|
This
The purpose of this course was to
provide and overview of the field of public administration. The basic materials for the course
involved analytical materials introduced in the lectures and discussions in
conjunction with a group of “classic” theoretical contributions to the
field of public administration. These
“classic” contributions to the theory and practice of public administration
represent a broad spectrum of substantive issues, methodological
approaches, and theoretical orientations.
The goal of the final is to provide the student with
the opportunity to follow through on the momentum established in the
midterm but selecting one of the articles drawn from the classic
articles. The students should
consider this article in detail from the point of view of three criteria:
- What is the main objective or thesis of the
article? In other words, what
is the author trying to achieve or what is the main proposition of the
article?
- What is the importance of the context of the
article? For instance, Luther
Gulick’s article, “Notes on the Theory of Organization”, was written
in the context of the devising down to earth general principles of
public management. It is
generally regarded as the “principles” approach to managing
organizations. This approach
has motivated both praise and criticism. In analyzing the article, the student is asked to
address the question: How does
the context influence the writer?
- Finally, the final exam should conclude with a
consideration of the importance of this article for the present
day. Is the substance of the author’s
proposals or hypotheses something that continues to be of benefit to
the public administrator?
Concretely, the student should select an article, analyze it
is terms of these three criteria, and compose a succinct essay on the
subject. The essay should be
prepared in a standard electronic format (for instance, in a .doc, .rtf, or
.pdf format) and emailed to gleasong@unm.edu no later than March 10, 2006. Please: The email message should clearly
identify the sender and the return email address. Upon receipt, the instructor will immediately respond with a
confirmation of receipt. If the
student has received no confirmation of receipt by March 12th, she or he
should get in touch immediately with the instructor.
|