JOHN JAY COLLEGE OF CRIMINAL JUSTICE The City University of New York 445 W.

59th Street New York, N.Y. 10019 PAD 739: Introduction to Policy Analysis That might be true, but its not what anyone believes. Department of Public Management Professor: Dr. Wendy P. Guastaferro Email: wpguastaferro@gmail.com Office hours: on line and appointment by phone

Updated:
2/5/2013 2/14/2013

****THIS IS AN ON-LINE COURSE100% ON LINE. We will not meet in person during the semester. You will need regular, quality access to your John Jay email, the course website (http://www.pad739.wordpress.com) , and BlackBoard via John Jay.*** I. Course Description Interpreting and solving complex problems are everyday activities for public administrators, policy analysts and decision-makers, whether they are operating in international, regional, national or local political environments. In this course students will be introduced to a variety of techniques and perspectives that can be applied in real world public policy situations. Becoming more flexible thinkers is essential to learning how to improve public policy analysis, decision-making and management. Rigid, onedimensional approaches to understanding complex problems often stem from, among other things, constraints relating to how we perceive time, space, dimension of problems, level of political response, form of governance, and culture and/or gender. II. Course Goals and Objectives Whether you think you can or think you cant, you are right Henry Ford.

Goal #1: Participate in and contribute to the policy process Objective: Develop knowledge of, and apply different policy process models to, various policy, organizational and management topics Objective: Be able to plan a research or policy analysis project that makes appropriate use of empirical research tools such as data collection, sampling and statistical analysis

Goal #2: Analyze, synthesize, think critically, solve problems and make decisions
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Objective: Demonstrate reading, writing and analytical skills necessary for decision-making Objective: Be able to define and diagnose decision situations, collect and analyze data, develop and implement effective courses of action, and evaluate results Goal #3: Articulate and apply a public service perspective Objective: Identify how the values of diversity, equity, integrity, ethical conduct, efficiency, effectiveness, and professionalism shape the formulation and implementation of public policy Goal #4: Communicate and interact productively with a diverse and changing workforce and citizenry Objective: Be able to organize and communicate information to a diverse and changing workforce and citizenry by means of oral presentations, written documents and digital media Goal #5: Apply professional and political knowledge and skills to public administration and policy analysis Objective: Demonstrate this ability

III.

Course Communications

All e-mail communication will be to your jjay e-mail accounts. You must check this account regularly to keep up with any course announcements. We will be using the Blackboard course site and the WordPress site (http://www.pad739.wordpress.com) for some readings, for downloading and uploading assignments, and for other communications as needed. We are a diverse group of adults working together to develop your analytical and communication skills. To become empathetic, ethical and effective policymakers, you will need to be comfortable working with, working in and communicating in diverse, often highly charged political environments. Please be respectful and courteous of your colleagues in our course discussions. Please feel free and encouraged to draw on your personal experiences in New York City and elsewhere and in your professions when thinking about and analyzing the readings and course content. Our lived experiences are fundamental in our professional development.

IV.

Required Texts & Readings:

Bardach, Eugene (2009). A Practical Guide to Policy Analysis: The Eightfold Path to More Effective Problem Solving (4th Edition). New York/London: Chatham House Publishers, Seven Bridges Press, LLC. Patton, Sawicki and Clark. (2013). Basic Methods of Policy Analysis and Planning (3rd edition). Other readings/posts/articles as assigned. You should also read or listen to the local and national news daily. The NY Times, Washington Post, WNYC, NY1, the BBC, Al-Jazeera, ProPublica, and the PBS Newshour are all reliable, quality news resources. Readings not in the required texts will be available on Blackboard or WordPress.

V.

Course Requirements and Grading Grading Scale Grades will be calculated by dividing the total earned points by total possible points. All numeric grades are translated to letter equivalents as follows: 93-100 (A); 90-92 (A-); 87-89 (B+); 83-86 (B); 80-82 (B-); 77-79 (C+); 73-76 (C); 72 or below (C-) Assignments You are expected to complete the course readings, as well as read the WordPress site and participate meaningfully in weekly on-line discussions. This class is structured to train you in the foundations of policy analysis and prepare you for the Capstone. To that end, you will choose a policy topic for exploration over the semester. I encourage you to choose something you would also be interested in working on in the Capstone course. This course gives you the opportunity to begin research and developing your analysis of that topic now. There are 5 required assignments. Every student must complete each of these assignments. There are also 3 or 4 additional assignments. These Menu assignments provide you with options to fulfill the course requirements. Whether you have to do 3 or 4 Menu assignments depends on the point values of the assignments you select. Please see the ASSIGNMENTS section below. This doc has also been saved as a standalone handout and can be found at the WordPress site under Course Info.

ASSIGNMENTS.Rememberthisisa100%onlinecourse.Allassignmentsaredueelectronically,viathe WordPresscoursepage,orBlackboard.Duedatescanbefoundatp.3below.Therearerequired assignmentsthatallstudentsmustcomplete.Theremainingassignmentsarepresentedinamenu formatwherestudentswillselectassignmentstheyaremostinterestedinandthattotalatleast90 points.Pleasereviewthefollowingcarefully.IwillputavideopostonourWordPresssitewalkingyou throughit.

RequiredAssignments EVERYONECOMPLETES THESE Assignment1 Focus: Knowledge,Skills,Recall, Understanding Assignment2 Focus: Knowledge,Skills,Recall, Understanding Assignment3 Focus:

Briefdescription

Pointvalue

Twitterandvideo introduction

30

EliPariserTEDlectureand Quizzes1and2onPatton etalChapter1and2

30

Assignment4 Presentationonpolicy issue Focus: ProblemSolving Assignment5 Professor/Student Meetings

WeeklyClassParticipation (14weeksstartingFeb4) Meaningfulcontributions toTwitter,Discussion Boards,onWordPresssite. Icannotstressitenough: meaningfulcontributions. Dueatendofsemester; detailstofollow.

140

100

2duringthesemester Willoccuronvideochator instantmessengerasyou beginworkingonyour MENUassignments.

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Students Choice Assignments

MenuofAssignments68or9(whetheryouhave3or4assignmentswilldependonpointvalues) Youwillselectacombinationofassignmentsthataremostmeaningfultoyou. Youneedtoselectassignmentsthatwilltotal90pointsataminimum Atleast2assignmentsmustbefromdifferentfocusareas Duedatesaresetbytheprofessor,seecalendarbelow Allassignmentsrequireincorporationofcoursetextsandmaterials Additional,specificinformationforeachassignmentwillfollow Twoexamples: YoumayselectA,B,andC=90points(focusareas:2Knowledgeand1Synthesis). Or YoumayselectB,F,G,andJ=95points(focusareas:1Knowledge,2Analysis,and1Synthesis) MenuItem Briefdescriptionofassignment PointValueofAssignment (needtobeabletoearn minimum90pointstotal) A)Quizzes QuizzesonPattonschapters39.Must 50 complete5of7quizzes.Seecalendarbelow Focus: foradditionalinformation. Knowledge,Skills,Recall, Understanding B)Quotes Youwillreceive12quotesIhaveselected 15 fromthereadings.Youwillpostadiscussion questionandcommenttogettheclasstalking. Youwillmonitorthepostsandkeepthe Focus: discussionmovingforward.Challenge:howdo Knowledge,Skills,Recall, youmovepastpeoplegivingbland,yeahI Understanding agreesortsofresponses?(Becausethoseare notacceptable!) C)Posterorexhibit Createaposterorexhibitthatillustratesyour 25 understandingofthefirsthalf(throughMarch Focus: 22)orthelasthalf(April1thruMay)ofthe Synthesisandcreative semesterskeycoursetopics,issues,orideas. thinking Applyatleast3pointsfromcoursereadings. D)PolicySlogansinthe Selectaslogan/keymessagefromacurrent 20 Media policyissue/debate.Determinetheintended audience,identifyanidea/product/serviceor Focus: objectivethequotewasmeanttopromote, Applicationand analyzewhythepointwaspersuasiveornot. performance Applyatleast3pointsfromthereadingsin addresspointsabove.

MenuItem

Briefdescriptionofassignment

E)AnalyticMemo Focus: AnalysisandCritical Thinking F)DialogicalThinking Focus: AnalysisandCritical Thinking G)GraphicOrganizer Focus: SynthesisandCreative Thinking H)InsightsResources Application(IRAs) Focus: Applicationand Performance I)DirectedParaphrase Focus: Applicationand Performance

Studentswillengageinactivitiesthat constituteacriticalanalysis.Youwillbreakthe processdownintocomponentpartsorroles andassesseachcomponent.

MaximumPointValue ofAssignment (needtobeabletoearn 90pointstotal) 30

Studentswillidentifyadebated/controversial policyissue,analyzeasourceonthetopic(an article,video,etc.),assessthepersuasiveness ofthepiece. Creategraphicorganizerthatconvertscomplex informationintoameaningfuldisplay.

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J)PopularPressCritique Focus: AnalysisandCritical Thinking

Inconjunctionwithanassignedreading, studentsdevelopresponsestothesethree components:newperceptionsor understandings(Insights),aresourcetheyhave foundthatamplifiesthereadingsthemesor information(Resources),andanexamplefrom thestudentsownexperiences. Studentsselect2importantpublicpolicy principles,theories,concepts,orarguments thatarecomplexoraretypicallyconveyed usinghighlyspecializedvocabularyintosimpler languagethatwillbeunderstoodbya designatedaudience. Thepurposeistocomparetheinformation thatthegeneralpublicwouldnormally seewithwhatweknowisaccurateaccording toacademicsources.Yourtaskisto firstsummarizewhatyoufindinthetwo sources.Nextyouaretoanalyzetheportrayal ofthepolicyissueinthepopularpressarticle byusingcourseresourcesandtheother academicsourceasyourexpertagainst whichyouevaluatethepopularsource.Do notspendtheentirepapersummarizingyour originalsource.Thegoalistoevaluate criticallytheportrayalofthepolicyissue.
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DUE DATES
ASSIGNMENT# 1 2 3 4 Description Twitter/VideoIntro EliPariser/PattonCh1&2quizzes **Ch1&2quizzesonBlackboarddue2/18** Weeklyparticipation PolicyPresentations Duedate MondayFeb4,midnight MondayFeb11,midnight EvaluatedeveryTuesday May9andMay16 *Studentswillhavetoassess otherstudentspresentations theduedateforthesereviewsis WedsMay22 Asscheduled. MondayMarch4 MondayMarch25 **ThisistheMondayofSpring Break.Assignmentsareaccepted early. MondayApril15 MondayApril29

5 6 7

2Meetingsw.Dr.G. StudentsChoice* StudentsChoice

8 9 QUIZZES.

StudentsChoice StudentsChoice (onlyifyouhave4thmenuassignment)

*TheexceptiontothisscheduleistheQuizzes.Quizzesare10questionsworth1pointeach,completed viaBlackboard.Youmustearn80%oraboveoneachquiz(nottheaverageofallquizzes).Quizzeswill onlybereleasedtostudentswhoselectthisoptionandareduebyMondayatmidnightoftheweekthe chapterwillbeassigned.OnTuesdays,allstudentswillhaveaccesstothequizquestionsforevenmore learning! IfyouselecttheQuizzesassignmentyoumustcomplete5ofthefollowing7quizzesbymidnight: Quiz3 Chapter4 Quiz4 Chapter5 Quiz5 Chapter3 Quiz6 Chapter6 Quiz7 Chapter7 Quiz8 Chapter8 Quiz9 Chapter9 MondayFeb25 MondayMar4 MondayMarch18 MondayApril8 MondayApril15 MondayApril22 MondayApril29 ***Notedatesforquizzes*** Thedatesherearecorrectasof2/14/2013

Students with Disabilities Qualified students with disabilities will be provided reasonable academic accommodations if determined eligible by the Office of Accessibility Services (OAS). Prior to granting disability accommodations in this course, the instructor must receive written verification of a students eligibility from the OAS which is located at L66 in the new building (212-237-8031). It is the students responsibility to initiate contact with the office and to follow the established procedures for having the accommodation notice sent to the instructor. Statement of College Policy about Plagiarism Plagiarism is the presentation of someone else's ideas, words or artistic, scientific or technical work as one's own creation. Using the ideas or work of another is permissible only when the original author is identified. Paraphrasing and summarizing, as well as direct quotations, require citations to the original source. Plagiarism may be intentional or unintentional. Lack of dishonest intent does not necessarily absolve a student of responsibility for plagiarism. It is the student's own responsibility to recognize the difference between statements that are common knowledge (which do not require documentation) and restatements of the ideas of others. Paraphrase, summary, and direct quotation are acceptable forms of restatement, as long as the source is cited. Students who are unsure how and when to provide documentation are advised to consult with their instructors. The Library has free guides designed to help students with problems of documentation. VI. Course Outline

**Students should expect to spend at least 1-1.5 hours per week on readings/posts/blogs etc. as indicated by Dr. G. via Twitter, WordPress, or email. Jan 28 Feb 4 Introduction / getting set up on line (Assignment 1 due 2/4/2013) Introduction to Policy Analysis Readings: Bardach, Introduction Patton et al., Ch.1, The Need for Simple Methods of Policy Analysis

Feb 11 Policy Analysis Process and Analyst Readings: Bardach, Appendix A, Specimen Of A Real-World Policy Analysis Patton et al., Ch.2, The Policy Analysis Process Feb 18 25 Step One: Problem Framing Bardach, Step One: Define the Problem Bardach, Appendix C, Understanding Public and Nonprofit Institutions: Asking the Right Questions Patton et al., Ch. 4, Verifying, Defining and Detailing the Problem Feb 25 Mar 4 Step Two: Establishing Evaluation Criteria Bardach, Step 4: Select the Criteria Patton et al., Ch.5, Establishing Evaluation Criteria March 11 Establishing Evaluation Criteria Readings TBD.

Readings:

Readings:

Readings:

March 18

Using Evidence in Policy Analysis Bardach, Step Two, Assemble Some Evidence and Part II, Assembling Evidence Patton et al., Ch.3, Crosscutting Methods

Readings:

March 25

SPRING BREAK

April 1

Using Evidence in Policy Analysis

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Readings:

TBD, but likely series of articles/reports on policy issue allowing us to compare whether solutions are analogous, replicable, etc., as well as evidence that supports them

April 8

Step 3: Selecting Alternatives Bardach, Step Three, Construct the Alternatives Patton et al., Ch. 6, Identifying the Alternatives Bardach, Appendix B, Things Governments Do

Readings:

April 15

Step 4: Analyzing Alternatives Bardach, Steps Five and Six, Project the Outcomes and Confront the Trade-Offs Patton et al., Ch. 7, Evaluating Alternative Policies

Readings:

April 22

Step 5: Making a Recommendation Bardach, Steps Seven and Eight, Decide! and Tell Your Story Patton et al., Ch. 8, Displaying Alternatives and Distinguishing Among Them

Readings:

April 29 Readings:

Implementation Considerations Bardach, Part 3 Smart (Best) Practices Research: Understanding And Making Use Of What Look Like Good Ideas From Somewhere Else p.109-123. Patton et al., Ch. 9, Monitoring and Evaluating Implemented Policies

May 9 May 16 May 22 follow)

Final presentations Group 1 Final presentations Group 2 Last day to submit review of other students presentations (details to

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