Courses

This course will introduce students to policy analysis as a tool for identifying and evaluating policy solutions to complex public issues. Students will gain a basic understanding of the stages of policy analysis (including problem definition, gathering evidence, and constructing and comparing policy alternatives) as well as the major types of analyses used to assess policy solutions (e.g., cost-benefit analysis, policy matrices, and costeffectiveness analysis) and will then apply them using tangible examples of public concern.

This course addresses labor relations in the public sector from multiple perspectives, including theoretical, legal, political, policy and practical. It examines several aspects of public sector collective bargaining between management and labor unions from the perspectives of union organizing (how labor unions are formed), bargaining (how union contracts are produced), and dispute resolution (how bargaining disputes and grievances are resolved). Students should gain knowledge and an understanding of the practices used by public sector unions at the federal, stated and local levels of government. Public sector unions are important vehicles for promoting fair, equitable and ethical practices in government workplaces.

This course explores the leadership opportunities, challenges, and complexities of managing diversity in public and nonprofit organizations. Starting with a rigorous examination of the values of diversity, inclusion, and equity (DEI) and their intricate links to critical facets such as management, ethical leadership, social justice, and representative bureaucracy, the course then introduces public policies relevant to DEI with a specific focus on gender, racial, and ethnic relations. The overarching objective of this course is to equip students with the skills necessary to foster equitable and inclusive working environments for professionals in the public and nonprofit sectors.

(Course updated as of Spring 2025; Formerly known as Leadership for Service Professions)

In this course students learn about different leadership typologies, traits, roles, and responsibilities. They are guided in developing leadership skills that include communication, conflict resolution, change management, adaptability, problem solving, and team building in the context of public and nonprofit organizations. By successfully completing this course, students are expected to be prepared to address leadership challenges that they will face as professionals in the public and nonprofit sectors.

This course addresses research and governance from the perspective of social equity, diversity and leadership. It begins with the historical treatment of women and people of color in the U.S. and the role of government and public policy in race, ethnic and gender relations. Topics covered include research on ethical leadership, equity discourse, and power and privilege politics. A key theme is the responsibility of government, society and public employers to create legal, ethical and diverse work environments.

This course explores theories of organizational behavior and performance as applied to public sector agencies. The course covers such topics as development and fulfillment of organizational mandates, legal and political constraints associated with leading public organizations, organizational authority systems, relationships between public and private sectors, and use of resources within organizations including information and communications technologies.

This course is a multidisciplinary exploration into the study of nonprofit organizations and philanthropy (increasingly referred to as Nonprofit and Philanthropic Studies (NPS)). In the course we will explore a broad range of topics relating to the study of nonprofits and philanthropy.

This course will focus on developing, monitoring, and evaluating budgets for nonprofit organizations. Students will be offered an opportunity to advance their theoretical and practical knowledge of nonprofit budgeting. In addition, basic accounting and fundamental financial management principles will also be examined along with internal and external controls, risk management, and reporting requirements to further broaden students’ comprehension of the intricacies of nonprofit budgeting.

(Course updated as of Spring 2025; Formerly known as Public Service Organizations)

This course is designed to provide students with a comprehensive understanding of organizational intricacies in the public and nonprofit sectors. The course content and activities support students in acquiring knowledge, skills, and tactics necessary for navigating organizational dynamics in these vital sectors. The course includes a focus on organizational theories, a review of pivotal issues and challenges, and discussions of effective managerial processes and strategies.

This course introduces students to performance measurement and management in the public and nonprofit sectors. It covers theories of public and nonprofit performance as well as the history of performance measurement in society. Students learn tools for performance measurement, such as index construction, benchmarking, trend analysis, dashboards, and data visualization. The role of technology and big data are also considered. Students learn how to align performance metrics with strategic goals and objectives in order to facilitate organizational learning and improvement. But consideration is also given to problems of gaming, goal displacement, and other unintended consequences of performance measurement.