Individual Assignments
|
| Each student will be required to complete the following
individual projects. Some of these assignments involve written
assignments while other require you to complete a task and report back to
the class. |
| |
#1: Interview a Planner (Oral)
|
| Each student is required to interview a planner or a policy
analyst whom you have never met before. The goal is to get the
planner/policy analyst to share some stories, experiences, and advice with
you (Read the Forester reserve readings before conducting your
interview). This short assignment will let you practice your
interviewing skills before you begin working on your group projects.
It provides an opportunity to network with local planners/analysts.
It also provides an opportunity to learn more about a particular type of
job, agency, or program. |
| The person you interview can work at any coastal,
environmental, or natural resource management at the federal, state, or
local level. Preferably, you should pick an individual who has been
working as a policy analyst/planner for a number of years. They
should be a career civil servant not a political appointee. I want
you to ask him/her the following basic questions and be prepared to share
the answers to these questions with the class (there is no written
assignment): |
 | Why did they choose this line of work? |
| What is it that you actually do? Have them explain their job
and the range of duties and activities. |
| One of there jobs is formulating information/advice for
decisionmakers. How often do the decisionmakers follow their
advice? What does it feel like when the decisionmakers ignore
their advice. Asking them for examples might prompt a story. |
| What is it like working with elected officials and high level
officials (e.g., town managers, agency administrators, etc.)?
What advice would they give you? Asking them for examples of
positive and negative experiences may prompt a
story. |
| What do they find most/least rewarding about their jobs? |
| Of course you can ask them any questions you want as well.
Remember your goal is to learn more about what planners/analysts do
and to listen to stories and advice they have. |
|
| |
#2: Problem Definition (Written)
|
| The Mason Inlet Project was a response to a problem(s).
What is the problem(s) that the project was designed to solve. Be
sure to describe and define your problem clearly and not define the
problem in terms of its solution (see Bardwell's problem framing article
for the importance of problem framing). This is a written
assignment. |
| |
#3: Analyzing Policy Instruments (Written)
|
| For this assignment you must pick a coastal, environmental,
or natural resource management problem. Be sure to describe and
define your problem clearly and not define the problem in terms of its
solution (see Bardwell's problem framing article for the importance of
problem framing). You must then find at least 3 policy
instruments that are (or could be) used to address this problem. If
more than three policy instruments are used to address your problem, then
you should evaluate additional policy instruments. I want you to
critique the effectiveness of each policy instrument with respect to how
it is used to address the problem. What are its strengths?
What are its weaknesses? Does the policy instrument address some
aspects of the problem and not others? Are there policy instruments
that are not used that might be effective in addressing some aspect of the
problem? This is a written assignment. |
| |
#4: Visit a Public Meeting or Hearing (Oral)
|
| Each student will be required to visit a public meeting or
hearing where you are not a participant. You have a lot of
flexibility in selecting the meeting/hearing you plan to attend but should
consult with the instructor first. Options would include
meetings/hearings conducted by a federal or state agency (e.g., NCDER) or
a local government hearing. You should come to class when the
assignment is due and report back with your critique of this common form
of public involvement and education. What are its strengths and
weaknesses based on what you observed. There is no written
assignment. |
| |
#5: Diffusion of Innovations (Written)
|
| Implementing the NPDES Phase II stormwater requirements
will require local governments such as Wrightsville Beach to adopt a wide
range of innovations (policies, programs, & practices). There
are two parts to this assignment. First, pick one management measure
and identify one innovation that Wrightsville Beach will have to
adopt. Using Rogers' diffusion model as depicted in Figure 6-1, do
you think the innovation will be adopted quickly? Be sure to comment
on each element of the framework but your focus for this assignment should
be on the perceived attributes of the innovation. Second,
based on what you have learned about Wrightsville Beach while working on
the group projects, speculate about the innovativeness of this
organization. You should use Using Rogers' diffusion model as
depicted in Figure 10-1 to guide your analysis. This is a written
assignment. |
