The Islamic University of Gaza

Faculty of Commerce

Business Administration Department

Second Semester

Academic Year 2015/2016

Lecturer's Information:

Associate Professor: Wasim Al-Habil

Office Room: Continuing Education Building, Second Floor

Office Hours:

1.  Sat. & Mon. 11:00AM to 01:00PM

2.  Sun. & Tue. 11:00AM to 12:30PM

3.  or by appointment.

Course Name: Public Administration

Course Description:

This course is designed as a broad introduction to the field of Public Administration (PA). The course is suitable for Political Science majors and non-majors as well as Public Administration minors and non-minors. No previous knowledge of the field is pre-supposed or required.

Public Administration is different from many fields one encounters while at university. It is an applied field, as opposed to an exclusively academic one. PA is also inherently interdisciplinary. It draws heavily on Political Science, but it also makes use of developments in the fields of Economics, Sociology, Business Management, and other fields as well.

So, what is Public Administration? PA is a management discipline that deals with the public and not-for-profit sectors. It is, as our textbook tells us, “government in action.” It is also non-profits in action. The typical distinction is that elected government officials set policy, and public administrators implement that policy. We will see over the course of the semester, though, that the distinction is rarely that neat. Public administrators do implement, but they also contribute to the formation of policy through the ways they choose to implement policies. They also contribute to policy formulation through their mastery of specialist knowledge and the sheer complexity of government, which prevents elected officials from being involved in all policies at all times.

Objectives of the Course:

Course content is designed to help students become more effective managers of public and non-profit organizations. To achieve that goal, students will be exposed over the course of the semester to the field of Public Administration and its political and cultural context. Students will discover the basics of organization theory, organizational behavior, and strategic management. They will also be exposed to public financial management, personnel management, performance management, leadership, oversight, and ethics. It is hoped that students will come to recognize the extreme complexity of Public Administration as the semester unfolds. Each topic we cover could be a course in and of itself.

Specifically, the course aims:

·  To review major milestones in the science of public administration literature

·  To make sure students have a grasp of enduring and cutting edge theoretical issues

·  To provide a firm theoretical foundation from which students can distinguish between public administration and business administration (BA).

Class Procedures:

·  You should attend all class sessions.

·  Be on time, late entrances to sessions are disruptive.

·  Missed topics are not tutored.

·  Deadlines are deadlines. You should submit assignments on time.

·  Please display your nametag at every class. Making yourself easier for me to recognize is positively correlated to your receiving credit for class participation.

·  Be an active participant in the class discussions by sharing your perspectives and experiences. Quality of your class participation may significantly affect your class participation grade.

·  Please read the assigned reading materials before coming to class. Be prepared for discussions and questions.

·  You should join a group. Each group should have no more than four members.

Honor Code and Academic Integrity:

·  Honesty and personal integrity are essential values for our educational community.

·  Cheating, collusion, misconduct, fabrication, and plagiarism, are considered serious offenses.

·  All individual assignments are to be done by YOU only, and all group assignments are to be done by your group only. You will not solicit/use answers taken from any sources, this includes the internet.

·  Plagiarism is defined as representing someone else's work as your own.

·  Violations may result in penalties that may include: a zero grade in the test/project/assignment, a failing grade for the course, referring to the Dean's office for investigation.

Textbook:

·  Jay M. Shafritz & E. W. Russell, Introducing Public Administration

Teaching Methodology:

·  Lecturing.

·  Group discussions.

·  PowerPoint presentations.

·  Outside reading materials if needed.

Grading System:

Class Participation 10 %

Class paper 10 %

Midterm Exam 20 %

Final Exam 60 %

Total 100%

In assessing your work, I will be looking for your ability to absorb and use conceptual and theoretical material at a high level of competency. I will also be looking for evidence of your grasp of the major theoretical outlines of the field and your ability to discuss, in class and in writing, the significance of major issues and topics.

Course Outline:

Week / Topic / Shafritz and Russell
1 / Defining Public Administration / Chap. 1
2 & 3 / Political & Cultural Environment / Chap. 2
4 & 5 / Bureaucracy & Machinery of Government / Chap. 3
6 / Intergovernmental relations / Chap. 4
Mid Term Examination
7 &8 / Evolution of Management and Organization Theory / Chap. 5
9 & 10 / Organizational Behavior / Chap. 6
11 & 12 / Managerialism & Performance Management / Chap. 7
13 & 14 / Strategic Management / Chap. 8
15 / Leadership & Accountability / Chap. 9
Final Examination

1