NOTE: Provisional Draft –Changes in Readings, Assignments, and Guest Speakers Are Likely1
POL 3310: Topics - Political Engagement Careers: Planning and Preparing For Your FutureSpring 2016
Wednesdays and Fridays, 1:00pm- 2:15pm, Humphrey Center Room 184
Prof. Paul Soper – 1480 Social Sciences612-626-1002
Office Hours: Wed. and Fri., 10:00am-11:00am; and by appointment
Course Description
Are you interested in pursuing a career in public service? Do you plan to run for office in the future, or work in a government agency (such as the State Department or the FBI or the MN DNR), or become a professional campaign manager or lobbyist, or work as an issue activist on a cause important to you? Would you like to learn more about the variety of public service careers open to a college graduate? Do you wonder what motivates people to pursue careers in politics, public administration, and community service, and how these motivations vary across career fields? Would you like to explore some options for future internship or service learning while at the University? Then this course is for you!
This course is the Political Science Department's introduction to careers in political and civic engagement. Through readings focused on theories about and case studies of political engagement, and on the ethics of politics and public service, numerous guest speakers with extensive experience as public service professionals, and a discussion-oriented class format, we will explore the meaning of public service and the main types of public service careers that you could pursue. We will think about the virtues and challenges associated with doing public service work, and how these differ across different types of jobs and venues for serving the public. Finally, in addition to gaining a better understanding of the concept and varieties of public service work, you will acquire practical knowledge and skills related to the search for public service work opportunities. Intended primarily for first- and second-year undergraduates, but open to students of any major at any point in their undergraduate program.
Required Texts – available in the Coffman Union bookstore
Heather Krasna, Jobs That Matter: Find a Stable, Fulfilling Career in Public Service
(JIST Publishing, 2010). ISBN-13: 978-1-59357-787-2
Kenneth Ashworth, Caught Between the Dog and the Fireplug, or How to Survive Public Service
(Georgetown University Press, 2001). ISBN-13: 978-0878408474
Sian Lazar, ed., The Anthropology of Citizenship: A Reader (Wilely-Blackwell, 2013).
Gerald Pomper, Ordinary Heroes and American Democracy (Routledge, 2007).
J. Patrick Dobel, Public Integrity (Johns Hopkins University Press, 1999).
Course Requirements
Classroom Conversation30%assessed at the end of each week
Career Exploration Exercises Report10%due by February 5
Public Service Philosophy Essay10%due by April 8
Informational Interview Report10%due by April 20
Ethics of Public Life Essay10%due by May 6
Internship Research Report30%due by May 6
Classroom Conversation: Public service involves public speaking. I want to see that each student is working to cultivate her or his skill at speaking in a public setting. To this end, each student is expected to participate actively in each class session. This involves (1) doing all assigned reading before class, so that one is prepared to discuss it, (2) offering answers to questions posed in class, (3) sharing thoughts in reaction to the readings and to other students’ contributions to discussion, (4) initiating discussion by posing questions or making points in relation to assigned readings, and (5) posing questions for our guest speakers. NOTE: Students should take pains to participate in a civil, respectful manner at all times.
Career Exploration Exercises Report: One of the major purposes of this course is to spur students’ exploration of possible careers. The first step in such career exploration is to think seriously about your dreams, mission, interests, works skills and values, and how your unique combination of these elements prepares you for various careers. This report is a summary of what you learn about yourself through the completion of the career exploration exercises in the Krasna book.
Public Service Philosophy Essay: Another major theme of this course is to think about just what “public service” means. We’ll do this by reading about the American founders’ ideas on the subject, and then more contemporary accounts of the real-life challenges faced by today’s public servants. In this essay, you will reflect on what we’ve read about public service, and develop your own philosophy of what public service entails.
Informational Interview Report: One of the best ways to learn about public service careers, and to introduce oneself to those who might aid one’s job search, is to conduct an informational interview. Students will conduct at least one informational interview with a public service professional working in the Twin Cities area, and write a 3-5 page (double-spaced) report that summarizes what he or she has learned about this person and his/her career and work. More details on this assignment will be provided on Sept. 11. Students will receive extra credit for completing up to 3 additional informational interview reports.
Ethics of Public Life Essay: Political engagement and public service work continuously pose challenges to our ethical principles and present us with opportunities to choose how we should put our ethical principles into practice in particular situations. Often these situations are stressful, constrained by limited time and pressures from fellow political participants. In order to prepare ourselves for participating in politics in a way that remains consistent with our core ethical principles, we will examine the ethics of political engagement through reading Dobel’sPublic Integrity and in class discussions. This essay will ask you to state your ethical principles and imagine how you would apply them to a particular scenario laid out in the prompt.
Internship Research Report: Public service careers are best explored through an internship. Students will write a 5-10 page report in which they will research at least 3 different types of public service internships with actual organizations or offices in the Twin Cities (or beyond). Students should compile as much information as possible about each internship, and then explain how each one would help them advance their pursuit of a public service career. Then, drawing upon Krasna’s suggestions, they should formulate a plan for pursuing each of these internships. More information on the details of this assignment will be presented in the coming weeks.
How This Course Meets the Requirements of Liberal Education
This course meets the general requirements of liberal education because it requires students to confront and critically analyze some of the classic statements of the western conception of politics and public service, and to develop their own public service philosophy. In the process, students will be expected to demonstrate their ability to read and discuss classic texts, and to gather information from a variety sources, judging the quality of that information, and presenting it in a clear and cogent fashion both in classroom discussions and in written essays and a research paper.
Student Learning Outcomes
* “Understand diverse philosophies and cultures within and across societies”
a. Course will examine a variety of modes of political participation and civic engagement, through study of cases drawn from a variety of cultural and national contexts. Students will read case studies in political and civic engagement drawn from around the world, focusing on both the variety of methods for political engagement and the interaction of politics and gender, race, class, religion, and sexuality in political engagement.
b. Students’ learning will be assessed through their participation in class discussions and in a short essay on theories and current research on civic and political engagement.
* “Can communicate effectively.”
a. Students will be expected to participate regularly and extensively in class discussions. Emphasis will be on cultivating verbal communication skills as well as writing skills.
b. Students will be required to present summaries of assigned readings and lead discussions, to participate in small group discussions, and to practice networking and interviewing skills with peers in class. Student performances will be assessed through peers’ in-class feedback and instructor’s written evaluations.
* “Have acquired skills for effective citizenship and life-long learning”
a. The entire course is aimed at cultivating students’ civic skills and encouraging them to pursue a career in public service. Readings will focus on the variety of public service career paths, and the challenges and opportunities involved in these careers.
b. Students will be assessed by a term research paper which will involve a statement of personal public service philosophy, with special attention to ethical questions, and a plan for pursuing future public service career opportunities, which will include preparing a professional resume, cover letter, conducting informational interviews, and researching several internship opportunities.
SYLLABUS (see Note below)
DateTopic and Readings
Jan 20Introductions
Jan 22Zach Rodvold – Director of External Affairs, DFL House Caucus
Exploring Public Service Careers
Read: Krasna, chs. 1 & 2
Jan 27Identifying Your Career Values and Goals and Your Mission
Review: Krasna, chs. 1& 2
Jan 29Emily Good – The Advocates for Human Rights
Feb 3Ben Hansen – CLA Career Services
Feb 5Terri Bonoff – Minnesota State Senator
DUE: Career Exploration Exercises Report
Feb 10John Gunyou – Chair, Three Rivers Park Board
Read: Krasna, chs. 10-12
Feb 12Career Planning and Job Search Skills
Review: Krasna, ch. 10
Feb 17Informational Interviews and Networking
Review: Krasna, ch. 11, esp. pp. 223-225
Feb 19Tim Sanders – Minnesota State Representative and Asst. Majority Leader
Read: Krasna, chs. 3 & 4
Feb 24Rima Kawas – Manager, Government Affairs, Target Corporation
Read: Krasna, chs. 5 & 6
Feb 26Discussion: Job Search Skills
Review: Krasna, chs. 10-12
Mar 2Careers Discussion:
Review: Krasna, chs. 3 - 6
Mar 4Read: Krasna, chs. 7, 8, & 9
Mar 9Careers Discussion – wrap-up
Mar 11Nathan Anderson – Minnesota Department of Veterans Affairs
Mar 16SPRING BREAK – NO CLASS
Mar 18SPRING BREAK – NO CLASS
DateTopic and Readings
Mar 23Ideals of Public Service – Civic Republicanism
Read: Lazar, chs. 1-4
Mar 25Ideals of Public Service – Liberalism
Read: Lazar, chs. 5-9
Mar 30Ideals of Public Service– George Washington
Read: Wood, Revolutionary Characters, ch. 1 [Moodle]
Suggested: Wood, Revolutionary Characters, Introduction [Moodle]
Apr 1The Myth of Washington and the Emergence of Modern Politics
Read: Ferling, The Ascent of George Washington; [Moodle]
Suggested: Wood, Revolutionary Characters, Epilogue [Moodle]
Adair, “Fame and the Founding Fathers” [Moodle]
Apr 6Realities of Public Service
Read: Ashworth, pp. 1-44; Lazar, chs. 10-17
Apr 8cont’d
Read: Ashworth, pp. 45-88
DUE: Public Service Philosophy Essay
Apr 13Realities of Public Service
Read: Ashworth, pp. 121-151; Lazar, chs. 18-25
Apr 15cont’d
Read: Ashworth, pp. 152-186
Apr 20Realities of Public Service
Read: Pomper, chs. 1-3, 4; John F. Kennedy, “Preface,” Profiles in Courage
DUE: Informational Interview Report(s)
Apr 22cont’d
Read: Pomper, chs. 9-11
Apr 27The Ethics of Public Service and Political Engagement
Read: Dobel, chs. 1-5
Apr 29cont’d
Read: Dobel, chs. 6-10
May 4Ethics and Public Life, cont’d
May 6Conclusions
DUE: Ethics of Public Life Essay AND Internship Research Report
NOTE: Reading assignments and Guest Speaker dates might be changed as the course unfolds. Please keep alert for any announcements of changes in our schedule.
Important Course Policies
1. Please, come and talk with me whenever you have any questions about the lectures, the readings, preparing for the exams, grading, or other course-related matters. I hold office hours in order to answer any questions you have which you are not able to ask in class. Take advantage of our office hours to clarify points that weren’t made clear in class, to ask questions that weren’t addressed in lectures or the readings, or to get help with the exams.
2. You must complete all assignments for the course. If you do not, you will receive an “F” for the course. Late essays will be marked down one letter grade for each day past the due date.
3. I expect students enrolled in this course to attend every class meeting. Personal or family vacations, or commitments to an employer, are NOT acceptable reasons for excused absence.
Consequently, I give NO INCOMPLETES, except for students experiencing an extreme emergency or those who must attend a University-approved function. By extreme emergency, I mean serious illness in the student, or grave illness in or death of a member of the student’s immediate family, or serious unforeseeable events, such as an automobile accident. In such cases, I require documentation that corroborates the student’s claim (e.g., a note from the attending physician). By University-approved function, I mean University-sponsored athletic competitions, field trips, etc. For these, I require documentation from your coach or faculty sponsor.
4. Computer problems policy: I do not accept claims that “my computer crashed and I lost my paper” as an excuse for a late paper. Make multiple copies of your written work for this course, and save it on multiple drives, disks, CD-ROMs, or memory sticks. Save your drafts frequently, i.e., every five minutes, or after typing each new paragraph. Print out copies of your rough drafts at the end of every work session. If you take these reasonable precautions, you will not be deterred from meeting due dates, even if your computer should in fact malfunction.
5. Academic Integrity, Scholastic Dishonesty, and Plagiarism:
Academic integrity is essential to a positive teaching and learning environment. All students enrolled in University courses are expected to complete coursework responsibilities with fairness and honesty. Failure to do so by seeking unfair advantage over others or misrepresenting someone else’s work as your own, can result in disciplinary action. The University Student Conduct Code defines scholastic dishonesty as follows:
Scholastic dishonesty means plagiarizing; cheating on assignments or examinations; engaging in unauthorized collaboration on academic work; taking, acquiring, or using test materials without faculty permission; submitting false or incomplete records of academic achievement; acting alone or in cooperation with another to falsify records or to obtain dishonestly grades, honors, awards, or professional endorsement; altering forging , or misusing a University academic record; or fabricating or falsifying data, research procedures, or data analysis.
Within this course, a student responsible for scholastic dishonesty can be assigned a penalty up to and including an "F" or "N" for the course. If you have any questions regarding the expectations for a specific assignment or exam, ask.
NOTE: In this class, our use of technology will sometimes make students' names and U of M Internet IDs visible within the course website, but only to other students in the same class. Since we are using a secure, password-protected course website, this will not increase the risk of identity theft or spamming for anyone in the class. If you have concerns about the visibility of your Internet ID, please contact me for further information.
Rev. 09/02/08
STANDARD STATEMENT ON COURSE REQUIREMENTS
POLITICAL SCIENCE DEPARTMENT
(Note: For further information, please see the University “Classroom, Grading, and Examination Procedures” brochure online at:
1.The two grading systems used are the ABCDF and S-N. Political Science majors must take political science courses on the ABCDF system; non-majors may use either system. In all political science courses the bottom line for the S grade is the equivalent of the C- grade; in other words, what is normally considered as D level work will be assigned a grade of N on the S-N system. All students, regardless of the system used, will be expected to do all work assigned in the course, or its equivalent as determined by the instructor.
2.The instructor will specify the conditions, if any, under which an “Incomplete” will be assigned instead of a grade. No student has an automatic right to an I. The instructor may set dates and conditions for makeup of work, if it is to be allowed. The Department of Political Science administers a general make-up exam every quarter for students who have written permission from the Instructor to make up a missed final examination. Inquire at the Undergraduate Advising office (1482 Social Sciences) for the date scheduled for the make-up.
3.Inquiries regarding any change of grade should be directed to the instructor of the course. A student who alleges unfairness on the part of an instructor is entitled to file a grievance with the Department’s Grievance Committee.
4.Students are responsible for class attendance and all course requirements, including deadlines and examinations. The instructor will specify if class attendance is required or counted in the grade for the class.
5.The College does not permit a student to submit extra work in an attempt to raise his or her grade, unless the Instructor has specified at the outset of the class such opportunities afforded to all students.
6.The College has defined scholastic misconduct broadly as “any act that violates the rights of another student in academic work or that involves misrepresentation of your own work." Scholastic dishonesty includes, (but is not necessarily limited to): cheating on assignments or examinations; plagiarizing, which means misrepresenting as you own work any part of work done by another; submitting the same paper, or substantially similar papers, to meet the requirements of more than one course without the approval and consent of all instructors concerned; depriving another student of necessary course materials; or interfering with another student's work.” Instructors may define additional standards beyond these. Further information is available at
7.Students with disabilities that affect their ability to participate fully in class or to meet all course requirements are encouraged to bring this to the attention of the instructor so that appropriate accommodations can be arranged. Further information is available at the Disability Services website:
8.University policy prohibits sexual harassment as defined in the 12/11/1998 policy statement. The full statement is available at:
Complaints about sexual harassment should be reported to the University Office of Equal Opportunity at 419 Morrill Hall.
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