Professor Cox's Doctoral Syllabi

G O V E R N A N C E A N D A D M I N I S T R A T I O N

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Course Syllabi

Department of Public Administration and Urban Studies

PhD Program

Syllabus 3980:732 Governance and Administration

I. INSTRUCTOR
Raymond W. Cox III, PhD
Professor
Room 261A
330.972.8891
rcox@uakron.edu

II. COURSE DESCRIPTION

This course offers a critical and analytical review of the history of public administrative theory and its relation to political and administrative practice. Students are encouraged to compare and contrast management theories and to examine them in the critical light of practical experience. Theories of Administration evolved in the public sector (the only organizations of sufficient size to warrant study) in the mid-18th century. Based initially upon military models of organization, several European countries, including Sweden, Prussia and France operated "schools of public administration" from the 1760s to train persons for mid-level and senior positions in government. An " American" understanding of Public Administration Theory takes a very different and more idiosyncratic route. To understand the unique American version of public administration it is necessary to understand the politics and political perspectives that have guided the development of government in this country. The "practice" of an American style of public administration emerges from political decisions and movements, which develop "despite" theory rather than as an adjunct to theory. As academics we are always playing "catch-up" with practice, trying to define theoretical foundations for what we observe. Only very recently has theory and practice begun to connect as management perspectives on participation, empowerment and team-based decisionmaking begin to match the political notions of democracy and governance that have shaped American government for over two hundred years.

III. COURSE OBJECTIVES

Entrance Competencies
A general knowledge of the history of public administrative theory and practice. A masters-level administrative theory and practice course is a prerequisite for this course.
Understanding of the role of politics and political decisionmaking on public management.
An appreciation of the changing demands being placed upon public and non-profit organizations to be more effective.
An appreciation of the importance of democratic thought for management practice.

Exit Competencies:
Analyzing and evaluating the contributions of public management theorists.
Understanding of role of citizens in policy making
Role and importance of concepts such as “transparency”
Critiquing management theories to develop "best practice".
Understanding the influence of the democratic theory on recent developments in management theory.
Developing and articulating a coherent management perspective that can be used by the student in the workplace.
Assessing one's own management "style" and the implications of that style for success in various work settings.

IV. COURSE ACTIVITIES TO MEET OBJECTIVES

A. Students are expected to read and study assignments prior to the class period in which they are presented or discussed.

B. Students will conduct research related to a current issue specific to governance in the public and non-profit sectors. The research will integrate both the theoretical and practical and relate to the student's own career, dissertation topic, or the public sector in general.

C. The research will serve as the basis of a paper (in a style appropriate to an academic journal).

D. The standard for the research paper to which each student will be held is that of a "publishable quality" paper. That standard means among other things that each student must fully and completely adhere to the ethics requirements outlined by the Department and the University. As important, this standard is a statement of the level of excellence to be achieved in the development and production of the paper. That means that it must conform to the expectations of academic journals in terms of length, clarity, organization, grasp of the current literature and advance the community's knowledge on the topic. While we do not expect that every paper produced in this, or any other class, will be published, we do expect that every paper will be of sufficient quality to be given serious consideration by reviewers, if it is submitted to a journal. We fully expect that learning how to create publishable quality research is an evolutionary process. Over time our expectation of the quality and depth of your research will improve and that before the completion of your coursework you will be producing works worthy of publication.

V. GRADING CRITERIA

A. Grades will be assigned accordingly:

94 - or higher A

90 - 93% A-

87 - 89% B+

84 - 86% B

80 - 83% B-

77 - 79% C+

74 - 76% C

70 - 73% C-

Less than 70% F

B. The final grade will be based upon two criteria:

Class participation (25%)

Research paper (75%)

VI. REQUIRED AND SUPPLEMENTAL READING

Required Readings

Waldo, Dwight
The Administrative State, 2nd Edition
0841908869

Behn, Robert D.
Rethinking Democratic Accountability
0815708629

Dror, Yehezkel
The Capacity to Govern: A Report to the Club of Rome
0714652288

Peters, B. Guy
The Future of Governing 2nd Edition
0700611304

Richardson, William D.
Democracy, Bureaucracy, and Character: Founding Thought
0700608249

Caddy, Joanne
Citizens as Partners: Information, Consultation and Public Participation in Policy-Making
9264195394

Tender, Glenn
Tolerance and Community 0826210228

Appleby, Paul H.
Citizens as Sovereigns
0608140406