PAD
4144
Nonprofit
Organizations and Public Policy
Public
Administration Program
Government
& International Affairs
University
of South Florida
Tampa,
FL 33620
Dr.
Joan Pynes
(813)
974-1080
FAX: (813) 974-0804
email:
pynes@chuma1.cas.usf.edu
This
course introduces students to the role and importance of third sector
organizations in American society.
Students learn how society is divided into three sectors, working
sometimes in competition and often in collaboration to improve society and the
community.
Increasingly,
nonprofit organizations are critical to the development and implementation of
public policy. Nonprofit organizations
provide social services, develop low income housing, feed the hungry, offer
various cultural activities, care for the sick and disadvantaged, and advocate
in the political arena. Nonprofits are
especially valued for the ability to provide an opportunity for citizen
participation in public affairs and address local community problems.
Course Objectives
This course is designed to expose students to a variety
of challenges facing nonprofit organizations in the Tampa Bay Region, and to
help students develop their own understanding of those challenges and their
role in addressing them through community service and leadership. This course is designed to introduce the
students to the roles nonprofit organizations play in society and how they
interact with government and business organizations. It is also designed to impart the notion that citizens have both
the opportunity and responsibility to be involved in the life of the community
and in addressing community problems.
To
study nonprofit organizations and the importance of the nonprofit sector in our
society.
To
introduce students to the theoretical arguments about the role of nonprofits in
public policy.
To
examine in current policy controversies affecting the nonprofit sector.
To
explore the relationship between government, business, and nonprofit agencies.
To
identify and discuss the challenges facing nonprofits in today’s world
including:
a)
the increasing need for professional development and training
b)
the increasing need and demand for services
c)
funding issues/needs
To explore community problems through volunteer
service and reflection, and how individuals and groups organize themselves to
address problems.
To become more aware of his/her personal beliefs
about the individual’s relationship to the community by exploring the
connections between personal values and individual action, and society’s values
and social consequences.
Volunteerism has always been part of society. Whether working in food kitchens,
hospitals, nursing homes, museums, and a range of public-service organizations,
Americans have consistently stepped up to the plate to help others less
fortunate. For many, volunteer work
helps foster a sense of community.
Students will be assigned to work on a project needed by
a community nonprofit. There will be
structured learning activities, with clearly defined academic and personal
goals. Students will select an organization that matches either their college
majors, career, or personal interests.
Students will also be required to study the organizations within the
context of social, public policy, and ethical issues.
The service experience relates to the subject matter of
the course. Students will complete a
project for a nonprofit agency and write a public policy paper that identifies
and explains the current public policy issues confronting the nonprofit they
are working for.
Activities in the class provide a method for students to
think about what they learned and how this learning related to the subject
matter of the course: Students will
participate in several forms of reflection during the course: 1) they will keep an individual journal of
their service experience; 2) students will be responsible for a presentation
before the class, providing background on the nonprofit organization they
completed a project for. The
presentation will include its mission,
major clients, sources of funding, public policies that affect the
organization, how and why; and what they learned about the nonprofit sector in
the course of the semester; 3) students
will submit a final paper that analyzes a public policy issue that affects the
organization they completed the project for; 4) during the final class period
students will engage in a discussion and evaluation of their learning
experience.
The service responsibilities and projects recognize the
needs of the participating nonprofit organizations, and offer the nonprofit
agencies to be involved in the evaluation of the service project.
The service opportunities are aimed at the development
of the civic education of the students.
A significant portion of the reading and discussion in this class will relate
to the themes of citizenship and an individual’s responsibility to the
community.
Class Organization
Students are expected to come to all scheduled
classes. There will be some weeks when
the class will not meet to enable the student to meet with the Executive
Director or Program Director of the nonprofits they are completing projects
for. The students are expected to spend
time shadowing the nonprofit administrators so that they become acquainted with
the issues and responsibilities that nonprofit organizations face.
During scheduled class sessions, the assigned readings
will be used as the basis for discussion to set the theoretical foundation; and
the students’ experiences will be used to discuss the practical applications of
public policy.
Required Texts
Brian
O’Connell (1999). Civil Society: The
Underpinnings of American Democracy.
Hanover, NH: University Press of
New England.
Steven G. Koven, Mack C. Shelley, II, Bert E.
Swanson (1998). American Public Policy. Boston:
Houghton Mifflin Company
Required packet of HANDOUTS are available and should be
purchased when you buy your books.
Course Assignments and Requirements
A. Individual
Service
Each student will complete a project identified by a
Tampa Bay nonprofit organizations. It
is expected that students will spend approximately 15-20 hours during the
semester on this component of the class.
The quality of the student’s project will be evaluated
by both the course instructor and the nonprofit administrator.
B. Public Policy
Research Paper
Each student will write a research paper that addresses
a public policy issue that is related to the nonprofit organizations they have
selected. The paper will identify a public policy issue, what its’ purpose(s)
is, who is affected by the policy, and how the nonprofit each student is
completing a project for is or will be affected by the public policy. Paper requirements are provided at the end
of the syllabus.
C. Presentation
Each student will make a 15-20 minute presentation on
the project he/she completed for the nonprofit organizations and the public
policy topic written about for the research paper. The presentation should include the content of the research paper
but also integrate the topics and discussions we have had in class this
semester.
D. Final Exam
There will be a comprehensive essay final exam that will
cover the textbook readings
Other Important Information
Chapter assignments are subject to change. However, you will be notified in advance of
any changes.
Because the class is experiential in nature, class
attendance and participation are expected. Active learning requires more than
regular class attendance; it requires each student participates fully in all
aspects of the course, prepare fully for each class meeting, and complete all
assignments on time. Good discussions
occur when each participant has thought about themes and issues from the
readings, and brings ideas and questions to raise in these discussions. Students who are absent from class will not
be able to make up missed in‑class exercises/assignments. At the beginning of each class a sign-in
sheet will be circulated. Students who
are late must make sure that they sign the sheet at the end of class. Signing the attendance sheet is the student’s
responsibility. Students will be
considered absent if their names are not on the attendance roster.
Lectures and class exercises will parallel the topics
covered in the readings, but other information will also be introduced. Students are responsible for all lecture
information as well as the readings. If
you have questions about the readings, please ask for clarification, as some of
the topics may not be addressed by me in class discussions or lectures.
Throughout the semester, a strong emphasis will be
placed on the quality of your oral and written expression. Students will be expected to communicate at
a university level in both media. Poorly written assignments will be severely
penalized.
*Assignments which are submitted late without permission
may be subject to a penalty. **Please
note: Assignments will be graded more rigorously as the semester progresses.
Determination of Final Grade
Your final grade will be decided by the accumulation of
points:
Research Paper 50 points
Paper Presentation 20 points
Nonprofit Project 30 points
Final Exam 50 points
Journal reflections 40 points
Class attendance &
participation 20 points
The maximum number of points will be totaled at the end
of the quarter.
94 percent and above= A
90-93 percent = A-
86-89 percent = B+
83-85 percent = B
80-82 percent = B-
75-79 percent – C+
70-74 percent = C
65-70 percent = C-
Papers and exercises will be returned to you. Students may review their final exams during
the following semester. I will retain
the final exams and unclaimed papers only until the completion of the next
semester, after that they will be discarded.
Students wishing to review their final grades and/or exams must do so
prior to that time.
Please put only your social security number on
assignments.
Weekly Assignments
Week 1
Introduction
Week 2
O’Connell
Chapter 1: Civil
Society-Our Invisible Colossus
Chapter 2:
Definitions and Descriptions
Koven, Shelley, II, & Swanson
Chapter 1:
American Public Policy: The
Contemporary Agenda
Chapter 2: A
Policymaking Model: Rationality, Power,
Ideology (RPI)
Week 3
O’Connell
Chapter 3:
Origins of Our Extraordinary Civil Society
Chapter 4:
Effective CitizenshipÞEffective GovernmentÞEffective Citizenship
Koven, Shelley, II, & Swanson
Chapter 3:
Economic and Budget Policy
Chapter 4: The
Environment
Week 4
Individual meetings with professor/time spent in
nonprofit organizations
Week 5
O’Connell
Chapter 5:
Volunteers, Voluntary Organizations, and Private Philanthropy: The Independent Sector
Chapter 6:
Limitations of Civil society:
threats to It, and the General State of It
Koven, Shelley, II, & Swanson
Chapter 5:
Rural, Agricultural, and Small-Town Policy
Chapter 6: Urban
Policy
Week 6
Individual meetings with professor/time spent in
nonprofit organizations
Week 7
O’Connell
Chapter 7:
Preserving and Strengthening Civil Society
Chapter 8:
Summing Up: Prospects for an
Enduring Democracy
Koven, Shelley, II, & Swanson
Chapter 7:
Education Policy
Chapter 8:
Health Policy
Week 8
Individual meetings with professor/time spent in
nonprofit organizations
Week 9
Koven, Shelley, II, & Swanson
Chapter 9:
Family and Welfare Policy
Chapter 10: Crime Policy
Week 10
Individual meetings with professor/time spent in
nonprofit organizations
Week 11
Koven, Shelley, II, & Swanson
Chapter 11:
Intermestic Policies
Chapter 12: Conclusions
Week 12
Reflections on Service Learning
Week 13 Student
Presentations
Week 14 Student
Presentations
Week 15 Students
Presentations
Week 16 Final
Exam
Policy Analysis Paper Requirements
I. Policy description
A. A clear concise statement of the policy
B. A brief history of the policy
C. A description of the problem the policy was
aimed at resolving, including
an
estimate of its extent and importance
II. Policy
environment
A. A description of the social factors
affecting the origin,
development and implementation of the policy
B. A
description of the economic factors affecting the origin,
development, and implementation
of the policy
C. A description of the political factors
affecting the origin, development,
and
implementation of the policy
III. Effectiveness and efficiency of the current policy
A. How well the existing policy does what it
was designed to do
B. How well the policy performs in relation to
the effort and resources
committed to it
IV. Policy
alternatives
A. Possible alterations of the present policy,
with the estimated costs
and
benefits of each
B.
Alternatives to the present policy, with the estimated costs and
benefits of each
V. A. How the policy you wrote about impacts
the nonprofit agency you
completed the assignment for
There is no minimum page limit. However, the research paper must be written
at a senior college level and must be well balanced representing all
sides of the topic.
Your paper will be evaluated on the following criteria:
Organization
Use of subheadings
Well developed paragraphs
Transitions used effectively
Provided final summary, recap, or conclusion
Correct word choice and usage
Sentence length and structure easy to read
Style of expression corresponded to subject, audience
Include complete citation in conformance with APA
Current references
Integration of findings‑not just a
summary/description of the articles or sources
Use of examples to illustrate points
Implications and applications for nonprofit
administration or management and public policy analysis
Grammatical Errors which are not acceptable include:
Misspellings;
Sentence fragments;
Run-on sentences;
Lack of capitalization at the beginning of a sentence;
Serious errors in punctuation that inhibit understanding;
Errors in verb tense;
Subject and verb disagreement;
Lack of conformity with assignment; and
Improper citation.
Please note:
Failure to use APA style of citations will result in an immediate five
point grade deduction.
Additional References
Edward Queen, II, Editor (2000). Serving Those in Need: A Handbook for Managing Faith-Based Human
Service Organizations. San Francisco:
Jossey- Bass, Inc.
Jane Arsenault (1998).
Forging Nonprofit Alliances.
San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, Inc.
Burt Nanus & Stephen M. Dobbs (1999). Leaders Who Make a Difference: Essential Strategies for Meeting the
Nonprofit Challenge. San Francisco:
Jossey-Bass, Inc.
Elizabeth T. Boris (1999). “Nonprofit Organizations in a Democracy: Varied Roles and Responsibilities.” In
Elizabeth T. Boris & Eugene Steuerle (1999). Nonprofits & Government: Collaboration and Conflict. Washington, DC: The Urban Institute Press (pp. 3-29).
Theda Skocpol (1997).
“American’s Voluntary Groups Thrive in a National Network.” The Brookings Review, 15,
16-19.
Robert Wuthnow (1999). “ Clash of Values: The State, Religion, and the Arts.” In
Elizabeth T. Boris & Eugene Steuerle (1999). Nonprofits & Government: Collaboration and Conflict. Washington, DC: The Urban Institute Press (pp. 267-289).
Burton A. Weisbrod (1997). “The Future of the Nonprofit Sector: Its Entwining with Private Enterprise and Government.” Journal of Policy Analysis and Management,
18, 541-555.
Elizabeth J. Reid (1999). “Nonprofit Advocacy and Political Participation.”
In Elizabeth T.
Boris & Eugene Steuerle (1999). Nonprofits
& Government: Collaboration and
Conflict. Washington, DC: The Urban Institute Press (pp. 291-325).
William Schambra (1997). “Local Groups are the Key to America’s Civic Renewal.” The Brookings Review, 15,
19-21.
Bruce Katz (1997).
“Give Community Institutions a Fighting Chance.” .” The Brookings Review, 15,
30-35.