PLS 522

Field Seminar in Coastal Management

Course Objectives:

This course is designed to be a service-learning course that you with an opportunity to integrate the theories and concepts learned in various public management, policy analysis, and coastal management classes by doing an integrated project for a client and then to reflect on these experiences. It also provides an 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;
	Learn how to reflect on and learn from your management and policy analysis experiences; 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 in class exercises, journal assignments, and the group project will help to integrate these experiences. 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:

	Mintrom, Michael. 2003. People Skills for Policy Analysts. Washington, DC: Georgetown University Press. ISBN 0-87840-900-9 (Required)
	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. ISBN 0-7879-1004-X (Required)
	Ashworth, Kenneth. Caught Between the Dog and the Fireplug, or How to Survive Public Service (Washington, DC: Georgetown University Press, 2001). ISBN 0-87840-847-9 (Recommended)

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 seminar class where you will take an active part in your learning by participating in class discussions, doing in-class exercises, and sharing experiences 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 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. Your participation grade will also be influenced by your participation in additional ungraded assignments and exercises.

While attendance will not be taken regularly, 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.

Journal

This course is structured as a service learning experience. A critical element of this experience is to reflect on the experiences you have while undertaking a policy/management related project and working with your client. Accordingly, each student will be required to keep a journal. A journal is a place to record observations, speculate, raise questions, and figure things out. It is not a place to simply summarize the readings. In your journal you are free to write anything you want and a single entry could range from a paragraph to many pages. I want the equivalent of at least 3 single-spaced pages per week. If you are having difficulty finding something to write about, the discussion questions at the end of each chapter in the Mintrom book provide useful suggestions.

You will also be required to complete several required journal entries that are posted on the website. These assignments are in addition to the 3-page weekly requirement. You are free to keep the journal in any form you wish but should keep it updated as periodically I will collect the journals and you will share journal entries with other students at the end of class.

Group Projects

Each student will be required to participate in a group project. Summaries of the projects are posted on the website. Whenever possible, there are real clients for the projects and you are expected to work with the client to reach agreement on the scope of work to be performed keeping in mind the deadlines associated with the class. You are free to organize your project team as you seem fit, however, you must have a project leader or spokesperson to report on your project.

Each project will result in one or more work products (e.g., report, grant proposal, etc.) that can be used in your portfolios. Keep in mind that when working in the community you are representing not only yourself but UNCW and the MPA program. Accordingly, you should behave professionally at all times. Your final reports and other work products should be professional in appearance and include a cover, table of contents, executive summary, reference list, and appendices as needed. At a minimum, you will present your findings in this class but schedule permitting you will also present your findings to your clients. Additional directions and requirements are posted on the website.

Your project grades will be based on both the quality of your presentation and the final written report. Your client will evaluate the usefulness of your final project. I will factor their impressions into the grading process. Your group grades will be your individual grades. You will evaluate your own contributions to the project in a required journal entry. A peer evaluation form will also 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 (20%)	20% (200 points)
Journal (30%)
Weekly entries	15% (150 points)
Required entry #1	3% (30 points)
Required entry #2	3% (30 points)
Required entry #3	3% (30 points)
Required entry #4	3% (30 points)
Required entry #5	3% (30 points)

Group Projects (50%)
Scope of work, progress reports, project management	15% (100 points)
Presentation	10% (100 points)
Project	25% (300 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.

Back to Mark T. Imperial's Homepage

Page last modified 08/17/11

Report problems to imperialm@uncw.edu