Proseminar is the basic course for students entering the MPA program. Its
objectives are introduce the basic literature in the original form, and to teach how to write an analytical paper and to give an oral
scholarly presentation. The textbook is
Classics of Public Administration edited by Shafritz, Hyde
and Parkes. Other reading will be available on electronic reserve from Carlson Library. Students are expected to have taken an introductory
course in basic
principles as undergraduates. Use that web page for basic
information and examples of government agencies. The course on
inter-governmental
relations has information on federalism.
Professional organizations: The most important one is the
American
Society for Public Administration. The National Association of
Schools of Public Affairs and Administration (NASPAA) accredits MPA programs, including UT. The
International
City County Managers Association and the National Association of
Counties are two other important ones. Virtually every subfield has its own association such as the
Government
Finance Officers Association, the National Association of
State
Personnel Executives, and a
housing officials organization.
Links: Libertarian Party
Reading: Federalist
10 by James Madison, the principle of
utility by
Jeremy Bentham, and the military industrial
complex speech by
Dwight D. Eisenhower.
Writing: The
Writing
Center and
citation style.
Reading: Hints on reading an article:
When was it written? Who was the author? (You probably won't know the names at first.) What affiliation? Often a university or
research center. What nationality? Where was it published? A journal? Part of a book? Who is the intended audience? What do they say? Whom
do they discuss and quote? How is the argument organized? Where does it fit regarding discipline? (e.g. political science, law, sociology,
etc.)
Link Department of
Political
Science and the
MPA program. Carlson
Library,
UTmost, the College of
Arts and Sciences,
Career
Services, and the
University. Professor
Davis
or e-mail David.Davis@UToledo.edu.