My application for teaching in the summer got accepted, so I'll be teaching my own course in the second summer session (end of July-August). The other exciting news is that it is a class I designed myself (based on a syllabus I had to do for a "Teaching Political Science class" that I took my first year). It's a class on the bureaucracy, so I'm really excited since the classes I took in my MA program on bureaucracy and organization were some of my favorites. The only downside is that it's going to be an online class, but the upside of that is that I don't have to be around campus to teach it.
I need to come up with a jazzy title, so suggestions are encouraged. Here is the syllabus:
Bureaucratic Politics
Katie Baxter
Office: Tydings 5115
kbaxter@gvpt.umd.edu
Course Description:
When thinking about branches of American government, most people overlook a very important part of the executive branch: the bureaucracy. In fact, the bureaucracy is an incredibly important part of government, responsible for regulating many aspects of our daily lives including television broadcasts, food safety, and environmental safety. Furthermore, there is ongoing debate as to whether the bureaucracy is a democratic institution since it is often able to operate with limited interference from the President and Congress. This course will examine the politics of the bureaucracy, starting with theories of bureaucratic organization, then moving on to the politics of bureaucratic control. We will also examine bureaucratic dysfunction by looking at two case studies from recent events: September 11th and Hurricane Katrina.
Course Requirements:
Participation and attendance – 20%
Short response paper – 20%
Research paper – 50%
Presentation – 10%
All students should come to each class and be prepared to critically discuss the assigned readings. While I expect everyone to come to class, merely showing up is not sufficient.
You are also required to write a short response paper at some point during the semester. It should be 3 pages double-spaced and consist of your critical response to the readings we will be discussing that day in class (Did you agree or disagree with the authors? Is there something important that the authors did not consider? How do the readings help us to understand the topic at hand?) While the primary focus should be the readings for that class, it is acceptable to cite other relevant works.
Lastly, you are required to write a research paper on one of the topics below. If you wish to explore another topic, you must approve it with me in advance. This paper should be 8-10 pages double spaced and will be due on the last day of class. Sources should be documented in either APA or MLA style. I have style guides available for your use if you have questions on source documentation. On the last day of class, each person will have approximately 10 minutes to present their paper.
Topic 1: Control of the Bureaucracy/Bureaucratic Discretion
To what extent does Congress and the President have control over the bureaucracy? Do you agree with the congressional dominance literature or the bureaucratic discretion literature? In terms of democratic theory does either perspective cause normative problems? What are the potential solutions?
Topic 2: Models of Organization
Which model of bureaucratic organization do you find the most satisfying:
Wilson
, Niskanen, Garbage can, some other model, or some combination of models? Compare and contrast all potential models of organization and evaluate their pros and cons.
Topic 3: Bureaucratic Dysfunction
What are the primary causes of bureaucratic dysfunction? What are potential solutions, both procedural and cultural? Discuss a few examples of bureaucratic dysfunction (e.g., FEMA and Hurricane Katrina, Intelligence agencies and 9/11. etc.) and how these situations might have been mitigated.
Required Text:
Wilson, James Q. 1989. Bureaucracy: What Government Agencies Do and How They Do It. (
New York
: Basic Books).
I will also be providing articles and other readings listed below on ELMS (http://elms.umd.edu).
Accommodations for Students with Disabilities: If you have a disability and you are registered with Disability Support Services (DSS), please contact me as soon as possible so that we can discuss accommodations. A written request for accommodation is required. If you have questions about
University
of
Maryland
’s disability policies please contact DSS at (301) 314-7682.
Academic Integrity: You are expected to familiarize yourself with and follow the Code of Academic Integrity (http://studenthonorcouncil.umd.edu/code.html). Academic dishonesty is taken very seriously and will not be tolerated.
General Course Outline: You are expected to have completed the assigned reading each week before coming to class. I also reserve the right to change reading assignments as needed.
Class 1: Course introduction
Dye, Thomas. Politics in
America
,
Ch.
12
Class 2: Models of Organization
Wilson, James Q. 1989. Bureaucracy: What Government Agencies Do and How
They Do It.Ch. 1-2.
March, James G., Michael D. Cohen, and Johan P. Olsen. 1972. “A Garbage Can
Model of Organizational Decision Making.” Administrative Science Quarterly 17(1): 1-25.
Niskanen, William. 1971. “Bureaucracy.”
Ch.
11
Class 3: Bureaucrats as Operators
Wilson, James Q. 1989. Bureaucracy: What Government Agencies Do and How
They Do It.Ch. 3-6.
Class 4: Bureaucrat Managers
Wilson, James Q. 1989. Bureaucracy: What Government Agencies Do and How
They Do It.Ch. 7-9.
Class 5: Congressional Relations
Wilson, James Q. 1989. Bureaucracy: What Government Agencies Do and How
They Do It.Ch. 13.
McCubbins, Mathew D. and Thomas Schwartz. 1984. “Congressional Oversight
Overlooked: Police Patrols versus Fire Alarms.” American Journal of Political Science, 28 (February): 165-179.
McNollgast. 1987. “Administrative Procedures as Instruments of Political
Control.” Journal of Law, Economics, and Organization, 3: 243-277.
Class 6: Presidential Relations
Wilson, James Q. 1989. Bureaucracy: What Government Agencies Do and How
They Do It.Ch. 14.
Whittington, Keith E. and Daniel P. Carpenter. 2003. “Executive Power in
American Institutional Development” Perspectives on Politics 1 (September): 495-513.
Golden, Marissa. 1992. “Exit, Voice, Loyalty, and Neglect: Bureaucratic
Responses to Presidential Control.” Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory, 1: 29-62.
Class 7: Bureaucratic Discretion
Carpenter, Daniel P. 2001. The Forging of Bureaucratic Autonomy:
Reputations, Networks, and Policy Innovation in Executive Agencies, 1862-1928. Princeton:
Princeton
University
Press. Ch. 1-2 and Conclusion.
Class 8: Bureaucratic Executives
Wilson, James Q. 1989. Bureaucracy: What Government Agencies Do and How
They Do It.Ch. 10-12.
Class 9: Issue Networks and Iron Triangles
Heclo, Hugh. 1978. “Issue Networks & the Executive Establishment.”
pp. 429-439 in Richard J. Stillman, II. 1992, Public Administration Concepts and Cases, Fifth Edition,
Boston
: Houghton Mifflin Company.
Gais, et al. 1984. “Interest Groups, Iron Triangles and Representative
Institutions in American National Government.” British Journal of Political Science. 14: 161-185.
Class 10: Organizational Dysfunction, a Case Study – FEMA and Katrina
Morris, John C. 2006. “Whither FEMA? Hurricane Katrina and FEMA’s
Response to the
Gulf
Coast
.” Public Works Management and Policy, 10: 284-294.
Lipton, Eric. 2006. “Despite Steps, Disaster Planning Still Shows Gaps.” NYT
article available online
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/26/us/nationalspecial/26katrina.html?pagewanted=1&ei=5088&en=f7d953949a30b210&ex=1314244800&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss
Class 11: Organizational Dysfunction, a Case Study – 9/11
9/11 Commission Report Ch. 3 and 11, available online at http://www.9-11commission.gov/report/911Report.pdf.
Class 12: Conclusions and paper presentations
FINAL PAPER DUE
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