PUB 310: Current Issues in Public Administration

Course Description

This course will focus on synthesizing the basic tenets of public administration with eight current issues that have faced the industry over the last several years. Topics include organizational change, performance measurement, technology, revenue forecasting, contract reform, civil service reform, and Affirmative Action. (3 credits)

Prerequisites

ENG 101: English Composition 1
ENG 102: English Composition 2

Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs)

Students who successfully complete this course will be able to:

Synthesize the basic tenets of Public Administration with practical, topical dilemmas facing the industry.
Apply previous Public Administration coursework to "real world" examples.
Describe how public organizations change and adapt to both internal and external variances.
Evaluate methods used to quantitatively assess the success or failure of a program.
Discuss how technology integrates into administrative settings.
Explain how public entities assess what their citizens want.
Analyze methods that government entities use to forecast tax and grant revenue for budgeting purposes.
Explain how organizations apply new laws and regulatory standards to the bidding and contracting process, the hiring and promotion of employees, and efforts to diversify the workplace.

Course Activities and Grading

Assignments	Weight
Discussions (Weeks 1-8)	50%
Midterm (Week 4)	25%
Final (Week 8)	25%
Total	100%

Required Textbooks

Available through Charter Oak State College's Book Bundle

Durant, Robert F. and Jennifer R.S. Durant. Debating Public Administration: Management Challenges, Choices and Opportunities. Boca Raton: CRC Press, 2013. ISBN-13: 9781466502369

Course Schedule

Week	SLOs	Readings and Exercises	Assignments
1	1,2,3	Topic: Organizational Change Readings: Chapter 1: Managing Successful Organizational Change in the Public Sector	Read assigned chapter Review the Lecture material Participate in the Discussions Introduce yourself via Discussion Board Discussion 1.1: Evaluate the Argument Discussion 1.2: Practical Example
2	1,2,4	Topic: Performance Measurement Readings: Chapter 2: Back to the Future? Performance-related pay, Empirical Research, and the Perils of PersistenceÂ	Read assigned chapter Review the Lecture material Participate in the Discussions Discussion 2.1: Evaluate the Argument Discussion 2.2: Practical Example
3	1,2,5	Topic: Technological Advances Readings: Chapter 3: From “Need to Know” to “Need to Share”: Tangled Problems, Information Boundaries, and the Building of Public Sector Knowledge Networks	Read assigned chapter Review the Lecture material Participate in the Discussions Discussion 3.1: Evaluate the Argument Discussion 3.2: Practical Example
4	1,2,6	Topic: Citizen Preferences Readings: Chapter 4: Toward “Strong Democracy” in Global Cities? Social Capital Building, Theory-Driven Reform and the Los Angeles Neighborhood Council Experience Chapter 5: Reinventing Administrative Prescriptions: The Case for Democratic-Constitutional Impact Statements and Scorecards	Read assigned chapters Review the Lecture material Participate in the Discussions Discussion 4.1: Evaluate the Argument Discussion 4.2: Practical Exam Complete Midterm Exam
4	1,2,6	Midterm Exam Chapters 1-5 SLOs 1-6
5	1,2,7	Topic: Revenue Forecasting Readings: Chapter 6: Betting on the Future with a Cloudy Crystal Ball? How Financial Theory Can Improve Revenue Forecasting and Budgets in the States	Read assigned chapter Review the Lecture material Participate in the Discussions Discussion 5.1: Evaluate the Argument Discussion 5.2: Practical Example
6	1,2,8	Topic: Contract Reform Readings: Chapter 7: Managing Public Service Contracts: Aligning Values, Institutions, and Markets	Read assigned chapter Review the Lecture material Participate in the Discussions Discussion 6.1: Evaluate the Argument Discussion 6.2: Practical Example
7	1,2,8	Topic: Civil Service Reform Readings: Chapter 8: A Return to Spoils? Revisiting Radical Civil Service Reform in the United States	Read assigned chapter Review the Lecture material Participate in the Discussions Discussion 7.1: Evaluate the Argument Discussion 7.2: Practical Example
8	1,2,8	Topics: Discrimination & Affirmative Action Readings: Chapter 9: A Solution in Search of a Problem? Discrimination, Affirmative Action, and the New Governance	Read assigned chapter Review the Lecture material Participate in the Discussions Discussion 8.1: Evaluate the Argument Discussion 8.2: Practical Exam Complete Final Exam Complete Course Evaluation
8	1,2,8	Final Exam Chapters 6-9 SLOs 1-8

COSC Accessibility Statement

Charter Oak State College encourages students with disabilities, including non-visible disabilities such as chronic diseases, learning disabilities, head injury, attention deficit/hyperactive disorder, or psychiatric disabilities, to discuss appropriate accommodations with the Office of Accessibility Services at OAS@charteroak.edu.

COSC Policies, Course Policies, Academic Support Services and Resources

Students are responsible for knowing all Charter Oak State College (COSC) institutional policies, course-specific policies, procedures, and available academic support services and resources. Please see COSC Policies for COSC institutional policies, and see also specific policies related to this course. See COSC Resources for information regarding available academic support services and resources.