PPA - Public Policy and Administration

This course introduces the key theories, concepts, and practices in the field of public administration by examining the history, traditions, and controversies in the field; exploring how politics, policy and administration interact; and reflecting on the changing nature of public policy and administration in the United States. Major topics include organizational theory and behavior, the role of bureaucracy in the political process, human resource management, issues of discretion, accountability, and an exploration of a personal and professional commitment to public service. Pre-requisite(s): Graduate standing, or permission of the Program Chair or designate. Co-requisite(s): None. 3 semester hours

This course examines theories and practices that policymakers and policy analysts utilize in developing and implementing policy. In the first half of the course, students will learn about the different types of organizations involved in public policy, including different levels of government, private sector, and non-profit organizations. Students will examine the public-private dichotomy, distribution of resources, and power dynamics. The second half of the course enlists case studies to examine community building, collaborative processes across sectors, and the challenges and opportunities of cross-sector collaboration. Pre-requisite(s): Co-requisite(s): None. 3 semester hours

This course provides an overview of community planning and urban development. The course focuses on the historical and contemporary relationships between urban social patterns, federal policies, and neighborhood initiatives. Students will examine factors that contribute to disparities in urban communities and the challenges of managing, planning and implementing policy across diverse groups. Students will analyze and evaluate how metropolitan development, proposed and implemented projects, and socio-political dimensions of community programs affect planning and development. Students will also examine initiatives in the Chicago metropolitan area and propose a planning initiative on a topic of the student's choosing. Pre-requisite(s): PPA 500. Co- requisite(s): None. 3 semester hours

This course adopts a social justice framework to examine historical and contemporary systems of inequality. Students will investigate how these systems are intertwined with power and privilege; how various institutions contribute to the creation and maintenance inequality; how these systems are embedded in ideology, policy, and public/private discourse; and how people resist and transform systems of inequality to systems of liberation. Students will learn how constructs such as race, class and gender are experienced differently and how these experiences inform understandings of civil society. Students will also examine their social locations and how they are positioned within various social institutions. Pre-requisite(s): PPA 500. Co-requisite(s): None. 3 semester hours

This course prepares students with the essential professional writing and communication skills in public policy and administration. Students will learn about the principle formats of public policy writing and communication, including backgrounders, white papers, one-pagers, talking points, Op-eds, memos, grant proposals, public hearings and presentations. Students will develop their writing skills through weekly writing assignments and hone their public speaking skills in formal and informal contexts. Pre-requisite(s): PPA 500. CO-requisite(s): None. 3 semester hours

This course introduces students to international perspectives on policymaking. Through a combination of policy analysis, empirical research and case studies, students will examine approaches to public policy development and implementation in a number of industrialized societies. Readings and discussions address many topics, and may include: social welfare, education, maternity/paternity leave, immigration, sustainable development, economic development, finance and organizational management, and international aid. Students will collect, evaluate and analyze information and data to make systematic comparison between public policies in different societies. Pre-requisite(s): PPA 500. Co-requisite(s): None. 3 semester hours

This course examines contemporary theories of citizenship and immigration policies across a selection of political contexts. The course contextualizes the historical, political, and socio- economic factors that shape household migration decisions, remittances, illegality and legality, and intergenerational dynamics, among other issues. Students will examine how humanitarian and law enforcement regimes have politicized immigration policy and how this politicization may facilitate and hinder immigrant incorporation in practice. As a class, students apply their theoretical knowledge in the examination of a particular immigration policy issue through qualitative and quantitative research. Pre-requisite(s): PPA 500. Co-requisite(s): None. 3 semester hours

This course recognizes that gender must be addressed in public policy to achieve equality. Readings focus on how constructions of gender inform and are informed by civil society, political discourse, and economic and political structures. The course considers a range of theories and case studies, including: health care, child care, minimum wage, affordable housing, gender gaps in education, property rights, international migration, reproductive labor, and reproductive social justice. Using intersectionality as theory and method, students will pay specific attention to public sector policy initiatives that address gender inequality. Pre-requisite(s): PPA 500. Co-requisite(s): None. 3 semester hours

This course introduces students to international dimensions of public administration, including the institutions, organizations, and actors involved in international development. Students will learn key concepts and techniques in international public service and apply them to a series of in-depth case studies, examining the ways cultures, histories and political contexts shape public policy formation and implementation. Students will also examine and reflect upon the core tenants of effective leadership in the global public sector. Pre-requisite(s): PPA 500. Co-requisite(s): None. 3 semester hours

This course introduces students to the fundamental principles and politics of public finance and budgeting at the national, state, and local levels. Students will examine the role of interest groups and government agencies on public finance, the nature of the budget process, the constraints under which public budgets are developed and implemented. Students will then focus on the local and state budgets and major spending areas, with an emphasis on the city of Chicago and state of Illinois. Students will also conduct a fiscal analysis of a critical public issue in Chicago or Illinois. Pre-requisite(s): None. Co-requisite(s): None. 3 semester hours

The field of public policy and administration increasingly demands evidence-based decision-making to address pressing social issues. The course will introduce students to quantitative research theories and methods used in the field of public policy, evaluating the utility and limitations of a range of methods. Students will be introduced to statistical software and conduct quantitative analyses on a substantive social issue using publically available data. Pre-requisite(s): PPA 500, PPA 502, PPA 505, PPA 510 or departmental approval. Co-requisite(s): None. 3 semester hours

This course introduces students to qualitative research methods essential to effective policy formation and evaluation. Students learn of various approaches to qualitative research including case study, narrative study, ethnography, grounded theory, and phenomenology. Topics include problem definition, research design, observation, interviews, content analysis, historical and archival research, and action research. Students will develop the skills necessary to design and conduct qualitative research and apply those skills is a study of their own design. Pre-requisite(s): PPA 500, PPA 502, PPA 505, PPA 510, PPA 565. Co-requisite(s): None. 3 semester hours

The internship enables students to integrate academic theory with experiential learning while working in a public or non-profit organization. In a placement of their choosing, students will consider concepts such as participation, citizenship, and democracy and reflect on what constitutes good policymaking, administration and management. Students will have supervised fieldwork, generate reflections, briefs and papers that make sense of the internship within the larger context of citizenship and social justice. Students must complete a minimum of 45 hours of internship and related activities per semester credit hour earned, up to 3 semester credit hours total. Pre-requisite(s): PPA 565 and PPA570 or permission of program Chair or designate. Co-requisite(s): None. 1-3 semester hours

This seminar implements a critical social justice and public policy framework to a capstone project. Students will complete a project and write a persuasive policy position paper that concentrates on a key concern in social policy. The project may come from an internship, work experience, or original research. Students are expected to demonstrate their mastery of skills, professional and theoretical knowledge, and data analysis through formulating and presenting the practical recommendations based on findings from their project. Pre-requisite(s): PPA 500, PPA 502, PPA 510, PPA 505, PPA 565, PPA 570, PPA 560, PPA 512 or department approval. Co-requisite(s): None. 3 semester hours

In-depth study of a contemporary public policy and administration topic. As the topic varies each term, students may register at most twice. Pre-requisite(s): PPA 500. Co-requisite(s): None. 3 semester hours

The thesis is a formal written document which investigates a public policy and administration theory, a particular public policy case study, or the relationship between a public policy and/or public policy administration theory and a case study as the result of disciplined inquiry, under the supervision of a faculty member. Pre-requisite(s): PPA 512, PPA 560, PPA 565, and PPA 570; or permission of Program Chair or designate. Co-requisite(s): None. 3 semester hours

Continuous registration required until thesis is complete. Pre-requisite(s): Masters standing, consent of instructor, and prior registration for the required number of hours in PPA 599. Co-requisite(s): None. 0 semester hours