MPPA 601: Public Policy Analysis

Course Description

As one of the initial courses offered in the Master of Public Policy and Administration (MPPA) program, this course provides students with foundational knowledge of the various theories of policymaking, the policy process, the roles of various policy actors and institutions, and substantive policy background in such diverse areas as economic policy, welfare policy, health policy, education policy, environmental policy, and incarceration policy.

Throughout the class, a comparative approach is used to understand policymaking. By studying differences in policy across countries, states, localities, and time, we can better understand the impacts of these varying policies.

The course’s primary textbook (Rinfret et al.) delivers an overview in each policy area with a particular emphasis on the United States. Supplemental readings provide greater depth of information about policy in these various areas.

As you might expect, we will spend some time during each class period discussing and analyzing the leading public policy news. You are expected to spend time each day reading about the latest policy news, and you should come to class with reasoned opinions about these events.

Understanding politics is not just something you do by reviewing history. Rather, it is imperative that you follow contemporary political events very closely. You should also be acquainted with good sources of political analysis, and practice developing evidence-based political opinions. This type of background and these types of skills are essential to success in careers that depend on the systematic analysis of government and its outputs.

My approach to teaching public policy is to focus on policy impacts. Which policies are most effective, and which are least effective, at accomplishing their stated policy objectives? This approach stands in stark contrast to evaluating policy based on alignment with a party affiliation or ideological identification. Indeed, one of the approaches taught in this program is the ability to identify oneself as a policy scientist who sees their role as not imparting value judgements on policy, but rather limiting their role to offering professional recommendations as to which policy interventions are most effective at accomplishing any given policy objective. These recommendations can be based on superb research and methodological training.

News, Media, and Policy Sources

For many years, my preferred news source was the Wall Street Journal. The cost for a student subscription is modest. To subscribe, go to:

https://store.wsj.com/shop/us/us/wsjstudentelect21/

The University of Redlands also provides members of the university community with complimentary access to The New York Times. To set up your account, go to: https://nytimesineducation.com/access-nyt/ .

Currently, I read the New York Times Replica Edition and the Los Angeles Times Printed Edition daily. I typically scan the Wall Street Journal Printed Edition and the Redlands Daily Facts Printed Edition. I stay away from all 24-hour news sources and news aggregators (CNN, Google News, etc.).

I recommend that you follow these news organizations via X (formerly Twitter) and/or Facebook as well.

Professor Thorson’s Favorite Facebook “Likes”

Professor Thorson’s Favorite X (formerly Twitter) Feeds to Follow

Course Learning Outcomes

Students who complete the class should demonstrate:

• an understanding of the roles that interests, ideas, institutions, and international influences have on the creation and implementation of public policy;
• knowledge about the various theories and divergent policies in the areas of economic, welfare, health, education, environmental, and incarceration policies in the U.S. and other wealthy OECD countries;
• the ability to identify and research the work of leading policy journals and non-partisan, non-ideological think tanks for the purpose of identifying policy solutions that are highly effective;
• the ability to identify and read the top sources of contemporary policy news (particularly within a chosen policy subfield of interest to the student), synthesize the information from the various sources, and offer non-partisan analysis and critiques of these developments.

Course Delivery Model

Students are responsible for their own learning and growth in the class. To assist students, I have selected outstanding texts and articles from the field. It is the responsibility of the student to come to class each period fully prepared to discuss the content of the articles as well as to share critiques and/or opinions about each article. I see my primary role as a facilitator. While I will have some questions prepared for each class session, discussion will primarily be led by students.

Our class will be accessible online each week, but if one or more students would like to attend in person, I am happy to teach that session in a HyFlex format (simultaneously online and in-person) in Library 151 during the first six weeks of the term. However, students must request the session be held in HyFlex format no later than Monday at 3:00pm of the week of the scheduled class session.

Required Texts

The required course textbooks are:

• Paul, Richard and Linda Elder. 2019. Critical Thinking: Concepts and Tools (Eighth Edition). Tomales, CA: Foundation for Critical Thinking.
• Rinfret, Sara R., Denise Scheberle, and Michelle C. Pautz. 2022. Public Policy: A Concise Introduction. Thousand Oaks, CA: CQ Press.

Additional readings can be found on the course Canvas site.

Grades

The grade basis for this class is numeric, ranging from 0.0 to 4.0.

Final grades for the course will be based on your performance in the following areas:

• Daily Participation / Quizzes — 20%
• Final Exam — 80%

Course grades will be assigned using the following guidelines:

Canvas & Professional Communication

The MPPA program uses Canvas as our official learning management system. Students are expected to check the official course site frequently for updates and announcements. All courses in the program publish their syllabi and subsequent updates to Canvas.

Students are expected to frequently access the course Canvas site to review the course syllabus and all updates, download readings, participate in class discussions, and read announcements as they are published by each professor in the program.

It is critical that students maintain the highest standards of professionalism both when communicating in-person and online. While the program welcomes robust discussion about public policy issues, please note there are limits to class speech.

Some guidelines include:

• Students should be able to participate equally in all class discussions.
• Students should not be interrupted as they speak about relevant course topics.
• Students should avoid confronting each other personally. Rather, focus on the issues at hand. Keep disputes intellectual in nature.
• It is critical that we create a space that welcomes intellectual engagement and respects the rights of each student. Language that creates a hostile learning environment for any student, including speech that targets an individual’s gender, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, religion, etc., is strictly prohibited, as is harassment of any kind.

Daily Quizzes / Participation

Students will be graded on their timely presence in class as well as their participation in class discussion. Students are required to have read the assigned material before coming to class. Your participation grade will be based on your physical presence in class, the quantity and quality of your contributions to the class discussion, and the extent and quality of your preparation for class as measured by your participation in class and daily class quizzes.

Class attendance, as well as taking the quizzes, is required for completion of the course. While students are expected to attend each session of the course, sickness, emergencies, or other life events may make that impossible. When an absence from class is necessary, please contact me as soon as possible so that I can make accommodations, such as recording, make-up quizzes, and/or make-up assignments.

We will take daily quizzes using Poll Everywhere. Please download the free Poll Everywhere software for your phone or tablet. While you can take the quiz on your computer from the Poll Everywhere website, students have experienced fewer glitches by using the various apps from their mobile devices. Please log in to the app using your @redlands.edu email address and choose PollEv.com/profthorson to join the presentation.

You will take daily quizzes that ask you about (a) the main points from the previous class discussion, and (b) the major points addressed in the new readings to be discussed in class that day. These quizzes will reward you for both attending class, paying attention during class, and for being prepared for class each day.

Final Exam

The final exam will require you to submit two two-page, single-spaced, policy area summaries that offer a technical summary of the course readings in economic, welfare, health care, education, or environmental policy. In each of these summaries, you must analyze the major findings of the course readings and demonstrate your mastery of their content.

No outside research is expected nor encouraged in the writing of these white papers. The use of AI is not allowed on the final exam.

You must upload your final exam to the course Canvas site no later than Wednesday, October 29 at 11:59pm Pacific.

Office Hours

Please feel free to stay a little longer after class (either in person or via Zoom) to ask any non-confidential matters related to the class content and/or if you have academic questions. I enjoy getting to know you!

For other matters, please set up an appointment through Microsoft Bookings using the following link:

https://outlook.office365.com/owa/calendar/ProfessorThorsonsMeetingTimes@uredlands.onmicrosoft.com/bookings/

You will receive an email confirmation of your appointment. Please add it to your calendar immediately. If there are no appointments available, please either email me or keep checking the link as I tend to add more office hours as they fill up each week.

Please arrive to your appointment no later than five minutes before your scheduled start time. I have a Zoom waiting room and will let you in as soon as the previous appointment has concluded. If you need to cancel a meeting, please do so at least 24 hours in advance.

Please note that “no shows” to appointments waste a lot of time, are annoying to the professor, and limit the availability of appointments for other students. Please make sure to keep your appointments!

Technology in the Classroom Policy

In Person

I encourage you to use paper and pen/pencil for note-taking if possible. There is some evidence that this method of note-taking produces better retention than note-taking on a screen.

Online

Please try to limit your distractions. Avoid browsing, checking email, and engaging in social media during class. Immerse yourself in class and you’ll receive the dividends. Don’t pay attention and you’ll pay the price.

Title IX Information

The University of Redlands is committed to providing a safe learning environment for all students that is free of all forms of discrimination, sexual misconduct, and sexual harassment, including sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence, and stalking. If you or someone you know has experienced or experiences any of these incidents, know that you are not alone. The University of Redlands has staff members trained to support you in navigating campus life, accessing health and counseling services, providing academic and housing accommodations, no contact orders, and more.

Please be aware all University of Redlands faculty members are “responsible employees,” which means that if you tell me about a situation involving sexual harassment, sexual assault, dating violence, domestic violence, or stalking, I must share that information with the Title IX Coordinator. Although I have to make that notification, you will control how your case will be handled, including whether or not you wish to pursue a formal complaint. Our goal is to make sure you are aware of the range of options available to you and have access to the resources you need.

Reporting Options

• Report online at: www.redlands.edu/titleix (see “Report”).
• Contact the Title IX Office at 909-748-8916.

If you wish to speak to someone confidentially (meaning not filing with the Title IX Office), you can contact:

• Counseling Center: Counseling Services Website , 909-748-8108
• Crisis Line: 909-748-8960
• Chaplain’s Office: Religious Diversity , 909-748-8368

Names and Personal Gender Pronouns

It is important to me that I learn both your preferred name and personal gender pronoun. If I state either incorrectly, please correct me either during or after class. I appreciate your help!

Freedom of Expression

I am committed to the free expression of ideas in my classroom. Particular viewpoints should not be privileged simply because they are popular or supported by influential elites. All ideas and their corresponding assumptions must be defended by reason and evidence. It is my belief that free inquiry is a human right, should be a core value at all universities, and will be protected in my classroom even if doing so will come at great cost.

What does this mean for you? If you enroll in one of my classes, you may hear statements that you consider disagreeable, inappropriate, or offensive. All members of the class will be given very broad discretion to speak and write what they want. My classroom is not a “safe space”, nor is it designed to be a comfortable place. Indeed, free expression should cause you discomfort. It should cause you to reexamine your assumptions, values, and beliefs.

Does this mean that you can say anything in my class? No. Among other restrictions on speech, you may not threaten or harass others in the class. You may also not use your freedom of expression to suppress the expression of the views of others in the class.

Students who make offensive statements should also expect to be challenged by others who also enjoy their own freedom of expression.

It is my hope that our class can be as challenging and intellectually rigorous as possible.

Want to read more? The University of Chicago has produced their Report of the Committee on Freedom of Expression. It can be found at https://freeexpression.uchicago.edu . Perhaps we might consider adopting this position at the University of Redlands.

Accommodations

I am happy to provide accommodations to students with a wide range of needs. Please contact the University of Redlands Office of Academic Success and Accessibility (ASA) to set up these arrangements. The ASA office can be reached at 909-748-8069 or asa@redlands.edu. ASA has a highly trained staff that has the experience and expertise to assist students with a wide range of needs.

Academic Honesty

Academic honesty stands at the center of intellectual pursuits in the academic community. All students are expected to demonstrate integrity and honesty in completion of class assignments. Faculty and student scholarship in all forms, individual and collaborative, expresses our understanding and esteem for intellectual honesty. Nurturing and sustaining a climate of honesty are the responsibilities of every member of the community.

All the quizzes are closed book and closed notes. You are not to consult with any materials during them. You must not look at another student’s responses during the quizzes.

The exam is not collaborative. You are not allowed to talk with any of your peers or review anyone else’s exam during the exam period. You are not allowed to use AI on your final exam.

Scholastic dishonesty means plagiarizing; cheating on assignments or examinations; engaging in unauthorized collaboration on academic work; taking, acquiring, or using test materials without faculty permission; submitting false or incomplete records of academic achievement; acting alone or in cooperation with another to falsify records or to obtain dishonestly grades, honors, awards, or professional endorsement; altering, forging, or misusing a University academic record; or fabricating or falsifying data, research procedures, or data analysis. In this course, a student responsible for scholastic dishonesty can be assigned a penalty up to and including an "F" or "N" for the course.

You are responsible for both understanding and obeying these and other University policies on academic honesty. Academic dishonesty in any portion of the academic work for a course shall be grounds for awarding a grade of F or N for the entire course.

For the complete text of student responsibility, please see the University of Redlands Catalog under Academic Standards.

Withdrawal / Incomplete

Students are responsible for voluntarily withdrawing from the class should they decide not to complete it. If your name appears on the registrar’s final grade sheet and I can find no work on which to base a grade, I must give you an “F”. I observe all University drop deadlines.

Course Outline / Assignments

Please note this is a tentative schedule and may be adjusted at any time by the Professor.