Journal

Reflection Journal

This course is structured as a service-learning experience where students will be engaged in an applied public service project and examine the extent to which the project demonstrates theories and concepts learned throughout the MPA program. A critical element of this experience is reflecting on the experiences and sharing these experiences with your classmates. The journal will also be a means of getting you to think about your professional development and career interests.

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. Rather it is a way to bring together your own ideas with those presented in the readings. It is also a way to link these ideas with your experiences on the group project. Thus, it is a sense making exercise. Rather than simply summarize your work on the group project look for its broader meaning and try to identify how these experiences are indicative of broader phenomena.

You are free to write anything you want in your journals and a single entry could range from a paragraph to many pages. I would encourage you to write several short entries over the course of a week rather than simply preparing one long entry for the week as it is often best to write about your experiences when they are fresh in you mind. Regardless of how you structure your entries, you are required to prepare the equivalent of at least 4 single-spaced pages per week (including the required essays). You can keep the entries in any format you wish (e.g., one long document, a loose leaf binder, hand written journal, web blog, etc.), however, you will periodically be asked to hand in your entries in class unannounced so please bring your journals to class. Types of entries might include:

	*Observation*: what did you see in class or in the world around you?
	*Speculation*: speculate about the results of your analysis or what you expect to find from your research.
	*Question*: talk about your doubts or uncertainties.
	*Self awareness*: what are you learning? What have you learned during your MPA experience? What do you still need to learn to achieve your personal and professional objectives?
	*Connections*: relate experiences in class or with your projects to previous experiences in other areas.
	*Dialogue*: use the journal to communicate with the professor or pretend you are talking to other students.

The discussion questions at the end of each chapter in the Mintrom book may also provide useful topics for journal entries. You can also relate the stories and advice provided in the Ashworth book to your careers, public service projects, or internship experience. After nearly 2 years in the MPA program, you should have plenty to write about.

Required Journal Entries

In addition to your regular weekly journal requirement, you are required to undertake the following activities and prepare the following additional required journal entries and be prepared to discuss them when indicated on the course schedule.

Required Entry #1

Think about your strengths and weaknesses as a professional. Many of you will soon be looking for work in the public or nonprofit sector. Presumably, you applied to the MPA program to develop your skills and abilities and your knowledge of various subject matter. This initial entry is designed to have you reflect on the progress you have made and to speculate about where you want to get. What are your career goals or ambitions? What type of job do you want or not want? What types of skills or experiences will be necessary to achieve your goals? Since most career planners suggest thinking about multiple careers, what 2 or 3 careers do you expect to have during your productive working life? You need not respond to these questions, they are designed to have you spend some time thinking about your professional development so far and what you still need to do.

Required Entry #2

Identify someone who has the job you want to have in 5 or 10 years. In other words, not someone who has the type of job you will soon be applying for, but someone who has the type of job you aspire to have once you have some experience. Ideally, you should choose a role model or possible mentor who is someone who you might model your own career after. You should then interview this individual and should consider asking some variation on the following types of questions:

	What is it that you actually do? Have them explain their job and the range of duties and activities. Ask them what types of employees they hire? What types of skills and abilities do their subordinates need to have?
	Ask them how they got to where they are today? Why did they choose this line of work? What was their educational and career path? What types of experience do you need to have to get this type of job? Ask them where they see themselves in another 5 or 10 years? What are their ambitions?
	What is it like working with elected officials and high-level officials (e.g., town managers, agency administrators, etc.)? Asking them for examples of positive and negative experiences may prompt a story.
	What do they find most/least rewarding about their jobs?
	What advice would they give you to get a similar job in 5 or 10 years?

Of course you can ask them any questions you want as well. Remember your goal is to learn more about what they do and what it takes to get the type of job they have. Of course, you should also be on the look out for the types of stories and advice that fill Ashworth's book. Be sure to read chapter 4 in Mintrom (2003) before doing 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 learn more about a particular type of job, agency, or program. It also provides an opportunity to network with public and nonprofit managers in the region. You should reflect on this experiencee and summarize what you learned during your interview in this journal entry.

Required Entry #3

Develop a career strategy based on your interview described above. Your career strategy should include your goals and options (5, 10, 20 years out, etc.) and you should identify steps you think you need to take to accomplish these goals. Short term, you should try to map out what you will do between now and graduation to get your job and then your next 5 to 10 years and the steps you will need to take to ultimately get the job you desire. Longer term, you should be thinking in terms of multiple careers since you are likely to have 2 or 3 distinct careers in your working life. Be prepared to present your career strategy to the class.

Required Entry #4

Write an 3 - 4 page (double-spaced) essay entitled "The Keys to Being a Respected Professional" Be prepared to discuss your discuss the essay and bring a copy to have other read in class.

Required Entry #5

Ashworth�s (2001) Caught Between the Dog and the Fireplug, or How to Survive Public Service provides a somewhat humorous look inside the world of public administration and the book is rich with great advice for future practitioners. Much of this advice is supported with stories and anecdotes. Identify five lessons, recommendations, or other pieces of advice that Ashworth provides that you feel will benefit you in your future career. Explain why you think this is the case. Is the advice consistent with the theories and concepts you learned in the MPA program? Explain why or why not?

Required Entry #6

It is important for the MPA program to continually get feedback from students. While we will discuss your feedback in class, there may be things that you do not wish to reveal openly to other students. This journal entry is an opportunity for you to comment on the strengths and weaknesses of the MPA program and to make recommendations or changes. Anything you write will be held confidential although I will share your comments and suggestions anonymously with the faculty.

Required Entry #7

Apply for a job that would begin implementing your career strategy. For this required journal entry, you should comment on how you identified the job and what the process was like. You can also comment on how you plan to become engaged in your job search. You should appendix any application forms, essays, and cover letters used to apply for the job. If you already have a job and are not seeking employment, you must still find a job to apply for and complete all of the necessary materials (e.g., application, cover letter, etc.) but rather than submitting them to the potential employer you will submit them to me.

Required Entry #8

For this journal entry, I want you to evaluate your contribution to the group project and how you performed as a team member. I do not want you to comment on other group members. You will have ample opportunity to do so in your peer evaluations. Questions to consider in this journal entry are: did you attend and participate in team meetings; did you cooperate with others; what ideas and relevant materials did you contribute; did you listen to and respect others' ideas; were you a friendly and focused colleague; did you master the subject matter; what steps or independent research did you do to master the subject matter; did you help others master the subject matter; did you meet deadlines and do agreed tasks; and what steps did you take to make sure that the presentation was tight and polished

Required Entry #9

For this final entry I want you to reflect on what you have learned in this course from the public service project, class discussions, and other assignments. There are lots of ways to approach this reflection. To get you started, consider some of the following: Have you learned anything about yourself and your ability to work in teams or with clients? Have these experienced enhanced your management or analytical skills in any way? Are there things you wish you had learned but didn't?

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