POLI 310 - Public Policy Syllabus (Summer 2023)

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Course: POLI 310 – 002 (CRN: 38634); Public Policy  Semester: Summer 2023  Class Session Day/Time: On-line, synchronous (meaning: we will meet via Zoom class sessions, Monday – Thursday, from 10:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.) o If one cannot attend the daily Zoom class sessions for 5 weeks (May 22nd – June 22nd), then one ought to consider dropping the course. o Zoom class meeting links:  Mondays: https://vcu.zoom.us/j/85208309449  Tuesdays: https://vcu.zoom.us/j/87927766910  Wednesdays: https://vcu.zoom.us/j/84569880824  Thursdays: https://vcu.zoom.us/j/82153884488  Location: NA  Instructor: Dr. John M. Aughenbaugh (John or Aughie work just fine)  Office Location: Room 304, Founders Hall (827 West Franklin St.)  E-mail: jmaughenbaug@vcu.edu  Office Hours: o On-line (email) every night Monday – Thursday at 10 – 11 p.m., or by appointment (Zoom) Course Description & Objectives This is an upper level undergraduate course in public policy. During the semester we will examine various approaches to the study of public policy in a representative democracy and a mixed, regulated economy, as well as the variables that impact policy creation, implementation, and evaluation in the public sector. Once that foundational material is learned, we will then apply it to different policy issues and contexts, before concluding the course with an in-depth look at tobacco policy in the U.S. A fundamental assumption in this course is that to understand the elements of policy one must be cognizant of the history and context in which public policy is created, implemented, and analyzed. Technical proficiency or “something being common sense” may be desired attributes concerning all matters public policy and/or life, but there is more to public policy than technique or making sense. Please note…the course instructor does NOT assume all students have extensive knowledge about political science, particularly U.S. domestic political science. As such, the first week of the course is designed to get all students “on the same page.” It is incumbent upon students that if they are struggling with the introductory course material during the first week they contact the instructor to receive assistance. Otherwise, the more applied readings later in the course will be difficult. The learning objectives for this course are to:  Become familiar with how public policy is created and implemented in the U.S. political/constitutional environment;  Understand, specifically, the process by which public policy is, or is often not, made;

 Understand the various theoretical approaches (there is more than one way) to creating, analyzing, and implementing public policy;  Understand the first couple steps of evaluating public policy (as seen with research paper); and  Be able to apply some of your theoretical understanding to analyzing public policy (moving from the theoretical to the practical); Required Readings:  Anderson, James E. 2023. Public Policymaking . 9th Edition. (Cengage: Boston, MA & NY, NY). Herein referred to as Anderson.  Issues for Debate in American Public Policy . 2021. 23rd Edition. (Congressional Quarterly Press: Washington, DC). Herein referred to as Issues.  Lewis, Michael. Boomerang: Travels in the New Third World . 2011. (W.W. Norton: NY, NY). Herein referred to as Lewis.  Derthick, Martha. 2005. Up in Smoke: From Legislation to Litigation in Tobacco Politics . 2nd Edition. (CQ Press). Herein referred to as Derthick.  There may be additional readings, which will be either posted on Canvas or distributed via email. These should be read with as much rigor as any readings assigned from the required texts. Grading Scale: Grades will be determined through the following: Assignment Percentage of Final Grade Points Mid-term Exam 25% 50 Quizzes 25% 50 Policy Paper 25% 50 Final Exam 25% 50 Total Points 200 The following scale strictly determines final grades in the course: A= 180 – 200 points B= 160 – 179.5 points C= 140 – 159.5 points D= 120 – 139.5 points F= 119.5 points & below You should NOT assume the following :  That by doing the assigned readings, attending the daily class sessions (on Zoom) or doing the quizzes that you deserve a particular grade in this course – doing the above is the bare minimum of what is expected of each student;  Just because one has a certain grade point average or needs a certain grade in the course to achieve a particular grade point average has no bearing on the instructor’s evaluations of a student’s work or what final course grade is determined. All grades will be determined by the quality of the work submitted to the instructor; and 2

 That I will round up to a higher grade. For example, one may earn 179.5 points in the course and still not earn an “A” grade in the course. As VCU does not allow instructors to give +/- grades, the above grading scale will be strictly applied. Exams: The mid-term exam will be on Canvas (see course timeline for date). The mid-term is comprised of short answer and essay questions. With the short answer questions, the emphasis is on the student being able to demonstrate knowledge of the essential concepts and why a concept is important and/or significant for understanding public policy. Concerning the essay question portion of the exam, students will be asked to explain the evolution of a topic within U.S. public policy or compare/contrast theories regarding public policy that were covered in the reading and class discussions. Further information regarding each exam will be distributed on Canvas a couple class sessions prior to the exam date. Students are expected to take this exam at the scheduled time. If an exam is not taken, then a 0 grade will be entered. If you cannot take an exam, and can present written evidence of a legitimate excuse, a make-up will be arranged. Legitimate excuses include:  Illness (documented by a doctor/hospital note);  Court appointments (documented by a court order, summons, or similar document)  Death of family member (documented by an obituary or funeral home notice or church service program); and  University-sponsored, extra-curricular activities (documented by the appropriate University office). When in doubt, please contact the instructor in advance – do not assume the instructor will grant a make-up. If the instructor does accept an excuse, then a make-up exam (all essay, no short answer, covering the same material as the scheduled exam) will be given. Regarding the final exam, it will be take-home and submitted to the course instructor as an e-mail attachment during the final exam period (see course timeline, below, for due date/time). In one section of the final exam, students will be asked to write one essay (out of a list of 3 – 4 questions) that emphasize students demonstrating their knowledge of a topic covered in the second half of the course. In the second section of the final, students will be asked to write one essay (out of a list of 3 – 4 questions) demonstrating an ability to synthesize the course material throughout the semester. Instructions and topics for this assignment will be distributed one week before the due date (see course timeline, below). Class Attendance & Participation: To “encourage” daily attendance and participation, there are weekly random quizzes (typically 3 - 4 short answer questions based on the assigned reading/materials; 12.5 points each x 4 = 50 points). The purpose of the quizzes is to make sure students are doing the assigned course readings and other materials. Students who are absent when a quiz is given will receive a 0, as no make-up quizzes are given – no matter the reason. Please note however that in determining quiz scores for the final grade, a student’s lowest quiz grade is dropped and their highest quiz grade is doubled . There will be a sample quiz posted on the course Canvas site to give students an idea of what the quizzes will entail. The day of a quiz, the instructor will send a message to the class via Canvas that they should go to the assignments module on the left 3

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side of the course Canvas site, and take the quiz on Canvas to start the class session. After the quiz, we will then have a regular class session. To be clear, there are daily (Monday – Thursday) Zoom class sessions, as this is an on-line, synchronous course . We will meet daily via Zoom and discuss the assigned readings, and I will pose questions to students and vice versa. As stated on page one of this document, if one cannot attend on a daily basis, one should give serious consideration to dropping the course. Public Policy Paper : Students will write one 10 – 12-page policy paper for this class. Generally, this assignment will require the student to examine an existing or specifically proposed public policy (policy must be approved by the course instructor) and provide background of, effect of politics on, how the policy got on the public agenda, and what theoretical approach best explains the policy. Please consult the course timeline for when paper instructions will be distributed, when students must submit a paper topic and thesis statement, and when the paper will be due for submission. Students should be aware… this assignment is not a persuasion paper (as in, a student tries to persuade the instructor a certain policy is good, bad, should be adopted immediately no matter what the Constitution says, etc.). It is also not a policy advocacy paper , wherein a student tries to convince the reader that the public should be able, for instance, to smoke weed recreationally, or that individuals should be able to amass an armory of weapons, or that a particular environmental regulation should be adopted no matter the costs to business and/or the economy. Neither of those is the purpose of the paper assignment. If a student submits either of the above types of papers to the instructor, they will get, at best, a C grade or more than likely a D or F grade. This paper is the first two steps in doing policy analysis – and forces the student to take into account the law, culture, environment, actors, history, etc. surrounding a particular public policy. Important Policies: University policies relevant to course: See the following University website link: http://go.vcu.edu/syllabus . Students enrolled in this course are expected to have read and comply with those policies. Classroom conduct: During class sessions, students are expected to act and speak in a civil and courteous manner toward all students and the instructor. The instructor hopes that disruptive behavior does not become an issue. During the Zoom class sessions, I would like for all students to have their cameras on, but understand if students turn them off for privacy reasons. Expectations of when assignments will be graded and returned : While the instructor will endeavor to grade all assignments as quickly as possible, students should be aware that he is teaching two courses this summer term. Additionally, until all students have completed a particular assignment, no work will be graded and returned – this reduces any number of Honor System violations and ensures that all students receive the same consideration of her/his work on a particular assignment by the instructor. If any of the above is problematic for you, please consider dropping the course. Use and distribution of instructor notes: The instructor makes his lecture notes available on Canvas. The provision of these notes is to aid students in their comprehension of what is discussed during class sessions and to prepare for taking quizzes/exams & writing papers. Any 4

sale or public posting of those notes or notes taken by students during class sessions without the instructor’s explicit written permission is considered to be a violation of VCU’s Honor Code (see below), and the instructor will avail himself of the Code in this regard. Communication: It is the student’s responsibility to check daily the course site on Canva and to monitor his/her VCU e-mail account. The instructor posts on Canvas all of his lecture notes, all assignment instructions, and additional/relevant readings. Additionally, the instructor will e-mail students via their VCU e-mail accounts any changes to the syllabus, follow-up thoughts on class discussions, and important announcements. Thus, regular monitoring of both VCU e-mail accounts and Canvas is necessary. Course Timeline:  It is best to do the indicated readings before the lecture, so the readings and lectures can reinforce one another;  Each week of the 5-week summer term = 3 weeks of the regular term;  Moreover, I strongly recommend that you review your class notes and the textbook information you highlighted (or was already in bold in the textbooks) once a week outside of class sessions. This has proven to be an effective study technique for those students have done well in the course in previous semesters;  Please email the course instructor if you have questions on the readings or what was discussed in class sessions. The instructor is a resource to aid in your comprehension of the course material – use him.  I am not clairvoyant; unless a student or students makes me aware of issues/problems, I cannot begin to address them. Class 1 (05/22/2023): Introduction to the Course & Subject  Introductions  Assigned Reading ( yes, there is reading assigned for the first class session ): o Course Syllabus (on Canvas) o Anderson, Preface & Chapter 1  Particulars of policy paper posted & discussed. Class 2 (05/23): Policy Environment & Policy Formation  Assigned Reading: o Anderson, Chapters 2 & 3  Recommended Reading: o Hardin, “Tragedy of the Commons”  https://www-jstor- org.proxy.library.vcu.edu/stable/1724745 o Federalist #51  https://billofrightsinstitute.org/primary-sources/federalist-no-51 o Downs, “The Issue-Attention Cycle”  https://www.nationalaffairs.com/public_interest/detail/up-and-down-with- ecologythe-issue-attention-cycle o Kingdon. “Agendas, Alternatives, and Public Policies.”  https://www-jstor- org.proxy.library.vcu.edu/stable/3998335?seq=3 5

 Please note that with recommended readings , one does NOT have to read them. However, your instructor will make reference to them, and these readings may be used for both exams and the paper assignments. Class 3 (05/24): Policy Adoption & Budgeting  Assigned Reading: o Anderson, Chapters 4 & 5  Assigned listen: o Concerning policy adoption…Episodes 5 & 6 (“Not Quite Schoolhouse Rock”) of Season 1 of Civil Discourse Podcast: https://guides.library.vcu.edu/discourse/season1 o Concerning budgeting...Episodes 3 & 4 of Season 2 of Civil Discourse Podcast: https://guides.library.vcu.edu/discourse/season2  Recommended Reading: o Beard. “An Economic Interpretation of the Constitution.” o Friedman. “Capitalism and Freedom.” Class 4 (05/25): Policy Implementation & Observations  Assigned Readings: o Anderson, Chapters 6 & 8  Assigned listen: o Concerning policy implementation and specifically agency rulemaking…Episode 8 (“Rules for the Rulemakers”) of Season 2 of the Civil Discourse podcast: https://guides.library.vcu.edu/discourse/season2  Recommended Reading: o Lindblom. “The Science of Muddling Through.” o Lipsky. “Street-Level Bureaucrats as Policy Makers. There is no class on Monday, May 29th due to the Memorial Day holiday. Class 5 (05/30): Issues, Part I  Assigned Reading: o Issues; Chapters 1 – 5 o When doing the readings in Issues , students should not only be able to summarize the content but also apply the theories & concepts in the Anderson text to this content in Issues – specifically, A) what policy approach (Anderson, Chapter 1) best explains the policy being discussed in a particular chapter of Issues & B) how the issue in the chapter ended up on the public agenda. Class 6: (05/31): Issues, Part II  Assigned Reading: o Issues; Chapters 6 – 10  Particulars of first mid-term exam posted & discussed . Class 7 (06/01): Issues, Conclusion 6

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 Paper topic, thesis statement, and initial bibliography are due at the beginning of class session .  Assigned Reading: o Issues; Chapters 11 – 16 Class 8 (06/05): Mid-Term Exam  Mid-term exam will occur in the first 90 minutes of class session  No other work assigned for this class session Class 9 (06/06): Boomerang, Part I  Assigned Reading: o Lewis, Preface & Chapters 1 – 2 Class 10 (06/07): Boomerang, Part II  Assigned Reading: o Lewis; Chapters 3 – 5 Class 11 (06/08): Special Topic: Examples of Analysis  Assigned Reading: o Weimer & Vining. “Preview: The Canadian Salmon Fishery.” Taken from: Policy Analysis: Concepts and Practice. 4 th edition. (Canvas) o Henderson. “Brown v. Board of Education at 50: The Multiple Legacies for Policy and Administration.” (Canvas) o Ewalt & Jennings. “Administration, Governance, and Policy Tools in Welfare Policy Implementation.” (Canvas) Class 12 (06/12): Up in Smoke, Part I  Assigned Reading: o Derthick: Preface and Chapters 1 & 2 Class 13 (06/13): Up in Smoke, Part II  Assigned Reading: o Derthick: Chapters 3 – 5 Class 14 (06/14): Up in Smoke, Part III  Assigned Reading: o Derthick: Chapters 6 – 8 Class 15 (06/15): No class session – work on paper  Paper is due to the instructor as an email attachment on Friday, June 16 th at 11:59 p.m. EST. No late papers will be accepted .  Final exam will be posted on Canvas on Saturday, June 17th Class 16 (06/19): Up in Smoke, Conclusion  Assigned Reading: 7

o Derthick: Chapters 9 – 11 Class 17 (06/20): Public Policy in Film  Assigned viewing (before the class session, so we can discuss in class): Thank You for Smoking  Cabell Library link for movie: https://vcu.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/permalink/01VCU_INST/hj7ovl/alma991324117097 01101  When watching this movie (and next class session’s movie), please consider the following: o What perspective for understanding public policy making seems to be reflected in the film? o What constitutional, political culture, and political process values/norms are reflected in the film? How do these seem to impact policy making? o How does the film depict policy making in the U.S.? Class 18 (06/21): Public Policy in Film  Assigned viewing (before the class session, so we can discuss in class): The Insider  Cabell Library link for movie: https://digitalcampus.swankmp.net/vcu363309/watch/B6B6588A271D2AAA? referrer=direct  Final exam discussed  Instructor closing remarks Class 19 (06/22): No class session – work on final exam Final exam is due to the instructor as an email attachment on Saturday, June 24th at 11:59 p.m. EST. No final exams will be accepted. 8