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Washington State University Vancouver Department of Political Science
Program in Public Affairs 265 VLIB, M W F 12:10 – 1:00 Instructor Whitney L. Hafer, MPA
Office 102P, VMMC
Office Hours Mon, Tues 9:30pm-12:00pm, or by appointment
Phone During Office Hours: 360-546-9445, Day/Evening: 360-909-2565 Email whitney.hafer@email.wsu.edu, whitneyhafer@gmail.com
Course Description
“Policy making is typically a never ending process of successive steps in which continual nibbling is a substitute for a good bite.”
-Charles Lindblom
“Being first virtues of human activities, truth and justice are uncompromising.” -John Rawls
“The basis of our political system is the right of the people to make and to alter their constitutions of government.”
-George Washington
Public policy is created with the goal of solving public problems. Simply put that public policy comes down to “who gets what, when and how.” The design and nature of policy can be studied through the theories, principles and practices of creating public policy, as well as observing the actors and institutions involved in the process. The political behavior of the actors involved in the policy making process often define the problems and values to introduce an optimal policy outcome. In most cases, there are trade-offs to both the intended and unintended consequences of the new policies.
The study of policymaking in this course will focus on both classic and recent relationships between the policy process and policy outcomes. Specially this course will focus on large policy categories, such as education, health care, and environmental policy, and examine how policies move through the development, implementation and evaluation models.
The Angel Learning Management System will be used to facilitate the weekly exercises and quizzes. Every Friday during class time a quiz will be posted on the angel system in place of a formal class meeting. Students are expected to spend about 50 minutes (average class time) completing the quiz assignments. Announcements, course documents and other information will be posted on Angel as well. Instructions for access and using Angel will be reviewed and distributed separately.
Learning Goals
Washington State University has established seven learning goals for all graduates of the Bachelorette degree. For some students, this class may be a required course for completing a degree. The following are learning objectives for this course that relate to the completion of a Bachelor’s degree:
2 Course Outcomes: At the end of the course the students should be able to:
Course Topics/Dates: The following
topic(s)/date(s) will address this outcome:
Evaluation of Outcome: This outcome will be evaluated primarily by: Information Literacy Access information
from multiple credible sources and determine the extent of
information needed
12/9 Research paper
Critical Thinking Define and analyze
public problems Every Friday 8/19 – 12/9 Online Exercises Communication Discuss and debate
public issues critically
8/19 – 12/9 Class discussions Diversity of Thought Actively seek
opportunities to learn diverse perspectives to answer public
problems
9/25 Memorandum
Depth, Breadth and
Integration Integrate specialized and personal knowledge into concepts and
determine how public policy relates to the rest of the world.
11/13 – 12/4 Press Release Presentations
Course Textbooks
Students are responsible for the following book:
Kraft, Michael E and Scott R. Furlong. Public Policy: Politics, Analysis, and
Alternatives. 4th Ed. (Sage, 2013).
Stone, Deborah. Policy Paradox. 3rd Ed. (Norton, 2012).
Additional readings may be assigned. These readings will either be accessibly online, or handed out in class.
Course Requirements
This course is based on a points system. One thousand points is the maximum amount of points possible to earn in this course (or 100%).
Class Participation/100 points (10%)
Discussion is important in this class. More specifically, this includes sharing insights and individual interpretations when appropriate. Just restating text or what the
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instructor said will not be adequate. In preparation for each class the material must be read and scrutinized. Be prepared to answer “cold call” questions qualitatively. Attendance will be taken at the beginning of every class in a written form. If there is a potential for missing any classes, please notify the instructor right away. It is
important students attend every class.
Memorandum / 200 points (20%)
Students will create a 3 page memorandum on a topic of the instructor’s choice. With selected topic, students are expected to identify and address the controversy of the public issue/problem and the propose salutation. The memo will reflect the policy process model as well as the actors and institutions that will have a stake in the process. A detailed description of assignment will be handed out later in the course.
Research Paper/ 200 points (20%)
Students will select a policy area of interest to them to complete this research
assignment. Each topic must be cleared by the instructor before pursuing. Students can select from broad policy areas such as education, health care, environmental policy, etc but must have a specific policy direction to answer questions about
problems and solutions. This paper will be between 6-8 pages in length. Specifics will be distributed later in the course.
Press Release Presentation / 200 points (20%)
Based on the findings from the research paper, students will prepare a 5 minute press release presentation that educates the public about the policy area, problem, and recommended solutions. Students must decide what information must the public know to understand the problem, what mediums/tools should they use to aid their understanding, and how they can gain support for their proposed solutions.
Online Exercises / 300 points (30%)
Each Friday, instead of formally attending class, students will be expected to complete an exercise online through the Angel system. The exercise will reflect
lessons learned from the earlier class sessions that same week. The exercises will be in various different formats, including journaling, discussion forums, and quizzes. Each exercise is worth 20 points as well as participation points for the Friday’s class. Course Policies
Grading
This course is not graded on a curve. Final grades will be calculated based on the following breakdown:
100-98 A+ 88--89 B+ 78—79 C+ 68—69 D+
93—97 A 83—87 B 73—77 C 63—67 D
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Grades are not negotiable unless there is an instructor error.
Assignments
All papers are due at the beginning of class on their assigned due date. Please submit both an electronic and hard copy of the papers. The penalty for late submissions results in a 10% reduction in points for each day it is late. Please let the instructor know immediately if there is a conflict with the submission of assignments on time. Acceptance of late work after a week will be considered on a case by case basis.
There is no extra credit offered in this course.
In Class
Students are expected to conduct themselves professionally in the classroom. Please turn cell phones to silent. Laptops are permitted but for note taking only. Also, please do not come to class in pajamas. Remember, students might be asking for letters of
recommendation or professional references. The instructor should not have to question the student’s professionalism.
Academic Integrity and Plagiarism
Students are expected to turn in work that is of their original thought, and that is academically honest. It is an obligation as a student to uphold integrity, originality and honesty in completing coursework.
There is a zero tolerance policy for plagiarism and academic dishonesty, which also includes cheating, falsification, fabrication, multiple submission, abusive of academic materials and misconduct in research. For more information regarding these issues: http://www.wsulibs.wsu.edu/plagiarism/main/html. All violations of academic integrity will be handled personally by the professor and prosecuted through the Office of Student Services as dictated by University policy.
Audio, Video, Digital, Commercial Recording During Class
Copyright 2013, Whitney L. Hafer, as to this syllabus, all lectures, and course-related written materials. During this course students are prohibited from making audio, video, digital, or other recordings during class, or selling notes to or being paid for taking notes by any person or commercial firm without express written permission. (Information copied from http://admin.vancouver.wsu.edu/academic-affairs/toolkit/syllabus-information)
Disability
The need to provide an environment where all students can feel comfortable to learn and can participate equally is important to the instructor and the university. Reasonable accommodations are available for students who have a disability. Please speak with the instructor regarding any accommodations.
For more information, please contact Disability Services located in Student Services 360-546-9155. All accommodations must be approved through Disability Services.
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Emergency Notification System
WSU has made an emergency notification system available for faculty, students and staff. Please register at myWSU with emergency contact information (cell, email, text, etc). You may have been prompted to complete emergency contact information when registering for classes on RONet. In the event of a Building Evacuation, a map at each classroom entrance shows the evacuation point for each building. Please refer to it. Finally, in case of class cancellation campus-wide, please check local media, the WSU Vancouver web page and/or http://www.flashalert.net/. Individual class cancellations may be made at the discretion of the instructor. Each individual is expected to make the best decision for their personal circumstances, taking safety into account. (Information copied from
http://admin.vancouver.wsu.edu/academic-affairs/toolkit/syllabus-information) Tentative Course Schedule
*This schedule is subject to change. The instructor will notify and distribute a new schedule to students in the event of a change.
August 19: Introductions
Discuss Syllabus and Class Schedule
August 21: Overview of American public policy concepts
Reading: Kraft, pg 1-33 August 23: Angel Online Exercise: Overview of public policy
Reading: Kingdon Handout August 26: Actors and Institutions
Reading: Kraft, pg 34-73 August 28: Public Policy Theories
Reading: Kraft, pg 74-111 August 30: Angel Online Exercise: Actors and Institutions
Reading: Nestle Handout September 2: NO CLASS: Labor Day
September 4: Public Policy Theories Continued
Reading: Stone, pg 1-34 September 6: Angel Online Exercise: Theories
6 September 9: Policy Instruments
Reading: Kraft, pg 112-145 September 11: Policy Typologies
Reading: Stone, pg 137-162 September 13: Angel Online Exercise: Policy Instruments
and Typologies
Reading: Lowi Handout September 16: Policy Process Model
Reading: Kraft, pg 85-102 September 18: Case studies using Policy Process Model
Reading: Stone, pg 188-209 September 20: Angel Online Exercise: Policy Process Model
Reading: Sabatier Handout September 23: Policy Analysis
Types of Analysis
Reading: Lindblom Hangout September 25: Policy Analysis Continued
Steps in Policy Analysis
Memorandum Due
Reading: Stone, pg 210-231 September 27: Angel Online Exercise: Policy Analysis
Reading: Kingdon Handout September 30: Problems and Alternatives
What Government Can Do
Reading: Kraft, pg 146-179 October 2: Problems and Alternatives Continued
Reading: Stone, pg 232-258 October 4: Angel Online Exercise: Problems and Alternatives Continued
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Reading: Baumgartner Handout October 7: Assessing Alternatives
Ethics, Impacts, Approaches
Reading: Kraft, pg 180-221 October 9: Assessing Alternatives Continued
Evaluative Criteria
Reading: Stone, pg 35-85 October 11: Angel Online Exercise: Assessing Alternatives
Reading: Stone, pg 85-130 October 14: Health Care Policy
Reading: Kraft, pg 274-323 October 16: Health Care Policy Continued
Reading: Stone, pg 265-283 October 18: Angel Online Exercise: Health Care Policy
Reading: T.R. Ried Hangout October 21: Environmental Policy
Reading: Kraft, pg 324-361 October 23: Environmental Policy Continued
Reading: Stone, pg 284-304 October 25: Angel Online Exercise: Environmental Policy
Reading: Bluhm Handout October 28: Education Policy
Reading: Kraft, pg 362-401 October 30: Education Policy Continued
Reading: Stone, pg 305-323 November 1: Angel Online Exercise: Education Policy
8 November 4: Politics, Analysis, Choice
Evaluation and Capacity
Reading: Kraft, pg 496-521 November 6: Politics and Choice Continued
Reading: Stone, pg 324-355 November 8: Angel Online Exercise: Politics and Choice
Reading: Garrick Article November 11: NO CLASS: Veterans Day
November 13: Press Release Presentations
Reading: Kraft: pg 223-272 November 15: Angel Online Exercise: Presentations
Reading: Keeney Article November 18: Press Release Presentations
Reading: Kraft: pg 325-361 November 20: Press Release Presentations
Reading: Smith Article November 22: Angel Online Exercise: Presentations
Reading: TBA November 25: NO CLASS: Thanksgiving Holiday
November 27: NO CLASS: Thanksgiving Holiday November 29: NO CLASS: Thanksgiving Holiday December 2: Press Release Presentations
Reading: Kraft: pg 453-491 December 4: Press Release Presentations
Reading: TBA December 6: Angel Online Exercise: Comprehensive
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No Reading December 9: Research paper due
