NSU 2014-2015 Undergraduate Catalog

425 Nova Southeastern University • Undergraduate Student Catalog • 2014–2015 COURSE DESCRIPTIONS and outcomes in order to produce effective policy recommendations. Prerequisites: PADM 3000 and PADM 3900. PADM 4880 Senior Seminar in Public Administration (3 credits) Public agencies have been referred to as “the fourth branch of government”. Government agencies wield considerable power and influence in social affairs, yet there is no specific mention of them in the United States Constitution, or the constitutions and charters of most state and local governments. Classical theorists in public administration considered the “political” and “administrative” functions of government to be separate and distinct; elected officials “steered and navigated” while non-elected public officials “rowed”; “politics” was base and profane whereas “administration” was selfless, pure, and noble. Later scholars recognized many non-elected public employees are actively involved in policy-making and political activities. This course challenges students to evaluate the question of “legitimacy” of public agencies and public employees by considering the following questions: Do public agencies and non-elected public officials have a legitimate role in governance? Do policy- making and political activity by government employees undermine and circumvent the intent of our founding fathers and authority of our elected officials? Does autonomy of the public service function as a potential buffer against extreme political regimes, thereby serving to safeguard and preserve individual rights and liberties? Prerequisites: PADM 2600, PADM 3900, and 2 additional PADM 3000/4000 courses. PADM 4950A Internship in Public Administration A (3 credits) This course is designed to provide students with an opportunity to integrate academic and experiential knowledge in the field of Public Administration. Students will be placed with an agency or organization, of their choice, related to the practice of public and nonprofit administration. All internship placements must be approved by the Academic Internship Supervisor before the commencement of the internship. Students will be required to complete a minimum of 140 hour contact hours at the internship placement site during the 16 weeks of enrollment. Prerequisites: (1) a minimum grade point average of 2.5 as calculated by NSU; (2) completion of 60 credit hours and PADM 3900; (3) an approved placement site prior to enrolling in the course; and (4) permission from the academic director. PADM 4950B Internship in Public Administration B (3 credits) This course is designed to provide students with an opportunity to integrate academic and experiential knowledge in the field of public administration. Students will be placed with an agency or organization, of their choice, related to the practice of public and nonprofit administration. All internship placements must be organizational missions, staffing and personnel issues, marketing and resourcing, and relationships with private and public sector organizations. Prerequisite: PADM 2100. PADM 3900 Research Methods in Public Administration II (3 credits) This course explores research methodology commonly used in public administration. It is designed to expose the student to basic concepts and problems encountered in quantitative and qualitative investigation, including types of data and measurement, sampling, probability, and research design. Students will evaluate research findings in public administration journals and will design a research project. Prerequisites: PADM 2600 and PADM 2900. PADM 4000 Public Safety and Emergency Management (3 credits) This course explores the field of emergency management. Students will learn the theories, concepts, and terminology used in emergency management environments. Topics include a discussion of legal and ethical responsibilities related to emergency management, hazard identification, risk assessment, and mitigation. Students will learn the “incident command” and “unified command” systems and apply these structures to simulated emergency planning sessions. Prerequisite: PADM 2100. PADM 4400 Public Sector Labor Relations (3 credits) This course explores public sector collective bargaining and labor relations. Topics include the historical background of collective bargaining, current bargaining practices, labor and management bargaining strategies, and contract maintenance. Students will participate in simulated collective bargaining negotiations. Prerequisite: PADM 2300. PADM 4600 Qualitative Research Methods (3 credits) This course explains the assumptions, theories, and practice of qualitative research methods. Students will explore five different qualitative research methodologies: biographical research, phenomenological research, grounded theory, ethnography, and case study research. Each student will design and conduct a biographical or phenomenological research project. Prerequisite: PADM 3900. PADM 4700 Public Policy Analysis (3 credits) Public managers are often asked to gather and analyze data on public policy and social programs. This course provides students of government with the basic skills needed to critically evaluate public policy issues. Students will apply these basic skills to evaluate a wide range of public policy issues in order to become intelligent producers and consumers of public policy information. Emphasis in this course will be in linking program goals