Public Affairs 4011: Public Affairs Capstone Class

Upon successful completion of the course, students should have a strong understanding of the following:

• Their roles and responsibilities as citizens and as professionals in the public and non-profit sectors.
• How the knowledge and skills they have acquired during their undergraduate studies fit together, as well as how they might apply what they have learned to careers in the public and/or non-profit sectors.

Upon successful completion of the course, students should be able to:

• Apply the knowledge and skills they have acquired to a public problem, using technical, analytical and presentation skills to complete a practical project in subject areas of interest to them.
• Communicate the results of their research and analysis effectively in written, oral, and visual formats.
• Visualize data and information using Tableau software and integrate the visualizations into their final capstone document.

• Research Plan for your capstone project: 5 points, independent work
• Introduction and Literature Review of your capstone paper and related literature: 5 points, independent work
• Methodology and Analysis draft: 5 points, independent work
• Draft Capstone paper for instructor and peer review: 5 points, independent work
• Policy Brief describing your project and recommendations: 5 points, independent work
• Presentation: 10 points, independent work
• Final Capstone Paper: 25 points, independent work
• Curriculum Review: Team-based presentation of one of the Glenn College core courses 5 points each: 25 points, collaborative work
• Class participation, team discussions, peer reviews: 15 points, collaborative work

Description: The Glenn College faculty has designed a curricular review process to review the college’s program. We will revisit five core courses in the first weeks of class. You will write four essays reflecting on core coursework you have completed as part of your degree programs, and, for one course, you will join a team to make a team-based class presentation for classmates.

Each essay will focus on a particular course that you have taken (policy analysis and evaluation, management and leadership, public budgeting and finance, civic engagement, and public service). Your essay must describe in detail three items from that class (theory, concept, or framework) and give an example of each. You may add a reflection on how these ideas apply to your capstone project. You may also discuss how one of these items applies to your professional interests.

You should dedicate half of the essay to each of these two components (review and reflection). The essays must be 1.5-2 double-spaced pages, about 300 words (using 12-point font and 1-inch margins) and they are due by the end of the day (10PM) for the corresponding class discussion days. Class time will be set aside to work on the papers. I will base half of the grade for the essay on the care with which you synthesize and apply lessons learned and the other half of your grade on the quality of the writing. Please consult the paper rubric in Appendix A for guidance on how the assignment will be assessed. We will review exemplary essays in class so that you have a clear idea of expectations in subsequent weeks. This work must be fully original.

For the team project, you will be assigned to a team to work with to create a Powerpoint or Canva presentation reviewing a course (you will be assigned a course) for your classmates to help them write their review for that week. On the week when you present the review to the class, you do not need to submit a written review paper. Your grade for that review will be based upon the presentation. This work is collaborative: all students receive the same grade.

Description: You must submit your research plan during the second week of class. Your research plan should contain your carefully crafted research question, a specific plan for answering that question (your empirical strategy), an outline of your final paper (describing the various sections of the paper, including all the components listed in Appendix A), and a timeline for executing each component of the paper. The research plan should be approximately two double-spaced pages (12-point font and one-inch margins). This assignment can include submitting a 1-point steppingstone with a “too much” or “too little” statement related to your topic.

Description: You must submit an introduction and literature review for your topic early in the term; the assignment should include steps for completing the project. This exercise is meant to help you envision where you think your research is headed, as well as to serve as the basis for a writing workshop. This work should also include your literature review of at least six solid sources about your topic directly relevant to your project. The introduction and background should be two pages double-spaced, and the literature review should be 4-5 pages. At this point, students will be assigned to a ‘theme team’ of classmates to work with. During the literature review period, students will submit a brief review of two sources to be shared with others on the team. Points can be earned for steppingstone assignments posted on Carmen and shared with other students.

Description: The draft capstone paper should be 20 double-spaced pages including graphs and charts. It should include all elements required of the final paper, except the policy brief, which is written later. The draft should introduce the research question(s), analytical approach (e.g., data and methods), initial results, and a start of synthesis and implications or recommendations, which have been submitted earlier. You will be graded based on the quality of the writing/presentation and analysis, as if it were the final paper (see rubric in Appendix A). You will receive extensive feedback on the draft in a one-on-one with the instructor or TA. You are also advised to meet with a staff member from the writing center.

 All work must be fully original – work from previous courses cannot be submitted for this assignment.

The policy brief is a two-page synopsis of your paper, written for the policymaker. It is like an executive summary, but for our class, the brief should be visually appealing and communicate the essential components of your research to someone who has but a moment to glance at the brief (e.g., using illustrations and text excerpts). Half of the grade is based on content and the other half on writing/presentation. In addition to following the writing quality guidelines in Appendix A, you must follow the formatting guidelines we review in class (e.g., regarding tables and figures).

You will present your paper to the class in a professional briefing of about 12 minutes. The presentation's purpose is to simulate verbal communication of information in a professional setting. The presentation should provide a brief yet engaging synopsis of your analysis in about 12 minutes (about 10 slides), including a 2-minute question-and-answer session. The rubric I will use to grade your presentations is in Appendix B. You may be required to record your presentation for peer review.

The capstone paper should be 20 double-spaced pages including graphs and charts. Additional materials must include references, and you may include appendices for additional data. The final paper should include a cover page, the policy brief/executive summary you wrote earlier, and sections written through the term: a clear description of the research questions, methodology and data, analysis, and results and recommendations. A concluding assessment or set of recommendations should be included. Your grade will be based on the quality of the writing/presentation and analysis (see rubric in Appendix A). All work must be fully original to you, although the final paper includes all the previously submitted materials.