CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY, SACRAMENTO
PPA 270:
Introduction to Collaborative Policy Making
Fall, 2005
Professor Ted Lascher Meeting time and place:
3035 Tahoe Tuesdays, 6-8:50, Alpine 205
278-4864 (office)
(530)400-5688 (cell- Office hours: Tuesdays/Thursdays
no calls after 9:00 p.m.) 4:30-5:45, and by appointment
tedl@csus.edu
OVERVIEW
This seminar is designed to explore and understand the collaborative approach to policy making and governance. Consideration will be given to how this new form and practice is being used to break out of traditional “wicked” policy controversies and produce policy innovations and sometimes consensus for action. The seminar will explore the theory on which collaborative decision making is based and the benefits a collaborative approach may provide. Particular attention will be given to the importance of deliberation, narrative analysis, and issue framing. The course will also consider various challenges to collaborative governance such as legal structures that may discourage it, the danger of cooptation, and the inattention of the mass public. Extensive use will be made of case studies of both effective and ineffective efforts at collaboration.
SPECIFIC LEARNING GOALS
At the end of PPA 270 it is expected that students will understand:
CONDUCT OF THE SEMINAR
This seminar will rely heavily on student participation both to explore the intellectual content and practice the interactive methods of deliberative policy analysis and collaborative policy-making. Regular use will be made of participant exercises prepared in advance of seminar sessions to apply the methods for the seminar discussions. Students may be asked to take the lead in facilitating class discussions. To be successful, students will need to read class materials prior to class, prepare for the exercises, and engage fully in each session.
READINGS
Four books and a short course reader are required and may be purchased at the Hornet Bookstore. The books are as follows:
Hajer, Maarten, and Hendrik Wagenaar, eds. 2003. Deliberative Policy Analysis: Understanding Governance in the Network Society. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Hibbing, John R., and Elizabeth Theiss-Morse. 2002. Stealth Democracy: Americans’ Beliefs about How Government Should Work. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Lakoff, George. 2004. Don’t Think of an Elephant! Know Your Values and Frame the Debate. White River Junction, Vermont: Chelsea Green Publishing Company.
Roe, Emory. 1994. Narrative Policy Analysis: Theory and Practice. Durham: Duke University Press.
Additionally, there are a few required articles that may be downloaded for free from the Center for Collaborative Policy Making’s Web site, www.csus.edu/ccp
ASSIGNMENTS AND GRADING
There will be one short paper early in the semester, requiring you to apply the tools of collaborative analysis. There will also be a take home mid-term examination, and an in-class final examination. Additionally, there will be a major group project in which students apply the tools of collaborative policy making to a current policy issue; instructions for this assignment will be distributed during the first half of the semester. Assignment due dates are specified in this syllabus.
Course grades will be determined in accordance with the following weights:
Group project 25%
Final exam 25%
Class participation 20%
Midterm exam 15%
Paper 15%
MAKE-UP ASSIGNMENTS AND MISSED CLASSES
Except under unusual circumstances, late assignments will not be accepted. At my discretion, a student who misses a deadline may be given a make-up assignment. Whether or not a penalty will be assessed depends on the reason (e.g., a family emergency constitutes a good reason; a competing requirement for another course does not).
You should inform me prior to class if you must miss class on a specific day. Except under very unusual circumstances, a student who misses three classes will be penalized one entire grade (e.g., a B+ for the course will become a C+), and a student who misses more than three classes will receive a failing grade.
CLASS SCHEDULE