Courses
I teach…
POLS112 American National Government and
Politics
This is the basic
introductory course to American government—three branches, checks and balances,
Constitution, civil rights—I’ve always believed that this class teaches you how
to read a newspaper, and should be required of everyone who wants to vote. I don’t teach this as often as I used to as
the University makes other demands on my time.
POLS320 Introduction to Public Administration
This is an outstanding
study of organizational theory. Yeah,
that sounds fancy—but it really is just a close look at how “work” is organized
and the different strategies that have been used to organize work over the last
century. It’s really interesting. Though it applies primarily to government,
much of it applies to private sector as well.
We do a case study in this course on a large unit of local government,
and also take a field trip there. The
case study really brings the concepts together.
One student wrote that the case study was “one of the most productive
projects that I have spent time on,” adding that she “formed views about real
life organizations, which will benefit me in the future. Thank you for this lesson and realization.” This is the only POLS course that can get
you credit for
POLS343
I really enjoy teaching
this course about a largely hidden layer of government. Sure, we see states all the time, but it
usually is about the functions states perform—like policing the highways or
collecting taxes or raising the drinking age.
In this class, we delve into the structures of states, examine the
designs of state institutions, and pay special attention to the way state
political culture affects us all. We
also look at the influence of state power and each student does a case study of
a specific state. I use this course to
test and develop your research and writing skills. I believe that state government is probably
the most important government in the country.
Take the class and you’ll find out why!
POLS344 Urban Politics
This is my favorite
class. I designed it and I love every
minute of it. Cities are exciting units
of government to study because this is where the world happens! National, state, and global politics are
played out at the street level—and this course takes you to the street
level. Again, there is an emphasis on
the case study method and honing your research skills. We use many other disciplines to learn about
cities: history, economics, film,
architecture, geography, and more. A lot
of creative learning tools are incorporated at various times, including
simulations, field trips, and group research with other universities. I always think it’s smart to take a
professor’s “signature” class—well, this one is mine. This course (for some) leads to internships
and other career connections. I’m happy
to work with you. This course is also
part of the Black Studies Program.
POLS429 Topics in Public Administration
I’ve taught a few special
topics courses (one-time offerings) in this field. One course, Holding
Bureaucrats Accountable, examined the special forces of local bureaucracy. Another, Public Budgeting in Fall 08, will examine how the money works—and you will be
surprised at how it does!!!
POLS449 Topics in American Politics
This course is often a
precursor to new course offerings. POLS344
started out as a POLS449 offering. Well,
the next POLS449 I have in mind is Urban Political Economy. Ever notice that gas stations are all
congregated around the same intersection?
Ever notice that shopping malls have the same mix of stores no matter
where you go? Ever notice that the
sports teams are all getting relatively new stadiums? There’s a reason for this—and UPE will tell
you why! Maybe in fall
2009???
IS401 Business and Society
This course is dedicated
to ethics. It’s designed for business
majors and the B-school buys out one of my time slots each year so that I can team-teach it (lately with Professor Gilbert). Business ethics (or the lack thereof) have
been in the news quite a bit, and in modern times have come to define significant
events where Business and Society intersect.
Ever heard of Sarbanes-Oxley? …the Federal Sentencing Guidelines for Organizations? …an ethics audit? Well, IS401 will take you to Enron and
beyond!
Other
courses…
Now when you look at the
Registrar’s course schedules, you’ll see my name listed for the courses
below. These are all independent study
courses that are customized between professor and student. They are listed because they are “authorized”
each semester—but depending on your schedule or mine, they may not be
“offered.”
I only take on
independent study students who are interested in my specialty areas of Public
Administration or Urban Politics.
Technically, these courses are “in addition” to the regular work load,
so I offer these as a courtesy to my students and never take on more than two
per semester. I am happy to discuss the
possibility of arranging one of these courses with you, but can make no
promises of availability.
POLS310 Directed
POLS410 Legal Internship
POLS411 Internship in Government
ENSC591 Graduate
Courses
I used to teach…
GBA300 Fundamentals of Business Knowledge
I loved this course when
it was an interdisciplinary skills class.
It was a great way to take standard business topics and give them a
liberal arts flare. It was replaced by
IS401.
POLS342 American Public Policy
What an outstanding
course. I fill in teaching this course
when the regular professors need a break.
It’s an excellent overview of key policy issues facing the
I have worked with
graduate History students in the past in an independent readings format. I am happy to discuss the possibility of
doing this again.
LIBS400 Liberal Studies Senior Project
I have served as a
mentor/supervisor for the Liberal Studies program senior assignment. I am happy to discuss the possibility of
doing this again.
WMST490 Urban Politics and the Role of
Women and Family
This was an excellent
examination of the scholarship of Daphne