Public Affairs 7610: Follow the Money: Making Sense of the Federal Budget

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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.

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Course Overview

3 Credit Hours
Modalities Available: Distance Learning

The federal budget is arguably the most powerful policy tool in the U.S. government. At its core, the federal budget is a political document that reflects agency and policymaker priorities. Values underlie these priorities and are reflected in policies governing revenue generation (how much and how to tax) and expenditures (who receives more or less). The impact of federal budget policy has far-reaching impact not only across America, but the world. This course addresses the role and importance of the federal budget in politics, policy, and management. It is designed for students whose careers intersect with the federal government to deepen their understanding of how resources are allocated and how they play a role in the federal budget process.

By the end of this course, students should successfully be able to

Policy stream (advanced level):

  • Apply the context of the public policy process to problem solving.
  • Discuss the impact of the policy process to advance the public interest.
  • Draw connections between public problems, goals, outputs, and outcomes.

Economics stream: (intermediate level):

  • Analyze and evaluate alternative methods of revenue generation and allocation.
  • Know and apply basic budgeting tools.

Management stream (intermediate level):

  • Identify and manage external/environmental challenges to organization performance.

Upon completion of the course, students will understand

  • the federal budget process.
  • how stakeholders engage in the budget process.
  • the impact of the federal budget on federal policymaking and management.
  • how to communicate in written, oral, and visual formats effectively and concisely.

Requirements and Expectations

No required scheduled meetings; all instruction occurs in Carmen with required regular participation each week.

Participation: 10%

Application Papers: 40%

Final Paper and Presentation: 50%

Participation:
During the weeks when other assignments are not due, there will be a discussion board module. Discussion board questions will be posted on the Sunday morning of that week, no later than noon Eastern Standard Time (EST). Each student must post at least once during that week with a first response due no later than Wednesday evening at 6 p.m. EST. Students are encouraged to respond to each other’s posts and create dialogue. The instructor will be monitoring the discussion board and responding to posts. Active participation on the discussion board is based on preparation, providing good answers to the questions, and providing comments relative to the ongoing discussion. Relevant comments add to the group’s understanding of the material, challenge and/or clarify the ideas expressed by others, integrate material from past classes or other courses, and show evidence of analysis rather than mere opinion. Students should adhere to deadlines and meet performance expectations set forth on the discussion board. Non-participation on the discussion board will adversely affect a student’s participation grade.

Application Papers:
Students will submit four application papers (10% each) over the course of the semester. Students will find a news article, Congressional report or hearing, budget report, academic paper, or other reliable information source from within the last year that illustrates a key budgeting concept that has been discussed in the course. Students will write an application paper that analyzes the topic identifying political, societal, and administrative implications. Application papers will be 2-3 double-spaced pages and due by 11:59 p.m. EST on Fridays, the week that they are due.

Final Paper and Presentation:
As a capstone to the course, students will write a final paper (25%) and give an oral presentation (20%). The oral presentation will be recorded and uploaded by the assigned due date. Students will select a federal government agency or program within a large agency and analyze its budget history, FY 2023 Congressional budget request, committee reports, and the final enacted appropriation. Students will select their topic and submit it to the instructor by the end of the first week (5%). Papers will be 5-7 double-spaced pages in length with a 7-10 minute presentation. The presentation will be recorded by the student and a link will be submitted to the discussion board during the final week of the course. Both the paper and presentation are due by 11:59 pm EST on Friday during the last week of the course. Further instructions will be provided on the class Carmen site.

Course Schedule

  1. Course Introduction – Setting the Stage

  2. Federal Revenues

  3. Federal Expenditures – Discretionary and Mandatory

  4. National Debt and Budget Deficit

  5. Strategic Planning and Performance

  6. The Executive Budget Process – From Agencies to the President’s Budget

  7. The Legislative Process – From Committee to Appropriation, and What if the Process Doesn’t Work

  8. Budget Execution

  9. Audit and Internal Controls

  10. Enterprise Risk Management

  11. Fiscal Federalism

  12. Presentations

Previous Instructors Have Included

Melissa Harto

Instructor; Director, Office of Planning and Budget, National Endowment for the Humanities