Courses Currently Taught
PA 306 SL: Policy Systems
- In this introductory graduate level course geared
toward current and aspiring public administrators, we will discuss a
wide range of public policy theories and models, such as rational
comprehensive model, network governance model, advocacy coalition
framework, and complex system dynamics model. Students will be required
to engage in critically analyzing and evaluating substantive policy
issues of their interest. The emphasis will be placed on learning about
different models of policy analysis and evaluation, and investigating
when, where and how different policy implementation tools are deployed
in variegated policy contexts.
- Spring semester
- View/Download
Syllabus
PA 308: Decision Making Models
- In this advanced graduate level seminar, we will
explore and
analyze a wide range of normative, descriptive and prescriptive
decision making models and theories. This course focuses on systems
level thinking to impart problem-solving skills in complex
decision-making contexts. Decision making problems in the real-world
public policy, business and management arenas will be analyzed and
modeled with different tools developed in the fields of Decision
Analysis, Behavioral Sciences, Game Theory and Complex Systems. The
emphasis will be placed on imparting cutting edge skills to the
students to develop decision support systems that require the design
and implementation of multiple criteria decision analysis models,
behavioral experimental models and agent based simulation models.
- Fall semester
- View/Download
Draft Syllabus
PA 311 SL: Policy Analysis and Program
Evaluation
- In this advanced graduate-level seminar geared toward
current and
aspiring public administrators, you will learn hands-on knowledge about
program evaluation and policy analysis techniques using case studies of
current projects and problems. Specific techniques covered in this
course include logic models, evaluability assessment, implementation
evaluation, quasi-experimentation, randomized experiments,
meta-analysis, systematic reviews and research syntheses, cost
effectiveness and cost benefit analysis, decision analysis, discourse
analysis and complex systems models. You are required to engage in
learning about the fundamental mechanisms of these techniques,
critically evaluating their applications in various substantive policy
domains and applying these techniques to the current policy problems
and programs at all levels of the government.
- Spring semester
- View/Download
Syllabus
CDAE 251 SL: Contemporary Policy Issues:
Community Development
- In this advanced undergraduate service-learning
course, you will learn about analyzing and evaluating a wide range of
sustainable development policies, with emphasis on understanding the
interactions among biodiversity, climate change, energy,
transportation, food, water and air quality management policies. The
emphasis will be placed on understanding the dynamics of complex
systems, and investigating how different public policy interventions in
complex systems change the structure and the dynamics of the
biogeophyscial and socioeconomic systems. You will become familiar with
three policy analytical tools: Participatory Multi-Criteria Analysis,
Complex Systems Dynamic Modeling and Critical Discourse &
Argumentation Analysis.
- Fall semester
- View/Download
Syllabus
CDAE 260: Smart Resilient Communities
- In this upper undergraduate/graduate level course, we will
explore complex adaptive systems and adaptive management approaches to
design smart resilient communities. Increasing demands of a globalizing
economy, aging critical infrastructure, changing demographics, and a
changing climate has led to increasing concern about the resiliency of
social-ecological and socio-technological systems at multiple scales of
governance. Multi-scale challenges require multi-scale solutions. In
particular, secure provision of food, energy and water and early
warnings to vulnerable communities in the face of natural and man-made
hazards requires urgent attention of policy makers, planners and
citizens. This course will focus on social ecological systems and
socio-technological systems integration framework to unravel the
complex pathways that determine community resilience and enable smart
design processes at the nexus of food, energy and water systems. The
emphasis will be placed on practical skills, such as early warning
systems, ubiquitous computing and sensors, resilience design approaches
and interactive scenario planning techniques, for analyzing and
designing smart resilient and sustainable communities.
- Spring semester
- View/Download
Syllabus
|