Hubert H. Humphrey School of Public Affairs
University of Minnesota
Capstone Workshop – Political Advocacy in the Public Interest
PA 8081 Section 15552, Fall 2015
This syllabus includes administrative information, course learning objectives, answers to a series of
questions you might have about the course, and an explanation of the ways in which you will be assessed.
Contact me immediately if you have questions about the course or the contents of the syllabus.
Class Location and Meeting Time
Room:
Time:
Carlson School of Management 1-136
Tuesdays, 6:00 p.m. – 8:45 p.m., September 8 – December 15, 2015
Instructor
Greg Lindsey
Professor, Humphrey School
Office
Office hours
HHH 295C, 301 19th Avenue S., Minneapolis, MN 55455
Tuesday afternoons; as arranged
Email
linds301@umn.edu
HHH office
Home
Mobile
(612) 625-3375
(651) 699-2308 (before 9:00 p.m.)
(651) 271-2246
Course Prerequisites
Core HHH courses in HHH Master of Public Policy (MPP), Master of Urban and Regional Planning
(MURP, Master of Public Affairs (MPA) or Master of Science in Science, Technology, and Environmental
Policy (MS-STEP) degree programs.
Policy on Accommodation of Students with Disabilities
Consistent with law and with University of Minnesota commitments, policies, and procedures, the
Humphrey School provides reasonable accommodations to persons with documented disabilities to ensure
equal opportunity to achieve success in their graduate education. Accommodation is your right, and we
affirm it, but it is your responsibility to claim it. Students seeking accommodations must work with the
University of Minnesota’s Office of Disability Services to determine appropriate accommodation. If you
seek accommodation for a disability, please contact me immediately to ensure that appropriate
accommodation is provided as soon as possible in the semester. We will work with you and the Office of
Disability Service to ensure you have every opportunity to succeed.
Course Structure
PA 8081 Capstone Workshop – Political Advocacy in the Public Interest is a one-semester course that will
fulfill the professional paper or capstone requirements for the Humphrey School ’s MPP, MPA, MURP, or
MS degree programs. With the exception of discussions near the beginning of the class, PA 8081 is entirely
project based. Your entire effort will be devoted to completion of the research projects you outline at the
beginning of the semester in response to a problem statement provided by your community partners.
Frequently Asked Questions about Capstones
What is a capstone course?
A capstone course is a culminating experience – a course designed to provide opportunities for students to
integrate and apply knowledge from their core, concentration, and elective courses, to gain insight into the
meanings of professionalism and professional practice, and to reflect on the norms of a discipline or
profession. In the Humphrey School, capstones have been designed to give students exposure to the
planning, policy-making, and political processes through projects and other assignments. You will learn by
practicing analytic and communication skills learned in this and other courses, through feedback from
clients or partners, and from reflection on your experiences.
Why are capstone courses required?
Capstone courses are required to provide students the opportunity to demonstrate they can integrate and use
knowledge and skills learned in other courses in the curriculum. Most courses in the curriculum focus on
particular bodies of knowledge and typically do not provide opportunities to integrate knowledge across
courses or to reflect deeply on the meaning of professional work. Most of you probably are familiar with
Bloom’s taxonomy of learning that classifies questions or tasks in learning by increasing levels of
abstraction and complexity (see, for example, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bloom%27s_taxonomy,
accessed 8/9/15). The levels in Bloom’s taxonomy are:
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Knowledge
Comprehension
Application
Analysis
Synthesis
Evaluation
In other courses in the curriculum, you may have been asked to complete tasks at the higher levels of this
taxonomy, but only with respect to the knowledge domain of that course and its prerequisites. For example,
in a course on public finance, you may have been asked to synthesize information about the revenue
producing potential of alternative tax mechanisms with information about equity effects of those same
mechanisms in order to identify optimal financing strategies for new public programs. This course differs in
that you will be expected to comprehend, apply, analyze, synthesize, and evaluate information from all
relevant courses as well as new information acquired particularly for this course. You will be expected to
do so with respect to an unfamiliar topic within a strict time frame while working with team members you
may just have met and partners or clients who will have more professional experience than you have. We
require team projects because virtually all professional work is undertaken collaboratively with colleagues.
Few, if any, other courses in the curriculum have such broad and ambitious objectives as do capstones.
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From another more pragmatic perspective, capstones are required because they help meet requirements for
accreditation of two of our professional degree programs, the MPP and the MURP. Academics and
practitioners who help evaluate our programs for accreditation expect that students have an opportunity to
integrate knowledge gained in classes and to reflect on the meaning of professional practice. We have the
same expectations for students in the MPA and MSES programs, regardless of accreditation.
What general types of learning will occur?
This course is designed to help you learn in five domains of professional work: empirical, methodological,
theoretical, interpersonal, and ethical. You will gain empirical knowledge: new facts, for example, about
chemical dependency and its effects on child-rearing. You will practice different methodologies to produce
policy relevant information – these likely will include literature reviews and basic statistical analysis. You
will explore theories that serve as a lens for ordering and interpreting particular facts and provide a basis for
selection of methodologies. You will gain new interpersonal skills through your work with your teammates
and your partners or clients. And in wrestling with complex problems and questions of fact and value, you
will gain new insights into the ethical dimensions of professional practice.
How will this course be taught?
PA 8081mostly will be self-taught in that you will learn by listening, doing (action), practice, and reflection.
I will provide guidance and serve as an advisor or coach. Your partners or clients also will provide useful
feedback and constructive criticism. You will be provided some reading materials that may help you with
certain tasks, and I will discuss with you how to approach your learning and your project. I will review and
critique your written work and your practice presentations. Our class sessions will involve discussions of
team progress.
In addition to scheduled class sessions, you will need to meet independently in teams to discuss work
assignments and to collaborate on tasks. When you are working in teams, how you assign tasks will be up
to you; so will how frequently you meet. The critical issue is to begin work on tasks early, to stay on task,
and to always save time for analyses and for revising and rewriting your project report.
Capstone Learning Objectives
To complete this capstone successfully, you and your teammates must demonstrate the ability to complete
a project within one semester that meets your partners’ expectations, fulfills their needs for information,
and helps them further their mission. Your specific objectives are to:
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Write a research plan or scope of work to inform public action on a public problem;
Produce information and evidence-based recommendations that will improve public understanding of
a problem and/or enable effective public action;
Explain why recommendations will further public objectives and interests;
Prepare a clear, succinct technical report or memorandum for a community partner;
Prepare a poster that clearly and succinctly summarizes a project;
Make a short, engaging professional presentation for your partners and others;
Work effectively with teammates;
Work effectively with external partners or clients.
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Capstone Project Alternatives
We have several project alternatives for fall 2015:
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Carver County: County Bicycle and Pedestrian Traffic Count Program,
Crow Wing County Community Services: The Family Preservation Program,
Minnesota Parks and Trails Council: Building Evidence for Trail Advocacy: Monitoring Trail Use on
Minnesota’s Regional Trails,
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Minnesota State Fire Chief’s Association: Minnesota Firefighter Staffing, Recruiting, and Retention
Study – Phase II ,
Office of Abdi Warsame, Ward 6, City Council, Minneapolis: Downtown Mentor Program for Cedar
Riverside Youth, and
North Shore Forest Collaborative: Outreach and Education for Lake Superior Forest Restoration
Additional information about these options partners is attached and included on our Moodle Site.
Capstone Assignments
Your assignments are to complete the following tasks by the dates in the schedule of activities.
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Review the problem statements and do some background research;
Prepare and propose a scope of work that outlines research to be completed during the semester;
Conduct research and complete the tasks outlined in your scope of work;
Prepare draft and final professional reports and a poster summary of your research;
Present your findings to your partner and to other professionals; and
Reflect on your own performance as well as the performance of your peers and teammates.
Meeting
09/8/2015
09/12/2015
09/15/2015
09/22/2015
09/29/2015
10/06/2015
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10/27/2015
11/3/2015
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11/24/2015
12/1/2015
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12/15/2015
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Schedule for Project Milestones
Topics / Activities
Assignments
Capstone Preparation Workshop
 Read syllabus and problem statements
Introductions and orientation
Project selection
Capstone Preparation Workshop
 Discuss projects with peers, clients during week
Finalize scopes of work
 Submit draft scope(s) of work to partners/clients
Discussion and review of methods
Team meetings with instructor
 Depends on challenges encountered in research
Discussion of challenges, progress
 Submission of FIRST DRAFT PROJECT
REPORT to instructor
Team meetings with instructor
Discussion of challenges, progress
 Submission of SECOND DRAFT PROJECT
REPORT to instructor
Team meetings with instructor
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Discussion of challenges, progress
Team meetings with instructor
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Submission of THIRD DRAFT PROJECT
REPORT to instructor and partner/client
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Team meetings with instructor
Team presentations for partners
(locations to be determined)
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Submittal of FINAL PROJECT REPORT(S) to
instructor and partner/client
Submittal of peer evaluations & reflections
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Assessment of Performance and Grading
Your grade will be based primarily on the quality of your final report and poster. I also will take into
consideration the quality of your presentations to the client and our observations of your individual
contributions to the group effort during the semester. In addition, I will take into consideration scores you
assign to each other and feedback from partners. A form you will use to evaluate your colleagues will be
distributed to you.
My assessment of the quality of your final report will be based primarily on professional experience (e.g.,
reviewing technical reports, research monographs, and grant proposals for agencies, consulting firms, and
journals; grading papers written by graduate students). I may use grading templates or rubrics to assist in
evaluation of particular criteria, but my use of these tools will not change the fact that my assessment of
your work ultimately will be value-laden and subjective. Subjective assessments are not necessarily
arbitrary, however, and they are the primary method of assessment in the professional world. For example,
agencies frequently issue requests for proposals for consulting support, and firms bid in response to them.
Their selection of contractors is a systematic but ultimately subjective process in which cost of services is
balanced against other factors such as perceived quality of proposed services. More relevant to our class,
professionals routinely make judgments about the quality of reports submitted to satisfy contractual
requirements or to support policy initiatives. Aside from obvious errors of fact or objective analysis, these
judgments are inherently subjective and involve application of professional norms. This class is designed to
simulate aspects of these types of processes.
Here are scenarios that illustrate how I will use professional norms to assign grades:
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“A” Scenario. A team defines a research question clearly; proceeds from a well written plan of
work; meets with the partner/client regularly to ensure that the research remains relevant; executes
original data collection (e.g., survey research, key informant interviews) or well defined analyses of
existing data; prepares final draft reports for review; revises and rewrites draft reports; and
summarizes recommendations clearly in presentations. The team meets all deadlines, submits a
final report that adds value to the client, provides new understanding of a problem or course of
action, is well organized, includes no typographical errors, and includes appropriate citations and
supporting material in appendixes. In addition, the team makes no errors of fact in its presentation
or its report and bases all conclusions on evidence and sound logic. The final report and poster
present a story that is clear, cogent, and persuasive.
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“B” Scenario. A team defines an ambitious research agenda; proceeds according to a well written
plan of work; meets with the client regularly to ensure that the research remains relevant; executes
original data collection (e.g., survey research, key informant interviews) or well defined secondary
analyses of existing data; generally meets deadlines but runs out of time to revise and rewrite draft
report; and submits a final report that is generally well written but still a first draft. The draft is
imbalanced, for example, with more of the paper devoted to a literature review than to the analyses,
more of the paper devoted to analyses than to conclusions and recommendations, or with results
critical to conclusions buried in the appendix rather than in the body of the report without any
textual reference to their location. Although the research may be excellent, these team members
receive grades of B because it is evident the team ran out of time to polish the document, the final
document isn’t accessible or easily interpreted, or the document includes typographical errors or
inconsistencies in style. The final report may be serviceable, but the client must go to considerable
effort to make use of the findings because the story it tells is not clear or cogent, the logic used to
develop recommendations from analyses is not readily apparent, and the conclusions do not reflect
the richness of the research and analyses completed during the semester.
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“B-C” Scenario. A team struggles to define its research agenda; fails to make the project a priority
early in the semester; neglects to interact periodically with client to ensure that their research
addresses priorities; undertakes parallel tasks but fails to use common protocols, thus making results
incomparable; recognizes limitations of their research and works hard to salvage the report but runs
out of time; and submits a final report is clear and readable but really adds nothing of value to the
client and does not extend knowledge of issue, problem, or process. Although the team may have
put in many hours and worked hard, this team receives grades of B or C because the final product is
of marginal value to the client. Members of teams that submit final reports that are incomplete,
have sections still to be written, multiple typographical errors, or include text references that
indicate more information is to be added will automatically receive grades of “C.”
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“C-D” Scenario. A team struggles to define its research agenda; agrees generally on a topic but
bickers over approaches and methods of analysis; fails to meet periodically with the client to
confirm direction of analyses; never gels and completes tasks independently; submits drafts of
reports to clients independently with instructions to disregard previous submittals by other team
members; submits a final report that includes questionable interpretations of data, different
interpretations of comparable data in parallel sections, several different writing styles, typographical
errors, and no references to materials in appendixes. Although individual team members may have
worked very hard and put in many hours, the team receives grades of C or D because the final
product does not meet professional standards.
Note that in these scenarios, grades are based on the quality of the final report and products, not on effort by
individuals. I have had students complain in the past that they have “worked too hard to receive only a B.”
I expect hard work, but the hard work is your input, not your collective output, and the grade is for your
collective output and potential impact of your work as judged according to professional norms.
Over my 20+ years of supervising capstone projects, most projects have gone well, although a few projects
have fizzled. If your team submits a report judged to be in the B-C or C-D categories, I may decline to
forward it to the client. The reasons for this decision would be that I have concluded the report provides
little added value to the client or that the report fails to meet professional standards.
It is common that individual grades will vary among team members. I have found that students are not
hesitant to identify teammates who have failed to show initiative or do their fair share of the work. The
most common problem within teams that leads to significant variation in grades is the failure by individuals
to do their fair share of the work. This problem generally stems from different priorities and commitment to
the class and the project. Sometimes, individuals who have been pegged as free-riders by their team-mates
have complained that they didn’t realize their team members felt they weren’t doing their fair share of the
work. This is not an excuse that will mitigate adverse effects on your grade. As a professional, it is your
individual responsibility to make sure that you fulfill your responsibilities.
Policy on Incomplete Grades
You are expected to complete all course work by deadlines established in your scope of work and within
the semester. Those who are unable to do so must negotiate an incomplete in advance of the due date and
develop a written contract that describes the work that remains to be completed and the date by which the
work will be submitted to the instructor. Failure to complete the course by the end of the semester will
result in a reduction of final grade by a minimum of one letter grade.
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Commitment to Academic Integrity
I expect the highest level of academic integrity, will adhere strictly to the University of Minnesota Student
Conduct Code, and will enforce rules and procedures concerning academic misconduct, including
plagiarism, whether inadvertent or intentional. If you are not familiar with activities considered to be
academic misconduct, please review the Code:
(http://www1.umn.edu/regents/policies/academic/Student_Conduct_Code.pdf).
Some Technical Matters and Administrative Issues …
It is important to mention several technical matters and general administrative issues particular to this class:
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As noted previously, you may not submit draft scopes of work or draft interim or final reports to
your clients until I have reviewed them and authorized submittal. You also must schedule time for
your clients to review and comment on draft reports.
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You must retain all files, data, and analyses that you complete during the course of the semester
and submit original documentation of results along with your report. This is essential to support the
authenticity and validity of your findings.
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Your research report should include guidance on how to cite your paper. Here is an example:
Byrd, Erika and Anne Gadwa (2009). “Working Effectively with Somali Residents through the
Arts: Collective Wisdom from the Cedar Riverside Neighborhood.” Completed for the Cedar
Riverside Neighborhood Revitalization Program, Minneapolis MN. PA 8081capstone project
report, Hubert H. Humphrey School of Public Affairs, Minneapolis, MN. (Available from Cedar
Humphrey Action for Neighborhood Collaborative Engagement (CHANCE):
http://www.hhh.umn.edu/projects/chance/community_based_research.html).
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Your poster summary of your research may be posted on the Humphrey School website.
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