San José State University
Political Science Department
POLS 114, Introduction to Public Administration, Spring, 2016
Course and Contact Information
Instructor:
Yeonji No, PhD
Office Location:
CL 404B
Telephone:
(408)924-1356
Email:
yeonji.no@sjsu.edu
Office Hours:
Thursday 2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. (other times by appointment only)
Class Days/Time:
Tuesday and Thursday 3:00 p.m. – 4:15 p.m.
Classroom:
HGH 116
Course Description
Introducing the discipline and craft of Public Administration, the course examines basic assumptions, concepts,
and theories. Considers public service at the national, state, and local levels. It approaches the administrative
process from political, managerial and legal perspectives. Discussions will focus on administration when
applied in the criminal justice system.
Course Learning Outcomes (CLO)
Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:
CLO 1. Acquire a broad knowledge of the administrative process and the relationships among and
between political institutions, office holders, public administrators and stakeholders
CLO2. Communicate effectively about public administration and public policy
CLO3. Apply a variety of techniques to identify, understand, and analyze the issues in public
management and public policy
POLS 114 Introduction to Public Administration, Spring 2016
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Required Texts/Readings
Textbook
Donald F. Kettl. Politics of Administrative Process - 6th edition. Congressional Quarterly.
ISBN: 978- 1483332932
Course Requirements and Assignments
1. Exams (50%)
There will be one mid-term exam (worth 20%) and one final exam (worth 20%). The
midterm exam will cover all texts, lectures, and readings from Chapter 1 to Chapter 7.
The final exam will cover all texts, lectures, and readings from Chapter 8 to Chapter 14
 No make-up exam will be allowed except a medical or family emergency.
2. Quiz (20%)
Students will have four quizzes to check whether students understand the components
and theories of public administration. The quizzes will be composed of multiple-choice
questions. Therefore, bring your scantron. As an incentive to show up for class (and on
time), I will frequently give quizzes during the first twenty minutes of class. No make-up
quizzes will be given for late comers or absentees.
3. Team Project Presentation (15%)
Students will be assigned into teams of 3-4 students. Each team is required to analyze and
prepare an in-depth organizational analysis on a public sector organization of your
choice. Using tools and materials covered in this course, students introduce us the
organization and diagnose the organization. You may indicate organizational problems
contributing to the program failure and make appropriate recommendations.
Pre-approval is required before beginning to work. You need to set up an appointment
with the instructor with a one-paragraph description of your project by March 24.
Your analysis should include the following components:
a. An executive summary (1 paragraph)
b. Description of the program or policy identified in your research
c. Organizational analysis/ organizational sources of the problems (including clear,
in-depth explication and application of course materials of your choice).
For the presentation, Powerpoint and handouts are required on the date of presentation.
Your presentation should include all of your analysis, and it should be well articulated.
You also need to be well-prepared for the questions from the audience. Each presentation
will last 10 minutes, with 5 more minutes for questions & answers. All members should
participate in the presentation. Bring the presentation slides in a flash drive to the
class. (Laptop is not allowed.) The presentation slides should be uploaded to Canvas
by 10:00pm, the day before the presentation. Team members will get the same
grade.
POLS 114 Introduction to Public Administration, Spring 2016
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4. Class contribution (10%)
 Students should actively participate in class discussions.
 Cold calls: The instructor will cold call students to answer questions. Your response to
such calls will be factored into your class contribution grade.
 Absence from class will adversely affect your class contribution grade.
 No disruptive behavior in class.

-
-
Late Arrival and Early Departure
Coming late and leaving early are not professional and will adversely affect your
class participation grade.
 The link to the University Policy about disruptive behavior:
http://www.sjsu.edu/studentconduct/facultyandstaff/Managing_Di
sruptive_Behaviors/index.html.
Students are required to stay for the duration of an entire class period.
Travel is not a legitimate excuse for absence from class.
 Students will be evaluated based on their ability to understand and apply assigned
reading materials to class discussion.
 All students start the semester with 5 points – out of 10 points - for participation.
Contribution to class discussion will raise this grade. Habitual absence from class and
disrupting class (i.e., coming late, leaving early, talking, text-messaging, checking the
Internet, etc.) will reduce this grade, possibly to 0.
 Each student is expected to provide opinions and comments in a respectful manner.
University policy F69-24 at http://www.sjsu.edu/senate/docs/F69-24.pdf states, “Students should
attend all meetings of their classes, not only because they are responsible for material discussed
therein, but because active participation is frequently essential to insure maximum benefit for all
members of the class. Attendance per se shall not be used as a criterion for grading.”
5. Group Member Peer Review (5%)
 To avoid the free rider problem, where some team members contribute little to the
team projects, team members will evaluate one another’s contribution to their group
performance. The average score of team members’ evaluations will be a student’s
“peer-evaluation” grade. Failure to give a peer review will result in ZERO points.
 You will evaluate the effectiveness of other members of your team. The peer
evaluation (5%) is done online and due at the last class session.
 Fire a Team Member
 In rare cases, if a team member consistently fails to cooperate with other team
members, others can fire him/her on the condition that they arrive at a
unanimous decision AND the timing is prior to week 14. The fired member has
to finish the team project on his/her own.
POLS 114 Introduction to Public Administration, Spring 2016
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Grading Policy
Assignment
Mid-term Exam
Final Exam
Quiz
Team Project Presentation
Class Contribution
Peer Evaluation
Total
Grading Scale
98% and above
93%-97.99%
90%-92.99%
87%-89.99%
83%-86.99%
80%-82.99%
77%-79.99%
A+
A
AB+
B
BC+
Percentage of Grade
25%
25%
20%
15%
10%
5%
100%
73%-76.99%
70%-72.99%
67%-69.99%
63%-66.99%
60%-62.99%
Below 60%
C
CD+
D
DF
**Penalty for late or missed work: Missed exams and quizzes cannot be made up, except by
permission of the instructor, Department Chair or designee. Failure to take midterm exam result in ‘F’
grade.
Classroom Protocol
 Turn off your cell phones and put them away.
 Students are not allowed to use computers in class.
 Failure to comply with the policies will lead to penalty on your class participation
grades.
POLS 114 Introduction to Public Administration, Spring 2016
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University Policies
General Expectations, Rights and Responsibilities of the Student
As members of the academic community, students accept both the rights and responsibilities
incumbent upon all members of the institution. Students are encouraged to familiarize
themselves with SJSU’s policies and practices pertaining to the procedures to follow if and when
questions or concerns about a class arises. To learn important campus information, view
University Policy S90–5 at http://www.sjsu.edu/senate/docs/S90-5.pdf and SJSU current
semester’s Policies and Procedures, at http://info.sjsu.edu/static/catalog/policies.html. In general,
it is recommended that students begin by seeking clarification or discussing concerns with their
instructor. If such conversation is not possible, or if it does not address the issue, it is
recommended that the student contact the Department Chair as the next step.
Dropping and Adding
Students are responsible for understanding the policies and procedures about add/drop, grade
forgiveness, etc. Add/drop deadlines can be found on the current academic year calendars
document on the Academic Calendars webpage at
http://www.sjsu.edu/provost/services/academic_calendars/. The Late Drop Policy is available at
http://www.sjsu.edu/aars/policies/latedrops/policy/. Students should be aware of the current
deadlines and penalties for dropping classes.
Information about the latest changes and news is available at the Advising Hub at
http://www.sjsu.edu/advising/.
Consent for Recording of Class and Public Sharing of Instructor Material
University Policy S12-7, http://www.sjsu.edu/senate/docs/S12-7.pdf, requires students to obtain
instructor’s permission to record the course and the following items to be included in the
syllabus:


“Common courtesy and professional behavior dictate that you notify someone when you
are recording him/her. You must obtain the instructor’s permission to make audio or
video recordings in this class. Such permission allows the recordings to be used for your
private, study purposes only. The recordings are the intellectual property of the instructor;
you have not been given any rights to reproduce or distribute the material.”
o It is suggested that the greensheet include the instructor’s process for granting
permission, whether in writing or orally and whether for the whole semester or on
a class by class basis.
o In classes where active participation of students or guests may be on the
recording, permission of those students or guests should be obtained as well.
“Course material developed by the instructor is the intellectual property of the instructor
and cannot be shared publicly without his/her approval. You may not publicly share or
upload instructor generated material for this course such as exam questions, lecture notes,
or homework solutions without instructor consent.”
POLS 114 Introduction to Public Administration, Spring 2016
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Academic integrity
Your commitment, as a student, to learning is evidenced by your enrollment at San Jose State
University. The University Academic Integrity Policy S07-2 at
http://www.sjsu.edu/senate/docs/S07-2.pdf requires you to be honest in all your academic
course work. Faculty members are required to report all infractions to the office of Student
Conduct and Ethical Development. The Student Conduct and Ethical Development website is
available at http://www.sjsu.edu/studentconduct/.
Campus Policy in Compliance with the American Disabilities Act
If you need course adaptations or accommodations because of a disability, or if you need to
make special arrangements in case the building must be evacuated, please make an appointment
with me as soon as possible, or see me during office hours. Presidential Directive 97-03 at
http://www.sjsu.edu/president/docs/directives/PD_1997-03.pdf requires that students with
disabilities requesting accommodations must register with the Accessible Education Center
(AEC) at http://www.sjsu.edu/aec to establish a record of their disability.
POLS 114 Introduction to Public Administration, Spring 2016
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Tentative course calendar including assignment due dates
*The instructor reserves the right to alter course content and adjust the pace in order to
accommodate class progress, current events, and unforeseen developments. Any changes to this
schedule will be announced ahead of time in class and on Canvas.
Course Schedule
Week
Date
Topics, Readings, Assignments, Deadlines
1
Jan 28
Introduction of the Class
1
Feb 2
Chapter 1- Accountability
2
Feb 4
Chapter 2- What Government Does – And How it Does it
2
Feb 9
Chapter 2- What Government Does – And How it Does it
3
Feb 11
Chapter 3 – What is Public Administration
3
Feb 16
Chapter 3- What is Public Administration
4
Feb 18
Chapter 4- Organizational Theory
4
Feb 23
Chapter 4- Organizational Theory
5
Feb 25
Chapter 5 – Executive Branch
1st Quiz (From Chapter 1- Chapter 4)
5
Mar 1
Chapter 5 – Executive Branch
6
Mar 3
Chapter 6 - Organizational Problems
6
Mar 8
Chapter 6 - Organizational Problems
7
Mar 10
Chapter 7- Administrative Reform
7
Mar 15
2nd Quiz (Chapter 5- Chapter 7th)
Chapter 8 – The Civil Service
8
Mar 17
NO CLASS- Conference
8
Mar 22
Midterm Exam (From Chapter 1- Chapter 7)
9
Mar 24
Chapter 8 – The Civil Service
9
Mar 29
NO CLASS - SPRING BREAK
10
Mar 31
NO CLASS- SPRING BREAK
10
Apr 5
Chapter 9 – Human Capital
11
Apr 7
Chapter 9 – Human Capital
11
Apr 12
Chapter 10 – Decision Making
12
Apr 14
Chapter 10 – Decision Making
12
Apr 19
Chapter 11- Budgeting – 3rd Quiz (From Chapter 8- Chapter 10)
POLS 114 Introduction to Public Administration, Spring 2016
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13
Apr 21
Chapter 11- Budgeting
13
Apr 26
Chapter 12 – Implementation
14
Apr 28
Chapter 12 – Implementation
14
May 3
Chapter 13 - Regulation and the Court
15
May 5
Chapter 14- Administrative Accountability, Effectiveness and Politics
15
May 10
4th Quiz (From Chapter 11 to Chapter 14)
Team Presentation
16
May 12
Team Presentation
Final
Exam
May 23
Final Exam (Chapter 8 to Chapter 14)
Monday, May 23 1445-1700
POLS 114 Introduction to Public Administration, Spring 2016
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Week
Date
Topics, Readings, Assignments, Deadlines
POLS 114 Introduction to Public Administration, Spring 2016
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