SYLLABUS
PAD 7995 - PUBLIC SERVICE PRACTICUM
Master of Public Administration Program
Department of Political Science & International Affairs
Kennesaw State University
Spring 2016
Instructor: Dr. Jerry Herbel, Program Director and Associate Professor of Public Administration
Office: Social Sciences Building 22, Room 5042
Office Hours: Monday & Thursday 9-11 am, Tuesday 5-6:30 pm, or by appointment
Phone: (470) 578-7746
Fax: (770) 423-6312
Time & Location: TBA [Section 05 – CRN: 80794] Social Sciences, Room 5042
E-mail: jherbel@kennesaw.edu
REQUIRED TEXTBOOK:
None
COURSE DESCRIPTION:
The practicum is a culminating exercise required of all in-service practitioners; students must
have permission of the program director prior to registering for this course. With the approval of
the program director, the student will select a suitable topic and develop a proposal to guide
completion of a fieldwork/research project during the semester. It requires preparation of a
written paper that summarizes the results of a project and culminates in an oral presentation that
demonstrates how the candidate’s work as a professional in public service will serve him/her and
the community. Emphasis will be on actual issues and problems faced by practicing
administrators. [Prerequisite: Completion of 21 credit hours in the MPA Program and approval
of program director.]
SPECIFIC OUTCOMES (GOALS):
Upon completion of this course, students should be able to:
1


Demonstrate mastery and integration of previous course work in preparing, executing,
and writing a research project.
Utilize skills obtained in the Master of Public Administration Program under the
supervision of a faculty advisor in presenting materials professionally.
More specific learning objectives for each practicum will be selected jointly by the student and
faculty advisor from the MPA Program student learning outcomes (see KSU MPA AOL section
below).
NASPAA LEARNING OUTCOMES (COMPETENCIES)
In addition to the specific outcomes listed above, the MPA Program has adopted the universal
required competencies prescribed by the Network of Schools of Public Policy, Affairs, and
Administration (NASPAA). These competencies include five domains.
1. To analyze, synthesize, think critically, solve problems, and make decisions;
2. To articulate and apply a public service perspective;
3. To participate in and contribute to the public policy process;
4. To communicate and interact productively with a diverse and changing workforce
and citizenry; and
5. To lead and manage in public governance.
These five domains will be emphasized in the practicum course. For example, item #1 will be
emphasized through a critical analysis of a selected policy issue or an agency problem that
requires the integration of previous work in preparing, executing, and writing of the research
project. The recommendations that accompany the research will reflect the students’ decisionmaking abilities in offering solutions to problems and the practical policy implications of the
research findings to public administration as required by item #2 and #3, respectively. Item #4
will be emphasized throughout the research process, and during the presentation stage towards
the end of the semester. Item #5 is promoted through the student leadership not only in
completing the research project, but also in presenting it to a professional audience.
PRACTICUM AND OTHER GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS:

File a Petition to Graduate (at a minimum) the semester before you intend to graduate. The form is
available online. The current fee is $65.00.

Public Service Practicum (PAD 7995)
The practicum is highly recommended for in-service students. This research/fieldwork project is an indepth study of a significant issue or problem of public policy or organizational affairs that MPA candidates
will identify and select in consultation with the program director and pertinent faculty.
Proposals and the accompanying cover sheet must be submitted to Dr. Herbel before November 1 for
Spring semester registration and by June 15 for Fall semester registration. Proposals must be received and
approved prior to your being approved to register for PAD 7995. There is no practicum during the Summer
semester. Your final grade will be weighed 75 percent for the formal paper and 25 percent for the
presentation. Proposals should be brief (800-1500 words) and should be grounded in a preliminary review
of professional and academic literature on the topic and include an initial working bibliography (which will
not be part of the word count), as appropriate to the project. Proposals shall include responses to these
questions:
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1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.

What is the issue or problem?
How did it arise and how is it important?
What is the purpose of the project?
How does it relate to the professional and academic literature on the topic?
What resources are necessary to carry out the project?
What information will be used to examine the problem?
How will the information be analyzed?
What methods will be used?
Institutional Review Board: All research involving human subjects must be reviewed by the University's
IRB prior to the initiation of the research. This includes both surveys and research using pre-existing
records. You should allow at least two weeks for this review. The completed IRB form should identify your
research questions and detail your methodology. The IRB forms and instructions may be found at:
http://www.kennesaw.edu/irb. Most IRB completion problems are generated from lack of detail, so make
sure you provide a complete and concrete methodology.
As of August 1, 2003, all proposals submitted must include a Certificate of
Completion for the web-based training on Human Participant Protections
Education for Research Teams offered at:
http://www.citiprogram.org/default.asp?language=english.
When registering for the course, indicate that the course is being taken for “Completion Certificate only,
no continuing education credits.” When you have finished the course, remember to print several copies
of the Completion Certificate and save a copy in digital format. A hard copy or a digital copy must be
submitted to the KSU’s IRB.

Style Manual: The recommended textbook for this course (Writing in Political Science, 4th edition by
Diane E. Schmidt) has been adopted as the standard style manual for the completion of the practicum.
Please consult this book for all questions concerning format, citation style, etc. Previous MPA practicum
papers are available online at:
http://digitalcommons.kennesaw.edu/psia_etd/. You must pay attention to the page numbering style. For
additional online guidelines, feel free to review the “Digital Commons @ Kennesaw State University: A
Contributor’s Guide.”

Professional Exercise Presentation: This is a presentation of candidates’ summary of the research,
findings, recommendations, and conclusion to program faculty, other MPA students, and practitioners in
the pertinent field. These presentations are held each semester the week prior to final exams. They are
generally scheduled on the hour on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. You will be assigned a specific
day and time. Bring about 20 copies of your one-page executive summary for distribution to capstone
attendees. Also, you are encouraged to invite at least one practicing professional to your presentation. You
are expected to present for approximately 15 minutes, leaving the remainder of your time for
comments and questions by the faculty and guests. Final grades are due less than two weeks later. In
order to graduate (having completed the presentation and incorporated additions and suggestions by the
faculty to your paper), you must submit one flat bound copy (clear plastic cover, also known as “classic
cover binding”—available at Staples) and a .pdf version of the paper to the program coordinator before
final grades are due. Students are encouraged to post their completed projects to Digital Commons.
Students who fail to submit the final project on time may receive an incomplete grade and a grade change
will be made when the completed paper is submitted and approved .

Graduation: You will receive information from the Graduate Dean regarding the hooding ceremony, and
you will be contacted by the Registrar’s Office regarding graduation (tickets, location, date, etc.). If you
wish to participate in the hooding ceremony (and you are encouraged to do so), contact the faculty member
you would like to hood you.
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
Generally, the faculty chosen for recognition must be a member of the Graduate Faculty at KSU. Students
who have petitioned to graduate will receive a postcard from the Graduate College about two months
before the graduation ceremony asking if they would like to recognize a particular faculty member at
graduation.

The cap, gown, and hood are available from the KSU Bookstore for $79.35 (subject to change) which
includes:
Regalia Package (includes cap, gown, and tassel): $42.95
Hood: $32.95
Medallion (required): $3.45
Find more information at http://bookstore.kennesaw.edu/MerchList.aspx?id=1709 or 770-423-6260.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS AND GRADING:
For purposes of grade determination, there will be two (2) components of evaluation.
The two items upon which grades will be based are as follows:
1. Research Completion
2. Research Paper Presentation
75%
25%
[A=90-100 B=80-89 C=70-79 D=60-69 F=Below 59]
PRACTICUM PAPER AND PRESENATION INSTRUCTIONS:
Good writing skills are crucial for professional success. The KSU Writing Center is a free
service offered to all KSU students. Experienced, friendly writing assistants will work with you
to become a better writer—regardless of your strengths or weaknesses. Commonly covered
writing strategies include topic development, organization, revision, research, source
documentation, and grammar, but the Writing Center listens to and works with each writer
individually. For more information or to schedule an appointment, visit the Writing Center
online at http://ksuwritingcenter.com/ or stop by Room 242 in the English Building (or call 770423-6380 for appointment).
Each student is required to define a research question, an issue, or a problem and conduct an
appropriate study. The study may be descriptive, explanatory, or applied in nature. That is, the
information that would be gained by carrying out the research would be useful to an
administrator in the public or nonprofit sectors. You are expected to cover the required elements
in an essay format so that your paper would be intelligible to someone such as a fellow student or
a professional colleague. You may use a cross-sectional survey research or some other
methodologies studied in PAD 6250 that are appropriate to your research question and purpose.
Be sure to define concepts and terms and justify the choices you make regarding data sources
and your research methodology. Papers generally run between 35 and 50 typed double-spaced
pages (using Times New Roman, 12 point font, and 1 inch margins), including references and/or
appendices sections. Full justification is required on both left and right margins of every page.
The cover page must be completed using a 14-point font except the date of completion, which
should be a 12-point.
Remember that research papers are generally developed or written to inform and educate readers
and/or practitioners. Therefore, use a tone that is reader-oriented, positive and diplomatic. The
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following elements are usually included in practicum paper’s table of contents depending upon
the nature of the research question and the methodology deployed:
Title
Executive Summary
Introduction
A. Subject and purpose (or objectives)
B. Statement of the problem/research question
C. Need (relevancy of the research)
Literature Review
A thorough review of pertinent literature
Methodology
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
Type of experimental or research design to be used
Unit of analysis and any ethical considerations
Sampling procedures
Variables and operational definitions
Method(s) of data analysis
Findings
Conclusion
A. Summary of key points (including recommendations, if not a separate section)
References
Appendices <> If appropriate
Papers will be graded in terms of subject matter coverage, quality of writing, depth and
creativity of insight, and adequacy of source.
NOTE: Organization of the paper may vary; however, the faculty advisor will work with the
student to develop a suitable structure for the paper. All students should follow the recommended
style guide. A sample of cover page is presented below.
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Practicum Title to Appear Here
John Doe
A Practicum Paper
Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the
Master of Public Administration
Kennesaw State University
April 2016
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In terms of COMPLETION TIMELINE, the introduction, literature review, and
methodology sections are due on Wednesday, March 2, 2016. A rough draft of the
manuscript is due on Monday, March 21, 2016. The final paper is due on Monday, April
18, 2016, and an approved Executive Summary must be available to faculty members by
Tuesday, April 19, 2015. In order to receive your diploma (having completed the presentation
and incorporated additions and suggestions by the faculty in your paper), you must submit one
copy, bound flat (no big spirals) with clear plastic covers to the program director before final
grades are due. Students are encouraged to post their completed projects to Digital Commons.
Students who fail to submit the final project on time may receive an incomplete grade and a
grade change will be made when the completed paper is submitted and approved.
The PRESENTATION should include the same basic components of the paper. Be aware
that faculty members consider several factors such as structure, content and delivery in their
presentation evaluation. You must apply public administration concepts and theories in your
paper as well as presentation. As earlier stated, students should bring about 20 copies of a onepage executive summary for distribution to attendees, which include MPA faculty and other
MPA students. Presentations should last approximately 15 minutes, leaving about 10 minutes
for questions/comments from faculty and guests. Presentations are scheduled on Monday,
April 25 to Wednesday, April 27, 2016 from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. in 5033 of the Social
Sciences Building. The first two days are usually reserved for practicum students.
ATTENDANCE POLICY AND STUDENT RESPONSIBILITIES:
Although this course does not meet in a regular classroom, students are expected to meet every
appointment scheduled with faculty advisors and respond to all suggestions for improving the
paper. All papers should be typed, double-spaced, in Times New Roman using a 12-point font
except the cover page as indicated above. Students are expected to observe appropriate
conventions in quoting and citing authors to whom they owe acknowledgment for their words or
ideas. While the Galileo database is a valid source of full print research articles from academic
journals, students should not use too many standard websites as sources for their projects. The
instructor also reserves the right to request digital versions of practicum papers and to conduct a
plagiarism analysis using a database such as Turnitin.com.
INCOMPLETE GRADE:
As stated in the Graduate Catalog, an incomplete grade (“I”) will be awarded only when a
student has done satisfactory work up to the last two weeks of the semester, but for nonacademic
reasons beyond the student’s control, is unable to meet the full requirements of the course.
Therefore, any student who wishes to receive an “I” for any reason must submit a request in
writing no later than the last class period prior to the exam. The request must state the reason for
the request and the expected date of completion of required assignments. The granting of any
such request is at the discretion of the instructor. If the request is granted, all work must be
submitted by the end of the following semester/term or the “I” will become an “F.”
WITHDRAWAL POLICY:
Should you decide to drop this course at any time, you must do so by yourself. Failure to drop a
course because of not passing or excessive absences will result in an “F” grade at the end of the
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semester. To receive a grade of “W” you must drop the class by the University recommended
withdrawal date (see the Important Dates section of this syllabus).
ACADEMIC HONESTY:
Every KSU graduate student is responsible for upholding the provisions of the Statement of
Student Rights and Responsibilities (SSRR), as published in the 2015-2016 Graduate Catalog
(available online at
http://catalog.kennesaw.edu/index.php?catoid=25
Section II of the SSRR addressees the University’s policy on academic honesty, including
provision regarding plagiarism and cheating, unauthorized access to University materials,
misrepresentation/falsification of University records or academic work, malicious removal,
retention, or destruction of library materials, malicious/intentional misuse of computer facilities
and/or services, and misuse of student identification cards. Incidents of alleged academic
misconduct will be handled through the established procedures of the University Judiciary
Program, which includes either an “informal” resolution by a faculty member, resulting in a
grade adjustment, or a formal hearing procedure, which may subject a student to the University
Code of Conduct’s minimum one semester suspension requirement.
In this context, Plagiarism and cheating are defined as follows: No student shall receive,
attempt to receive, knowingly give or attempt to give unauthorized assistance in the
preparation of any work required to be submitted for credit as part of a course (including
examinations, laboratory reports, essays, themes, term papers, etc.). When direct quotations
are used, they should be indicated, and when the ideas, theories, data, figures, graphs,
programs, electronic based information or illustrations of someone other than the student are
incorporated into a paper or used in a project, they should be duly acknowledged (see KSU
2012-2013 Graduate Catalog:
http://catalog.kennesaw.edu/content.php?catoid=13&navoid=597#righ_pert_stud_reco
ADA STATEMENT:
Kennesaw State University does not discriminate on the basis of disability in admission or access
to, or treatment or employment in, its programs or activities. KSU promotes equity in academic
access through the implementation of reasonable accommodations as required by the Vocational
Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Title V, Section 504 and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990
(ADA—Public Law 101-336) which allow students with disabilities to participate in and benefit
from all post-secondary educational programs, courses and activities (for more information, visit
www.kennesaw.edu/stu_dev/dsss
or Student Center, Suite 267).
Students who require reasonable accommodations because of a physical, mental, or learning
disability should notify the instructor of this course as soon as possible and preferably before the
end of the first two weeks of class to arrange for reasonable accommodations. Should you
require assistance or have further questions about the ADA, please contact the ADA Compliance
Officer for Students at 770-423-6443; the ADA Compliance Officer for Facilities at 770-4238
6224; or the Director of Human Resources, ADA Compliance Officer for staff and faculty at
770-423-6030.
KSU MPA STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES (AOL):
The purpose of the MPA curriculum is summarized best in the major goal of our mission
statement: to equip students with the knowledge and skills essential to operate in governmental
agencies and nonprofit organizations. This articulation of our goal operationalizes the ideal of
preparing students for professional leadership in public service and nonprofit organizations.
To further articulate how the major goal of the program is carried out through the curriculum, we
have adopted a set of objectives for the curriculum. The student-learning outcomes or objectives
related to the major goal are as follows:
1. Students can identify good public management and evaluate its impact on agencies, clientele,
and society.
2. Students can describe the structure and institutional relationships that exist among and
between agencies and nonprofits in a political setting.
3. Students can demonstrate understanding knowledge of and apply theories of public
administration.
4. Students can correctly analyze management of ethical dilemmas using concepts like equity,
efficiency, effectiveness, and the democratic ethos.
5. Students can apply and evaluate theories of nonprofit management and leadership in nonprofit
settings to solve problems and design programs.
6. Students can analyze global administrative situations and correctly apply public administration
theory and concepts.
7. Students can engage in scholarship and research and present material professionally through
appropriate written and oral communication.
RESEARCH IN PRACTICE DATA SOURCES FOR PAD 7995
USEFUL DATA SOURCES FOR POLICY ANALYSTS AND PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION SCHOLARS
The following are sample of some important data sources of special use to policy analysts and
administrators. They include web sites as well as published materials. The list is divided into
general references, data sources for the U.S. national government, data sources for state-local
governments, and data sources for other nations.
GENERAL REFERENCES
Facts on File. New York: Facts on File, Inc. Weekly compendium of important news
events in the United States and the world. A biweekly cumulative index is published.
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Institute for Social Research (ISR). Measures of Political Attitudes. Ann Arbor:
University of Michigan, 1998. Excellent place to start looking if you are constructing attitude
scales because it contains items used and tested by others.
Li, Tze-chung. Social Science Reference Sources: A Practical Guide. Westport, Conn.:
Greenwood Press, 2000. A guide to basic reference works in the social sciences.
Public Affairs Information Service (PAIS). A quarterly index (by subject and author) to
information in dozen of periodicals.
U.S. NATIONAL GOVERNTMENT
Federal Web Locator, The Center for Information Policy and Law—Intended to be a onestop shopping for federal government information on the World Wide Web.
Http://www.law.vill.edu/Fed-Agency/fedwebloc.html
FedStats—Provides links to over seventy federal agencies. The place to start when
searching government for federal and international statistics. http://www.fedstats.gov
Fedworld—Access to thousands of U.S. Government web sites, over one million
government documents and other information. http://www.fedworld.gov
Government Information Sharing Project, Oregon State University—A great place to
start with demographic information on U.S. counties, states and the nation along with statistics
on education, economics and links to other government web sites. http://govinfo.kerr.orst.edu
Findlaw—A clearinghouse for all types of legal information such as cases, codes, law
reviews. http://findlaw.com
Library of Congress—Resource page for state and local governments, providing links to
several key sources of information and data. http://lcweb.loc.gov/global/state/stategov.html
Public Agenda—Provides detailed information on public opinion and policy analysis.
http://www.publicagenda.org
Catalog of U.S. Government Publications—Search and retrieval service that provides
bibliographic records of U.S. government information resources. It can also be used to link the
Federal online agencies or to look up material in the Federal Depository Libraries.
http://www.access.gpo.gov/su_docs/dpos/adpos400.html
Direct Search U.S. State and City Resources, George Washington University—
Compilation of many specialized, searchable and interactive databases.
http://gwis2.circ.gwu.edu/~gprice/state.htm
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Social Indicators from the United Nations—Comparative data on a variety of social
indicators. http://www.un.org/Depts/unsd/social/main.htm
University of Michigan Documents Center—Provides a clearinghouse of online data of
all types of government statistics. An excellent site to start your search for any level of
government. http://www.lib.umich.edu/libhome/Documents.center/stats.html
Thomas, U.S. Congress on the Internet—First stop in looking for data and information
from Congress. http://thomas.loc.gov
U.S. Census Bureau Data—Source of demographics and statistics in a variety of subject
areas, e.g., housing, for the nation, states and counties. http://www.census.gov
U.S. Congress—Provides official, searchable databases with origins in the U.S. Congress.
http://www.access.gpo.gov/congress/index.html
White House—Access to virtual library and other important links to government
information/data. http://whitehouse.gov
Congressional Staff Directory. Mount Vernon, VA. An annual listing of the names and
addresses of Congressional staffers. http://cds.cq.com
Congressional Quarterly Weekly Reports. Washington, D.C.: Congressional Quarterly.
A guide to events in Washington with a special focus on Congress. Contains voting records of
members of Congress as well as summaries of major legislative proposals and legislation passed.
Congressional Quarterly also publishes an annual summary (Congressional Quarterly Almanac)
and special reports. http://library.cq.com
Federal Regulatory Directory. Washington, D.C.: Congressional Quarterly. Annual
profiles on regulatory agencies including key personnel, organizational structure, relevant
authorizing legislation and congressional committees, information sources, data sources, and
references.
General Social Survey. Annual survey of the American public covering a variety of
social, political, and demographic issues. http://www.icpsr.umich.edu/gss/home.htm
Historical Statistics of the United States, Colonial Times to 1970. Washington, D.C.: U.S.
Government Printing Office, published since 1910. A compilation of various U.S. economic and
demographic statistics. See online United States Historical Census Data Browser—Data that
describe the people and economy of the U.S. for each state and county from 1790-1970.
http://fisher.lib.virginia.edu/census/
Inter University Consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR). A huge
repository of survey research, census, and other data sources from all over the world.
http://www.icpsr.umich.edu/
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Monthly Catalog of the United States Government Publications. Washington, D.C.:
Superintendent branches of the U.S. government. An indispensable reference guide to finding
U.S. documents.
National Journal. Washington, D.C. Weekly review of event in Washington with a focus
on the administration and bureaucracy. Some free access at http://nationaljournal.com
Scammon, Richard, ed. America Votes: A Handbook of Contemporary American Election
Statistics. Washington, D.C.: Governmental Affairs Institute and Congressional Quarterly,
published since 1956. Data by state on presidential, senatorial, congressional, and gubernatorial
elections since the 1940s.
Social Security Bulletin. Washington, D.C.: Department of Health and Human Services,
Social Security Administration. A monthly compilation of a variety of statistics concerning
social security, Supplemental Security Income (SSI), and Aid to Families with Dependent
Children (recipients and dollars paid). Many of the statistics are categorized by state.
http://www.ssa.gov/statistics/bulletin.html
Statistical Abstract of the United States. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing
Office. Issued by the Bureau of the Census—provides important and useful information about
U.S. population, economy, health, national defense, elections, energy, and other information
collected by the government.
http://www.census.gov/stab/www/
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office. An
annual publication but kept current by quarterly supplements. Deals with summary of earnings:
(1) wages, (2) hours of labor, (3) cost and standard of living statistics in the United States. The
Bureau of Labor Statistics also publishes annually the Occupational Outlook Handbook which
describes what workers do on the job; the training and education they need; earnings, working
conditions, and expected job prospects for hundreds of occupations and thirty-five industries.
http://stats.bls.gov/
Vital Statistics of the United States. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office,
published annually since 1937. Volumes for 1937-44 issued by the U.S. Bureau of Census; 194558 by the National Office of Vital Statistics; 1952-62 by the National Office of Vital Statistics
Division; 1963 to 1992 by the National Center for Health Statistics and the Division of Vital
Statistics.
Volume I: Natality. Statistics on fertility and births.
Volume II (A): Mortality. Statistics on general mortality, infant mortality, fetal mortality,
accident mortality, and life tables.
Volume II (B): Mortality. Mortality statistics for each state and county, urban,
metropolitan, and nonmetropolitan counties, population size, groups, and standard
metropolitan areas.
Volume III: Marriage and divorce. Historical and contemporary statistics.
A web source to a wide variety of statistics on health is the National Center for Health
Statistics. http://www.cdc.gov/nchswww/about.about.htm
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Washington Information Directory. Washington, D.C.: Congressional Quarterly, annual.
Information on government and private agencies, policies, and personnel. Organized by subject.
Indexed by subject and agency or organization.
STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS
Direct Search U.S. State and City Resources, George Washington University—
compilation of many specialized, searchable and interactive data bases.
http://gwis2.circ.gwu.edu/~gprice/state.htm
National Association of Countries—Some free access to valuable county data and other
information. http://www.naco.org
“Blue Books” of the states. Each state issues an annual or biennial handbook often called
“Blue Books.” Though varying in content from state to state, they usually provide information on
state officeholders, state agencies, state history, state election returns (sometimes including
legislative races), and referenda. They usually included election results on constitutional
amendments.
Book of the States. Chicago, Council of State Governments, annual. Information on
activities of the state governments including elections, office holders, public policies, and
finances. http://dhrinfo.hr.state.or.us/intranet/statesbk.htm
Census of Governments. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Bureau of the Census. By state and
community. Information on finances and employment. Includes: city government finances, state
government finances, finances of employee retirement systems of state and local governments.
Census of the Population. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Bureau of the Census. Organized by
state and locality, this is the basic source of demographic information on the population. Useful
breakdowns of all sorts of information by sex, race, age, and urban or rural residence. Some date
aggregated for standard metropolitan statistical areas (SMSAs). http://www.census.gov
Country and City Data Book. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Bureau of the Census, since 1949.
Contains statistical information for each county in the United States, standard metropolitan
statistical areas, and cities with populations of more than 25,000. The information includes
demographics, such as age, race, educational distributions in the population, and other policyrelevant information including crime rates. http://fisher.lib.virginia.edu
Municipal Year Book. Washington, D.C.: International City Managers Association,
annual. Provides information on local governments, individual and aggregated. Covers
government employments and finance; feature on specific policies change form year to year.
Also contains a list of reference sources.
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The National Directory of State Agencies. Arlington, Va.: Information Resources Press,
annual. List name of agencies and agency heads in each state, organized and indexed by
functional responsibilities (i.e., welfare children’s services).
Quarterly Summary of State and Local Tax Revenue. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Census
Bureau.
Social Security Bulletin. See listing under U.S. national.
Statistics of Income. Washington, D.C.: Internal Revenue Service, annual.
http://www.irs.ustreas.gov/prod/tax-stats/index.html
Government agencies in the State of Georgia are available online at: http://www.georgia.gov.
SOURCES OF DATA ON OTHER NATIONS
Countries of the world and Their Leaders: Yearbook and Supplement, Detroit, Mich.:
Gale Research, 1997. Heads of state and cabinet officials of the world’s nations, location of U.S.
embassies and consulates and the officials at each, and profiles of political, religious, and other
characteristics of each nation.
Demographic Yearbook. New York: United Nations Publications since 1948. Contains
worldwide population data, by country. Even though it is one of the best sources, data are
incomplete and sometimes dated.
European Historical Statistics. Mitchell, B. R., ed. London: MacMillan, 1975.
A compendium of longitudinal data on the nations of Europe.
Index to International Public Opinion, 1997-98. Survey Research Consultants
International. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press, 1980. An annual series containing results of
survey taken in a various nations around the world. Both cross-national and single nation studies
of economic, political, and social issues are included. Indexed by subject and country.
Inter University Consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR). A huge
repository of survey research, census, and other data sources from all over the world.
http://www.icpst.umich.edu/
Political Handbook of the World. Banks, Arthur, ed. New York: McGraw-Hill. Annual
survey of world politics. Chronology of major world events, information on the United Nations
and demographic and political data for 165 nations.
Social Indicators from the United Nations— Comparative data on a variety of social
indicators. http://www.un.org/Depts/unsd/social/main.htm
14
Statistical Abstract of Latin America. Wilkie, James, ed. Los Angeles: UCLA, 1997.
Social, economic, geographic, and political data on Latin America. Published twenty times since
1955.
Statistical Yearbook. New York: United Nations, since 1948. Provides data by country on
population, income, education, occupation, fertility, etc.
Statistical Yearbook for Asia and the Pacific. New York: United Nations, 1998.
Socioeconomic data on the countries of Asia and the Pacific.
United Nations Documents Index. New York: United Nations, annual. An indispensable
reference in searching for U.N. Publications.
Citation Guidelines Using Chicago Manual of Style
References
Book (one author)
Blinksworth, Roger. 1987. Converging on the evanescent. San Francisco, CA: Threshold Publications.
In-Text:
Quoted Text: (Blinksworth 1987, 23)
Reference: (Blinksworth 1987)
Book (edited)
Reference:
Collins, Geoffery, and Matthew D. Wortmaster, eds. 1953. The collected works of G. Farthington
Pennyloss. Boston, MA: C.F. Pennyloss.
In-Text:
(Collins and Wortmaster 1953)
Book (More than three authors)
Reference:
Sanders, G.S., T.R. Brice, V.L. DeSantis, and C.C. Ryder. 1989. Prediction and prevention of famine.
Los Angeles, CA: Timothy Peters.
In-Text
(Sanders et al. 1989)
Journal Article
Reference:
Banks, Willian, 1958. Secret meeting in Boise. Midwestern Political Review 6:26-31.
In-Text:
Quoted Text: (Banks 1958, 28)
Reference: (Banks 1958)
Reference:
Lester, James P., James L. Frank, Ann O’M. Bowman, and Kenneth W. Kramer. 1983. Hazardous
wastes, politics, and public policy: A comparative analysis. Western Political Quarterly
36(2):257–85.
In-Text:
(Lester et al. 1983)
Newspaper or Encyclopedia Article
Reference:
15
Shribman, D. 1991. Iowa towns shrivel as the young people head for the cities. Wall Street Journal, April
24, A-1.
Conference Paper
Reference:
Dubin, Jeffrey A., and Gretchen A. Kalsow. 1995. Comparing and contrasting absentee and
precinct voters: A view overtime. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the Western
Political Science Association, Portland, Oregon.
Website
Reference:
Center for the American Woman and Politics. 1999. Women in Public Office, Eagleton Institute of
Politics, Rutgers University. http://www.rci.rutgers.edu/~cawp [Accessed January 1, 2006].
Reference Page Sample
References
Atlanta Neighborhood Development Partnership Inc. 2007. Mixed income communities initiative
(MICI) - Policy Initiatives. http://www.andpi.org/mici-policy.htm [Accessed January 29,
2011].
Balfanz, Robert and Nettie Legters. 2004. Locating the dropout crisis: Which high schools
produce the nation’s dropouts? Where are they located? Who attends them? Report 70.
Baltimore: Center for Research on the Education of Students Placed At Risk
(CRESPAR), Johns Hopkins University.
http://www.csos.jhu.edu/crespar/techReports/Report70.pdf [Accessed September 22,
2010].
Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka. 347 U.S. 483 (United States Supreme Court 1954),
http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/scripts/getcase.pl?court=US&vol=347&invol=483
[Accessed August 20, 2010].
Caldras, Stephen J. 1999. Multilevel examination of student, school, and district-level effects on
academic achievement. Journal of Educational Research 93(2):91-101.
California Department of Education, 2009. Testing and accountability: California star program.
http://star.cde.ca.gov/star2009/ [Accessed October 2010].
California Department of Housing and Community Development. 2011. Education/advocacy
campaigns on affordable housing in the Bay Area.
http://www.hcd.ca.gov/hpd/nimby/educ_advoc.pdf [Accessed March 13, 2011].
Cardinale, Matthew. 2009. Cities use inclusionary zoning as housing costs climb. The Atlanta
Progressive News. http://ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=49014 [Accessed March 2,
2011].
Downey, Maureen. 2003. Black schools white schools. Atlanta Journal Constitution.
http://kirwaninstitute.org/news-media/media-coverage/archive/blackschools.php
[Accessed April 21, 2011].
Ford, Richard T. 2009. Why the poor stay poor. New York Times.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/08/books/review/Ford-t.html?ref=williamjuliuswilson
[Accessed June 22, 2010].
Fulton County Schools. 2010. Fulton County Schools: Where students come first.
Lehigh Valley Planning Commission. 2008. Inclusionary zoning.
http://www.lvpc.org/pdf/inclusionaryZoning.pdf [Accessed February 1, 2011].
Parents Involved in Community Schools v. Seattle School Districts, 551 U.S. 701 (United States
16
Supreme Court 2007).
http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/scripts/getcase.pl?court=us&vol=000&invol=05-908
[Accessed April 22, 2011].
Schwartz, Heather. 2010. Housing policy is school policy: Economic integrative housing
promotes academic success in Montgomery County, Maryland. The Century Foundation
Report. http://tcf.org/publications/pdfs/housing-policy-is-school-policy-pdf/Schwartz.pdf
[Accessed February 4, 2011].
Smrekar, Claire. 2009. Beyond the tipping point: Issues of racial diversity in magnet schools
following unitary status. Peabody Journal of Education 84 (2):209-226.
Steen, Sam and Broader and Pedro A. Noguera. 2010. A bolder approach to school reform:
Expanded partnership roles for school counselors. Professional School Counseling. 14
(1):42-52.
U.S. Department of Education. 1983. A nation at risk: The imperative for education reform.
Washington, D.C. http://www2.ed.gov/rschstat/research/pubs/accountable/accountable.pdf
[Accessed August 20, 2010].
17
A sample of feedback form for practicum papers is provided below. The maximum point is 100, which will be
converted to 75 percent, and the additional 25 percent will come from presentation.
FEEDBACK FORM FOR PRACTICUM PAPER
 ANDREW I.E. EWOH, Ph.D.
Public Service Practicum [PAD 7995 <> KSU 2012]
1. Subject Matter Coverage: Indicates the extent to which the paper captures its subject
matter material adequately. A low score indicates either apparent omissions in content, a too
vague summation, or spotty emphasis in reporting the content of the reading. A high score
indicates even emphasis in reporting, concise and cogent summary of main points, and
careful organization of the paper.
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Comments:
2. Quality of Writing: A low score indicates a lack of adequate proofreading or correction of
errors in typing, spelling, grammar, wrong word usage, awkwardness of sentence structure.
A high score indicates good craftsmanship (as defined by relative absence of problems just
noted on the basis of the evaluator’s comments throughout the semester), clarity of
expression, and some degree of elegance or imagination in phrasing.
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Comments:
3. Depth and Creativity of Insight: This topic indicates the acuity of comment about any
materials covered in the MPA Program, i.e., comments of agreement, criticism, critique, etc.
The paper must demonstrate the student’s mastery and integration of pertinent public
administration theories and concepts or principles.
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Comments:
4. Methodology: This means whether in the evaluator’s judgment the topic is completed using
appropriate research designs and methods. Every tested hypothesis must be driven by a
theory as discussed in the literature review section.
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Comments:
5. Adequacy of the Source: This means whether in the evaluator’s judgment the material
being reported is taken from the most valid or useful sources available given the nature of the
topic.
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Comments:
18
PRACTICUM PRESENTATION EVALUATION
PAD 7995
Date _____________
Presenter: _____________________________
Exceeded
expectations
Factors
Met
expectations
Structure, Content, &
Learning Outcomes
The Executive Summary has a
clearly stated thesis
The presentation is logical &
organized
The literature review is
appropriate to the topic (NoteInternship may not have to
present a full literature review)
A clear and appropriate
methodology is presented (NoteInternship papers may not need
methodology sections)
Student applies PA theory and
concepts
Student describes/discusses
topics related to managing public
programs or resources
Student describes institutional
relationships
Student evaluates ethical
situations
Student applies nonprofit &
leadership theory (where
applicable)
Presentation Skills
Student speaks clearly in an
appropriate tone of voice
Student interacts with audience
Student appropriately uses
presentation aids
Student answers questions from
the audience effectively,
demonstrating mastery of the
subject matter
Circle overall presentation grade recommended:
A
B
C
D
F
Comments:
19
Did not meet
Expectations
Not
Applicable
IMPORTANT DATES, Spring 2016

Last Day to Petition for Spring 2016 semester Graduation, Sunday, November 1, 2015

Final Registration, Wednesday, January 6 to Thursday, January 7, 2016

First Day of Classes, Monday, January 11, 2016

Late Registration, Drop & Add, Monday, January 11 to Monday, January 18, 2016

Martin Luther King Holiday, Monday, January 18, 2016

Final Payment Deadline, Monday, January 25, 2016

Last Day to Withdraw Without Academic Penalty, Thursday, February 4, 2016

Introduction, Literature and Methodology Sections are Due on Wednesday, March
2, 2016

Practicum Rough Draft is Due on Monday, March 21, 2016

Spring Break, April 2-8, 2016, No Classes — [Saturday-Friday]

Practicum Final Paper is Due on Monday, April 18, 2016

Executive Summary is Due on Tuesday, April 19, 2016

Practicum & Internship Presentations, April 25-27, 2016 [Monday-Wednesday]

Last Day of Classes, Monday, May 2, 2016

Final Exams, May 3-9, 2016 — [Tuesday to Monday]

Final Grades are due for All Students on Thursday, May 12, 2016 @ 5:00 p.m.
20
Note: All proposals must be submitted to the program director for
approval. Every research project that involves human subject must
also be reviewed by program director before it is submitted to
KSU’s IRB* for a final review and approval.
Investigators must email the following documents to irb@kennesaw.edu
for review:




IRB Approval Request or IRB Exemption Request
Consent Documents (cover letter or signed consent form)
Survey Instruments (e.g., interview or focus group
questionnaires, online surveys, tests, etc.)
IRB Training Certificate (investigators completing the CITI
training program need not send a certificate).
*The instructor reserves the right to modify the content of this syllabus.
21