PLS 520

Field Seminar in Coastal Management

Course Objectives:

This course is designed to be a mini capstone class that provides you with an opportunity to integrate the theories and concepts learned in various public management, policy analysis, and coastal management classes. It also provides you with a final opportunity to develop your skills and abilities in order to make you a more effective manager of coastal resources. Specifically, the course objectives are to:

	Develop your appreciation of the complexity of issues, problems and challenges associated with effective coastal resource management;
	Enhance your skills and ability to think, act, and communicate more effectively in today’s public and nonprofit organizations;
	Enhance your ability to analyze coastal management problems, find creative solutions, and implement these policies and programs effectively; and,
	Become a more effective coastal manager.

These objectives will be met by exposing you to a variety of readings, class discussion, videos, and occasional guest speakers. A series of individual and group assignments will also be used to explore the concepts discussed in the readings and get you to integrate the material learned in other classes. The group projects are also designed to provide you with some experience in working for a client and will also enhance your ability to communicate ideas and arguments in written form.

Readings

The following books are required for this course and can be purchased at local book stores or can be purchased online:

	Clark, Tim W.. 2002. The Policy Process: A Practical Guide for Natural Resource Professionals. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press.
	Majone, Giandomenico. 1989. Evidence, Argument, & Persuasion in the Policy Process. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press.
	O'Leary, Rosemary, Robert F. Durant, Daniel J. Fiorino, Paul S. Weiland. 1999. Managing for the Environment: Understanding the Legal, Organizational, and Policy Challenges. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass Publishers.

Additional readings are on reserve in the UNCW Library. Another packet with all of the reserve readings can be checked out from the professor. Other readings can be downloaded from the services provided by the library (e.g., LexisNexis, Ebsco, etc.). Copies of lecture notes and any overheads used in class will also be available on this website.

Expectations and Approach

This is not a lecture-dominated class where the instructor speaks and the students passively listen. This is a small seminar class where you will take an active part in your learning by leading class discussions, identifying potential guest speakers, and sharing you experiences on various individual and group projects with your classmates. Course readings will be supplemented with videos, occasional guest speakers, and other information available on the class web site. Part of your learning will be cognitive or factual in nature. However, much of what you learn in this course will involve developing your analytical and management skills and enhancing your self-awareness of issues confronting coastal management practitioners. I encourage you to prepare yourself for, and be open to, the variety of ways that you can learn from this course.

Course Requirements

Your grade in this class will be based on your ability to understand and apply the concepts discussed in the course readings. More specifically, your grade will depend on your performance on the following course requirements:

Class Participation

Students are expected to complete the assigned readings and come to class prepared to discuss all readings, handouts, and assignments that are due. Given the small class size, it will be evident to all in attendance whether you are prepared to discuss the readings. To ensure that students are prepared to discuss the readings, I will randomly ask students to summarize a reading. Each student should also be prepared to share with the class questions that the readings raised and be able to identify the most significant points or contribution that the author makes to the practice of coastal resource management.

While attendance will not be taken regularly, in a small seminar class your absence is easily noted. Moreover, poor classroom attendance may result in a failing participation grade since you cannot participate if you are not in class. You should notify the instructor when you are unable to attend class. In certain circumstances it may be possible to make-up other in-class activities with a written assignment if frequent absences have become a problem. Your participation grade will also be lowered due to the frequent inability to respond to the instructor’s questions, poor class preparation, lack of enthusiastic participation in class exercises, or the failure to treat others in the classroom with respect (e.g., talking while others are talking, ridiculing other students, etc.). Simply put, in order to receive an “A” in this class you must be a civil, active contributor to class and not merely score well on exams and assignments.

Individual Assignments

Each student will be required to complete a series of individual assignments. Each assignment is designed to get you to apply some aspect of the course readings. Some assignments are written while others involve completing an assigned task and reporting back during class. The assignments for this semester include interviewing a planner (oral), a problem definition exercise (written), a policy instrument exercise (written), observing a public meeting/hearing (oral), and a diffusion of innovations exercise (written). Directions for each exercise are provided on the web site.

Group Projects

Each student will be required to participate in three group projects. Given the small class size, you will all work on the same three projects, however, as a class you are free to assign the workload on each project as you see fit. This semester, the projects are:

	Develop a strategy for Wrightsville Beach to comply with the NPDES Phase II stormwater requirements for the Public Education and Outreach and Public Participation/Involvement Minimum Control Measures.
	Develop a set of performance measures and a strategy for monitoring the performance of the NPDES Phase II stormwater minimum control measures for Wrightsville Beach.
	Evaluate the Mason Inlet relocation project. Specifically, I want you to determine whether this project should serve as a model for other local governments seeking to solve similar problems.

All three reports should be professional in appearance and include a cover, table of contents, executive summary, reference list, and appropriate appendices. All three reports will be available for others to read so they should be well organized and well written. You will also be required to present the results of all three analyses. At a minimum, you will present your findings to students in the PLS 521 class and other interested faculty and students. You may also present your findings to Wrightsville Beach officials. Additional directions can be found on the website.

Your project grades will be based on both the quality of your presentation and the final written report. Your group grades will be your individual grades. However, a peer evaluation form will be used when you complete your projects. Your individual grade may be adjusted lower if the team reports that one of its members did not contribute to the projects adequately.

Grading

All written work will be evaluated based on your analysis, the organization of your ideas, the strength and substance of your arguments, your ability to properly apply the concepts discussed in class, and the quality of your writing (e.g., spelling, grammar, punctuation, etc.). Failure to complete an assignment or failing to follow directions will result in a 0 for the assignment. The final course grade will be calculated based upon the following weights:


Class Participation	25% (250 points)
Individual Assignments
Interview planner	2.5% (25 points)
Problem definition exercise	2.5% (25 points)
Analyzing policy instruments	10% (100 points)
Observe public meeting/hearing	2.5% (25 points)
Diffusion of innovations	7.5% (75 points)
Group Projects
Public participation strategy	15% (150 points)
Performance measure strategy	15% (150 points)
Mason Inlet evaluation	20% (200 points)

Course grades will be calculated based on the following: A (920 – 1000), A- (900 – 919), B+ (880 – 899), B (820 – 879), B- (800 – 819), C+ (780 – 799), C (720 – 779), C- (700 – 719), D+ (680 – 699), D (620 – 679), D- (600 – 619), and F (0 – 599).

Be advised that you must maintain a B average to remain in the MPA program. I have a zero tolerance policy for cheating. Anyone caught cheating will receive a failing grade for the course and other disciplinary charges pursuant to the University's Code of Student Life.

Late Assignments/Incompletes

Tentative due dates for course assignments are listed on the course schedule and are subject to change based on class progress and student preferences. You should check the course schedule and announcements pages on the course web site periodically for changes in due dates. Students may bring forward requests for changing the dates of major assignments for class approval with a minimum of one-week advance notice to the class.

Unless I have agreed in advance, all assignments are due at the end of the class period they are due. Informing the instructor of your intention to be absent does not waive your obligation to submit the work that is due. Late assignments lose one full letter grade per class they are late. An incomplete will only be granted when there are serious extenuating circumstances that occur after the withdrawal period.

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