College of Professional Studies
Department of Professional
& Community Leadership
Public Service Ethics
PAD 6041: Online Course
Wm. M. Haraway, III Ph.D.
wharaway@uwf.edu
Building 77, Room 121C
(850) 995-8419 Office
(850) 324-0845 Cell (emergency)
Course Overview
Ethics in government is related to how public administrators use their administrative
discretion to pursue the public interest. Although many contemporary approaches to the study of
ethics in government focus on avoiding impropriety, such as conflict of interests, misuse of
public funds, and resignation in protest, this course focuses on ethical dilemmas and concerns
arising from the daily exercise of legitimate discretionary power. Toward that goal, the course
will specifically focus on the administrative role of public servants.
There are two primary philosophical approaches to the understanding of ethics. The
deontological school of thought recognizes the existence of a real, physical external world with
objective laws or principles that the human mind or reason can discover. A second school of
thought, the teleological approach to ethics, does not acknowledge the existence of a world
external to human consciousness; therefore, our consciousness creates the world as we know it.
This school of thought does not recognize the existence of objective laws or rules governing
morality. Thus, the person's judgment or conscience is the sole guide for determining right
versus wrong. This course will examine the merits of both schools of thought and their
relevance for public administrators in American Society.
This course will provide maps and tools to make moral experiences more explicit and
consistent. However, ultimately, one must chart her own ethical way. The study of public
service ethics is marked by diversity, and this course reflects that fact. Thus, the course is
designed as a graduate seminar requiring participants to demonstrate initiative and perform
independent study. Discussions of readings and assignments will be based on the experiences,
knowledge, skills and abilities of participants, in addition to those of the professor. This will
require that all assignments (readings, case analyses, and assigned papers) be completed in a
timely manner.
Student Learning Outcomes
Students will be able to:
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understand why ethics are essential to public service management
develop abilities to use moral imagination and ethical reasoning
differentiate between ethical problems and dilemmas
learn how to cultivate organizational integrity
understand the ethical dilemmas of current public sector management issues
cultivate an attitude of moral obligation and personal responsibility in pursuing a career
in the public service
Required Readings
Gueras, Dean, and Garofalo, Charles. Practical Ethics in Public Administration. 2ed. Vienna,
VA: Management Concepts, 2005. (Assignment reference: GDG)
Cooper, Terry L. The Responsible Administrator, An Approach to Ethics for the Administrative
Role. 5ed. CA: Jossey-Bass, 2006. (Assignment reference: TC)
Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 5ed. Washington, DC:
American Psychological Association, 2001. (APA on syllabus)
Suggested Supplemental Reading Resources
Barry, Donald D. The Legal Foundations of Public Administration. Lanham, MD: Rowman and
Littlefield, 2005.
Hamilton, Alexander, John Jay and James Madison. The Federalist Papers, edited by George
W. Carey, et al., Gideon ed., Indianapolis: Liberty Fund, 2001.
Rosenbloom, David H. Constitutional Competence for Public Managers: Cases and
Commentary. Itasca, Ill: F.E. Peacock, 2000.
Cooper, Phillip J. Public Law and Public Administration. 3ed. Itawsca, Ill: F.E. Peacock, 2000.
Cooper, Philip J. and Chester A. Newland, eds. Handbook of Public Law and Administration,
San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 1997.
Edley, Christopher F. Administrative Law: Rethinking Judicial Control of Bureaucracy, New
Haven: Yale University Press, 1990.
Svara, James H. The Ethics Primer for Public Administrators in Government and Nonprofit
Organizations. Sudburry, MA: Jones and Bartlett, 2007.
Rohr, John A. Civil Servants and Their Constituents. Lawrence, KS: University of Press of
Kansas, 2002.
Rohr, John A. Ethics for Bureaucrats: An Essay on Law and Values. 2ed. NY: Maracel
Kekker, 1989.
Horwitz, Robert H. ed. Ethics and Politics: Cases and Comments. 3ed. Charlottesville, VA:
University of Virginia Press, 1984.
Machiavelli, Niccolo. The Prince. NY: Penquin Group, 1981.
Course Requirements and Grading
Midterm Examination - 35%
Applied Research Paper - 35%
Online Threaded Discussion Participation - 15%
Case Analyses/Other Written Assignments - 15%
Expectations for Academic Conduct
As members of the University of West Florida academic community, we commit
ourselves to honesty. As we strive for excellence in performance, integrity (both personal and
institutional) is our most precious asset. Honesty in our academic work is vital, and we will not
knowingly act in ways that erode that integrity. Accordingly, we pledge not to cheat, nor to
tolerate cheating, nor to plagiarize the work of others. We pledge to share community resources
in ways that are responsible and that comply with established policies of fairness. Cooperation
and competition are means to high achievement and are encouraged. Indeed, cooperation is
expected unless our directive is to individual performance. We will compete constructively and
professionally for the purpose of stimulating high performance and standards. Finally, we accept
adherence to this set of expectations for academic conduct as a condition of membership in the
UWF academic community.
Standards for Written Assignments
Students are expected to read, understand, and comply with the requirements of the Fifth
Edition of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (APA) for all
assignments and manuscripts. This includes the "Ethical Standards for the Reporting and
Publishing of Scientific Information" included therein. All work submitted for this course must
be the student's own and may not have been used whole and/or in part for any other purpose
without the professor's prior written permission (if in doubt you must ask the professor).
Assistance
Students with special needs who require specific examination-related or other courserelated accommodations should contact the Director of Disabled Student Services (DSS),
dss@uwf.edu (850) 474-2387. DSS will provide the student with a letter for the instructor that
will specify any recommended accommodations.
Schedule of Assignments
Week 1:
Building an Online Community (Online Learner Orientation)
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Week 2:
Review and complete the Online Orientation, student D2L training, and complete
your student biography in the D2L “Classlist” link.
Participate in the group threaded discussion under the “Discussion” link.
Review the HRM Syllabus, Research Paper Guidelines and Requirements,
Motivation Humor, instructor’s vita, and the several HRM articles in the
“Important Course Information” link.
Normative Foundations of Public Service Ethics: The Public
Administration Ethical Challenge
GEG, Chapter 1: The Real World
GEG, Chapter 2: Why Is Ethics in the Public Sector Different from Ethics in the Private Sector?
TC, Chapter 1: Introduction
Threaded Discussion
Dropbox Assignment:
Suggested Readings:
Menzel, Donald C. “Public Administration as a Profession, Where
Do Body and Soul Reside” Public Integrity vol. 5 no. 3 (2003) 239-250.
Pfiffner, James P. “Elliot L. Richardson, Exemplar of Integrity and
Public Service,” Public Integrity vol. 5 no. 3 (2003) 251-269.
Edmondson, III, Henry T. “A Symposium on Public and Private Morality,
Introduction,” Public Integrity vol. III no. II (Spring 2001) 109-112.
Bailey, Michael R. “Morality, Politics, and Public Administration: A
Critique of the Founding View,” Public Integrity vol. III no. II (Spring 2001) 113130.
Lawler, Peter Augustine. “Alexis de Tocqueville and the Public/Private
Dichotomy: Implications for Public Service Today,” Public Integrity vol. III no.
II (Spring 2001) 131-144.
Thompson, Dennis F. “Private Life and Public Office,” Public Integrity
vol III. no. II (Spring 2001) 163-180.
Jean-Paul Sartre, Dirty Hands in No Exit and Other Plays (NY: Random
House, 1989)/
Week 3:
Philosophical Approaches to Understanding Ethics: Deontological and
Teleological Schools of Thought
GEG, Chapter 3: What is Ethics Anyway?
Threaded Discussion
Dropbox Assignment
Suggested Readings:
Zandstra, Gerald L. “John Calvin’s Anthropology, the Origins of
American Government, and Confusion in Public Administration,” Public Integrity
vol. IV no. IV (Fall 2002) 291-304.
Carlson, Jon D. “Democratic Morality: Kohlberg’s Moral Reasoning and
Normative Explanation of the Democratic Peace Movement,” Public Integrity
vol. IV no. IV (Fall 2002) 305-320.
Tong, Rosemarie. Ethics in Policy Analysis (Englewood Cliffs, NJ:
Prentice-Hall, 1986), Chapter 5, 81-89.
Kant, Immanuel. “On a Supposed Right to Lie from Altruistic Motives,”
in Peter Singer, ed., Ethics (NY: Oxford University Press, 1944) 280-281.
Bentham, Jeremy. “The Principle of Utility,” in Peter Singer, ed. Ethics
(NY: Oxford University Press, 1944) 306-312.
Mill, John Stuart. “Higher and Lower Pleasures,” in Peter Singer, ed.
Ethics (NY: Oxford University Press, 1944) 201-205.
Mill, John Stuart. Utilitarianism (Chicago: Encyclopedia Britannica,
1952, 1977). Great Books Series 43, 445-476.
Brandt, Richard B. Ethical Theory: The Problem of Normative and
Critical Ethics (Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 1959), Chapter 15: “Moral
Obligation and General Welfare,” 380-406.
Rohr, John A. “Reason of State as Political Morality: A Benign View,” in
N. Dale Wright, ed., Papers on the Ethics of Administration (Provo, UT:
Brigham Young University Press, 1988), 185-223.
Wilson, James Q. The Moral Sense (NY: The Free Press, 1993).
Niebuhr, Reinbhold. Moral Man and Immoral Society (NY: Scribner,
1932, 1960), Introduction and Chapters 1,2,3,9 and 10.
Donagan, Alan. The Theory of Morality (Chicago: University of Chicago
Press, 1977) 180-189.
Walzer, Michael. “The Problem of Dirty Hands,” Philosophy and Public
Affairs vol. 2 (1972) 62-82.
Week 4:
Ethics
Organizational Considerations, Structure, Culture, Training, and Codes of
GEG, Chapter 5: The Real World Revisited
GEG, Chapter 6: Who Am I? Who Do I Want to Be? What Do I Want?
Threaded Discussion
Dropbox Assignment: (APA Format/Style)
Suggested Readings:
Dobel, Patrick J. “Can Public Leaders Have Friends?” Public
Integrity vol. III no. II (Spring 2001) 145-162.
Walter, J. Jackson. “The Ethics in Government Act, Conflict of Interest
Laws, and Government Recruiting,” Public Administration Review vol. 41
(November-December, 1981) 659-665.
Executive Order 12731 of 17 October 1990: “Principles of Ethical
Conduct for Government Officers and Employees,” Government Documents
Section of Library.
Manning, Bayless. Federal Conflict of Interest Law (Cambridge, MA:
Harvard Law Review vol. 76 (April, 1963) 1113-1169.
Vaughn, Robert G. “Ethics in Government and The Vision of Public
Service,” George Washington Law Review vol. 58 (February, 1990) 417-450.
Besuden, William E. “The Profession’s Heritage: The ICMA Code of
Ethics,” Public Management (March, 1981) 2-5.
Stark, Andrew. “The Appearance of Official Impropriety and the Concept
of Political Crime,” Ethics 105 (January, 1995) 326-351.
Berman, Evan M. “Restoring the Bridges of Trust: Attitudes of
Community Leaders Toward Local Government,” in James S. Bowman, ed.,
Public Integrity Annual (Lexington, KY: Council on State Government/ASPA,
1996) 31-39.
Skidmore, Max J. “Ethics in Public Service,” The Annals of the American
Academy of Political and Social Sciences, vol. 537 (January, 1995) 25-36.
Week 5:
Perspectives and Approaches to Ethical Decision Making
TC, Chapter 2: Understanding Ethical Decision Making
TC, Chapter 3: Public Administration in Modern and Postmodern Society: The Context of
Administrative Ethics
Threaded Discussion
Dropbox Assignment: (Instructor Approval Request for Research Project)
Suggested Readings:
Feldheim, Mary Ann and Xiaohu Wang. “Ethics and Public Trust, Results
from a National Survey,” Public Integrity vol. 6 no. 1 (Winter 2003-4) 63-76.
Haines, David W. “Fatal Choice: The Routinization of Deceit,
Incompetence, and Corruption,” Public Integrity vol. 6 no. 1 (Winter 2003-4) 524.
Vaughn, Robert G. “Statutory Protection of Whistleblowers in the Federal
Executive Branch,” University of Illinois Law Review (1982-3) 615-667.
Richter, William L. et al., eds. “Whistle-Blowing,” in Combating
Corruption/Encouraging Ethics, Chapter 10, 181-216.
Morgan, Douglas. “Varieties of Administrative Abuse,” Administration &
Society vol. 19 (November, 1987) 267-284.
Week 6:
Ethical Decision Making
GEG, Chapter 7: Making Choices
TC, Chapter 4: Administrative Responsibility: The Ethical Dilemma
Threaded Discussion
Suggested Readings:
Fox, Charles F. and Clarke E. Cochrane, “Discretionary Public
Administration: Toward a Platonic Guardian Class,” in Henry D. Kass and
Bayard L. Catron, eds. Images & Identities in Public Administration (Newbury
Park, CA: Sage, 1990) 67-86.
Stover, Carl P. “The Old Public Administration is the New
Jurisprudence,” Administration & Society vol. 27 (May, 1995) 82-106.
Dobel, J. Patrick. “Integrity in the Public Service,” Public Administration
Review vol. 50 (May-June, 1990) 354-366.
Week 7:
Developing Ethical Style: Raising the Right Questions
GEG, Chapter 4: Raising the Right Questions: Ethical Approaches to Five Important Cases
GEG, Chapter 8: Problems That Might Arise and How to Analyze Them
GEG, Chapter 9: Developing Ethical Style: How Would You Analyze Problems That Might
Arise?
Threaded Discussion
Suggested Readings:
Nieuwenburg, Paul. “Can Administrative Virtue Be Taught?” Public
Integrity vol. 5 no. 1 (Winter 2002-3) 25-38.
Cooper, Terry L. and Diane E. Yoder. “Public Management Ethics
Standards in a Transnational World,” Public Integrity vol. IV. No. IV (Fall 2002)
333-359.
Goss, Robert P. “What Ethical Conduct Expectations Do Legislators Have
for the Career Bureaucracy?” Public Integrity vol. 5 no. 2 (Spring 2003) 93-112.
Balogun, M.J. “Causative and Enabling Factors in Public Integrity, A
Focus on Leadership, Institutions, and Character Formation” Public Integrity vol.
5 no. 2 (Spring 2003) 127-148.
Week 8:
Midterm Examination
Complete and electronically submit your midterm examination in the appropriate
drop box by the specified date
Week 9:
Contemporary Perspectives on Governmental Reforms
GEG, Chapter 10: Addressing Public Ethical Conflict by Means of the Unified Ethic
GEG, Chapter 11: Leadership Development and Moral Agency in Contemporary Governance
Threaded Discussion
Suggested Reading:
Menzel, Donald C. and Kay Fortman Menzel. “Ethics and Elections,”
Public Integrity vol. IV no. III (Summer 2002) 191-194.
Rohr, John A. “The Ethical Aftermath of Privatization and Contracting
Out: A Constitutional Analysis,” Public Integrity vol. IV no I (Winter 2002) 112.
Week 10:
Contemporary Perspectives - Continued
GEG, Chapter 12: Perspectives on Contemporary Reform: Reinventing Government and the
New Public Management
GEG, Chapter 13: Ethics, Quality and Performance
Threaded Discussion
Suggested Reading:
Haraway, III, William M. and Dana Lewis Haraway. “American Civil
Service Reform: Using France as a Model to Develop Administrative Statesmen
in the Senior Executive Service," International Social Science Review, vol 79,
nos. 3 & 4, 2004.
Haraway, III, William M. and Julie Kunselman. "Ethical Leadership and
Administrative Discretion: The Fire Chief's Hiring Dilemma," Public Personnel
Management vol 35 no. 1, Spring 2006 (lead article).
Rohr, John A. “The Ethical Aftermath of Privatization,” Public
Integrity (2002).
Week 11:
The Responsible Public Servant: Ethics in the Organization
TC, Chapter 5: Conflicts of Responsibility: The Ethical Dilemma
TC, Chapter 6: Maintaining Responsible Conduct in Public Organizations: Two Approaches
Threaded Discussion
Suggested Reading:
Uhr, John. “Institutions of Integrity,” Public Integrity vol. I no. I (Winter
1999/Inaugural Issue) 94-113.
Wisensale, Steven K. “Grappling with the Generational Equity Debate:
An Ongoing Challenge for the Public Administrator,” Public Integrity vol. I no. I
(Winter 1999/Inaugural Issue) 1-19.
Week 12:
Praxis: Applying Ethical Theory to Public Administration Practice
Part I: Ethical Conduct in Public Sector Organizations
TC, Chapter 7: Integrating Ethics with Organizational Norms and Structures
TC, Chapter 8: Safeguarding Ethical Autonomy in Organizations: Dealing with Unethical
Superiors and Organizations
Threaded Discussion
Dropbox Assignment: (Research Paper Completion Update to Instructor)
Suggested Reading:
Roberts, Robert. “The Supreme Court and the Law of Public Service
Ethics,” Public Integrity vol. I no. I (Winter 1999/Inaugural Issue) 20-40.
Gawthrop, Louis C. “Public Entrepreneurship in the Lands of Oz and
Uz,” Public Integrity vol. I no. I (Winter 1999/Inaugural Issue) 75-86.
Kurtz, Rick S. “Organizational Culture, Decision-Making, and Integrity,
The National Park Service and the Exxon Valdez,” Public Integrity vol. 5 no. 4
(Fall 2003) 305-318.
Week 13:
The Ethical Design Approach
TC, Chapter 9: Applying the Design Approach to Public Administration Ethics
Threaded Discussion
Suggested Reading:
Hall, Thad E. and Anthony Sutton. “Agency Discretion and Public Ethics,
The Case of the Immigration and Naturalization Service,” Public Integrity vol. 5
no. 4 (Fall 2003) 291-304.
Van Wart, Montgomery. “Codes of Ethics as Living Documents, The
Case of the American Society for Public Administration,” Public Integrity vol. 5
no. 4 (Fall 2003) 331-346.
Rivlin, Alice M. “Greed, Ethics, and Public Policy,” Public Integrity vol.
5 no. 4 (Fall 2003) 347-354.
Week 14:
Responsible Administration in the Public Service
TC, Chapter 10: Conclusion: Responsible Administration
Threaded Discussion
Week 15:
Course Summary and Conclusions
GEG, Chapter 14: Wrap-Up and Key Points
Threaded Discussion
Dropbox Assignment: (Course Feedback to Instructor)
Applied research paper due (in drop box by end of week)
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RESEARCH PAPER GUIDELINES
The major intellectual project of the course that students are expected to complete is the
formal research paper. The paper must be written in APA format/style. To that end, students are
expected to read, understand, and comply with the requirements of the fifth edition of the
Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (APA) for all assignments and
manuscripts. This includes the "Ethical Standards for the Reporting and Publishing of Scientific
Information" included therein. All work submitted for this course must be the student's own and
may not have been used whole and/or in part for any other purpose without the professor's prior
written permission (if in doubt you must ask the instructor). The student should select a paper
topic consistent with her/his personal interests and intellectual curiosity that can be well
managed within semester time parameters, based upon academic and other workloads. Thus, it
is important to keep the focus of the research paper narrow by defining an angle on or
"dimension" of public service ethics. The instructor is available to assist you in this effort.
Please note that your paper topic must be approved in advance by the instructor.
It is expected that the formal paper will be carefully researched and well-written. To that
goal, the paper must use proper grammar, spelling, and punctuation. The completed paper shall
be a minimum of 20 pages in length and not exceed 25 pages (excluding cover, endnotes,
appendices, and references/ bibliography). Papers must be electronically submitted to the
instructor (via drop box) no later than the last day of classes. Students are encouraged to
complete and submit papers earlier if practicable. Late papers, if accepted, will be substantially
discounted in grade, unless the delay is caused by a documented illness and/or personal
emergency.
A. Research papers will be graded based upon the following criteria:
1. Grammar, spelling, and punctuation (proofread and spell check).
2. Knowledge and understanding of the assigned readings and classroom discussions.
3. The ability to integrate knowledge from different sources
(texts, research, class discussions, and real life situations).
4. Analysis of materials to reach conclusions and support them in an organized and
coherent manner.
5.
Compliance with minimum/maximum length and submission requirements.