PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION
Welcome to Introduction to Public Administration. Most of you have studied the other two branches of government and how they work; the Legislative Branch deals with writing the bills (that may become laws) and providing funding and oversight; the Judicial Branch deals with the constitutionality of those laws, and meting out of justice for those who break the law. This course deals with the Executive Branch of government. In short, Public administration is the (policy) implementing arm of government.
Managers do things right, Leaders do the right thing; What do Public Administrators do? That is what we will endeavor to discover.
This course will provide both an overview and a foundation for further study in the field of public administration. This course will look at the history, theory and the reality of public administration in the
[post] modern liberal state. You will learn the analytic and management skills necessary for good public administration, be able to communicate effectively and efficiently, and understand the importance of public administration in effective governance. Outcomes will be assessed through your written assignments, agency studies and class discussions (forums).
We will be using one primary text: Rosenbloom, Kravchuk & Clerkin. Public Administration:
Understanding Management, Politics, and Law in the Public Sector, 8th edition. (ISBN 978-0-07-337915-
9) NY: McGraw-Hill, 2015. It is available as a text book, as a rental and as an on-line version. The other resources we will be using include The Constitution, some essays, and websites. There are links to most on your syllabus of in The Resources. You should also make use of the Marist Library Pathfinder and at minimum one daily newspaper. We will also watch 2 films that are available via Netflix, Amazon Prime or in the Marist Library.
To start the course, read the syllabus and supporting information; then head off to Resources for Week
One ( I am assuming you all have good internet accessibility, since this is an ON-LINE course), please also introduce yourselves to each other in the Forums—why are you interested in this class, what do you expect to gain, what are your goals in which this course (and your degree) might help you realize.
Currently, I am the chair of Political Science at Marist I have been here for 30 years as of the end of this semester. Previous to coming to Marist I worked in both the Koch (NYC) and Mario Cuomo (NYS) administrations implementing various public policies. I have also worked as cook on the Clearwater besides bartending. I am currently an Human Rights Commissioner for Ulster County Human Rights
Commission, and I sit on various not for profit boards. My research involves the government to citizen and non-citizen relationship, I look at various policies that promote equality or entrench people in second-class citizenship. I live in Kingston with LK, Maggie the dog and BabyJudy the transgendered cat.
Alex lives close by with her two boys who call me YoYo, all because Evan the oldest could not say JoJo, and LK is called YaYa which is Greek for grandma.