Course Descriptions - Public Administration

This course is a general introduction to the field of public administration. Topics covered include public management and leadership, organization theory and behavior, federalism and intergovernmental relationships, public policy decision-making, public budgeting and fiscal policy, human resources management, and bureaucratic ethics and accountability. Students will be encouraged to connect political, economic and social contexts to pressing community problems and their solutions.

This course provides students with an understanding of the public policy analysis process. Upon completion of the course, students will be able to understand the effective use of policy analysis methods and techniques to determine the effectiveness of public programs. Students will be able to identify and define public problems, identify and evaluate policy solutions, and make educated recommendations to policymakers. Emphasis will be placed on real-life public policy failures and successes, and the benefits of partnership between public sectors and private sectors.

This course provides students with an understanding of the public finance and budgeting processes used in the allocation of public resources to meet public interests. Topics include the political environment, government expenditures, revenues, taxation, budgetary process theories and techniques, and the relation of government finance to the economy.

This course exposes students to practical theories of local government policy development, community capacity, the economics of public investment of resources, and the ethics of public engagement and decision-making. Special attention will be given to racial equity and wealth creation activities in communities of color, capacity building and economic investment in emerging communities, establishing the appropriate balance between neighborhood and downtown redevelopment, and emerging public policy issues. Emphasis will be placed on the use of case studies to show the application of real-life public administration situations.