The University of North Carolina at Wilmington
Department of Political Science
Fall, 2002
Instructor: Dr. Tom Barth Phone: 962-3385 (W) 392-1724 (H)
Office: Lakeside 260 Email: bartht@uncw.edu
Office Hours: MWF 10: 00 – 11:00 a.m.
or by appointment before or after evening class
Class Hours: Tuesdays 6:00 – 8:45 pm Lakeside Hall Room 110
This course is designed to expose students to practical tools that will enable them to effectively deal with the challenges of managing in the public and nonprofit environment. The course is built around a series of modules that are not exhaustive, but certainly hit on challenges that a public administrator must address on a regular basis. These include:
1) Making Meetings Work, by John E. Tropman, Sage Publications, ISBN# 0803973594
2) How to Present Like a Pro, by Lani Arredondo, McGraw-Hill, ISBN# 0-07-002505-3
3) Public Participation in Public Decisions: New Skills and Strategies for Public
Managers, by John Clayton Thomas, Jossey-Bass, ISBN# 0-7879-0129-6
4) Performance Measurement: Getting Results, by Harry Hatry, Urban Institute Press.
ISBN# 0-87766-692-X
Supplemental readings will be assigned throughout the semester.
A. Contributions to Class (15%)
This is not a lecture-dominated class where the instructor speaks and the students passively listen. This is a tools class where student presentations, small group exercises, sharing of constructive feedback, and other techniques will be used to foster active learning and practice with skills. For this format to be effective, students are expected to read assigned material and complete any written exercises prior to class. Students also must be present to benefit from the class. Since the class only meets once per week, any absences should be discussed and cleared with the instructor.
Simply put, in order to receive an “A”, a student must be an engaged, active participant in the class, not merely score well on papers and exams.
D. Exams (25% each)
Two exams using a short answer/essay format will be given on October 3 and December 12.
Note: This class will use the plus/minus grading system (A, A-, B+, B, B-, etc.)
August 27 Introductions and Course Expectations
Module 1: Customer Service
September 3 Module 2: Media Relations with Dr. Walt DeVries
n Speaking to the camera
Reading: Handouts
Assignment: Press release on government/nonprofit issue
September 7(Sat) Media Relations (cont’d)
n Live and remote interviews (at WWAY TV-3 studios)
September 10 Media Relations (cont’d)
n Review /feedback of tapes
September 17 Module 3: Making Presentations
n Taped presentations
Reading: Arredondo, Chapters 1-4
Assignment: Five minute prepare presentation entitled, “Why You Should Hire Me.”
September 24 Making Presentations (cont’d)
n Feedback on presentation tapes
Reading: Arredondo, Chapters 5-8
October 1 Module 4: Meeting Management
n Taped simulated meetings
Reading: Tropman, Parts 1 & 2
October 8 Meeting Management (cont’d)
n Feedback on meeting tapes
Reading: Tropman, Parts 3 & 4
October 22 Module 5: Public Participation
n Roundtable of Community Experts (e.g., Mark Boyer, Director of Public Relations, New Hanover County; Herbert Harris, Community Action Group, Curtis Wright or Johnnie Hennigan, Council of Neighborhood Associations).
Reading: Thomas, Chapters 1-5
October 29 Public Participation (cont’d)
Reading: Thomas, Chapters 6-10
Assignment: Three page critique of public meeting or public participation process.
November 5 Module 6: Building Effective Relationships with Elected Officials and Political Appointees
Reading: Handouts
November 12 Module 7: Performance Measurement
Reading: Hatry, Parts I & II
November 19 Performance Measurement (cont’d)
Reading: Hatry, Part III
November 26 Performance Measurement (cont’d)
Reading: Hatry, Parts IV & V
December 3 Performance Measurement (cont’d)
n Student presentations
December 10 Performance Measurement (cont’d)
n Student presentations