PAD 5001 Introduction to Public Administration and Public Service
Graduate School of Public Affairs
University of Colorado-Denver
Summer 2007
Instructor:
Phone:
Office Hours:
Email:
Katy Anthes
303-619-0518
By appointment
katyanthes@comcast.net
COURSE OBJECTIVES
This introductory graduate-level course is intended to provide an overview of the field, as well as
serve as a basis for further advanced studies in the MPA program. The course assumes no prior
background—academic or work related—in Public Administration. It introduces students to
administrative concepts and practices, primarily from the standpoint of the public service, its
development and current issues. Much of the coursework will be drawn from case material and
other secondary sources. This class will be divided into two parts: first, an overview of the
bureaucratic system and how it governs and second, the basic instruments or components of
bureaucratic governance. By the end of the class, you will be able to:
1. Understand the theories and meaning of a career in professional public service
2. Understand the field of public administration, including issues, problems, strengths and
prospects of American governance
3. Understand some of the basic instruments of governance, including non-governmental
mechanisms and organizations
4. Be able to develop graduate level skills with respect to research, writing and
presentations.
COURSE MATERIALS
Required Texts:
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Jay Shafritz, Albert C. Hyde and Sandra J. Parkes, Classics of Public Administration, 5th
edition (Belmont: Wadsworth/Thomson, 2004).
Richard Stillman, Public Administration: Concepts and Cases, 8th edition (Boston: Houghton
Mifflin Co., 2005).
Additional articles and readings will also be assigned but can be accessed online or in the
library.
***Please make sure you have the specified editions. More than half of the case studies have
changed since the previous edition of Public Administration: Concepts and Cases.
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REQUIREMENTS
This section of Introduction to Public Administration and Public Service is made up of nine
units. Each unit will last one week and will be devoted to discussion and analysis of the topics
indicated. Students are expected to read the required materials and participate via discussions
during each unit. The ninth unit will be for the final exam. Please let me know if you have plans
to be out of town during any of the units.
Also, please review the “Criteria for Graduate level coursework” attached at the end of this
syllabus. This will outline the requirements of graduate-level performance for this class.
Reading Assignments
Plan to complete the readings for each unit prior to coming to class for that unit. This is a
summer course and there are longer class times (four hours) and fewer times to meet then during
a regular semester — that means that we have a lot of time to fill per class to discuss these
readings! If you do not come prepared, the classes will not help you meet the course objectives
(and also be deathly boring due to lack of lively discussion).
Class Participation and Discussions (25 points)
For each unit, you are expected to participate in the class discussion and will be graded on this
activity. In addition, you or a team of you (depending on how many students are in the class)
will be asked to lead a discussion for a particular unit. Regular class participation will be graded
based on content, depth of understanding, and ability to critically analyze the material. Each
class discussion will be worth 4 points, based on the following:
Content Assessment Skills:
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2 points: Shows evidence of understanding key concepts; is able to show basic level of
support for opinions.
Depth of understanding and analysis Skills:
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2 points: Demonstrates excellence in grasping the key concepts; critiques work of others
based on application of knowledge from resources (not just personal opinion); offers new
interpretations of discussion materials.
You are expected to participate in 7 of the 8 discussions for a possible total of 28 points. You
will note that there are three additional points available (above the 25 listed in the course
evaluation requirements)—this gives you either the opportunity to not participate in some of the
discussion and not lose much ground or earn 3 extra credit points for excellent participation
throughout the semester.
Research Paper (35 points)
You are also required to submit one research paper, on a current topic related to one of the units
in this course. You may choose a topic of interest, with the instructor’s approval. The paper
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should be 10 pages in length. Students should either e-mail or turn in their choice of topic as
soon as possible, but at least by Unit Four (June 20th). The research paper will be due in class
during Unit 6.
The grading criteria for this paper will follow the “Criteria of Graduate Excellence” attached at
the end of this syllabus.
Late policy: For each day that the research paper is late, 4 points will be deducted from your
paper grade.
Presentations (10 points)
You will be asked to lead a portion of some class discussions. You will facilitate the class in
understanding the material and asking probing questions on the readings that you are assigned to
lead. For this, you will receive up to 4 points. We will sign up for these discussions in Unit 1.
You will also be asked to give a short presentation on your research paper. It should summarize
your topic, how that topic relates to what we are learning in class, and your conclusions and
areas for further investigation. For this, you will receive up to 6 points. These presentations will
start during the week of Unit 6 and go through to Unit 8. We will sign up for presentation days
and times during Unit 4.
Final Exam (30 points)
The final exam will be given during Unit 9 (August 1). The final exam must be completed in
class on August 1. The final exam will be several short essay questions. I will pass out sample
short essay questions during Unit 6.
The exam will either be hand-written on notebook paper or we may be able to reserve the GSPA
computer lab if you prefer to type your answers. This decision will be made during the semester
with student input.
EVALUATION
Grades will be based on the following:
Possible Points
Participation
25 points
Research Paper
35 points
Presentations
10 points
(Discussion leader- 4 points & Research paper- 6 points)
Final Exam
30 points
100 points
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Grading Scale
A
AB+
B
BC+
C
CD+
D
DF
93-100 points
90-92 points
87-89 points
83-86 points
80-82 points
77-79 points
73-76 points
70-72 points
67-69 points
63-66 points
60-62 points
Under 60 points
Academic Honesty
Students are expected to be aware of and abide by the Academic Honor Code of the University
of Colorado at Denver. You can access these policies at:
http://www.cudenver.edu/Academics/Catalog0506/RegPolicies/default.htm. Click on
“Academic Policies, Regulations.”
Exams must be completed individually, without assistance from other students. Plagiarism will
not be tolerated in any written work. The CU-Denver catalog defines plagiarism as the “use of
another person’s distinctive ideas or words without acknowledgement.” In addition, submitting
work that was not prepared by you, or which you have previously submitted for another class is
not tolerated.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
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Students are encouraged to contact the instructor with any questions or concerns about
this course. I am happy to meet with students, talk to students by phone, or respond to
questions by e-mail.
This is a shortened condensed class because it is taught in the summer~ therefore the
classes are 4 hours in length. In order to make it beneficial, we all need to come to class
prepared to have a lively discussion. Please feel free to bring in food and drink to keep
you well-fed and energetic!
There are many other good readings in your textbooks that will not be assigned or
required, but please take a look through the books and chapters each week to see what
other informative reading is available to you on these topics! If you are interested in a
particular topic, I have many more readings I can suggest to you.
There are some assigned readings in units that come from recent journals. I request that
you either go to the library to get those articles from the journals or download them
online (GSPA computer lab has access to these). I know that it is sometimes a pain to
seek out readings but finding and using journals are an important part of graduate work.
Readings listed as “supplemental” are not required, merely suggested.
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COURSE SCHEDULE
UNIT ONE
May 30
Overview of Public Administration
Reading Assignment:
 Public Administration: Concepts and Cases: Chapter One (pp. 1-47)
 “Introduction to the Study of Public Administration,” Leonard White (Classics of Public
Administration, pp 44-51)
 “Toward a Feminist Perspective in Public Administration Theory,” Camilla Stivers
(Classics of Public Administration, pp 477-486)
 Supplemental reading: “Notes from the Margin: Race, Relevance and the Making of
Public Administration,” Matthew T. Witt, University of La Verne. 2006. (distributed in
class)
Class Agenda:
 Introductions
 Review syllabus and requirements
 Assign discussion leaders
 An introduction to public administration
UNIT TWO
June 6
The American Bureaucracy
Reading Assignment:
 Public Administration: Concepts and Cases: Chapter Two
- “Bureaucracy,” Max Weber
 “National Performance Review: From Red Tape to Results,” (Classics of Public
Administration, pp 535-542)
 “Stretchier Red Tape” by Rauch, Jonathan. The National Journal. Vol. 38, Issue 32-34
(Handed out in class)
 “Is More Bureaucracy the Answer” Forbes, Steve. Editorial, Forbes Magazine. Vol. 174.
Issue 3, pp. 27
Class Agenda
 Introduction to today’s topic
 Discussion leader on “Bureaucracy,” by Max Weber
 Discussion leader on “National Performance Review”
 Discussion leader on “Stretchier Red Tape” and “Is More Bureaucracy the Answer”
 Guest speaker?
 Pros and Cons of Bureaucracy
UNIT THREE
June 13
Politics and Administration
Reading Assignment:
 Public Administration: Concepts and Cases: Chapter 14
 “Politics and Administration”, Frank Goodnow (Classics of Public Administration, pp.
35-37)
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“Administrative Decentralization and Power, Herbert Kaufman (Classics of Public
Administration, pp. 285-297)
“Street Level Bureaucracy: The Critical Role of Street-Level Bureaucrats,” Michael
Lipsky (Classics of Public Administration, pp 401-407)
“Implementation,” Pressman and Wildavsky (Classics of Public Administration, pp. 353356)
“The Myth of Dichotomy: Complementarity of Politics and Administration in the Past
and Future of Public Administration,” Svara, James. Public Administration Review.
March/April 2001, Vol. 61, No. 2. (Library or online)
Supplemental Reading: “Public Administration Theory and the Separation of Powers,”
David Rosenbloom (Classics of Public Administration, pp. 446-457)
Class Agenda
 Introduction to today’s topic
 Discussion leader on “Street Level Bureaucracy”
 Discussion leader on “Implementation”
 Discussion leader on “The Myth of Dichotomy”
 Application to current events and issues
 Tools and practical applications
 Turn in or email me with your research paper topic.
UNIT FOUR
June 20
Organizational Theory
Reading Assignment:
 “Scientific Management,” Frederick Taylor (Classics of Public Administration, pp. 4345)
 “Notes on the Theory of Organization,” Luther Gulick (Classics of Public
Administration, pp. 90-98)
 “The Proverbs of Administration,” Herbert Simon (Classics of Public Administration, pp.
136-149).
 Theories of Public Organization. Robert B. Denhardt. Chapter one, “Learning about
Public Organizations.” pp. 1-18 (distributed in class)
 “Downsizing, Competition, and Organizational Change in Government: Is necessity the
Mother of Invention?” Journal of Policy Analysis and Management. Vol. 25, Number 4.
2006. (Library or online)
Class Agenda
 Introduction to today’s topic
 Discussion leader on “Notes on the Theory of Organization”
 Discussion leader on “The Proverbs of Administration”
 Discussion leader on “Downsizing, Competition, and Organizational Change in
Government”
 Application to today
 Tools and practical applications
 Sign up for research paper presentations
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UNIT FIVE
June 27
Public Management
Reading Assignment:
 “Public and Private Management: Are They Fundamentally Alike in All Unimportant
Respects?” Graham Allison (Classics of Public Administration, pp. 396-413).
 “Exploring the Limits of Privatization,” Ronald Moe (Classics of Public Administration,
pp. 467-476).
 “A Public Management for All Seasons?” Christopher Hood (Classics of Public
Administration, pp. 503-516).
 “Employment, Privatization, and Managerial Choice: Does Contracting Out Reduce
Public Sector Employment?” Journal of Policy Analysis and Management. Vol. 26,
Number 1. 2006. (Library or online)
 Supplemental Book: Public Management: The Essential Readings by Ott, Hyde, and
Shafritz (editors).1991. Nelson-Hall.
Class Agenda
 Introduction to the topic
 Discussion leader “Exploring the Limits of Privatization,”
 Discussion leader “A Public Management for All Seasons?”
 Discussion leader “Employment, Privatization, and Managerial Choice”
 Tools of Government Action: Tools and practical applications
BREAK
July 4
Fourth of July!
July 11
The Policy Process
ENJOY!
UNIT SIX
Reading Assignment:
 Public Administration: Concepts and Cases: Chapter Four and Eight
 “Policy Paradox: The Art of Political Decision Making,” Deborah Stone (Classics of
Public Administration, pp. 571-577).
 TBD
 Supplemental Reading: Theories of the Policy Process. Edited by Paul Sabatier.
Westview Press. 1999.
Class Agenda
 Introduction to the topic
 Discussion leader on “Policy Paradox: The Art of Political Decision Making,”
 Discussion leader on TBD
 Discussion leader on TBD
 Tools and practical applications
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Research paper presentation
Research paper presentation
Research paper presentation
Final exam questions will be distributed
Research Paper Due!
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UNIT SEVEN
July 18
Reinventing Government
Reading Assignment:
 Big Questions for Public Administration (two short articles to be distributed in class)
 “Reinventing Government? Appraising the National Performance Review” Kettl,
Donald. (Classics of Public Administration pp. 543).
 “Breaking Through Bureaucracy” Michael Barzelay with Babak Armajani. (Classics of
Public Administration pp. 491).
 “The Myth of Bureaucratic Paradigm: What Traditional Public Administration Really
Stood for.” Laurence E. Lynn Jr. Public Administration Review, March 2001 vol. 61
Issue: 2. pp. 144. (Library or online)
Class Agenda
 Introduction to the topic
 Discussion leader on “Reinventing Government?”
 Discussion leader on “Breaking Through Bureaucracy”
 Discussion leader on “The Myth of Bureaucratic Paradigm”
 Research paper presentation
 Research paper presentation
 Research paper presentation
UNIT EIGHT
July 25
Ethics and the Public Service
Reading Assignment:
 Public Administration: Concepts and Cases: Chapter Sixteen (pp. 501-527)
 “The Possibility of Administrative Ethics,” Dennis Thompson (Classics of Public
Administration, pp. 458-466)
 TBD
Class Agenda
 Introduction to the topic
 Discussion leader on “The Possibility of Administrative Ethics,”
 Application to current events
 Research paper presentation
 Research paper presentation
 Research paper presentation
UNIT NINE
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August 1
Final Exam
Final Exam, in class
***Please note that this is a tentative schedule and may change if necessary during the course.
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Criteria of Excellence
Grading Guidelines for Graduate Students
Papers, Assignments, Discussions and Presentations:
Following are some criterion of excellence in communicating though assignments, papers and
general discussions. Each assignment, (tempered by how lengthy the assignment is) should
present a clear message, supported by appropriate evidence, and leading to a clear conclusion.
The reader should, after reading the assignment, be able to restate your main point briefly and
surely. To achieve this objective, the student should use the well-known techniques of good
writing:
*SIGNPOSTING ("Tell 'em what you're gonna tell 'em; tell 'em; and then tell 'em what you told
'em). Have a clear statement of intention early in the paper, and work from an outline that lists
all your main points and the subpoints that contribute to them. From time to time, summarize for
the reader, and make logical transitions from one section of the paper to the next.
*EXAMPLES AND ANALOGIES. Use illustrations that are appropriate to help clarify your
meaning. Try to strike a balance between lively and telling detail (good) and overly complicated
examples whose relevance isn't made clear (bad).
*CLEAR, UNDERSTANDABLE LANGUAGE. Most of all, work hard to make sure that each
and every sentence expresses your meaning as you intended it. When in doubt, have other
people read your work, and tell you what's plain and what's awkward.
The following is a more detailed discussion of the elements I look for in evaluating a student's
work:
1. Understanding concepts, ideas and information: A good masters-level student should
develop a solid understanding of the terms and concepts used in the text, other readings and
discussions. S/he should be able to use these terms and concepts appropriately. If it seems from
the student's discussion that s/he has a solid understanding, but s/he does not express this
understanding "in so many words," then the student has implicitly demonstrated understanding.
An outstanding essay explicitly demonstrates that the student has a highly-developed, complete,
subtle understanding of the terms and concepts used in class.
2. Using examples and making analogies; making comparisons and contrasts; connecting
theory and practice; synthesizing (integrating) varied material into a coherent whole: The
ability to illustrate a term, concept, or principle with examples and analogies is very useful. The
clearer the student's understanding of the material, the more appropriate will be his/her
illustrations. Choosing the best illustrations is a bit of an art; very good, skillfully chosen ones
illuminate the discussion even beyond the point of merely illustrating a term, etc. Excellent
examples suggest subtleties and connections that are particularly interesting, relevant and
fruitful. Connecting theory to practice involves showing how examples illustrate or expand
theory (by suggesting omissions or complexities).
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Similarly, the ability to make appropriate comparisons and contrasts is an important analytic
technique: these comparisons and contrasts should be appropriate or, even better, suggestive of
more than one level of meaning.
Finally, the ability to synthesize material into a coherent whole is an important skill. Drawing
connections and linkages among various ideas, theories, or cases displayes this ability. In
excellent work, the student points out these connections explicitly and reasons them out with
tight, clear logic.
3. Demonstrating critical thinking: The student's critique of ideas, theories or information
contained in the text, other readings and class discussion may be either basic or, beyond that,
penetrating. A critique can consist of several things:
o
o
o
o
o
o
pointing out what is especially good, useful or interesting
showing errors in data, method, or logic
expressing and examining underlying assumptions upon which
analysis is based and how these assumptions affect conclusions
expressing and examining the values or ideology upon which
analysis is based and how these values affect conclusions
A masters-level student should be able to point out glaring or fundamental errors when they
occur. S/he should be able to evaluate a piece of work (his or her own, an author's, a fellow
student's, the instructor's), describing what is good or not-so-good about it, and explaining
his/her reasons for judging so. An outstanding student will be able to spot more kinds of errors,
explain his/her judgments in more detail and with more sophistication, and will be able to
suggest improvements or corrections.
4. Reasoning: A masters-level student should be able to reason logically, making appropriate
connections between ideas and explaining each important step in his/her argument. A good
essay has a clear line of argument and comes to a clearly stated conclusion, marshalling
appropriate evidence along the way. Really outstanding clarity of argument, inference, and
conclusion merits extra credit.
5. Writing: A masters-level student should be able to express ideas clearly, with reasonably
good spelling, punctuation and grammar. Clarity and precision are always important, because
words are the tools for expressing ideas, and ideas that aren't understood can't be evaluated or
used. Outstanding writing is characterized by particularly graceful, lucid, or striking prose.
6. Originality: Most students--like most scholars, leaders, and managers--will not be able to be
particularly original in their conceptualization or analysis. For one thing, true originality
requires thorough immersion in a subject matter, and more than a little inspiration or luck.
Originality can be demonstrated, however, in quite a few ways: by organizing material in a new
way, by pointing out connections or criticisms that aren't part of the "conventional wisdom" of
our discipline, by spotting patterns in complex and confusing data or concepts. Noteworthy
originality deserves special praise.
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