Public
Policy Process SAB
339
Fall
2004 x36048;
michael.licari@uni.edu
Hours:
T/H 1-2pm and by appointment
http://www.uni.edu/~licari/classes.html
The purpose of this course is to expose students to the policy making process in the United States, as well as to examine various issues on the policy agenda of the United States. Theories of public policy making will be introduced, and will serve as background material to better understand the nature of the substantive policy issues addressed in the course.
The
textbooks below have been ordered and are available for purchase at the
university bookstore. I do not have
extra copies to loan out.
Anderson,
James E. Public Policymaking, 5th ed.
Peters,
B. Guy. American Public Policy, 6th ed.
Course Requirements
Students
are expected to complete the assigned readings before each class period. Attendance is not mandatory, although it will
be difficult to do well in the course if you do not attend class. I will not hand out my lecture notes to
students. Grades will be based upon
performance on two writing assignments, a midterm exam, and a final exam. Graduate students will complete extra work,
in addition to the normal class assignments.
This extra work will include a third writing assignment, due at the end
of the semester. Graduate students
should meet with the professor at the start of the semester for more
information on this and other expectations.
Written Assignments: You will be asked to write two short
papers. These will be based on topics
covered in class. The final paper for
graduate students will be focused on a policy area of your choice. Technical requirements for the papers will be
handed out in class.
Short
Papers 25% each (20% each
for graduate students)
Mid-Term 25% (20% for graduate
students)
Final
Exam 25% (20% for
graduate students)
Grad
Student Paper 20%
Grading
100-94 A 83-80 B- 69-67 D+
93-90 A- 79-77 C+ 66-64 D
89-87 B+ 76-74 C 63-60 D-
86-84 B 73-70 C- 59-0 F
Class Policies
Incompletes
are strongly discouraged and will only be given out in extreme
circumstances. Late work is absolutely
not accepted, except in the case of a documented medical emergency or
participation in a UNI-sponsored event.
In fairness to students who hand their work in on time, no other excuses will be accepted and no exceptions will be made. Students who do not have a documented excuse
will receive a "zero" for a late assignment. All assignments are due at the start of class
on the dates marked below. There is no
extra credit. Students must follow the
rules found in the Catalog regarding Academic Regulations, particularly the
section covering academic ethics policies and plagiarism.
Students
with
Disabilities
The
Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) protects qualified individuals
with disabilities from discrimination. Students needing instructional
accommodations due to disabilities must arrange them through the Office of
Disability Services (ODS). The ODS is located at 213 Student Services Center,
and the phone number is 273-2676. Please
do this right away.
Course Outline
Week
1; Aug 24 Introduction
to the course
Week
2; Aug 31 Introduction
to Public Policy
Read:
Anderson Ch 1; Peters Ch 1
Week
3; Sept 7 Context
and Structure of Policymaking
Read:
Anderson Ch 2; Peters Ch 2
Week
4; Sept 14 Agenda
Setting
Read:
Anderson Ch 3; Peters Ch 3
Week
5; Sept 21 Policy
Adoption
Read:
Anderson Ch 4; Peters Ch 4
Week
6; Sept 28 Budgeting
Read:
Anderson Ch 5; Peters Ch 6
Week
7; Oct 5 Policy
Design and Implementation
Read:
Anderson Ch 6; Peters Ch 5
Paper #1 Due
Week
8; Oct 12 Policy
Evaluation and Analysis
Read:
Anderson Ch 7; Peters Ch 7, 16, 17
Week 9; Oct 19 Mid-Term Exam
Week
10; Oct 26 Economic
Issues
Read:
Peters Ch 8, 9
Week
11; Nov 2 Health Care
and Income Support
Read:
Peters Ch 10, 11
Week
12; Nov 9 Education
Read:
Peters Ch 12
Week
13; Nov 16 Energy and
the Environment
Read:
Peters Ch 13
Week
14; Nov 23 Defense,
National Security, and Foreign Policy
Read:
Peters Ch 14 pages 393-414
Paper #2 Due
Week
15; Nov 30 Crime and Criminal
Justice
Read:
Peters Ch 14 pages 414-426
Week
16; Dec 7 Morality
and Public Policy
Read:
Peters Ch 15
Graduate Student Final Papers Due
Final Exam: Tuesday,
December 14. 5-6:50pm