Political Science 317: Public Policy

David J. Webber Office Hours:

205 Professional Building Tues, Weds.: 1-2:00

882-7931 and by appt.

Homepage: www.missouri.edu/~polidjw

Bacon, "Essay on Study," inscribed on ceiling of

Great Hall in Jefferson Building of Library of Congress.

Public policy is "an intentional course of action undertaken by a government official or institution for resolving an issue of public concern." Policy analysis examines how policies are proposed, adopted, implemented, and evaluated. This course describes central features of the American policy-making process and overviews several major U.S. domestic public policies.

We will review a variety of substantive policy issues and existing public policies. We will identify the major institutional and political actors shaping U.S. domestic public policies, discuss criteria for evaluating the performance of the policy process, and assess the quality of American life as it is shaped by governmental decisions.

This course seeks to balance the theoretical (so your knowledge can grow and prepare you for future discussion, education, and public decisions) and the immediately practical (so you can better understand the difficulties in making sound public policy). Since many political observers have questioned whether we have sufficient knowledge to revitalize the economy, to increase the effectiveness of public expenditures, and to anticipate the future problems that public policy must deal with, this course focuses on an important subject.

The major objectives of PS 317 are:

1. to examine attempts by government to improve the quality of life in the U.S.;

2. to examine several models and chief characteristics of the policy process;

3. to consider criteria for evaluating the performance of U.S. public policy;

4. to identify the major institutional and political actors shaping U.S. public policy; and

5. to improve students’ analytical and writing skills.

REQUIRED BOOKS

There is additional reading available on my website.

A NOTE ABOUT CLASS PROCEDURE

I advocate active learning. I believe people learn best when they are motivated, interested in the material, and actively interact with other people interested in the same subject. Reading, thinking, discussing, and writing are the principal activities of learning.

I spent 1992-93 and 1995 on leave working in the U.S. Congress where I have learned a great deal about the use of policy analysis in Congress, and how to be an effective staffer. While I will minimize tales of "how I spent my time in D.C.," my experiences will improve this course. My experience has made me more aware of the shortcomings in the academic training of legislative staffers and the necessity to get students (future staffers and policy-makers!) more involved in interactive, group-based problem-solving activity.

While all assignments will be graded on an individual, not small group, basis, we will occasionally work in small groups to facilitate discussion and to encourage students to help one another.

Because of the nature of the course, class attendance is mandatory; Students with excessive absences will be penalized. There are no excused absences. Please don't get sick or lose more than two grandmothers during the semester. I'm happy for you if you have a job interview--just schedule it for some other time. Habitual tardiness or early departure counts as an absence.

There are three non-traditional responsibilities of this course:

3. Participate actively in class discussions and decisions.

All students are expected to follow current public affairs by reading quality printed news sources such as the WASHINGTON POST, NATIONAL JOURNAL, CONGRESSIONAL QUARTERLY WEEKLY REPORT, and the NEW YORK TIMES and receiving quality electronic media such as C-SPAN, CNN, and the zillion information sources available on the internet. For your convenience I have established a homepage (www.missouri.edu/~polidjw) with links to major government, news and public policy organizations.

Additionally, I have established a listserv, PUBLIUS-L, that serves as an electronic bulletin board to further class interaction. You will need to learn to use this listserv and to make appropriate use of it during the semester.

While I am an avid user of information technology I have become increasingly concerned about the diluting effect of the internet on academic activity. Information technology should be used to supplement, not replace, conventional teaching and learning activities. Use e-mail to ask about substantive issues related to course material not as a wimpish way to seek approval for missing class or turning in assignments late. Additionally, be concerned about the source and quality of information available on the internet. Just because it exists in cyberspace does not mean that a fact is accurate or an argument is sound.

Do not e-mail (or fax) me your paper, your excuse for missing class, or your request for your grade.

A NOTE ABOUT WRITING

Writing is probably the most critical activity of learning. Reading is important but it is too passive to motivate most people to think hard thoughts. Writing causes a person to re-think, re-consider, and reconcile information, arguments, and evidence which he or she has read. I believe in writing. A day without writing is like a day without running.

This course requires academic and professional writing, i.e. writing that is clear and crisp and is used to develop a well-organized and thoughtful argument. Bad writing can easily dilute good ideas. Split infinitives don’t bother me (the Oxford Dictionary finally agreed with me in December 1998) but incomplete and awkward sentences do. The form of documentation and citation is less important than the quality of the idea and evidence. While one can get ideas from newspapers and random websites these are not "acceptable sources" for academic papers. We will discuss a variety of writing styles and their appropriate use in public policy activity.

The past two years I offered this course as a writing intensive course, and might do so again, but I found that approach a little too structured.

UNIVERSITY REGULATIONS

In accordance with MU regulations I work to punish those who cheat and to assist those who have disabilities. Please contact me as soon as possible if you need classroom accommodations.

I. THE COURSE AND THE TEACHING METHOD

-Skim Webber, "Lessons of a Congressional Fellow" (on my website)

II. AN OVERVIEW OF PUBLIC POLICY-MAKING and POLICY ANALYSIS

III. THE AMERICAN POLICY-MAKING PROCESS

Rushefsky, chapter 1.

Derthick, Chapter 2, "Enduring Features."

IV. TWO VERY DIFFERENT POLICY ISSUES

V. American Federalism

VI. DEFINING POLICY PROBLEMS

VII. POLICY ANALYSIS

VIII. POLICY LEARNING AND REFORM

IX. OTHER POLICY ISSUES (if time permits)

Each student must complete three writing assignments, two exams, and participate in class.

A. Writing Assignments (together they constitute 300 points)

1. Reaction Essay (50 points) – After reviewing the appropriate student papers on my website, and searching for other information, write a 600-word essay commenting on "Policy Consequences of September 11: One Year Later."

You need to provide copies of your memo for everyone in the class. We will discuss these essays in class the week of September 9.

2. Essay (100 points for essay)

2. After carefully reading the relevant chapters related to a policy LISTED ON THE SYLLABUS, write an essay of 1000 words describing and evaluating a policy problem, and proposing that a specific action be undertaken by a specific public official.

This essay is due Monday, October 21.

3. Policy Memo (150 points)

Write a 2000 word policy memo to a first-year member of Congress describing a policy problem, evaluating current policies, and suggesting an alternative solution. This policy memo must be written from the perspective of a congressional committee staffer and be accompanied by a 1 page summary suitable for a busy Congressperson.

This memo is due Wednesday, December 4.

 

 

4. Semester Reaction Essay/Journal (worth up to 100 points)

Write a 8-10 page essay describing:

1. What you did in this course;

3. 2. What you learned in this course;
4. 3. What you learned from campus speakers and news events about public policy, and

4. How you relate this course to real world events and other courses you have had.

If you miss 4 class or fewer, then your journal may be worth up to 100 points.

If you miss between 5 and 7 classes, then your journal may be worth up to 50 points.

If you miss more than 7 classes, then your journal is worth zero points.

Semester Reaction Essay entries should be made regularly beginning with the first day of the semester. Your journal is due the last day of class.

(Note: The senior capstone class in the spring was the first time I assigned a "semester journal." It worked wonderfully. I did it again in summer school. While some students complained at the beginning, all students realized its value by the end of the term. I switched from calling it a "journal" because several students argued that a "journal" is a "personal account that cannot be graded." I don’t care what you call it.)

B. Exams (together they are 200 points).

1. First exam, 100 points--Wednesday, September 25.

1. Second exam, 100 points—either at the regularly scheduled final time of December 20 at 8:00 AM or Friday, November 22. To be decided later.

C. Class participation, up to 50 points.

Students may earn up to 50 points by completing the three non-traditional participation requirements in an exemplary fashion; less enthusiastic compliance earns 80 points; partial compliance receives close to zero points.

There are 500 possible points. Final Grades will be assigned according to the 90, 80, 70, 60 percent scale (with possible slight downward modification depending on the class distribution). Pluses and minuses will seldom be used.

Late papers are penalized and missed exams are seldom deemed to be worthy of a makeup. If a paper or exam is not completed it will be awarded a "0" and the final grade will be computed according to the scale above. It is very unlikely (Probability approaches zero) that an "incomplete" would be given in this course.

Because of the nature of the course, class attendance is mandatory; students with excessive absences are penalized both in terms of their Semester Review Essay and their participation points. Habitual tardiness or early departure counts as an absence.

Important dates:

September 5, Wednesday--Reaction Essay

September 25, Wednesday--First exam

October 22, Monday--Op-ed essay due

November 22, Friday-second exam--maybe

December 4, Wednesday--Policy memo due

December 11, Wednesday, Last class, Semester Review Essay Due

December 20, Friday 8:00 AM –second exam—maybe.