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Undergraduate Bulletin 2008-2009
 
Bulletin Homepage |Nelson A. Rockefeller College of Public Affairs & Policy | Courses in Public Administration

Courses in Public Administration

R Pad 110 Military Leadership and Teamwork I (1)
Techniques to improve leadership, time management and organizational skills are discussed. Additionally customs and traditions, rank and structure, and unit organization of the military are discussed. An action-oriented course, the laboratory introduces students to marksmanship, white water rafting, rappelling, and map and compass techniques. Not open to juniors and seniors without instructor approval. S/U graded.

R Pad 111 Military Leadership and Teamwork II (1)
This course introduces students to survival techniques in various climates and environments. The course is designed to instill confidence in a student’s ability to survive in any climate. An action-oriented course, the laboratory introduces the students to map reading, land navigation, communication techniques, and first aid in survival situations. Not open to juniors and seniors without instructor approval. Prerequisite(s): R Pad 110 or permission of instructor. S/U graded.

R Pad 204/X Computer Modeling For Decision Support (3)
Making tough decisions – can computers help? Students will learn to use Internet technologies as well as techniques in computer modeling for critical thinking, policy analysis, and decision support. Topics include a review of quantitative methods for strategic analysis, tools for helping make tough decisions, and a survey of formal modeling techniques.

R Pad 210 History of Military Applications of Technology (1)
Introduction to the impact of technology on the military. Course will focus on land forces and trace the history of military technology through the armies that employed it. The role of current and future technologies and their military application are discussed. The student is introduced to white water rafting, rappelling, and map and compass techniques. Not open to juniors and seniors without instructor approval. Prerequisite(s): R Pad 111 or permission of instructor. S/U graded.

R Pad 211 Applied Leadership (1)
An introduction to leadership concepts and applications suited to both military and civilian sectors. Discussion of human needs, values and attitudes with examples and case studies. Students participate in group discussions on leadership styles and techniques. In the laboratory, the students will develop and use leadership skills, participate in practical exercises using military equipment, such as radios, weapons and camouflage devices. Not open to juniors and seniors without instructor approval. Prerequisite(s): R Pad 210 or permission of instructor. S/U graded.

R Pad 236 Institutions and Policy in Business Regulation (3)
This course examines the public regulation of business, surveying the field in general but with special attention to regulatory controls in financial markets.  Its subjects include the justifications and critiques of government regulation, ethical considerations in regulatory decisions, international dimensions of regulatory policy and management, and how political, legal, and technological processes shape regulation.

R Pad 302 (formerly R Pad 201) Understanding Public Organizations (3)
The major objective of this course is to provide students with an opportunity to explore basic ideas about how people work in large (work) organizations, and the processes and structures that operate day to day in such organizations. The course examines how people act and interact within organizations and attempt to change those organizations, and how organizations react to the individuals who comprise the organization. The course uses multiple perspectives or frames as a way of
understanding of individual and organizational behavior in work organizations. Prerequisite(s): Only one of R Pad 302 & R Pub 302 may be taken for credit.

R Pad 303 Public Administration and Management (3)
Introduction to the field of public administration as its theory and practice have developed in the United States, emphasizing current trends and problems of organization and management in such areas as personnel policy, budget making, policy research, and planning. Prerequisite(s): junior or senior class standing.

R Pad 304 (= R Pos 303 & R Pub 303) Public Policy in Theory and Practice (3)
Examines the theoretical foundations of public policy research, of alternative models of public policy formation, their methodologies, and the relationship between the theory and practice of the policy series. Inquiries into the practice of public policy; focuses on actual policies in a substantive area. Only one of R Pad 304, R Pos 303, & R Pub 303 may be taken for credit.
R Pad 307 Professional Applications for Public Administration and Policy (3)
Course emphasizes the early development of professional skills, the ability to work in teams, career planning, and an awareness of trade-offs in modern administration. Prerequisite(s): R Pad 204.

R Pad 324 Policy Analysis in Complex Systems (3)
System Dynamics applies computer simulation to the study of feedback-rich systems in the social, behavioral, environmental, and management sciences. This course teaches the basic principles of system dynamics with a hands-on approach involving frequent problem sets and case studies. Students will learn the basic principles governing systems modeling as well as how to create computer-based simulation models. Prerequisites(s): R Pad 204.

R Pad 329 (= R Pos 329) Bureaucratic Politics (3)
Examination of political behavior within and among administrative agencies, focusing on the sources of power in the bureaucracy, and the ways in which agencies use their political resources to shape public policy. Only one of R Pad 329 & R Pos 329 may be taken for credit. Prerequisite(s): R Pos 101 or 101Z and 102, or junior or senior class standing.

R Pad 380 Applied Military Leadership I (2)
Teaches students the cadet leadership development program, used throughout the course to assess leadership skills. Instruction in fundamentals and characteristics of military operations. Practical application of decision-making, planning, and execution of troop leading procedures. Addresses motivational theory and techniques, the role and action of leaders, and risk assessment. Prerequisite(s): R Pad 211, or permission of instructor. S/U graded.

R Pad 381 Applied Military Leadership II (2)
Focuses on leadership and tactical operations. Opportunities to plan and conduct individual and collective training for military organizations. Synthesizes the various components of training, leadership, and team building. Upon completion of the course, students will possess the fundamental confidence and competence to be a leader in a military setting. Prerequisite(s): R Pad 380. S/U graded.

R Pad 411 Special Topics in Public Administration: Program Evaluation Training (1)
This class will introduce participants to the concepts that are essential to evaluation. Topics discussed will include: program measures (methods, management characteristics, etc.), participant measures, intervening measures (changes in economy, management, demographics, etc.), impact measures, different viewpoints of evaluation (program participants, program staff, policy makers, etc.), and measurement levels (individual vs. agency vs. society). This course is the shared resources equivalent of the graduate
course R Pad 511. S/U graded

R Pad 414 (= R Pub 414) Policy Analysis in Public Administration (3)
Overview of operations and techniques used in systems analysis. Examples are used to demonstrate how these analytical methods can be employed to make more informed policy decisions. Only one of R Pad 414 & R Pub 414 may be taken for credit. Prerequisite(s): junior or senior class standing.

R Pad 424 Systems Thinking and Strategy Development (4)
The course represents a set of concepts and tools for thinking through complex system-wide problems that challenge government managers' ability to design and manage cross-agency and intergovernmental policies and programs. Students will learn to diagnose and solve complex system-level problems by applying systems thinking and strategic planning tools to case examples. Prerequisite(s): permission of instructor.

R Pad 435 Fundamentals of Securities Law (3)
This course examines the history, rationales, and structures of securities laws in the United States, focusing mainly on the federal level but touching on issues pertaining to the states. Topics include public requirements governing the issuance of securities, mandatory public disclosures; legal requirements governing corporate merger and acquisitions, primary and secondary markets for securities; exemptions from full coverage of laws, the reasons for exemptions; and how technology and market changes have affected these exemptions over time; and the basic structure of securities market regulation.

R Pad 436 Regulation of Securities Markets (3)
This course examines the history, organization, and central issues of securities market regulation in the United States. The course discusses the roles of federal and state regulation, self-regulatory organizations, and firms within the regulatory system. Topics include, but are not limited to, the history and main principles of federal securities statues; examinations and supervision by different levels of the regulatory system; and the relationships among change in financial markets such as financial innovations and regulatory structure and practice.

R Pad 465 (= R Pub 465) Hudson River Watershed: Environment, Society, and Policy (3)
Interdisciplinary consideration of Hudson River and its watershed from environmental perspective: history, political, social, economic, geographic and demographic factors; urban development; ecology; geologic origins; living resources; pollution; environmentalism and cultural forces leading to environmentalism; environmental policy, governmental and non-governmental organizations and institutions.

R Pad 480 Advanced Military Management and Leadership I (2)
Concentrates on leadership, management, and ethics. Focuses on attaining knowledge and proficiency in several critical skills for Army officers, such as staff activities, counseling theory, and training management. Prerequisite(s): R Pad 381. S/U graded.

R Pad 481 Advanced Military Management and Leadership II (2)
Introduces how the Army organizes for operations from the tactical to strategic levels. Instruction in military administration and logistics. Concludes with a capstone exercise that incorporates knowledge from the entire military science curriculum. Prerequisite(s): R Pad 480. S/U graded.

R Pad 499 (= R Pub 499) Program Seminar-Energy: Crisis and Policy (3)
Exploration of the nature and future of the energy problem. Public policies (e.g., production, regulation, development of alternative sources, conservation, foreign trade, and public safety) are emphasized. Only one of R Pad 499 & R Pub 499 may be taken for credit. Prerequisite(s): junior or senior class standing.