Public Affairs 3110: Education Policy in a Changing World
This is a sample syllabus to provide general information about the course and it's requirements. Course requirements are subject to change. This syllabus does not contain all assignment or course detail and currently enrolled students should reference the syllabus provided by their instructor. For a specific syllabus, please email us a request.
Learning Outcomes
By the end of this course, students should be able to:
- Describe how government institutions and political actors govern schooling in the U.S.
- Illustrate public affairs concepts—related to the policymaking process, policy analysis, management and leadership, and budgeting and finance—using U.S. K-12 education as a case.
- Describe contemporary debates in education policy and governance.
- Critically assess the merits of competing claims about education policy and governance by assessing the values and rigor of the evidence that characterizes those debates.
- Articulate a vision of how they might best participate in education policy and governance given their interests and aptitudes.
Requirements and Expectations
This course may require materials. Consult your instructor's syllabus for details.
Attendance & Participation: 30 points
Reading quizzes: 25 points
Exams (15% each): 45 points
Attendance & Participation (30% of class grade)
Students are required to complete and reflect upon weekly Carmen readings prior to class, and they must participate meaningfully in class discussions about the readings.
Independent work: Students must carefully complete readings and come to class prepared with their own questions and reactions. Each student receives a grade based on the quality of their participation during each class session. Half of the grade is based on whether or not they are present. Half of the grade is based on the extent and quality of their participation in class discussions. To get an A for this half of the grade, students must demonstrate familiarity with the issues in the readings and must make thoughtful contributions to class discussion. Students receive a B if their contribution is of average quality (e.g., they demonstrate some familiarity with the reading and make at least one contribution to class discussion). Cs are for those who did not read or did not contribute. Ds are for those who neither read nor contributed. Students who are disruptive receive an E.
Reading Quizzes (25% of class grade)
In the beginning of each class, students use Top Hat to complete a short quiz on the readings due that day. The questions are basic and are designed to distinguish between those who read the assignments and those who did not (or merely skimmed). It’s important to be on time to class, as students who are late and do not complete the quiz receive no points on the quiz.
Exams (45% of class grade)
Students take three in-class essay exams that are each 15 percent of the class grade. The exams require students to synthesize and integrate content from the preceding five weeks (since the last exam for exams 2 and 3). Questions may ask students to interpret current events or argue policy positions while mobilizing class content to make their case. Grading will be based on accuracy, the extent to which answers integrate course material, and the extent to which arguments are persuasive. Students have an opportunity to go over course content and ask clarifying questions in a review session prior to the exam.