Master of Arts in Public Policy and Administration
LEADERS 481-0
( Core Course ) Foundations of Leadership
The purpose of this course is to identify the fundamental leadership behaviors that enable people to excel in their careers, and to help students apply these behaviors to personal and professional success. The course builds from the basic premise that leadership is learned, and looks at the theory and practice of leadership at the individual and organizational level. The course will explore definitions of leadership, the importance of leadership, leadership styles, the role of vision and integrity, the importance of giving and receiving feedback, how to lead change and solve problems, effective teamwork, and communication strategies. The culmination of the class will be a personal leadership development plan formulated by each student. Required for students admitted for fall 06 and after.
Fall 2009
CH
M
7:00 - 9:30 PM
Sec. 50
Wieboldt Hall 406
9/28/09 - 11/30/09
Instructor:
EV
Th
7:00 - 9:30 PM
Sec. 51
Kresge Hall 2410
9/24/09 - 12/3/09
Instructor:
Winter 2010
EV
Sa
9:00 - 11:30 AM
Sec. 50
1/9/10 - 3/13/10
Instructor:
CH
M
7:00 - 9:30 PM
Sec. 51
1/4/10 - 3/15/10
Instructor:
Spring 2010
LP
Tu
7:00 - 9:30 PM
Sec. 50
3/30/10 - 6/1/10
Instructor:
Summer 2010
EV
M
7:00 - 9:30 PM
Sec. 50
6/21/10 - 8/23/10
Instructor:
MPPA SEMINAR 400-1
( Noncredit Seminar ) Public Sector Strategic Planning and Leadership
Focus on management in an environment of overload, fiscal stress, and diminishing public confidence; schools of leadership thinking, current trends, leadership theory, and practice.
No Sections
MPPA SEMINAR 400-2
( Noncredit Seminar ) Human Resources Management in the Public Sector
Traditional and current issues in HR management; essential features of HR systems and environment; constraints of public managers by politics; best practices for personnel performance.
No Sections
MPPA SEMINAR 400-3
( Noncredit Seminar ) Finance for the Nonfinancial Manager
Essentials of public budgeting process: preparation, cost analysis, reform; financial management and tax analysis, study of basic financial management functions; cash and debt management, governmental accounting.
No Sections
MPPA SEMINAR 400-4
( Noncredit Seminar ) Public Sector Information Systems Management
Tools for managing data in public organizations; IT management issues; introduction to software to increase productivity; end-use computing, database design, and implementation; project management.
No Sections
MPPA SEMINAR 400-5
( Noncredit Seminar ) Introduction to Geographic Information Systems
This course covers the fundamentals of integrating databases with mapping technology using Arcview, a Geographic Information Systems (GIS) software. GIS provides users with the ability to "layer" information on a digital map (transcending the limitations of paper maps), and has numerous applications in public health, national security, and urban and environmental planning. Includes thematic and point maps, geocoding, geoprocessing, geostatistics, and developing a GIS application.
No Sections
MPPA 401-0
( Elective ) Police Management and Organization
This course focuses on what police do and how well it works. Emphasis on the review of social science research on policing and on how this research can be used to inform policy making and administration. Part of the MPPA public safety and security specialization.
No Sections
MPPA 402-0 OR MPPA 402-DL
( Core Course ) Elements of Public Finance and Budgeting
This course covers the theory and practice of public finance, which includes welfare aspects of taxation and public expenditure decisions, budgeting, public investment, external costs and benefits, and public debt. MPPA and MPPA distance learning program core course.
Fall 2009
EV
Tu
7:00 - 9:30 PM
Sec. 50
Tech Institute LG66
9/22/09 - 11/24/09
Instructors:
Winter 2010
EV
Tu
7:00 - 9:30 PM
Sec. 50
1/5/10 - 3/9/10
Instructors:
W
7:00 - 9:00 PM
Sec. 55
1/6/10 - 3/10/10
Instructor:
Summer 2010
EV
Tu
7:00 - 9:30 PM
Sec. 50
6/22/10 - 8/17/10
Instructors:
MPPA 403-0 OR MPPA 403-DL
( Core Course ) Fundamentals of Public Administration
This course is an introduction to the basic skills useful to public administrators and policy analysts seeking to work in an analytical or managerial position in the public or not-for profit-sectors. This course is structured to introduce students to both the principles and contextual constraints that form the environment of the modern public administrator. It will cover a basic understanding of the process, policy, and politics of public administration and public management at the national, state, and local level. Fundamental theories, practices, and concepts that contribute to the administration and understanding of complex public sector organizations are explored, as well as basic practices and techniques of modern public administration. The course assumes a basic foundation in political science theory, public policy, or public administration usually garnered at the undergraduate level as well as a working knowledge of contemporary issues that confront governments today. Counts toward all MPPA specializations as an elective for students admitted prior to fall 2006. Required as a core course for students admitted for fall 2006 and after. MPPA and MPPA distance learning program core course.
Fall 2009
LP
W
7:00 - 9:30 PM
Sec. 50
210 South Clark St. 16th Floor 4
9/23/09 - 12/2/09
Instructor:
Winter 2010
Tu
7:00 - 9:00 PM
Sec. 55
1/5/10 - 3/9/10
Instructor:
Summer 2010
LP
W
7:00 - 9:30 PM
Sec. 50
6/23/10 - 8/18/10
Instructor:
Tu
7:00 - 9:00 PM
Sec. 55
6/22/10 - 8/17/10
Instructor:
MPPA 404-DL
( Core Course ) Microeconomics for Public Policy and Administration
Economics is about choice, and microeconomics is the study of resource allocation choices, beginning with how consumers and producers make choices. This course is aimed at developing student understanding of microeconomic theory, especially as it concerns the relationship between the market economy and public policy. Topics include consumer behavior and the theory of demand; production, cost, supply functions; choices under uncertainty, insurance; competitive equilibrium; subsidies, taxes, price controls; monopoly and monopsony; price discrimination and public utility pricing; monopolistic competition; general equilibrium theory and welfare economics; information theory; and public goods, externalities and market failure. Required core course in the distance learning program.
Spring 2010
Th
7:00 - 9:00 PM
Sec. 55
4/1/10 - 6/3/10
Instructor:
MPPA 405-0 OR MPPA 405-DL
( Core Course ) Elementary Statistics for Research
This course teaches students the fundamentals of measuring political data, summarizing observations, and analyzing contingency tables. Descriptive statistics, including central tendency, dispersion, and data display; probability; distributions, including binomial and normal; inference, including confidence intervals and hypothesis testing; correlation; bivariate regression; contingency tables and chi-square. MPPA core course. Beginning in spring 2006, students will do homework using SPSS, a statistical software package. SPSS is installed in some Northwestern computer labs and can be rented (downloaded to your personal computer) for six months from www.e-academy.com. The software is called SPSS 14 for Windows Career Starter. MPPA and MPPA distance learning program core course.
Fall 2009
LP
Th
7:00 - 9:30 PM
Sec. 50
210 South Clark St. 16th Floor 6
9/24/09 - 12/3/09
Instructor:
Winter 2010
CH
Th
7:00 - 9:30 PM
Sec. 50
1/7/10 - 3/11/10
Instructor:
Spring 2010
CH
Th
7:00 - 9:30 PM
Sec. 50
4/1/10 - 6/3/10
Instructor:
Tu
7:00 - 9:00 PM
Sec. 55
3/30/10 - 6/1/10
Instructor:
MPPA 406-0 OR MPPA 406-DL
( Core Course ) Analytic Methods for Public Policy Analysis
This course will expose students to a set of tools and principles that fall under the heading of "analytic methods." These methods help public policy and program analysts systematically value decisions, improve the decision-making process (and hopefully the resultant decisions), value inputs and outcomes, handle uncertainty, and compare aspects of public policy and systems that might not otherwise appear to be comparable. Topics include discounting techniques, cost-benefit analysis, decision theory, difference equations, and elements of microeconomic analysis. MPPA and MPPA distance learning program core course.
Fall 2009
CH
W
7:00 - 9:30 PM
Sec. 50
Wieboldt Hall 421
9/23/09 - 12/2/09
Instructor:
Tu
7:00 - 9:30 PM
Sec. 55
9/22/09 - 11/24/09
Instructor:
Winter 2010
EV
Tu
7:00 - 9:30 PM
Sec. 50
1/5/10 - 3/9/10
Instructor:
Spring 2010
CH
Tu
7:00 - 9:30 PM
Sec. 50
3/30/10 - 6/1/10
Instructor:
Summer 2010
Tu
7:00 - 9:30 PM
Sec. 55
6/22/10 - 8/17/10
Instructor:
MPPA 407-0 OR MPPA 407-DL
( Core Course ) Scope and Dynamics of Public Policy
This course is an introduction to the public policy process in the United States. It focuses on developing an understanding of what "political" and "public policy" mean and how public policy is made. The course considers agenda setting, decision making theory and methods of analyzing policy outcomes. Course materials will provide students with the analytical framework to explore why some problems reach the public agenda, why some solutions are adopted and others rejected, and why some policies appear to succeed while others appear to fail. It will examine policy making primarily at the national level but will also look at examples at the state and local level. MPPA and MPPA distance learning program core course.
Fall 2009
W
7:00 - 9:30 PM
Sec. 55
9/23/09 - 12/2/09
Instructor:
Winter 2010
CH
W
7:00 - 9:30 PM
Sec. 50
1/6/10 - 3/10/10
Instructor:
Spring 2010
CH
W
7:00 - 9:30 PM
Sec. 50
3/31/10 - 6/2/10
Instructor:
M
7:00 - 9:00 PM
Sec. 55
3/29/10 - 6/7/10
Instructor:
MPPA 408-0 OR MPPA 408-DL
( Core Course ) Sociology of Organizations
This course is an overview of the sociology of formal organizations (primarily in business and government), exploring both their structure and function. Topics of discussion include stratification, social control, and conflict; discretion, rules, and information in achieving goals; and modes of participation and development of informal norms. MPPA and MPPA distance learning program core course.
Fall 2009
CH
M
7:00 - 9:30 PM
Sec. 50
Wieboldt Hall 421
9/28/09 - 11/30/09
Instructor:
Spring 2010
CH
M
7:00 - 9:30 PM
Sec. 50
3/29/10 - 6/7/10
Instructor:
M
7:00 - 9:00 PM
Sec. 55
3/29/10 - 6/7/10
Instructor:
MPPA 409-0 OR MPPA 409-DL
( Core Course ) Applied Research and Writing
This course explores the methods and tools used to research and write graduate-level policy papers in the framework of current topics in public policy and administration such as strategic planning and leadership, personnel management, and the use of information technology in public organizations. The course emphasizes research and writing skills and affords students the opportunity to discover the various approaches to designed research as well as recognize and address the strengths and weaknesses in their own critical thinking and writing skills. To reinforce the concepts covered in the course, students will be asked to produce assignments essential to successful research projects as well as written pieces designed to demonstrate knowledge of topics and proficiency in writing skills. Topics vary. MPPA and MPPA distance learning program core course. Required for students admitted fall 2007 and after.
Winter 2010
CH
M
7:00 - 9:30 PM
Sec. 50
1/4/10 - 3/15/10
Instructor:
M
7:00 - 9:00 PM
Sec. 55
1/4/10 - 3/15/10
Instructor:
Spring 2010
LP
W
7:00 - 9:30 PM
Sec. 50
3/31/10 - 6/2/10
Instructor:
MPPA 410-0
( Elective ) American Political Institutions and Behavior
Introduction and review of major studies in American politics on such topics as the presidency, Congress, the courts, interest groups, political parties, and voting behavior. Counts toward all MPPA specializations.
No Sections
MPPA 411-DL
( Elective ) The Legislative Process
Examines the organization of legislatures that make public policy; specifically, how a bill on Capitol Hill becomes the law of the land. Topics include House and Senate procedure, parliamentary maneuvers, committees, structural issues, information issues, re-election concerns, and partisanship. Required core course in the distance learning program. Counts toward all MPPA specializations in the on-campus program.
Summer 2010
W
7:00 - 9:00 PM
Sec. 55
6/23/10 - 8/18/10
Instructor:
MPPA 412-0
( Elective ) Economics of State and Local Governments
This course examines economic functions and financing of state and local governments in theory and practice; costs and demands for local public services; and the role of government finance in urban and regional growth. Part of the MPPA Public Policy and Urban Policy specializations.
No Sections
MPPA 415-0
( Elective ) The History of Urban Planning
This course will explore the evolution of efforts to shape urban growth in the United States. It will consider both public and private initiatives in transportation, public works, and utilities planning in the 19th century: parks and other public spaces; the "City Beautiful" movement and the emergence of professional planning; zoning; subsidized housing; and the various stages of "urban renewal." Part of the Urban Policy and Public Policy specializations.
No Sections
MPPA 416-0
( Elective ) Interest Groups
"For almost all of us, politics is the chief moral theater of our lives," wrote Ronald Dworkin in Is Democracy Possible Here?) This course analyzes the impact of interest groups in the public policy arena at all levels of U.S. government. How have "special interests" affected the evolution of the "red" Republican Party and the "blue" Democratic Party and, indeed, the shape of our democracy? By the end of the course, students will not only understand the evolution of interest groups but learn how to build consensus around core values. Topics include evolving traditions of citizen participation; the post-1960s emergence of special interest groups; campaign finance reform; case studies in health care; environmental and housing policy; and lessons learned from the recent presidential campaign. Part of the Public Policy specialization.
Writing policy is one thing. Executing it is quite another challenge. The purpose of this course is to provide students an opportunity to explore the essential world of policy implementation against the back-drop of topical, significant events that may be classified as policy execution successes, or failures. Students engage in a literature supported case-study examination of the broad historical, legal, political, and administrative complexities of policy implementation, i.e., public administration. Core course in the MPPA distance learning program.
Summer 2010
Th
7:00 - 9:00 PM
Sec. 55
6/24/10 - 8/19/10
Instructor:
MPPA 420-0
( Elective ) Terrorism and Public Policy
This seminar introduces students to the concepts, goals, strategies, problems, and ideologies associated with contemporary and historic terrorist groups. Emphasis is placed on terrorist motives and on how terrorist actions have affected the course of history and current foreign and domestic policies. Various criteria to examine different types of terrorist organizations are used -- motives, means, objectives, geography, and others. Students learn why terrorism continues to be chosen as a mechanism for change in the United States and around the world, and how governments can work to limit its effects. Part of the Public Safety and Public Policy specializations.
No Sections
MPPA 423-0
( Elective ) Homeland Security and Defense I: Theory
This course provides an introduction and overview to the emerging field and profession of Homeland Security and Defense. The ability to prevent acts of terrorism or respond to disasters is now at the forefront of the United States national security agenda. Understanding the enormity and complexity of homeland security is critical for any person working in public administration and safety, public health, health care, social service, or the business sector. The focus will be on the range of threats; the organizations at the city, county, state, and federal level; public policy and law; best practices; and the evolving homeland security/defense system in place. Upon completion of this course students will be able to analyze the history of U.S. civil defense policy; summarize the evolution of the Departments of Homeland Security and Defense; evaluate the 911 Commission Report's conclusions and recommendations; and evaluate the National Response Plan, among other topics. Part of the MPPA Public Safety and Security specialization.
No Sections
MPPA 425-0
( Elective ) Homeland Security and Defense II: Practice
Building on the concepts and ideas introduced in Homeland Security and Defense I, this course will present methods and tools for turning homeland security and defense theory into practice. Although the class will address the critical functions of all levels of government, the private sector, and volunteer organizations, the course will emphasize the roles, responsibilities, and resources of state and local governments charged with developing all-hazards emergency plans, policies, and procedures. Topics include the National Incident Management System (NIMS); capability-based planning; threat, vulnerability, and risk assessments; infrastructure protection; and hazard mitigation. Part of the MPPA Public Safety and Security specialization. The summer 09 course will be held on four Saturdays within the quarter's start/end dates. The class will meet June 27, July 18, and August 8 and 22.
No Sections
MPPA 427-0
( Elective ) Biodefense Security
Biodefense preparedness, including chemical response, is an ongoing processin the United States. This course will provide an introduction to the history of biodefense programs as well as a look forward to where these programs are headed. The range of biological threats from premeditated to naturally occurring events will be examined along with the surveillance systems in place that are designed to help detect and deter a chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear or explosive (CBRNE) event. We will review countermeasures in place to help protect the country, including the Strategic National Stockpile (SNS), as well as consequence management under the National Response Framework.
Upon completion of this course, students will have an increased understanding of the continuum of CBRNE and natural biological threats that we face as a society today, be able to evaluate local, state, and federal level abilities to respond to a CBRNE event, summarize the evolution of Biodefense capabilities within Department of Homeland Security (DHS), assess the current level of US biodefense preparedness, and have an understanding of basic military support to civilian authorities for biodefense. Part of the MPPA Public Security and Health Policy specializations. The fall 09 course will be held on four Saturdays: 9-26-09, 10-17-09, 10-24-09, and 11-21-09.
Fall 2009
LP
Sa
9:00 - 5:00 PM
Sec. 50
210 South Clark St. 16th Floor 7
9/26/09 - 12/5/09
Instructor:
MPPA 430-0
( Elective ) Politics of Local Justice
Overview of the politics of local justice systems, including trial courts, organization of the bar, civil and criminal litigation, and the political consequences of the involvement of the law in social conflicts. Part of the MPPA Public Safety specialization. Previously Poli Sci 330-0; may only be taken once.
No Sections
MPPA 431-0
( Elective ) Community Political Processes
This course will focus on the American city as a political and governmental unit within the American federal structure. We will focus on the demand, decision, and delivery of urban politics: demand being the multiple ways citizens place their needs and wants in the political process; decision being a study of formal and informal structures of power and authority and decision making within cities; and delivery being the way in which governmental policies and programs are implemented with respect to issues of efficacy, efficiency, and equity. Chicago and the metropolitan area will be treated as a laboratory for applying these ideas. Part of the MPPA Urban Policy and Public Policy specializations. Previously POLI SCI 321-0; may only be taken once.
Winter 2010
LP
M
7:00 - 9:30 PM
Sec. 50
1/4/10 - 3/15/10
Instructor:
MPPA 445-0
( Elective ) National Security
As the foundation course for the MPPA Public Safety and Security specialization, this course focuses on practical questions of national security policy and decision making. Topics to be covered include the actors and institutions of American national security policy, as well as a number of traditional national security issues, including the role of the military and of economics, nuclear strategy, arms control, and the balance of power. It will also cover newer, less traditional issues, including the proliferation of nonconventional weapons and other technologies, the threat of terrorism, and military operations other than war. This course is recommended for all students in the Public Safety and Security specialization. This course will be held on four Saturdays within the quarter's start/end dates: April 10 and 24, May 8 and 22.
Spring 2010
CH
Sa
9:00 - 5:00 PM
Sec. 50
4/3/10 - 6/5/10
Instructors:
MPPA 452-0 OR MPPA 452-DL
( Other ) The Global City
Why do cities persist? The last decade has seen a resurgence in the economies of some major cities -- especially the global cities of this course's title -- while other post-industrial cities continue a long decline. Cities are now being transformed by the information revolution much as cities were transformed by the industrial revolution two centuries ago. In this course, students will develop an understanding of urbanization, including how city form differs depending on when a city experiences its greatest growth, and how globalization produces increasing disparity (in many ways) between rich and poor. The course will cover concepts in economic geography, transportation, environment, governance, development, poverty and inequality, and limits to growth. Readings will include recent studies on the effect of globalization on cities, including Saskia Sassen's Cities in a World Economy. Part of the MPPA Urban Policy and Public Policy specializations for on-campus students. Core course for the MPPA distance learning program.
Fall 2009
CH
M
7:00 - 9:30 PM
Sec. 50
Wieboldt Hall 504
9/28/09 - 11/30/09
Instructor:
Summer 2010
M
7:00 - 9:00 PM
Sec. 55
6/21/10 - 8/23/10
Instructor:
MPPA 454-0
( Elective ) Issues in Urban Economics
Applications of economic analysis to specific problems of urban areas, such as housing markets, zoning restrictions, and racial patterns of employment and housing. Part of the MPPA Urban Policy and Public Policy specializations.
No Sections
MPPA 471-0
( Elective ) Transportation Policy
The course is designed as a review of urban transportation policies with an emphasis on the Chicago region. After briefly reviewing current transportation problems, we will examine the broad parameters of federal support and the politics and financing for transportation infrastructure. We will next concentrate on traffic congestion and the importance of travel forecasting models and planning agencies in addressing the problem. This course will conclude with an analysis of business involvement in promoting initiatives to improve the Chicago region's transportation infrastructure. Part of the MPPA Urban Policy specialization.
No Sections
MPPA 481-DL
( Core Course ) Foundations of Leadership
This course provides advanced theoretical perspectives on public leadership and the application of theories to work experience. Students develop leadership tools necessary to influence policy decisions, encourage collaboration, and build coalitions; explore strategies for building and sustaining partnerships; learn strategic practices for leading and managing change; strengthen the capacity to lead in a diverse society; and think critically about the moral responsibilities and ethical dilemmas of public leadership. This section is for MPPA distance learning program students only--on-campus MPPA students register for LEADERS 481-0.
Spring 2010
W
7:00 - 9:00 PM
Sec. 55
3/31/10 - 6/2/10
Instructor:
MPPA 490-0
( Elective ) Special Topics: Approaches to Regional Economies in the Midwest
For many decades, the failure of the Midwest to rise to new economic challenges has earned it the name, Rustbelt, a term that applies equally to rural and urban locations. But has this description been used too generally? After all, the Midwest, when placed under further scrutiny, presents wildly variable examples of success, and some of the strongest survivors are metropolitan areas that implemented a form of regional cooperation - the Twin Cities serving as a prime case study. This in turn raises the question as to how to define regionalism within the Midwest. What is a region? A city, its suburbs, multiple counties, an area as big as a state, or a partnership between states? How has regional economic policy varied within the Midwest? Can the Midwest itself be considered a region? Although a stated goal of regionalism is cooperation, does not this approach further competition between regions, in some ways undermining the idea of working together? And what happens when regionalism implies a loss of local control? This course will attempt to answer these questions through a comparative study of policy-making, focusing on Midwestern case studies that extend from a total lack of regionalism (Detroit), to an overt effort at it (Twin Cities), as well as examples from the middle of the range where regionalism occurred in an ad hoc method (Chicago). Along the way, the course will identify policy issues that tend to be regional in character, such as transportation, higher education, job creation, business development, and the environment. Counts toward all MPPA specializations.
Fall 2009
LP
Th
7:00 - 9:30 PM
Sec. 50
210 South Clark St. 16th Floor 9
9/24/09 - 12/3/09
Instructor:
MPPA 490-0
( Elective ) Special Topics: Capital Budgeting and Finance
This class will explore the strategies that governments employ to promote economic development and finance major capital improvements. The course will also look at the current trend in state and local government towards privatization strategies that target the sale and/or lease of major revenue generating assets to raise revenue. The course will be divided into three sections.The development section of the course will focus on the use of Tax Increment Financing Districts (TIF) to promote economic development. The capital budgeting section of the course will focus on how governments plan, finance, and execute major capital improvements. The asset privatization section will provide an overview of the issues and implications of privatizing government assets to raise revenue or improve performance. Counts toward the Public Policy and Urban Policy specializations.
No Sections
MPPA 490-0
( Elective ) Special Topics: Citizen Participation in the Policy Making Process
In a democratic society at all levels of government, citizens are by right empowered to deliberate issues that affect them and influence decision-making. This course will explore mechanisms that can generate effective and broad-based public participation. It will also analyze the barriers to participation, including structural barriers set by government entities themselves. What factors influence citizens to voice their opinions in the first place? What strategies can governments use to foster greater citizen engagement? The course will also delve into the issues municipalities and other governmental units face when trying to enact programs that benefit the disadvantaged (e.g., low- and moderate-income people, children, trees, animals) but require initially unpopular tax increases or regulations. The course will assist individuals who seek to become "public servants" by suggesting ways to stimulate public involvement and consensus building on controversial issues.
No Sections
MPPA 490-0
( Elective ) Special Topics: Decisions in Public Policy
Public policy is about choices and actions that take place in an extremely dynamic environment. The public policy process represents a cacophony of activities, actions, and choices that reflect the priorities and values of those who shape, adopt and implement policy. The purpose of this course, then, is to explore the application of policy theory and concepts to visible, reviewable, and intriguing policy cases. This course provides an opportunity for students to explore, categorize, and dissect the processes that drive policy-making and policy decision, through a mixture of lecture and case-study explorations, and the applications of conceptual models and techniques from major theorists. Current issues and cases drawn from federal, state, and local examples will provide the vehicle to examine and apply the concepts, ideas and analytic tools that students will be called on to use in their professional roles. Students should have a basic knowledge of, or foundation in, the theories, concepts, and analytical tools used in the field of public policy, as represented in MPPA 407 or MPPA 406. Counts toward all MPPA specializations.
Summer 2010
CH
W
7:00 - 9:30 PM
Sec. 50
6/23/10 - 8/18/10
Instructor:
MPPA 490-0
( Elective ) Special Topics: Environmental Policy and Planning Issues
The majority of the world's population now lives in urban areas. This trend towards urbanization is projected to continue in the coming years concentrating more and more people in mega cities, many of which are located in developing countries. Continued urbanization raises significant environmental issues, as centralization of population poses both obstacles and opportunities for environmental improvement. For example, urban development can lead to concentration of pollution from sources such as transportation and energy generation, result in the inequitable distribution of pollution control facilities and place pressure on both critical environmental infrastructure and resources. At the same time, denser urban areas can increase the cost effectiveness of transportation alternatives, more efficiently use infrastructure and land resources and reduce energy consumption. Addressing urban environmental issues is complicated by factors such as the fragmentation of government decision-making and regulations and the fact that the impacts of many environmental problems extend well beyond local government boundaries.
This course will outline major environmental issues impacting urban areas, provide an overview of regulations and policies governing past responses to those issues and discuss emerging trends such as sustainable development and climate action planning that cities are using to proactively address environmental impacts. The purpose is to understand the complexities of environmental issues facing urban areas and both the historical and emerging approaches to addressing those issues. The class will examine both environmental planning theories and the practical application of those theories by public policy professionals. Part of the MPPA Urban Policy, Public Policy, and Health Policy specializations.
Spring 2010
CH
W
7:00 - 9:30 PM
Sec. 50
3/31/10 - 6/2/10
Instructor:
MPPA 490-0
( Elective ) Special Topics: Federal Policymaking
Otto von Bismarck said that "laws are like sausage. It is better not to see them being made." This class takes the opposite view. Understanding how our national policies are made helps us to understand both the complexity of the policies and the various institutions that impact them. This class will use a mix of lectures, case studies, and guest speakers to analyze the policymakers: the Congress, the White House, the Supreme Court, lobbyists, the press-and even voters--to see how they impact national policies. While this class will look at a number of key issues facing the country, the goal of the class is not to take sides on any policy. The goal is to give you a better understanding of how these policies become reality. Students will also have the opportunity to go deep on a policy of their choice and investigate the relevant policymakers. Counts toward all specializations.
Winter 2010
EV
W
7:00 - 9:30 PM
Sec. 51
1/6/10 - 3/10/10
Instructor:
MPPA 490-0
( Elective ) Special Topics: Historical Perspectives on Policy Issues
This course is designed to give students in policy and administration the tools they need to develop an historical perspective on issues of domestic policy. The course will explore two specific topics that are related to important contemporary policy debates. Focused attention will be paid to how public policies have changed over time, and how those changes relate to historical changes in underlying key aspects of American society. The first topic is the history of the American family, with special emphasis on the history of efforts to alleviate poverty. The second topic is the history of hospitals, with special emphasis on the history of health care finance. Counts toward the health policy, public policy and urban policy specializations.
No Sections
MPPA 490-0
( Elective ) Special Topics: Housing and Housing Policy
This course covers the fundamentals of housing policy in the United States, including the underlying cultural values supporting homeownership; the use of land-use planning and zoning on the local level; federal housing policy; and new approaches to housing and land use. The course would use housing patterns in the Chicago metropolitan region from 1880 to the present to illustrate the core constructs. Part of the MPPA Urban Policy and Public Policy specializations.
Winter 2010
CH
Th
7:00 - 9:30 PM
Sec. 50
1/7/10 - 3/11/10
Instructors:
MPPA 490-0
( Elective ) Special Topics: Innovations in Human Service Management
This course examines the recent wave of innovative efforts on the part of communities, cities, regions, and states in the U.S. to build collaborations in the delivery of human services. These innovative attempts come from a growing interest among state and local leaders to use human service delivery strategies to build communities, to alleviate key local and regional social problems, to enhance regional economic competitiveness, to reduce the overall need for human services, and to increase the cost-effectiveness of life-cycle support to those in need. Students analyze the evolution of prevailing theories about human service delivery, and how local and regional delivery systems have responded to those changes over time, as well as examine key principles driving innovations, including: continuum of care approaches, community-based delivery models, and collaborative multi-organizational pilot projects. The course also addresses pragmatic management issues that arise as different approaches are tried, such as leadership in collaborative networks, cross-organizational information technology systems, case management and client confidentiality in a networked environment, budgeting challenges, and performance measurement. Classes mix discussion of readings with guest speakers who are engaged in innovative projects within the region. Counts toward all MPPA specializations.
No Sections
MPPA 490-0
( Elective ) Special Topics: Intermediate Statistical Analysis
This course focuses on relational data analysis, especially regression analysis. The course will begin with a brief review of introductory statistics, including hypothesis testing and correlational analysis. It will then cover analysis of variance and single and multiple variable regression analysis, as well as another possible topic. Students will learn the theory behind these analyses, though the primary focus will be on the practical application of these analyses to real data. Class sessions will include both lecture as well as time for students to engage in analysis of existing data sets. Prerequisite: Introductory Statistics (must include hypothesis testing). Counts toward all MPPA specializations.
No Sections
MPPA 490-0
( Elective ) Special Topics: Land Use Policies and Urban Planning
This course examines the historical, legal, political, and administrative attributes of urban planning, land use, and the evolution of the built environment in the United States. The course explores land use regulations, planning concepts, the legal foundations of zoning, development control, bureaucracy, and politics. It also examines the impact of the demands for municipal services that make urban living possible and the laws that empower local governments to constrain land use by property owners for the betterment of society as a whole. Counts toward the MPPA Urban Policy and Public Policy specializations.
No Sections
MPPA 490-0
( Elective ) Special Topics: Law and Policy Processes
This course explores how the American legal system affects public officials as they deal with the problems and needs of modern society. The American legal system consists of the Constitution, the laws enacted by Congress, state constitutions, laws enacted by state legislatures, decisions of federal and state courts, and regulations and decisions of agencies created to deal with specialized subject matters. Emerging from these sources is a web of public policy and supporting legal controls that decision-makers must consider in molding their approaches to problem-solving. Referring to these source materials, students will see how public officials' freedom to act is both guided and limited by the legal system. Counts toward all MPPA specializations.
No Sections
MPPA 490-0
( Elective ) Special Topics: Law Enforcement Intelligence and Homeland Security
Extended description to come. This elective will discuss the role of intelligence support to homeland security and defense. Part of the MPPA Public Safety and Security specialization.
No Sections
MPPA 490-0
( Elective ) Special Topics: Management and Local Governance
This course will examine the structure of local government in the U.S. and the fundamental roles local government plays in both democracy and essential services for society. The course will examine the historical evolution of local democratic structures, the powers of local government, and the management environment administrators work in. The unique legal stature of local governments as well as the unique nature and demands of administration at the local level will be examined. Counts toward all specialization tracks.
No Sections
MPPA 490-0
( Elective ) Special Topics: New Patterns in U.S. Metropolitan Policy
This course will examine the emergence of "economic and political regions" in the U.S. as important actors in the dynamic environment of global social and economic changes. The course will explore and introduce students to policy adaptations and innovations taking place in our federal, state, regional, and local governments in response to these changes. The emergence of a new "urbanism" or "metropolitanism" is placing pressure on our existing understanding of present-day governmental structures and policy frameworks. The question to be examined is this: how can governments adapt and cope with the realities of changing demographics, globalization, the rebirth of cities and the interconnectedness of all civic institutions that define the major regions of the U.S. Part of the MPPA Urban Policy and Public Policy specializations.
No Sections
MPPA 490-0
( Elective ) Special Topics: Policy Implementation Failures -- Katrina and 9/11
This topics course will explore the oft-overlooked but critical element of policy implementation. Good intentions, paper plans, bureaucratic arrangements, and conflicting legislation work to constrain effective policy implementation. Policies only exist in the mind of legislative bodies or on paper and are meaningless and ineffectual without proper funding, a coherent implementation infrastructure, and a well-orchestrated strategy that is responsive to intergovernmental environments. The course will focus on the official reports of the 911 and Katrina Commissions with applicable theoretical readings from the implementation literature. Significant participation, presentation, and analysis on the part of students is required. Guest speakers and potential off-site tours may also be part of the class experience. Counts toward all specializations.
No Sections
MPPA 490-0
( Elective ) Special Topics: Political Theory and Public Policy
Much public policy literature focuses on measuring the successes and failures of specific policies to live up to their stated purposes. This course will turn the debate on its head, as it were, and examine a broad range of originary purposes behind government policies. Through a sustained reading of John Rawls' A Theory of Justice, we will examine the normative bases of government policy. Issues to be discussed include distributive justice, property rights, equality, incentive, and tolerance. We will also consider the ideal conditions under which one can legitimately design policy without the problem of conflict of interest. With a firm grasp on normative theory, we will turn to some specific works in a particular policy area to see how underlying theoretical assumptions shape policy preferences and outcomes. As a concrete example, we might look at income tax policy or social security reforms and try to tease out the underlying assumptions about the legitimacy of redistribution. Our reading of Rawls will give us a theoretical framework for explaining why such policies are enacted and what notion of justice they illustrate. Counts toward all MPPA specializations.
Spring 2010
CH
M
7:00 - 9:30 PM
Sec. 50
3/29/10 - 6/7/10
Instructor:
MPPA 490-0
( Elective ) Special Topics: Reinventing Government
This course introduces students to the contemporary reform movement in public management that is often labeled "reinventing government." A key theme in this reform movement is the migration of managerial approaches developed in private corporations to the arena of public administration. In order to develop an understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of this reform movement, the course begins with a quick review of fundamental issues in public administration. This is accomplished by reviewing a handful of classic readings in the field. After that, the course reviews the principals that underlie contemporary practices in the field of private management and how those principles are being adapted by public (and non-profit) managers. The last section of the course reviews several approaches that seek to blend private and public management principles in order to find new ways of creating public value through reinventing how government provides core services. Readings in the course blend theoretical material with practical case studies of managerial situations. Students will be expected to develop a research paper that connects the course material to their own professional experiences. Counts toward all specializations.
No Sections
MPPA 490-0
( Elective ) Special Topics: Sustainability in Urban Economies
Economic growth is usually defined as rising standards of living for the majority of people: "A rising tide lifts all boats." With growth comes broader opportunities, better health, better education, and better jobs. While we have gotten used to the notion that in the long run, the economy grows-albeit with bumps in the road-economists are beginning to consider another long-run model, that of sustainability or "steady state" economics. Robert Solow, the 1987 Nobel Prize winner in economics, said recently, "the U.S. and Europe may find that, as the decades go by, either continued growth will be too destructive to the environment and they are too dependent on scarce natural resources, or that they would rather use increasing productivity in the form of leisure...There is nothing intrinsic in the system that says it cannot exist happily in a stationary state." This course will contrast 20th century models of economic growth with the emerging literature on sustainability, with a special focus on urban economies. We will review the history of theories of limits to growth, from Thomas Malthus in the 19th century to the Club of Rome in the 1970s. The theory of "sustainable development," first presented by the U.N. World Commission on Environment and Development in 1987, will be analyzed with regard to rural and urban economies. Readings and discussions will include such economic concepts as stages to growth, scarcity, productivity, production intensity, input substitution, positive and negative externalities, consumption vs. investment, and zero-growth. In addition, we will evaluate international GDP growth rates for the past century, comparing periods of growth and periods of stagnation-and analyzing contrarian theories of economic change-to assist in understanding where the U.S. and world economies might be headed in the 21st century. Counts toward all MPPA specializations.
No Sections
MPPA 490-0
( Elective ) Special Topics: Urban and Regional Economic Development Policy
This course examines historical (all mid-to-late 20th century) and recent policies to encourage urban and regional economic development,including those at the Federal, state, and local levels. Government-led programs as well as public-private partnership initiatives will be covered. The course reviews these policies against a backdrop of major theories about how urban and regional economic growth occurs so that students can engage in a critical review of past and present programs. Methods for evaluating economic development programs will also be covered. The course uses class discussions of readings along with case studies. The principal focus is on the U.S. but students will be introduced to some comparative literature as time permits. Part of the MPPA Urban Policy and Public Policy specializations.
No Sections
MPPA 490-0
( Elective ) Special Topics: Urban Planning Practice -- Developing a Neighborhood Plan
This course provides students the opportunity to apply planning theory at the neighborhood level. After two weeks of introductory materials on the fundamentals of urban planning, the remainder of the course will be devoted to applying learned techniques at the neighborhood level: each week, the course will present a basic technique in planning along with an assignment to apply the technique while working on a neighborhood project. Students will focus on a neighborhood that is undertaking redevelopment strategies in Chicago or a close-in suburb. Techniques will include an asset mapping exercise, a land use survey, quantitative analysis of census and other demographic sources, neighborhood interviews, and mapping skills. Once students understand the issues in the neighborhood, they will identify strategies and prepare a final project and presentation covering topics such as housing reinvestment, economic development, open space and parks, and beautification strategies. The course is designed for students interested in land use, housing, transportation, water, or public health policies, as well as those interested in urban/suburban development, who want to apply these ideas in the context of a neighborhood case study. Attendance at one site visit is required: a Saturday excursion on July 11, 9 a.m.-noon. Part of the Urban Policy and Public Policy specializations.
Summer 2010
EV
M
7:00 - 9:30 PM
Sec. 50
6/21/10 - 8/23/10
Instructor:
MPPA 498-0
( Final Project ) Capstone Project
The capstone project course is the culmination of the MPPA distance learning program and demonstrates to faculty a student's mastery of the curriculum and core competencies in the public policy and administration field. Students, working in small groups, complete a comprehensive project provided by instructor at beginning of course. Students are individually assessed and graded throughout duration of class. Students may choose this course or registration in the 590 individual thesis research to fulfill their capstone requirement. Pre-requisite: completion of all required coursework for the MPPA distance learning degree.
No Sections
MPPA 513-0
( Elective ) Urbanization and Community
Causes and patterns of world urbanization, with particular concentration on local examples. The nature of urban life; variations related to cultural and structural differences; focus on the question of community. Techniques for analysis and comparison of diverse theories. Counts toward all MPPA specializations.
