self-assessments of strengths and weaknesses, and developing a plan for professional development. If the portfolio was not part of MPA 500 then students should have read the information in student handbook on-line. MPA students will collect their work throughout each course in the program, choosing the best to showcase in the final portfolio, MPA 600.

Portfolios should have the following sections:

  • Academic Abilities
  • Leadership and Team Skills
  • Ethics and Professional Standards
  • Public Service/Management
  • Professional Growth and Continuing Education

An ‘other’ section may be added if a student has concentrated his/her electives in a specific area such as economic, planning, management, etc. The last entry is

6. Resume

During the course of this quarter – students will compile the following for the portfolio:

  • Title page, program matrix and course list
  • 6 tabs which will include a tab for each function, followed by a reflective essay and an example. Be analytical and selective. You may cross reference a document for more than one area but NOT for all areas. For example if you did a research paper on employee turnover and worked on a group presentation that helped an agency effectively address workplace complaints, you could place the presentation and paper in public service and cross reference it under academic abilities.
  • The binder need not be fancy or new, but should be sturdy and clean.

Public Service Project (20 points)

The public service project is utilized to demonstrate how to utilize a survey to address an administrative issue. This quarter the MPA 600 students will:

  • Confer with administrators and faculty on the assessment of the political science program at Cal Poly Pomona.
  • Analyze data from an alumni survey to assess the department’s undergraduate program.
  • Provide a report and presentation to university administrators on their findings.

Writing Style, Grammar, Plagiarism, IRB (15 points)

There is one session devoted to issues of grammar, plagiarism, the role of the Institutional Research Board and scholarly citations. To gage student’s mastery of this material a brief on-line quiz is placed on Blackboard. Students will have a specified period to take this test on-line.
On Line Scholarship and Collaboration (15 points)

Students will draft sections of their proposal in weeks 6, 7 and 8 which will be shared in small groups via Blackboard. For each paper submission colleagues will identify strengths and weaknesses using prepared rubrics. Responses need to be substantive, comprehensive and timely.

Course Grading

Public Service 20%
Proposal /Presentation 35%**
Portfolio 15%
Style, grammar, IRB, citations. 15%
Scholarship/Collaboration 15%
Total 100%

**Proposal Presentation includes presenting information to the class and providing feedback to other students on their presentations. Failure to provide a presentation and/or feedback on a colleague’s presentation will mean a reduction of all presentation points from the final grade. Please keep this in mind when making your holiday plans.

Students are expected to be professional and scholarly in their oral and written presentations. More than 3 misspellings, grammar, syntax errors on a page will mean a student will receive a failing grade on the assignment. Please read and reread materials carefully before submitting them for a grade.

Syllabus and support material is now on-line at my web page at: www.csupomona.edu/~smemerson. Detail information is available to enrolled students via Blackboard at: https://www.csupomona.edu/~iit/learning/blackboard.shtml

Course Schedule