Public Affairs 5750: Business & Government Relationship

Students will:

• Explore the main theories and policies of our current economic and business systems. 
• Understand the relationship and important issues related to government-business relations. 
• Research and prepare an analysis of a company.
• Improve remote/distance communication skills (communicating in an online setting).

This course may require materials. Consult your instructor's syllabus for details.

There are 100 points possible in this course. The course grade will be based on the following: 

• Weekly Coursework Summary/Analysis, 14 points (14 weeks x 1 point each)
• Topic Discussion or Current Events Analysis, 24 points (12 weeks x 2 points each)
• Economic Perspectives Synthesis Paper, 8 points
• Semester-long Company Analysis Project (assignment is due in four parts as outlined below)
  • Company Analysis Paper, 15 points 
  • Policy Analysis Paper, 18 points
  • Presentation for Policymaker, 9 points
  • Comprehensive Policy Brief, 8 points
• Participation, 4 points

As everyone registered for the course is receiving 5000-level credit, coursework requirements (e.g. reading and assignments) will be the same for both undergraduate and graduate students. To recognize the differences in educational experience between graduate and undergraduate students, and to ensure equity, assessment (grading) will be done separately. The same rubrics will be used, but undergraduate work will be assessed independently from, and without consideration of, the work of graduate students. For each assignment, all undergraduate work will be assessed before graduate work is assessed so the grader evaluates each group with the critical, analytical, and writing expectations appropriate for each education level. 

In order to achieve the learning objectives and to provide a foundation for productive discussion, each of the readings and videos should be completed each week. Students will submit a one-page (single-spaced) summary of the assigned readings which will require a concise, strategically worded write-up. Analysis should be included and may apply the concepts to real-world scenarios, critically analyze the material, or make connections between concepts. The summary/analysis is due by 11:59 pm on Tuesday of each week.

Summaries may be turned in one day late, by 11:59 pm Wednesday, with a quarter-point deduction. No summaries will be accepted after 11:59 pm on Wednesday. 

In addition to staying current with the material, your participation in the online discussions is essential. Members of the class will be assigned to small discussion groups and will use Carmen to engage with one another. To achieve a balance between allowing students to get to know each other and providing diversity of perspectives, the discussion groups will be changed during weeks 4, 7, 10, and 13. Group changes will be done via a random generation process. 

• Before Friday at 11:59 pm, each group member must make at least two meaningful contributions to the discussion questions that relate to the readings/videos. The first contribution is the student’s individual response to a selected discussion prompt. This must be done by Wednesday at 11:59 pm.  The second contribution is a response to a group member’s post. This should be completed by 11:59 pm Friday. To keep on track with the course material, no late submissions will be accepted.
• Group members are expected to make thoughtful contributions while always remaining respectful. Think of this as a team activity with the goal being rich and productive discussion to solidify mutual understanding of the weekly concepts and enhance learning. Strategize on the discussion posts and support one another. Assessment for this course component is based on how well the contributions add to the discussion.

Twice during the semester, in lieu of weekly discussion, students will select and analyze a current event that relates to class concepts. This involves choosing an article published during the last 12 months in one of the top 10 U.S. newspapers or a mainstream international newspaper that relates to a course concept from the current week, a prior week of the course, or both.  Students will include a working hyperlink to the article and write a one-page summary and analysis.  Additional details and Pro Tips are outlined on the Carmen assignment and due dates are listed on the Carmen syllabus. During weeks when the current events analysis replaces the topic discussion, the assignment is due by 11:59 pm Friday. Current Events Analysis papers turned in late will receive a 1/3 letter grade deduction per day (e.g. A to A-). No late assignments will be accepted after 3 days. 

By the end of the first third of the course, students will be able to articulate the basic contributions to economic thought produced by several foundational theorists. Students will also be able to articulate which they view as the most relevant to the U.S. economy of 2024 and why. A two-page paper (single spaced) responding to these prompts will be due by Friday at 11:59 pm February 18th. The discussion assignment for this week will be lighter than usual to allow for the quality work on this synthesis assignment. A 1/3 letter grade (e.g. A to A-) penalty will be deducted for each day the assignment is late. No late assignments will be accepted after 3 days. 

Half of the course points will be attributed to a semester-long company analysis and public policy project.  The project includes a 10-page paper (double-spaced) paper due in two parts, a presentation aimed toward a policymaker, and a comprehensive policy brief written after watching peer presentations. 

• This assignment provides an opportunity to research a company of interest to you and examine its relationship with different levels of government. Through this project, students should clearly and comprehensively illustrate business and government relationships as studied in this course. Papers and presentations are graded on the inclusion of required content and on quality of writing.  
• Students will select different organizations with no duplication. If you feel strongly about a particular organization, request it as early as possible.  
• This is a scaffolded assignment with different due dates for required components. 

Full details about each component, the scoring rubric, examples of past papers, and Pro Tips are found on Carmen in the Company Analysis Project Module. A 1/3 letter grade (e.g. A to A-) penalty will be deducted for each day the assignment is submitted late but please note that due to the semester ending, the Presentation to a Policymaker and Comprehensive Policy Brief cannot be submitted late. 

Two Classmate Connection Carmen Discussion posts are graded for participation points. The purpose of these assignments is to dedicate time and a few formal course points toward building our learning community. Details, deadlines, and assessment criteria are posted on Carmen.