Writing Seminar Fall 2012 (PADM 502)

Southern University

Public Administration Department

PADM 502

Writing Seminar

Spring 2012

Instructor:             Leslie Taylor-Grover, Ph.D.

                                Assistant Professor

Office:                    409B Higgins Hall

Contact:                E-mail:  leslie.t.grover@gmail.com  (preferred)

                                leslie_grover@subr.edu (official)    

Office:                   (225) 771-4260

                               

Office Hours:        Tuesday 4:00 PM to 5:50 PM (official)

By Appointment

After class

You are also welcome to stop by any time you see me in the office, or you may come by appointment.

Prerequisites:       None

Class Time:           Tuesday 6:00 PM to 8:50 PM

Class Location:     TBD

Course Materials

• This course requires an e-mail address that you check regularly. Though all students have an e-mail account with the university, it is suggested you also have an alternate e-mail address not affiliated with the university. You will also need to use your university e-mail as well, however.

• Note: Class lectures will also come from a variety of works and given solely by the instructor. Students should take extensive notes.

• Required Text: A Practical Guide for Policy Analysis: The Eightfold Path to More Effective Problem Solving, (3^rd Edition), by Eugene Bardach.  Please note: for those who cannot get access to this resource, reserve copies may be made available for reading assignments in Higgins 409.

• Suggested Texts:
• Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 6^th Edition (This is also known as the APA Style Guide)
• Elements of Style, any edition by William J. Strunk and E.B. White
• The Associated Press Stylebook (any edition)

Class Attendance and Make-up Policy

                This is a graduate level class; therefore, class attendance is mandatory. Excuses for missed classes or for tardiness are not needed or accepted, as you are expected to be present at all classes, given the intensive nature of this course. Should a student miss a class session, please note it is the responsibility of the student to follow-up on any missed class information. If a student misses more than three class sessions, it is highly recommended the student drop this course, as the nature of the class work and assignments are so intensive many students find it impossible to maintain a passing grade in this course.

                There is no make-up work, extra credit or late work accepted in this course under any circumstances and with any exceptions. However, assignments may be turned in early.

Major Assignments

This course has five major assignment types. Please note if a student misses the writing sample, the literature review or the final presentation, the student receives an automatic grade of D or F, depending upon points from the other assignments. Also, if a student receives zero points on any of the other assignments, including the mandatory response papers, the student will receive an automatic grade of D or F, depending upon points from other assignments:

Writing Sample

This is a sample of your own writing, based on your own research.

Response to Assigned Readings

To aid students in developing an understanding of the assigned readings on the policy process and the role of writing in that process, students will be asked to submit a response (1 page) to the class readings at each weekly class period.  Responses must include a discussion of the required readings for the week and pose at least two questions that you would like to discuss in the class.  These works may be based on the text or upon a free-reading assignment based on your topic. Your single-spaced typed paper should be formatted as such:

·         Brief summary of the reading (what the reading talked about)

·         Strengths of the reading (what was helpful or interesting about the reading)

·         Weaknesses of the reading/holes in the argument of the reading (what the reading left out or could have explained more)

·         Questions raised by the reading (what you would like to discuss about the readings)

·         The relevance of addressing these questions in seminar to public policy (why should anyone even care about the questions you raised about this reading?)

Your responses will be assessed on the following aspects:

·         Quality critique and summary of the reading. A top notch summary of the reading is concise and cites the major argument of the reading. It demonstrates critical thinking and an understanding of the reading that goes beyond what is presented in the reading. Ideal responses go far beyond simply a regurgitation of the work. Quality critiques and summaries cite examples either from the work or from other current policies and cases.

·         Usage of grammar, style and usage. Quality papers are free of grammatical errors and improper language usage. They are well-thought out papers.

·         Quality of the questions suggested for discussion in the class. Outstanding questions are questions that cannot simply be answered with a “yes” or a “no”. They beget debate and perhaps even a bit of controversy. Top notch questions may even serve as the basis for further research in the field.

Research Question Justification

This is a one page explanation of why your research topic is important and germane to public policy, public administration, social science or related fields.

Mandatory Literature Review

Students are strongly encouraged to attend office hours to get guidance on your literature review. Failure to do so may result in a grade of D or F in this class, since this assignment is weighted the most heavily in the class.

Research Presentation  

This final assignment is your completed literature review presentation based on your research question and literature review.

Grading 

This class is graded on a ten-point scale. Please note there is no grading curve for this class, nor is there a “rounding” of points. Your final grade is assigned exactly on the number of points you receive on your assignments. Fractions and decimal points are rounded using the .5 standard. For example, if your final points equal 89.4, your grade is B; if your final points equal 89.5 or above your grade is A:

A: 90-100

B: 80-89

C: 70-79

D: 60-69

F: 59 and below   

A — Excellent. Student exhibits exemplary creativity through a close reading and critical analysis of the required materials. Style is lucid and engaging with zero grammatical or analysis-based mistakes. Directions are followed perfectly and completely.

B — Good. References to the course material are well-selected and topical. Critical analysis is present, but largely rehearsed from class lecture and discussion. Student's style is clear and has few mistakes. Directions are followed perfectly and completely.

C — Satisfactory. References to the course material are well-selected and topical, but student performs little or no critical analysis. Problems exist in student's work. Work consists mostly of underdeveloped ideas, off-topic sources or examples, inappropriate research, or anecdotes. Directions may not be followed completely or student improvised the assignment’s directions.

D — Unsatisfactory. Student does not engage with the material and no critical analysis is present. Substantial problems exist in student's work.

F — Fail. Student does not submit work, or work is below unsatisfactory level.

Disability Statement

Students with disabilities of any kind who wish to request accommodations in class should register with the appropriate university offices early in the semester so appropriate arrangements may be made. In accordance with federal laws, a student requesting special accommodations must provide documentation of their disability to the university.  Students should also notify the instructor in person and in writing, should they wish to declare a disability of any kind.

Academic Misconduct Statement

Students are expected to practice academic honesty in every aspect of this course and all other courses. Students should ensure they are familiar with the Student Handbook, University policy and Departmental policy especially the section on academic misconduct. Students who engage in academic misconduct are subject to university disciplinary procedures. Any student involved directly or indirectly in any form of academic dishonesty will receive a grade of F in the course and may be subject to suspension or expulsion from the MPA program.

Forms of academic dishonesty include the following:

• Cheating: deception in which a student misrepresents that he/she has mastered information on an academic exercise that he/she has not mastered; giving or receiving aid unauthorized by the instructor on assignments or examinations.

• Academic misconduct: tampering with grades or taking part in obtaining or distributing any part of a scheduled test.

• Fabrication: use of invented information or falsified research.

• Plagiarism: unacknowledged quotation and/or paraphrase of someone else's words, ideas, or data as one's own in work submitted for credit. Failure to identify information or essays from the Internet and submitting them as one's own work also constitutes plagiarism.

Purpose of This Course

The purpose of this course is to expose students to critical thinking and critical writing skills, as well as provide hands-on laboratory for the application of these writings.

Course Goals

                The goals of this course include both theoretical and applied. They include the following:

• Exposing students to writing style and proper usage and grammar skills.
• Exposing students to the thought process for beginner’s level research writing and critical thinking.
• Providing students the opportunity to engage in critical thinking and critical writing exercises based on public policy and public administration issues.
• Exposing students to critical writing and critical thinking skills valuable to classes outside of the writing seminar.

Student Learning Outcomes

                At the conclusion of this course, students will be able to do the following:

• Recognize the elements in beginning the process of research for the eminent thesis or research projects required to obtain the Master’s degree in Public Administration.
• Critically analyze journal articles in preparation for writing a scholarly literature review.
• Formulate and recognize researchable questions for projects or theses.
• Formulate and recognize public administration/public policy/policy analysis related research questions.