Students have the opportunity to develop individualized studies with their mentor in Public Affairs (PAFF). Please contact your mentor/advisor for more details.

This course introduces students to the organization, management and influence of public bureaucracies at the federal, state and local levels of government. Topics to be covered include: values and ethics in public service, policy analysis and evaluation, organization theory, decision making, public personnel systems, public unionism and collective bargaining, leadership, communication, theories of budgeting, ecology of public administration and productivity in the public sector. This course was previously CHS-262164.

This study is designed to introduce students to substantive public policy issues that shape contemporary public sector debates and decision-making in the U.S. Grounded in multiple theoretical approaches and analytic models, the study develops students’ potential to describe, formulate, implement and evaluate public policy. Further, the study will provide students with the opportunity to appreciate the complex organizational and institutional environments in which public policy operates via exploring several policy areas such as criminal justice, health and welfare, civil rights, and homeland security. This course was previously CHS-262204 Introduction to Public Policy.

The content of this course will vary by term and section. Students may repeat this course for credit as long as the topic differs. Please refer to the Term Guide for course topic offerings.

Students have the opportunity to develop individualized studies with their mentor in Public Affairs (PAFF). Please contact your mentor/advisor for more details.

This course examines the roles and responsibilities of law enforcement and other agencies in managing terrorism, disasters, and homeland security to ensure public safety. Students will have the opportunity to develop an understanding of the changing role of law enforcement in managing mass disasters and terrorism, the impact of disaster and terrorist events on human populations, the control of consequences and perspectives on homeland security. This course was previously CHS-264844 Terrorism and Homeland Security.

This study involves the analysis and evaluation of public policy in the United States. Topics include the nature of the cycle of policy creation, implementation and evaluation, the role of the legislative, executive, and judicial branches in the creation of policy, the nature of policy formation, the importance of legislative or judicial intent, the character of bureaucratic decision-making, problems of jurisdiction, questions of personnel development, issues of oversight, the role of policy consumers and advocates, the impact of lobbying and interest groups, the nature of policy evaluation, the importance of policy analysis. Prerequisites: Familiarity with Research Methods in the social sciences or history and/or at least one introductory course in American Government.

This study provides a descriptive analysis of how public administrators manage municipal government. Using examples from the United States, it explores six dimensions of public administration: legal aspects of public management, human resources management, budgeting and public finance, the political dimensions of intergovernmental relations, and ethical considerations. As well as theory, students integrate such practical issues as economic development, housing, culture and recreation, public safety, transportation and waste disposal.

The content of this course will vary by term and section. Students may repeat this course for credit as long as the topic differs. Please refer to the Term Guide for course topic offerings.

Students have the opportunity to develop individualized studies with their mentor in Public Affairs (PAFF). Please contact your mentor/advisor for more details.

This course critically examines the intersection of law, policy and human behavior in the context of risk, hazards and disasters. Students will explore how legal frameworks and individual choices heighten vulnerability to natural hazards and how understanding these factors can inform effective disaster mitigation strategies. Key topics will include an analysis of a federal authority in disaster response, the roles of state, tribal and local governments as well as the contributions of private and nonprofit organizations to disaster management. Additional areas of focus may encompass risk analysis, disaster insurance, and compensation mechanisms and other related topics. An international perspective is incorporated through the review of global agreements and their relevance to disaster scenarios both worldwide and within the United States.

This course examines the theory and practice of obtaining and allocating resources among competing priorities in the public sector, and the relationships among budgeting and other aspects of public finance such as accounting, auditing, management analysis, and program evaluation. This course was previously CHS-263524 Public Finance and Budgeting.

The student will prepare a proposal for the senior project and engage in educational planning. The senior project facilitates the integration and reflection of knowledge acquired from university learning which is aimed at creating an original culminating work. Educational planning includes the preparation of a rationale essay articulating how the program of study for the bachelor's degree meets the student's educational and career goals. For the senior project proposal, the student will pose a question to be addressed under the guidance of the ESC mentor. The student and mentor will discuss the focus and design of the research question to be developed. The student will identify the appropriate resources needed to address the question and submit the proposal to the mentor. The thesis, based on the proposal submitted for this study, will be carried out the following semester. This course will be used as part of the Educational Planning credit. Prerequisites: As part of a capstone course, students should enroll in Senior Project Proposal during their final year of study. All lower level concentration courses should be complete, as well as at least two advanced level concentration courses or their equivalent.

This course provides an integrated review of the core courses of a student’s Public Affairs degree program. It is designed to allow the student to combine and apply fundamental principles learned in Ethics, Legal Environment, Public Finance, and key Public Administration functions such as Human Resources, Planning, Policy-making and Public Policy Analysis. Students will have the opportunity to apply supplemental skills and knowledge gained from studies in research methods, communication, information management and quantitative literacy in order to demonstrate professional competency in the field of Public Administration. This course should be taken in the student's last term of enrollment. The student must have attained learning in all of the Public Affairs program guidelines prior to taking this course. Students should possess an advanced competency in formal, college level analytical writing, be able to examine facts and problems, analyze issues, research remedies, apply theoretical concepts, examine alternatives, and formulate and communicate solutions.

Public sector professionals face a host of challenging issues everyday as they seek to effectively deliver services amidst new and emerging trends in U.S. society. Despite the multi-layered demands placed on the public sector, questions of the legal responsibility of government and the values that anchor or define public administrators’ duties persist. This study is designed to examine the underlying legal structure of the U.S. government and its ethical implications for public administration.  Accordingly, the study will consider the formation and implementation of public policy within the nation's constitutional framework and explore how legal and ethical issues have affected decision-making in the public sector.

The student will complete the senior project thesis as planned in the proposal phase of this study. The project provides an opportunity to conduct an in-depth examination of a topic of interest related to the study program that emerged from the student’s earlier course work, and in this regard will complete educational planning by focusing on the mastery of academic skills, college level writing and presentation, and independent research and critical thinking. The student will be expected to produce a major research paper that meets the standards established during the proposal stage and prepare the final drafts of the rationale essay. This course will be used as part of the Educational Planning credit. Prerequisites: Successful completion of the Senior Project Proposal

The international capstone course is an opportunity for students to integrate, apply and showcase the skills and knowledge gained in their study program. It consists of a culminating group project applied to real-world social issues and problems. Students are challenged to creatively apply their competencies to a social issue that they find important, combining research, analytical, and application approaches and tactics to address it.

The internship is an opportunity for a student to enhance their academic program by applying the theories and methods of their field to a real-world experience. Over the course of the term, the student will have the opportunity to work at an organization, completing projects identified by their on-site supervisor. The internship is appropriate for students new to the field as well as students looking to enhance an existing career path. In this way, the internship serves as a learning opportunity to further define personal and professional goals. Note: Students should work with their mentor and with career services to find an internship opportunity that meets their specific needs and fits within their degree program. An internship may only be completed with the approval of the student's mentor. The course may be repeated for credit. This course is aligned with the Public Affairs Area of Study guidelines and can be used for any guideline depending on the content of the internship and a student’s degree plan.

Students have the opportunity to develop individualized studies with their mentor in Public Affairs (PAFF). Please contact your mentor/advisor for more details.