This course analyzes the field of public administration. Topics analyzed include the role of government in American society, the historic development of the public service, management issues related to modern governmental enterprises, problems of personnel, public budgeting, and alternative strategies for securing administrative responsibility. The course focuses on readings and cases pertaining to local and state administration, although issues involving the federal level are discussed where appropriate. Satisfies the U.S. government portion of the American Institutions requirement, as well as Area D in the General Education Program. Carries credit in Public Administration or Political Science.
This course explores how information technology and data management techniques are being used in public organizations to manage organizational processes, plan community action and evaluate service. The problems and promise of IT are examined and the student learns basic skills in information and data management. Case studies and IT professionals are used to enhance learning.
This course offers an overview of the policy-making process and policy networks at the national, state, and local levels. This process can be divided (somewhat arbitrarily) into several stages: agenda setting, policy formulations, policy adoption, budgeting, policy implementation, and policy evaluation. The course covers the relevant literature on each stage of the process. The course will also examine several important policy areas including economic policy, energy and environmental policy, crime and criminal justice, welfare policy, health policy, education policy, legal and social equality, immigration policy, and life-style policy. Satisfies Theme III (Social Science Requirement) in the General Education Program.
The nonprofit sector is an important feature in American society, a force in our economy and a distinctive feature in the American democracy. This course introduces the student to the nature, scope, values and unique features of nonprofit and social service organizations. The concepts of philanthropy, charity, and welfare are explored and the student establishes a relationship with a local nonprofit.
This course focuses on the financial processes, board development and management features, program evaluation and accountability mechanisms in nonprofit organizations. Challenges and opportunities for managers will be explored using case studies field trips, speakers, and other active learning strategies. Prerequisite: PPA 350.
This course introduces the student to the concepts and processes of administrative law and governmental regulation. It reviews the evolution of administrative authority, rule-making, enforcement, adjudication, and judicial review.
Introduces basic principles of responsible leadership, effective management, organizational change in public, nonprofit and health care management settings. Includes social science issues in: authority, motivation, organization behavior and leadership styles. Satisfies Theme III (Social Science Requirement) in the General Education Program.
This course considers universal administrative concepts and issues as they are presented in novels, plays, films, poems, and short stories. The experiencing and appreciation of this literature combines the understanding of administration with the traditional values of humanistic study.
This course is designed to give students a basic understanding of the conduct of mainstream public administration research, whether quantitative or qualitative methodology is used. Additionally the course aims to help students develop skills for the intelligent critique of research reports/articles, and an appreciation for the challenges of conducting sound research in public affairs. Subjects to be covered include: hypothesis development, research design, measurement (including index construction), data collection (surveys, interviews, secondary analysis, qualitative methods), ethical and professional issues, descriptive statistics, inferential statistics, contingency table analysis, regression and analysis of variance, and research communication.
This course focuses on current administration processes and the organization of services to the aging. It also surveys related policies at the national, state and local levels. There is special emphasis on services present in Kern County.
This seminar provides a survey of major parks, forest, public land issues, and institutions at the local, state, and national levels. Key topics include law enforcement and order maintenance, regulatory enforcement, safety and security concerns, visitors and ranger diversity, and ecological/environmental policies for parks, forests, and other public lands and recreational areas.
This course provides an intensive analysis of the major components of the criminal justice system as well as the interrelationships between the system’s primary components. Management personnel, decision-making, and planning problems faced by administrators within the justice system will be explored through guest presentations, discussion, individual and group presentations.
This course utilizes readings and discussion on the functions of public administration in a democratic political system. Case studies, guest presentations, individual and group presentations explore the media, pressure group processes, and the relationships between administration and political processes in defining the public interest and responding to social conditions.
This course explores several of the major issues and ideas of public personnel administration: selection, promotion, pay, and discipline of public administrators; the merit system; civil service boards; collective bargaining in the public sector; and ethical problems of modern public administrators. Includes discussion of nonprofit agency personnel administration.
In-depth studies of selected topic or topics not covered in regular courses are offered on a student demand basis. Topics vary each quarter; prerequisites announced for each topic. Conducted on seminar basis.
This course will introduce the student to the major concepts of public budgeting and finance in the United States. Budgeting at all levels of government will be covered. Key topics of study include: expenditure estimation, revenue forecasting, capital budgeting, budget reform and financial management. The role of the budget in the policy process will also be emphasized.
This course introduces the student to the philosophy, theory, and practice of urban planning. In particular, the course material examines the development of cities and urban regions and the structure and functions of contemporary cities. Students will conduct a critical review of alternative theories, recent trends, and new directions in American planning concepts and institutions. In addition, the course will feature an analysis of the context, function, and legal aspects of land use controls, construction codes, mass transit, urban renewal, model cities, new towns, and related aspects of policy and programs implementation.
This course is designed to provide a mechanism by which new or continuing students may receive academic credit for prior experiential learning through a portfolio review process. Students may earn up to 20 credits through this mechanism. To be eligible for academic credit, a student’s prior experiential learning must meet the following criteria: (1) the learning must have subject matter knowledge or base; (2) the learning must have general applicability outside the specific situation in which it was acquired; (3) the learning must be equivalent to college-level work in terms of quality; (4) the students must be able to demonstrate that they know the relationship between what they have learned and other related subject fields and their own goals; and (5) the learning must be verifiable; i.e., the students must be able to demonstrate that they possess the learning which they have claimed. The Undergraduate Program Advisor in the Department of Public Policy and Administration will make decisions regarding the awarding of credit. Prerequisites: General Studies Portfolio Development course or PPA 499 focused on portfolio development.
This capstone seminar for students in public administration examines: (1) the structure and environment of modern public bureaucracy; (2) the key administrative processes such as decision making leadership, communications, budgeting, and personnel; (3) the policy-making process; (4) political and economic bases of public policy and administration.
Students are assigned to various agencies and work under joint supervision of supervisors and the course instructor. Participation in staff and internship conferences, assigned reading, project where appropriate. (Arrangements should be made one quarter in advance, as enrollments are limited.) Prerequisites: permission of instructor. May be repeated for credit. Department determines application and number of units. Offered on a credit, no-credit basis only.
The Cooperative Education Program provides a sponsored learning experience in a work setting, integrated with a field analysis seminar. The field experience, including the seminar and reading assignments, is supervised by the cooperative education coordinator and faculty liaison working with the field supervisor. May be repeated. May not be used as a substitute for requirements. Department to determine application and number of units. Offered on a credit, no-credit basis only.
Individual supervised projects or directed reading projects for students qualified to carry on independent work. Prerequisite: permission of the instructor and department chair. Up to 5 units may be used to satisfy elective degree requirements. Department determines application and number of units.
Note: To count for graduate elective credit and maintain graduate course standards, 400-level courses must be augmented with additional work.