Political Science 316. Washington State University Vancouver Department of Political Science Program in Public Affairs 261 VLIB, M W F 9:10-10:00a.m.

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1 Washington State University Vancouver Department of Political Science Program in Public Affairs 261 VLIB, M W F 9:10-10:00a.m. Instructor Whitney L. Hafer, MPA Office 102P, VMMC Office Hours Mon, Wed 10:00am-12:00pm, or by appointment Phone During Office Hours: , Day/Evening: whitney.hafer@ .wsu.edu, whitneyhafer@gmail.com Course Description Policy making is typically a never ending process of successive steps in which continual nibbling is a substitute for a good bite. -Charles Lindblom Being first virtues of human activities, truth and justice are uncompromising. -John Rawls The basis of our political system is the right of the people to make and to alter their constitutions of government. -George Washington Public policy is created with the goal of solving public problems. Simply put that public policy comes down to who gets what, when and how. The design and nature of policy can be studied through the theories, principles and practices of creating public policy, as well as observing the actors and institutions involved in the process. The political behavior of the actors involved in the policy making process often define the problems and values to introduce an optimal policy outcome. In most cases, there are trade-offs to both the intended and unintended consequences of the new policies. The study of policymaking in this course will focus on both classic and recent relationships between the policy process and policy outcomes. Specially this course will focus on large policy categories, such as education, health care, and environmental policy, and examine how policies move through the development, implementation and evaluation models. The Angel Learning Management System will be used to facilitate the weekly exercises and quizzes. Every Friday during class time a quiz will be posted on the angel system in place of a formal class meeting. Students are expected to spend about 50 minutes (average class time) completing the quiz assignments. Announcements, course documents and other information will be posted on Angel as well. Instructions for access and using Angel will be reviewed and distributed separately. Learning Goals 1

2 Washington State University has established seven learning goals for all graduates of the Bachelorette degree. For some students, this class may be a required course for completing a degree. The following are learning objectives for this course that relate to the completion of a Bachelor s degree: Information Literacy Critical Thinking Communication Diversity of Thought Depth, Breadth and Integration Course Outcomes: At the end of the course the students should be able to: Access information from multiple credible sources and determine the extent of information needed Define and analyze public problems Discuss and debate public issues critically Actively seek opportunities to learn diverse perspectives to answer public problems Integrate specialized and personal knowledge into concepts and determine how public policy relates to the rest of the world. Course Topics/Dates: The following topic(s)/date(s) will address this outcome: Evaluation of Outcome: This outcome will be evaluated primarily by: 12/15 Research paper Every Friday Online Exercises M, W in class 8/25- Class discussions 12/15 10/1 Memorandum 11/19 12/10 Press Release Presentations Course Textbooks Students are responsible for the following book: Kraft, Michael E and Scott R. Furlong. Public Policy: Politics, Analysis, and Alternatives. 4 th Ed. (Sage, 2013). Stone, Deborah. Policy Paradox. 3 rd Ed. (Norton, 2012). Additional readings may be assigned. These readings will either be accessibly online, or handed out in class. Course Requirements 2

3 This course is based on a points system. One thousand points is the maximum amount of points possible to earn in this course (or 100%). Class Participation/100 points (10%) Discussion is important in this class. More specifically, this includes sharing insights and individual interpretations when appropriate. Just restating text or what the instructor said will not be adequate. In preparation for each class the material must be read and scrutinized. Be prepared to answer cold call questions qualitatively. Attendance will be taken at the beginning of every class in a written form. If there is a potential for missing any classes, please notify the instructor right away. It is important students attend every class. Memorandum / 200 points (20%) Students will create a 3 page memorandum on a topic of the instructor s choice. With selected topic, students are expected to identify and address the controversy of the public issue/problem and the propose salutation. The memo will reflect the policy process model as well as the actors and institutions that will have a stake in the process. A detailed description of assignment will be handed out later in the course. Research Paper/ 200 points (20%) Students will select a policy area of interest to them to complete this research assignment. Each topic must be cleared by the instructor before pursuing. Students can select from broad policy areas such as education, health care, environmental policy, etc but must have a specific policy direction to answer questions about problems and solutions. This paper will be between 6-8 pages in length. Specifics will be distributed later in the course. Press Release Presentation / 200 points (20%) Based on the findings from the research paper, students will prepare a 5 minute press release presentation that educates the public about the policy area, problem, and recommended solutions. Students must decide what information must the public know to understand the problem, what mediums/tools should they use to aid their understanding, and how they can gain support for their proposed solutions. Online Exercises / 300 points (30%) Each Friday, instead of formally attending class, students will be expected to complete an exercise online through the Angel system. The exercise will reflect lessons learned from the earlier class sessions that same week. The exercises will be in various different formats, including journaling, discussion forums, and quizzes. Each exercise is worth 20 points as well as participation points for the Friday s class. Course Policies Grading 3

4 This course is not graded on a curve. Final grades will be calculated based on the following breakdown: A B C D A B C D A B C D- Grades are not negotiable unless there is an instructor error. Assignments All papers are due at the beginning of class on their assigned due date. Please submit both an electronic and hard copy of the papers. The penalty for late submissions results in a 10% reduction in points for each day it is late. Please let the instructor know immediately if there is a conflict with the submission of assignments on time. Acceptance of late work after a week will be considered on a case by case basis. There is no extra credit offered in this course. In Class Students are expected to conduct themselves professionally in the classroom. Please turn cell phones to silent. Laptops are permitted but for note taking only. Also, please do not come to class in pajamas. Remember, students might be asking for letters of recommendation or professional references. The instructor should not have to question the student s professionalism. Academic Integrity and Plagiarism Students are expected to turn in work that is of their original thought, and that is academically honest. It is an obligation as a student to uphold integrity, originality and honesty in completing coursework. There is a zero tolerance policy for plagiarism and academic dishonesty, which also includes cheating, falsification, fabrication, multiple submission, abusive of academic materials and misconduct in research. For more information regarding these issues: All violations of academic integrity will be handled personally by the professor and prosecuted through the Office of Student Services as dictated by University policy. Audio, Video, Digital, Commercial Recording During Class Copyright 2013, Whitney L. Hafer, as to this syllabus, all lectures, and course-related written materials. During this course students are prohibited from making audio, video, digital, or other recordings during class, or selling notes to or being paid for taking notes by any person or commercial firm without express written permission. (Information copied from Disability 4

5 The need to provide an environment where all students can feel comfortable to learn and can participate equally is important to the instructor and the university. Reasonable accommodations are available for students who have a disability. Please speak with the instructor regarding any accommodations. For more information, please contact Disability Services located in Student Services All accommodations must be approved through Disability Services. Emergency Notification System WSU has made an emergency notification system available for faculty, students and staff. Please register at mywsu with emergency contact information (cell, , text, etc). You may have been prompted to complete emergency contact information when registering for classes on RONet. In the event of a Building Evacuation, a map at each classroom entrance shows the evacuation point for each building. Please refer to it. Finally, in case of class cancellation campus-wide, please check local media, the WSU Vancouver web page and/or Individual class cancellations may be made at the discretion of the instructor. Each individual is expected to make the best decision for their personal circumstances, taking safety into account. (Information copied from Tentative Course Schedule *This schedule is subject to change. The instructor will notify and distribute a new schedule to students in the event of a change. August 25: August 27: Introductions Discuss Syllabus and Class Schedule Overview of American public policy concepts Reading: Kraft, pg 1-33 August 29: Angel Online Exercise: Overview of public policy Reading: Kingdon Handout September 1: September 3: NO CLASS: LABOR DAY Actors and Institutions Reading: Kraft, pg September 5: Angel Online Exercise: Actors and Institutions Reading: Nestle Handout September 8: Public Policy Theories 5

6 Reading: Kraft, pg September 10: Public Policy Theories Continued Reading: Stone, pg 1-34 September 12: Angel Online Exercise: Theories Reading: Walker Handout September 15: Policy Instruments Reading: Kraft, pg September 17: Policy Typologies Reading: Stone, pg September 19: Angel Online Exercise: Policy Instruments and Typologies Reading: Lowi Handout September 22: Policy Process Model Reading: Kraft, pg September 24: Case studies using Policy Process Model Reading: Stone, pg September 26: Angel Online Exercise: Policy Process Model Reading: Sabatier Handout September 29: Policy Analysis Types of Analysis Reading: Lindblom Handout October 1: Policy Analysis Continued Steps in Policy Analysis Memorandum Due Reading: Stone, pg October 3: Angel Online Exercise: Policy Analysis Reading: Kingdon Handout 6

7 October 6: October 8: Problems and Alternatives What Government Can Do Problems and Alternatives Continued Reading: Kraft, pg Reading: Stone, pg October 10: Angel Online Exercise: Problems and Alternatives Continued Reading: Baumgartner Handout October 13: Assessing Alternatives Ethics, Impacts, Approaches Reading: Kraft, pg October 15: Assessing Alternatives Continued Evaluative Criteria Reading: Stone, pg October 17: Angel Online Exercise: Assessing Alternatives Reading: Stone, pg October 20: Health Care Policy Reading: Kraft, pg October 22: Health Care Policy Continued Reading: Stone, pg October 24: Angel Online Exercise: Health Care Policy Reading: T.R. Ried Handout October 27: Environmental Policy Reading: Kraft, pg October 29: Environmental Policy Continued Reading: Stone, pg October 31: November 3: Angel Online Exercise: Environmental Policy Education Policy 7 Reading: Bluhm Handout

8 Reading: Kraft, pg November 5: Education Policy Continued Reading: Stone, pg November 7: November 10: November 12: November 14: November 17: November 19: November 21: November 24: November 26: November 28: December 1: December 3: December 5: Angel Online Exercise: Education Policy Politics, Analysis, Choice Evaluation and Capacity Politics and Choice Continued Angel Online Exercise: Politics and Choice Extra Make up day Angel Online Exercise: Presentations NO CLASS: THANKSGIVING HOLIDAY NO CLASS: THANKSGIVING HOLIDAY NO CLASS: THANKSGIVING HOLIDAY Angel Online Exercise: Presentations Reading: Kozal Handout Reading: Kraft, pg Reading: Stone, pg Reading: Garrick Article Reading: Kraft: pg Reading: Kraft: pg Reading: Keeney Article Reading: Smith Article Reading: Kraft: pg Reading: TBA December 8: 8

9 December 10: Reading: TBA December 12: Angel Online Exercise: Comprehensive No Reading December 15: Research paper due 9