Course Catalog

PAF 200 Public Service & Policy in the 21st Century Provides a broad introduction to the field of public service and leadership. Course topics include an overview of management, policy, urban studies and leadership in the public sector. Students learn the history and development of the public sector, as well as how it serves contemporary society.
PAF 201 Economics & Public Policy This course introduces students to the terminology and methods of analysis in micro-economics. In particular, it examines the behavior of individual consumers and firms, with a focus on market failures and the role of government policy in correcting those failures. The course applies micro-economic principles to the distribution of income, policies for eliminating poverty and discrimination, the problems of environmental pollution, and the impact of different market structures on economic activity.
PAF 300 Public Management & Administration Examines the context and development of the field of public administration and the role of the public manager, particularly in the management of strategic goals, human resources, budgets, finance, and delivery of services.
PAF 301 Applied Statistics Focuses on introductory statistical techniques used in social science research. Students will be introduced to concepts such as measures of central tendency and dispersion as well as statistical techniques, including the following: one-sample z and t tests, two-sample t tests, chi-square, and correlation. The overall goal of the course is not only to help students understand the mathematical/statistical concepts presented but also to assist them in using these concepts in everyday life and in the study of social sciences. Prerequisite: MAT 142 or higher.
PAF 302 Public Service Research Methods Introduces the philosophy, scope, and methods of public sector research. Includes an overview of quantitative and qualitative methods and research design. Prerequisites with a grade of "C" or higher: MAT 142; PAF 301.
PAF 311 Leadership & Change The leader’s role in bringing about significant organizational and societal change with special attention to group and organizational behavior dynamics, establishing a vision, mobilizing and empowering individuals and groups, and assessing outcomes of the change process in a variety of settings.
PAF 340 Contemporary Policy Challenges Develops a conceptual, critical, and practical understanding of policy, the policy process, and policy analysis. Prerequisites: completed 30+ hours.
PAF 410 Building Leadership Skills Exploration, understanding and development of leadership skills including an examination of leadership theories and models from multi-disciplinary and cross-cultural points of view, an assessment of the student’s leadership capabilities, and practical applications to improve individual leadership capabilities.
PAF 420 Public Leadership Examines key concepts, models, and strategies for leading public and nonprofit organizations, with an emphasis on enhancing self-knowledge, skills, and abilities for effective leadership.
PAF 460 Public Service Ethics Examines the role, values, and issues of public management in the context of democratic governance, citizen participation, power structures, and professional codes of conduct, with an emphasis on developing skill in critical and ethical reasoning and decision making.
PAF 470 Topics in Public Economics & Financial Management This course provides an analysis of public economic practices and problems in a federal system. Consistent with the mission of the School of Public Affairs, it is more oriented toward urban fiscal problems, with only a slight touch of national economic problems. The course will present detailed descriptions, where appropriate, of significant institutions and applies modern economic theory to the ways that these institutions finance and deliver services. Prerequisite: PAF 201 or ECN 212.
PAF 471 Public Policy Analysis This course provides an introduction to the concepts, models, and operational methods used in public policy decisions. It aims to help students develop the skills needed for defining policy issues, identifying alternative solutions, and predicting the potential impact of policy alternatives. Prerequisites: PAF 301 and PAF 340.
PAF 501 Public Service Research I Philosophy, scope, and methods; public service research design, values, and ethics. Prerequisite: an approved course in statistics.
PAF 502 Public Service Research II Quantitative techniques including multivariate analysis, data analysis, decision making, and computer applications in public affairs. Prerequisite: PAF 501.
PAF 503 Public Affairs The development and context of American public administration and policy; the role of administration in governance; and values and ethics in administration.
PAF 504 Public Affairs Economics The basics of public sector economics; microeconomic and macroeconomic concepts applied to public sector decisions and policies.
PAF 505 Public Policy Analysis Institutional and formal analysis of policy processes, decision making, and problem solving; values, ethics, and the uses of policy analysis. Prerequisites: satisfaction of the statistics requirement and PAF 504.
PAF 506 Public Budgeting & Finance The legal, social, economic, political, institutional, and ethical foundations of government finance, budgets, and budgeting. Prerequisite: PAF 504.
PAF 507 Public Human Resource Management Personnel systems, behavior, and management of people in public organizations, collective behavior, unionism, conflict management, productivity, and ethics.
PAF 508 Organization Behavior Theory and application in the management of organizational behavior with emphasis on leadership and the public service.
PAF 509 Public Service Capstone application of core course knowledge, skills, and abilities required for public service. Prerequisites: PAF 501, 502, 503, 504, 505, 506, 507, and 508.
PAF 520 Public Management The management process in government and public agencies, with emphasis on the executive leadership within the public sector.
PAF 521 Organization Theory Organization Theory and current research emphasis with application to public administrative organizations.
PAF 522 Public Labor Relations Rise of public unionism, managerial policy towards unionism, conflict resolution, impact of unionism budgets, personnel policies, and public policy.
PAF 523 The City & County Manager The manager's role and resources in the differing forms of administrative, legislative, and community sectors.
PAF 525 Public Entrepreneurship Explores entrepreneurship in the public sector from various angles, including small and large communities and nonprofits.
PAF 526 Public Sector Human Resource Development Concepts and techniques of organizational development in the public sector, including staffing, supervisor training, executive development, resource planning, and employee training.
PAF 529 Organization Change & Development Exploring the nature and management of change and development as a tool to achieve organizational goals; effecting planned change.
PAF 530 Management of Urban Government Administrative practices and behavior within the urban political administrative environment. Functional areas such as citizen participation, urban planning, urban transportation, and the conflicts between urban politics and administrative efficiency.
PAF 531 Community Conflict Resolution Interdisciplinary approach to understanding the dynamics of community conflict. Strategic considerations in policy design and advocacy; potential reaction to conflict. Relevant models and research findings generated by both case studies and comparative models.
PAF 532 Urban Planning Administration Historical and present day uses of urban planning and procedures for its implementation. Basic principles and practices.
PAF 533 Urban Growth Management Examines the process of urban growth and change. Partnership roles played by public and private sectors in management are emphasized.
PAF 534 Urban Infrastructure Covers various types of infrastructure operated by local governments and the issues related to management of those various public assets.
PAF 535 Urban Housing Policy Comprehensive consideration of the revitalization of American cities with major emphasis upon the housing process and related institutions and services.
PAF 536 Urban Policy Making Analysis of the opportunities and costs of influencing public policy and the roles of officials and bureaucracies in decision making.
PAF 540 Advanced Policy Analysis Course emphasizes the structure of policy problems, forecasting policy alternatives, optimizing resources, and reducing uncertainty in policy making. Prerequisites: PAF 505.
PAF 541 Program Evaluation Various methodologies available for the evaluation of public policies and programs. Cross listed as JUS 547. Prerequisites: PAF 501.
PAF 546 Environmental Policy & Management Analysis of environmental policy and planning issues and principles related to the analysis and management of natural and urban/regional resources.
PAF 547 Science, Technology, & Public Affairs The influence of science and technology on governmental policy making, scientists as administrators and advisors, governmental policy making for science and technology, government as a sponsor of research and development.
PAF 548 Women, Politics, & Public Policy Explores how political philosophy, politics, and public policy affect and are affected by women.
PAF 549 Diversity Issues & Public Policy Examines public policy issues of concerns to or affecting women, Black, Latino, Asian, and American Indian communities, as well as those groups' impact on the policy process.
PAF 550 Governing Emerging Technologies Examines the governance of science and technology through a focus on emerging technologies whose potential consequences in society are apparent only in anticipation and whose manifestations are still being shaped by local, domestic, and international institutions. These emerging technologies include nanotechnologies, synthetic biology, and other technologies associated with genetic modification, and information and cognitive science and neuro-technologies.
PAF 551 Computers in Administration Experience in use of computer technology for public administration problem solving.
PAF 561 Comparative Administration Literature on comparative public administration theory. Bureaucracies and their impact on the political development process. Selected nations will be studied.
PAF 562 Intergovernmental Relations Evolution, growth, present status, and characteristics of the U.S. federal system of government. Federal-state relations, state-local relations, regionalism, councils of government, interstate cooperation, grants-in-aid, and revenue sharing.
PAF 563 Report Preparation Intensive practice in written and oral presentation of reports to conferences covered with problems in public administration. Visual aid techniques.
PAF 564 Political Economy Classical and contemporary literature and historical development of governmental and economic arrangements, with special emphasis.
PAF 570 Urban Economics & Public Finance Examines microeconomics at the intermediate level, along with topics in urban microeconomics focusing on issues of urban finance and taxation. Prerequisite: PAF 504 or equivalent.
PAF 571 Geographic Information Systems (GIS) & Analysis Provides foundational information related to application of GIS technology to meet various needs within governmental operations, administration, and public policy.
PAF 572 Urban Demography Focuses on basics of demographic analysis including natality, migration, and mortality. Emphasizes use of demographic analysis for urban problem solving.
PAF 573 Advanced Regression Examines more advanced regression topics such as limited dependent variable analysis, time-series analysis and forecasting techniques, and simultaneity. This course also meets the doctoral requirement in quantitative methods. Prerequisite: PAF 502 or equivalent.
PAF 574 Diversity, Ethics, & Leading Public Change Focuses on leadership, ethics, and benefits and tensions of the multicultural city to develop leadership and multicultural competence.
PAF 579 Public Policy Capstone An integrative, client-based project course. Students must complete all required core classes before registering for the capstone course.
PAF 591 Seminar Topics may include but are not limited to the following: general public administration, public leadership, public finance administration, public management, comparative public policy, urban affairs and urban planning, public policy analysis, information management, geographic information systems, advanced research methods, business and government, emergency management. Maybe repeated for credit but must have different course title.
PAF 601 Policy Analysis & Evaluation Normative and conceptual issues of policy formation, implementation, and evaluation; methods of policy analysis and evaluation.
PAF 602 Foundations of Public Administration I Ethical, social. legal, and philosophical foundations of public administration.
PAF 603 Organization & Behavior in the Public Sector Structure, organization, conduct, and performance of public sector institutions in the administration of public policy. Prerequisites: PAF 602.
PAF 604 Foundations of Public Administration II Philosophy of science (including research design issues and alternative approaches) and contemporary public administration including political, social, technological, and economic institutions involved in governance, exposure to research being conducted within department.
PAF 610 Advanced Qualitative Methods Explores a number of qualitative research approaches and methods, including ethnography, ethnomethodology, participant observation, interviews, focus groups, content analysis, discourse analysis, and some comparative/historical methods. Also explores the important theoretical and ethical issues that bear on these approaches.
PAF 620 Current Issues in Theory & Methods in Public Administration Research & Teaching The purpose of this course is to prepare doctoral students to become productive and effective public administration scholars, teachers, and researchers.
URB 100 Introduction to Urban & Metropolitan Studies Introduction to study of urban governance. Explores city, civil society, and urban form from different cultures and historical periods. Credit is allowed for only URB 100 or 300.
URB 105 Introduction to Urban Governance Introduces American city growth from past to present. Examines the background of major urban issues emphasizing governance, management, and policy. Credit is allowed for only URB 105 or 305.
URB 220 Introduction to Urban America Investigates traditional and evolving forms of civic engagement and management. Examines leadership and organizational models to urban development and decision-making.
URB 240 Urban Policy Examines major theories about the purposes and processes of urban policy formulation, adoption, and implementation.
URB 300 Urban & Metropolitan Studies Examination of the city using a multidisciplinary approach drawing from different historical, cultural, social, philosophical, and economic issues and concepts. Credit is allowed for only URB 100 or 300.
URB 301 Urban Research Introduces the philosophy, scope, and methods of urban affairs research. Includes an overview of quantitative/qualitative methods and research design. Prerequisite: MAT 142 or higher.
URB 302 Urban Theory Examines the sociological, economic and political theoretical positions underlying the development and evolution of metropolitan areas.
URB 305 Urban Governance Examines major shifts and trends in urban America. Concentrates on the changing approaches to governance and policies of urban areas. Credit is allowed for only URB 105 or 305.
URB 400 Senior Professional Seminar Demonstrates completion of the urban studies program by synthesizing and applying core knowledge, skills, and abilities to significant urban issues. Prerequisites: URB 100 or 300, URB 105 or 305, URB 220, 240, 301, 302. Corequisite: URB 410.
URB 405 Citizen Engagement & Community Building Develops a conceptual, critical, and practical understanding of urban dwellers involvement in community affairs as citizens and as builders of vital neighborhoods and vibrant cities. Prerequisite: Completion of URB 220 and 240 with a grade of C or better.
URB 406 Public Administration & Community Development Examines critically the concepts “community” and “development” and considers how important forces, such as diversity, civic life, changes in social space, and globalization, affect our understandings about these concepts and influence our actions. Prerequisite: URB 220 or 240 with a grade of C or better.
URB 410 Urban Leadership & Collaborative Skills Emphasizes the changing roles of leadership and collaboration in a complex, diverse and dynamic urban environment.

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