Criteria for Evaluation of Written Work Criteria for Evaluation of Written Work 1. Completeness and thoroughness (some criteria not applicable to the assignment)1 The University of Texas at Austin School of Social Work Leadership Strategies and Policy Practice Course Number: 393T23 Instructor: Noël Bridget Busch-Armendariz, PhD, LMSW, MPA Semester: Fall 2007 Contact Information: SSW 3.130D [email protected] 512/794-1106 Meeting Place: SSW 2.122 Unique Number: 66515 Meeting Times: Tuesdays 2:30 am – 5:30 pm Office Hours: Tuesdays 1:30 – 2:30 & arranged by individual appointment I. Course Description Policy practice involves the design, analysis, implementation, and evaluation of social welfare by governmental and non-governmental entities. Building on the policy analysis skills that students learned in previous courses, the goal of this course is to provide advanced content in the theory and skills of policy practice in the context of professional social work values and ethics. The theoretical aspects of the course address power, decision making, and social and economic justice. A wide range of practice skills will be covered, including policy development, comparative policy analysis, policy research, and strategies of political participation (e.g., advocacy, negotiation, coalition building, lobbying, campaigning, and community organizing). Students will also learn other skills relevant to policy practice, including public speaking, media management, testifying, serving as an expert witness, the use of technology, and report writing. Prerequisites for students taking this course are SW382R: Social Policy Analysis and Social Problems and SW392R: Topics in Policy Analysis or permission of the instructor. II. Course Objectives Students are expected to build their capacity to: 1. Explain and apply major theories underlying the professional social work approach to policy practice at local, state, and national levels (legislative, executive, and judicial) and to compare them to approaches in related fields (such as public affairs and urban planning). 2. Engage in policy practice tasks across the main stages of policy development (problem definition, agenda setting, implementation, service delivery, and evaluation) in governmental and non-governmental settings with the goal of promoting social and economic justice. 3. Select practice strategies and demonstrate skills appropriate to specific policy issues, taking into account the interests of a varied range of stakeholders. 4. Utilize conceptual frameworks for policy development, drawing on the most recent evidence- and research-based findings on effective interventions. 5. Utilize technology to enhance policy practice. 6. Integrate social action approaches in policy practice to ensure the involvement of traditionally underrepresented and other vulnerable populations.2 7. Identify the global impacts of policy practice in order to promote social and economic justice for world populations. III. Teaching Methods The primary teaching approach in this course will be collaborative learning. Material in the course will be presented through a variety of teaching strategies. For example, case studies, discussions, videos, small group work, field trips, new articles, examinations, readings, and lectures will be considered. Videos will be used as tools for addressing key concepts in the course. The goal is to stimulate critical thinking, intellectual creativity, and sharing of knowledge and skills with and through the class. Students will be responsible for material presented through all these activities. Assigned readings are for the week in which they are listed and students should complete the readings prior to class and be prepared to discuss them. IV. Required Textbooks and Readings A. Required Textbook (available online, Co-Op or at a retail store) Miller, M. (2003). The two percent solution: Fixing American’s problems in ways liberals and conservatives can love. New York, NY: Public Affairs. B. BlackBoard Course Readings (available on BlackBoard and in the LRC) Birkland, T. (2001). An introduction to the policy process: Theories, concepts, and models of public policy making. Armonk, NY: M.E. Sharpe Appendix Denhardt, J.V., & Denhardt, R. (2003). The new public service: Serving, not steering. Armonk, NY: M.E. Sharpe. Chapter 8: Serve Rather than Steer Felbinger, C.L., & Haynes, W.A. (Eds.) (2004). Outstanding women in public administration: Leaders, mentors, and pioneers. Armonk, NY: M.E. Sharpe. Chapter 5: Frances Perkins Chapter 6: Patricia Roberts Harris Chapter 8: Maxine Kurtz Hoefer, R. (2006). Advocacy Practice for social justice. Chicago, IL: Lyceum. Chapter 4: Understanding the Issue Chapter 5: Planning in Advocacy Practice Chapter 6: Advocating through Negotiation and Persuasion Chapter 7: Presenting Your Information Effectively Sims, R.R., & Quatro, S.A. (Eds.) (2005). Leadership: Succeeding in the private, public, and not-for- profit sectors. Armonk, NY: M.E. Sharpe. Chapter 5: Leadership in a Not-for-Profit World Chapter 7: What the New Nonprofit Leaders Should Learn about Finance Chapter 14: Engaging People’s Passion Chapter 17: Worldview and Global Leadership Chapter 20: Restoring Ethics Consciousness to Organizations and the Workplace3 V. Course Requirements Course requirements consist of three graded assignments. The following points are assigned to each assignment. See Section of Description of Assignments for specific details. Assignment A1 & A2 Reflections on Policy Practice Observations 20 points (10 points each) Assignment B Debate Exercises 50 points (25 points each) Assignment C Policy Practice Interview or Campaign Work 20 points Assignment D Leadership Weekend with Consultant or Research Paper Students must earn a credit or no credit on these assignments to pass this course. See description. Total Points 100 points VI. Grading Scale 100 - 94 = A 76 - 74 = C 93 - 90 = A- 73 - 70 = C- 89 - 87 = B+ 69 - 67 = D+ 86 - 84 = B 66 - 64 = D 83 - 80 = B- 63 - 60 = D- 79 - 77 = C+ 59 and below = F VII. Additional Class Policies 1. Students are expected to attend ALL class meetings, to read ALL the assigned readings, and to participate in class discussions. 2. There are no “excused” absences. Students missing more than two class sessions may receive a 10% reduction in their overall course