Public Administration ((3 Credits))

Catalog description

This graduate level course provides a historical, case-study, and theoretical approach to the study of public administration. Students of social and public policy, organized labor, human services, higher education and business examine the history of the field and its most prominent theorists and practitioners. The course traces the modern development of the field beginning in the 19th Century with the work of Max Weber and examines its evolution during the 20th Century through the works of Frederick W. Taylor, Mary Parker Follett, Chester Barnard, Herbert Simon, Charles Lindblom and others. Concepts and theory are understood through reading, researching, and writing about significant case studies in various realms of public administration. Students conduct independent research on topics relevant to their own professional development and career objectives. Students interested in the public, private, or not-for-profit sectors interact during the course through structured, focused discussion. Students from any graduate program benefit equally from the study of public administration as applied to their field of study. The course is especially useful for those who aspire to management or supervisory positions.