February 1 - 2
March 7 - 8
April 18 - 19
May 9 - 10
Following are detailed course descriptions. Syllabi will be available on the MPPA syllabi page during the semester the course is offered.
PPA 291, Court Governance and Operations. (3 units) Offered fall semester.
Studies the state judiciary as both independent and interdependent with the legislative and executive branches of government at both the state and local level. Examines the ways statewide policy changes such as Court Unification and Trial Court Funding have altered the relationship of the courts with external governing bodies. Within the judicial branch, studies the role of the Judicial Council and the statewide Administrative Office of the Court. Finally, looks at the ways trial and appeals courts organize and govern themselves through the role of the presiding judge, the executive officer and executive committees. Builds knowledge about the court purposes, jurisdiction and organization by examining governance principles and the ways courts actually function through specific operations such as case flow management, civil and criminal procedures, legal writing and research, and jury management. The goal is to develop foundational knowledge of the historical and evolving governing and operational principles of the California court system.
PPA 292, Court Management. (3 units)
Offered spring semester.
Prerequisite: Court Governance and Operations
Uses interdisciplinary literature on management theories and examples from several areas key to effective court management to illustrate concepts and provide practical examples.
Explores ten core competencies identified by the National Association for Court Management: (1) Purposes of Courts and Court Systems; (2) Visioning and strategic planning; (3) Case flow management; (4) Information Technology Management; (5) Public Information and Media Relations; (6) Employee Training and Development; (7) Ancillary Services and Programs; (8) Human Resource Management; (9) Leadership; and (10) Resources, Budget and Finance.
PPA 293, Court Leadership. (3 units)
Offered fall semester.
Draws from literature across the disciplines and professions including business and non-profit sectors, this course examines what makes a “leadership organization.” Students are challenged to research what ideas and best practices can be modeled or adopted by the courts to bring innovation to the organization. Examining leadership in the court environment as distinct from management, the student investigates how leadership principles are exercised in pivotal areas of the courts: community relations, creativity and innovation, organizational change, workforce development, succession planning, strategic planning and re-engineering.
PPA 294, Emerging Issues in Judicial Administration. (3 units)
Offered spring semester.
Response to challenges and demands for innovations and improvements in the delivery of justice mirror the complexity and shape of the world. Because the California courts are in the forefront of court administration nationally, when court leaders find themselves faced with unanticipated demands, how they respond to such challenges is followed by the nation – both the courts and the public. The goals of this course are to explore some of the most current challenges faced by the California courts and analyze the role court leadership and management play in meeting those challenges.
