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THE EVERGREEN STATE COLLEGE
Syllabus
Seminar II, B2107 Wednesdays 6-10 pm
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Faculty |
eMail |
Phone |
Office |
Office
Hours |
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Joan
Bantz |
867-5095 |
Lab 1, 3011 |
Wednesdays 4-6 pm |
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Course |
This
course acknowledges there is not a grand theory or design of policy
formulation. Encouraging dialogue and web-based communication tools we
will explore how public policy is analyzed and held accountable within
the current cultural, social, economic and political environment.
Building on theoretical
foundations that deconstruct common assumptions we will examine how
public
policy is imagined, created, implemented and evaluated within various
policy arenas.
Our learning objectives include:
- Critical Thinking: Build on established knowledge and skills to deconstruct and deterritorialize common assumptions about politics and policy in order to reconstruct policy perspectives that are just, equitable, and democratic. To examine the role of public administrators and public administration in the policy process.
- Reflective Thinking: Develop reflection skills for professional growth and development. Gain an awareness of how values and beliefs affect the ways public policy is conceived and executed. Through examining agency and political authority, we will become more aware when boundaries blur and policy arenas become fields of play for our personal, institutional, national and global values and beliefs. As such, in order to maximize policy effectiveness, we will seek to be more conscious of our personal worldviews and the intersections of our worldviews with issues of class, race, ethnicity and gender and other forms of difference and "otherness" in policy arenas.
- Clarify a Trajectory: Become comfortable with various public policy perspectives, their paradoxical political cultures, and critical issues in order to clarify personal and professional roles and responsibilities in the public policy arena.
- Writing: Develop the skills to formulate, analyze, write, present, and critique policy perspectives.
- Technologies: Develop
proficiency with web based communication tools.
Expectations and Evaluation |
The
program
is designed
as an active/experiential learning community. Much of our "making of
meaning/knowledge" in this course will be woven from your past
experiences, peer
perspectives, our discursive process, the readings and what the guest
speakers
share. Therefore, attendance and engagement are required.
Credit for the program and a positive evaluation are contingent upon the following:
- Attending and participating fully in every class session;
- Submitting assignments on time;
- Demonstrating progress on learning objectives, as evidenced by classroom and assignment performance.
If something prevents you meeting these expectations, you must inform faculty immediately.
Credit denial decisions are by faculty. Plagiarism (i.e., using other peoples’ work as your own), failing to complete one or more assignments, completing one or more assignments late (without having made arrangements before the due date), or multiple absences may constitute denial of total credit.
In turn, students can expect faculty to be prepared for classes and seminars, to be available for office hours as posted and for scheduled meetings outside of office hours, to respond to telephone or email messages in a timely manner, and to provide timely feedback on assignments.
All
students
will receive a
written evaluation of their academic performance by faculty. Each
student is
expected to participate in the end of quarter evaluation conference
with
faculty. For the end of quarter conference, each student is expected to
complete and bring to the conference a written self-evaluation – no
conference
will be conducted without the self-evaluation. Students are also
expected to
provide a written evaluation of their seminar faculty member. These two
evaluations are part of the requirements of the course, are central to
the
reflection process of your intellectual journey and must be
completed to
obtain full credit.
In furtherance of our learning community, we expect students and faculty to:
- Act in accordance with the Evergreen Contract and Student Conduct code.
- Promote a cooperative, supportive atmosphere within the community; give everyone opportunity for self-reflection and expression.
- Use high standards in reading the text and preparing our papers, lectures, and comments in seminar.
- Handle all disputes in a spirit of goodwill.
Both students and faculty
agree to discuss any problems involving others in the learning
community
directly with the individuals involved, with the right to support from
other
program members during those discussions, if that seems helpful. For
example,
students must first discuss any problems involving a peer member
directly with
the person in question; others will refrain from discussing details of
any such
problem except in the above format. If a solution is not found
then
faculty should be consulted.
Assignments |
1. Active participation in class and seminar activities
2.
Policy Framing
and Analysis Exercise: in a
series of steps, you will write a cumulative policy analysis paper
throughout
the quarter. Each of
the sections of the
paper will be
posted to Web Crossing and students will peer review one anothers’
work.
Each
section of the paper should be
relatively short
(no more than
4-6, double-spaced pages) with a goal of the final paper not exceeding
15
double-spaced pages
(excluding
bibliography and appendixes).
As usual, follow APA (American Psychological Association) citation
style.
Students
are expected to revise
(based upon peer and faculty review) and resubmit all
sections in a final, seamless paper, at the end of the quarter.
Information on each
individual assignment will be
distributed in class one
week prior to due dates.
DUE DATES:
Part I –
Defining/Framing the Policy Arena/Problem: January 22
Peer
Review – January 29
Part II –
Stakeholder Analysis: February
5
Peer
Review – February 12
Part III –
Race/Gender/Class “Other” Analysis: February 19
Peer Review – February 26
Part IV/Final –
Implementation Analysis: March 5
Peer Review –March 12
ALL FINAL PAPER REVISIONS POSTED
BY 3/15
3. Policy Briefing: each student will "brief" the class on their selected policy area on the last night of class. Only 5 minutes will be set for each presentation and 5 minutes for questions/responses. Timing and any multimedia complementing the presentation must be practiced prior to the briefings. There will not be any additional time offered!
Policy
Briefing: 5
minutes
total, including Q&A: March
15th
Text |
Clemons,
Randall S.
and Mark K. McBeth (2000). Public Policy Praxis - Theory and
Pragmatism: A Case Approach. Prentice Hall; ISBN: 0130258822.
Heineman,
Robert A., et. la. (2002).
The World of the Policy Analyst,
Chatham House Publishers, London;
ISBN: 1-889119-35-0
Hajer, Maarten A. (Editor), Hendrik Wagenaar (Editor), Robert E. Goodin
et. la. (2003). Deliberative Policy
Analysis: Understanding Governance in the Network Society (Theories of
Institutional Design) (Paperback).
Cambridge University Press. ISBN:
0-5215-3070-9.
Other
readings, articles and websites
materials TBD
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Schedule |
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Week
1 Topic: Framing Public Policy and Policy Problems |
1/11 – Framing Public Policy, Policy Arenas and Public Administration Building
a Learning Community |
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ASSIGNMENTS: No Seminar: Web Crossing Review |
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Week
2 Topic: Policy Analysis |
1/18 – Roles and Responsibilities What is
Public Policy? Part II Workshop |
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ASSIGNMENTS: Read and Seminar: Clemons Chaps 1 Heineman Chap 1-4 DUE 1/22 POST: Defining/Framing the Policy Arena/Problem - Part I |
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Week
3 Topic: Theories and Praxis |
1/25 Policy Analysis in Theory and Practice Guest: David Shumacher, Staff Dir., Senate Ways and Means |
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ASSIGNMENTS: Read and Seminar: Hajer Chps 1-4, Clemons Chps 2-7 DUE 1/29 POST: Peer Review of Public Policy Framing/Analysis – Part I |
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Week 4 Topic: Roles and Responsibilities – Citizens and Public Policy |
2/1 – Engaging the citizen Guest: Edie Harding, Director Gov. Relations, TESC |
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ASSIGNMENTS: Read
and Seminar: Hajer Chps 4-8, Heineman Chps 5-8 DUE 2/5: POST: Stakeholder Analysis Part - II Articles (TBA) |
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Week
5 Topic:
Policy and Interpretive Knowledge |
Videos
and Discussion 5th
Week Meeting with Faculty |
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ASSIGNMENTS: No Seminar, Time for Work on Final Paper and Presentations DUE: 2/12 POST: Peer Review of Public Policy Framing/Analysis – Part II
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Week 6 Topic: “The Other” |
2/15 –Deconstructing the "Other" Lecture/Workshop |
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ASSIGNMENTS: Read and Seminar: Heineman Chps 8 to end, Article: NASA DUE
2/19: POST: Analysis
Race/Gender/Class – Part III
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Week 7 Topic: Public Policy Arenas |
2/22 – The Private and
the Public Workshop/Lecture |
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ASSIGNMENTS: Read
and Seminar: Article: King, and Community handout DUE: 2/26 POST: Peer Review of Public Policy Framing/Analysis– Part III
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Week 8 Topics:
Policy Implementation and |
3/1 – Implementation and Accountability Workshop |
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ASSIGNMENTS: Read and Seminar: Clemons
Chps 8 to end, and 2 Articles on Implementation DUE 3/5: Part IV Implementation Analysis into Final Paper
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Week 9 Topic: Bringing it all Together |
3/8 – American Democracy and the Fragmentation of Consensus: Getting Things Done. Lecture |
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ASSIGNMENTS: Seminar:
Hajer Chps 9 to
end DUE:
3/12 POST: Peer Review of Public Policy
Framing/Analysis– Part IV ALL Final Paper Revisions due 3/15
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Week
10 Topic: Policy Briefings |
3/15 – Student Presentations: Five Minute Policy Briefings: Students |
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ASSIGNMENTS: DUE:
Handouts DUE: All Evaluations (if not scheduling individual conferences) |
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Week
11:
Evaluation (Optional) Conferences Scheduled |
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