PSAA 601: Foundations of Public Service
Fall 2015
Meeting Time : Wednesdays 9:35am-12:15pm; 3:05 pm-5:55pm
Room: 1063;1017
Instructor: Justin B. Bullock
Office: 1034
Office Hours: Thursdays, 9:30am-12:30am and by appointment
E-mail: jbull14@tamu.edu
Introduction
PSAA 601 provides a foundation that will help you to understand and to think critically
about the organizational, political, and constitutional environment of public service. The
course examines different perspectives on management and leadership, and it provides an
overview of how public and nonprofit organizations operate. Although it focuses
primarily on the United States, many of the concepts it addresses are relevant to other
countries as well.
This syllabus is a proposed outline of the course. It is not a binding contract. Notification
will be provided for any required changes. This course is intended to be educational and
enjoyable. You are encouraged to ask questions and to participate in class discussions.
This will help you to get the most out of the valuable time you are investing in the course.
No prerequisites are required for this course.
Essential Elements and Learning Outcomes of PSAA 601 Foundations of Public
Service
After successful completion of this course, the students will be able to:
1. Examine how public and nonprofit administrators use a combination of formal
and informal leadership strategies to gain influence and power within their
organizations.
2. Explore the role played by citizens in the creation, implementation, and practice
of public programs.
3. Develop a general appreciation for core management functions performed by
public organizations such as budgeting and human resources administration.
4. Develop a general appreciation for the role of practical theories of organization in
public management.
5. Explore changes and developments in study and practice of American public
administration from the founding period to the present.
6. Discuss how disciplines such as history, political science, philosophy, and
organizational science have come to influence and shape modern public
administration.
7. Apply the material learned in class to the dilemmas and challenges faced by
public managers.
This is an introductory course. Accordingly, many of the topics in PSAA 601 are
covered in greater depth elsewhere in the MPSA curriculum. As you learn about key
concepts and practical theories in public service, you will also complete research
assignments that require you to write reports, make presentations, and work in teams.
Aggie Honor Code and Academic Integrity
“An Aggie does not lie, cheat or steal, or tolerate those who do.”
You have a responsibility for adhering to Texas A&M University’s Honor Code. For
information about the code and how it is enforced you may visit:
www.tamu.edu/aggiehonor/
You should be particularly careful to cite the work of others when completing
written assignments. Please consult section XIII of your student handbook for guidance
on avoiding plagiarism and other forms of academic misconduct. You should also feel
free to contact me for the clarification of any issues that seem ambiguous. The best way
to avoid plagiarism is to err on the side of caution when you are in doubt about the need
to cite sources.
The Americans with Disabilities Act
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is a federal anti-discrimination
statute that provides comprehensive civil rights protection for persons with disabilities.
Among other things, this legislation requires that all students with disabilities be
guaranteed a learning environment that provides for reasonable accommodation of their
disabilities. If you believe you have a disability requiring an accommodation, please
contact the Department of Student Life, Services for Students with Disabilities, in Room
126 of the Koldus Building or call 845-1637.
Grading
Marks for this course will be apportioned as follows:
Memo responses to documentaries (5 total)
Group Project: Agency
Group Project: Program
One pagers (40 total, every reading assignment)
20%
20%
20%
40%
The final grade is determined by a summation of results from these assignments
The letter grades correspond to the below summations.
A 90-100%
B 80-89%
C 70-79%
D 60-69 percent
F below 60 percent
Late assignments will not be accepted. If you notify me of a conflict a week before the
midterm or final we can arrange for you take the test at an earlier date. Exceptions to
these rules are family, medical emergencies, and additional exceptions made in student
rule 7 http://student-rules.tamu.edu/rule07.
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Grades for this course center around three mediums: one-pager responses to the readings,
response memos, and group projects. These mediums are chosen over more traditional
mediums – such as written exams – for a variety of reasons, which we will discuss in
class. The “one pagers” will consist of one page responses to each class reading and each
guest speaker. You will be required to bring a hard copy of each of these responses to
class on the week that they are due. The 5 response memos will be written in response to
a documentary the covers several current and recent events in public administration at the
local, state, federal, and international levels. Response memos will be 2-3 pages in length.
You will: Identify the core administrative issue(s), Diagnose the political and
administrative cause(s) of the core administrative issue(s) using concepts from class, and
Prescribe administrative tools and solutions to help solve the core administrative issues
while also using concepts from class.
Two group projects will constitute the remainder of your grade. The groups will have
approximately five members and will be randomly assigned by me. The purpose of these
projects will be to have the group provide an in depth look at a major federal or state
agency, in one project, and a major federal or state program, in the second project. These
projects are designed to help develop your skills as a writer, presenter, and work-group
member. These projects will also allow you to give and receive detailed feedback on the
performance of your work as a group member.
I encourage you to consult with me if you have questions about your assignments. Also, I
encourage you to seek the advice of the Bush School’s writing consultant.
Textbooks
PSAA 601 relies on two main texts for this course:
Kettl, Donald F., and James W. Fesler (2015). The Politics of the Administrative Process,
Sixth Edition, Washington, DC: CQ Press.
Stillman, Richard J II (2010). Public Administration Concepts and Cases, Ninth Edition,
Boston MA: Houghton Mifflin Company.
The course will closely follow the Kettl and Fessler text. Relevant journal articles and
case studies will be drawn from the Stillman text, when appropriate.
Useful links:
- Academic Calendar http://registrar.tamu.edu/General/Calendar.aspx
- Final Exam Schedule http://registrar.tamu.edu/General/FinalSchedule.aspx
- On-line Catalog http://catalog.tamu.edu/
- Student Rules http://student-rules.tamu.edu/
- Religious Observances http://dof.tamu.edu/content/religious-observance
- Center for Teaching Excellence http://cte.tamu.edu/
Course Outline
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Introduction (9/2)
Part 1: The Job of Government
Kettl Chapter 1: Accountability (9/9)
Stillman Chapter 15 Case: Torture and Public Policy, pg 454-462
Stillman Chapter 16: Case: George Tenet and the Last Great Days of the CIA, pg 482490
Jansen Introduction “The Pillars of Integrity”
Kettl Chapter 2: What Government Does, And How it Does It (9/16)(Response Memo 1
Due: The Spill) Holly Presentation; Rachel Folk Presentation
Stillman Chapter 1: Case: The Blast in Centralia No. 5: A Mine Disaster No One
Stopped, pg 30-44 (Accompanying video: Centralia Mine Disaster)
Kettl Chapter 3: What is Public Administration?
Jansen Story 1: Faiza Kefi “La cour est dans mon coeur”
Part 2: Organizational Theory and the Role of Government’s Structure
Kettl Chapter 4: Organizational Theory (9/23)
Stillman Chapter 2: Case: How Kristin Died, pg 63-75
Stillman Chapter 3: The General Environment: The Concept of Ecology
Kettl Chapter 5: The Executive Branch (9/30) (Response Memo 2 Due: Secrets,
Politics, and Torture)
Stillman Chapter 5: IGR: The Concept of Opportunisitc Federalism
Stillman Chapter 5: Case: Wichita Confronts Contamination, pg 136-143
Jansen Story 2: Josef Moser “Accountability, transparency, and independence”
Kettl Chapter 6: Organization Problems (10/7)
Stillman Chapter 6: Case: American Ground: Unbuilding the World Trade Center, pg
158-169
Stillman Chapter 7: Case: The Decision to Go to War with Iraq, pg 194-203
Jansen Story 3: Terence Nombembe “The leadership makes the difference”
Kettl Chapter 7: Administrative Reform (10/14) (Response Memo 3 Due: Losing Iraq)
Dean Crocker presentation
Stillman Chapter 4: Case: The Columbia Accident, pg 104-114
Stillman Chapter 13: Expectations, pg 391-405
Case Study: Group Project: Agency DUE and PRESENTATIONS (10/21)
Part 3: People in Government Organizations
Kettl Chapter 8: The Civil Service (10/28)
Jansen Story 4: Heidi Mendoza “The face of trust and hope”
Jansen Story 5: Alar Karis “E-auditing in Estonia”
Kettl Chapter 9: Human Capital (11/4) (Response Memo 4 Due: The Storm and Law &
Disorder)
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Stillman Chapter 8: Case: How a City Slowly Drowned, pg 226-236
Stillman Chapter 11: Public Personnel Motivation
Part 4: Making and Implementing Government Decisions
Kettl Chapter 10: Decision Making (11/11)
Stillman Chapter 10: Public Management: The Concept of Collaborative Processes
Stillman Chapter 10: Case: Government as Catalyst: Can It Work Again with Wireless
Internet Access, pg 301-315
Stillman Chapter 11: Case: Who Brought Bernadine Healy Down? pg 330-340
Kettl Chapter 11: Budgeting (11/18) (Response Memo 5 Due: A Death in St.
Augustine)
Stillman Chapter 12: Public Budgeting: The Concept of Budgeting and as Political
Choice
Stillman Chapter 12: Case: Death of a Spy Satellite Program, pg 360-369
Jansen Story 6: David Walker “From accounting to accountability”
Group Project work day (11/25)
Kettl Chapter 12: Implementation (12/2)
Stillman Chapter 14: Case: Reinventing School Lunch, pg 422-435
Jansen Story 7: John Muwanga “Auditing extractive industries and the ‘oil curse’”
Jansen Story 8: Abdulbasit Turki Saeed “Rebuilding the Board of Audit in a shattered
country”
Case Study: Group Project: Program DUE and PRESENTATIONS (12/2)
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