Governance (GOVN) 390

Overview

Governance 390: Public Policy and Administrative Governance has been designed for senior undergraduate students who are interested in the creation and implementation of Canadian public policy. There are no formal prerequisites for this course. While it is recommended that students have taken another course in political science or public administration, the course material should be accessible to anyone with the intellectual sophistication and academic maturity expected of senior undergraduate students.

Governance 390 aims to give students the knowledge and analytical skills required for advanced studies in policy and administration. This course will benefit those who have chosen a career in the public service, those who simply wish to increase their awareness of public policy-making and implementation, as well as students with aspirations toward graduate studies.

Outline

The course consists of the following eight units.

• Unit 1: Introduction to Public Policy and Administrative Governance
• Unit 2: Public Bureaucracy in Theory and Practice
• Unit 3: Policy Formation: The Institutions and Processes of Political Governance
• Unit 4: Administrative Governance: The Challenge of Policy Implementation
• Unit 5: The Role and Influence of Non-state Actors in Policy-making and Administrative Governances
• Unit 6: Ethics in Administrative Governance: The Challenge of Ensuring Democratic Accountability in Public Administration
• Unit 7: Social Diversity and the Question of “Difference“ in Policy-making and Administrative Governance
• Unit 8: Paradigms of Governance: Policy-making and Administrative Governance from the Administrative Welfare State to the Neo-liberal State

Evaluation

Your final grade in GOVN 390 will be based on the marks you achieve on the mid-term test, the case study assignment, the research essay, and the final examination. To receive credit for GOVN 390, you must complete all the assignments, achieve a mark of at least 50 percent on the final examination, and obtain an overall course grade of at least “D” (50 percent). The weighting of the assignments and tests toward your final grade are outlined below.

The midterm and final examinations for this course must be taken online with an AU-approved exam invigilator at an approved invigilation centre. It is your responsibility to ensure your chosen invigilation centre can accommodate online exams. For a list of invigilators who can accommodate online exams, visit the Exam Invigilation Network.

To learn more about assignments and examinations, please refer to Athabasca University's online Calendar.

Course Materials

Textbook

Other materials

The course materials include study guide, student manual, and a reading file.

Challenge for Credit Course Overview

The Challenge for Credit process allows students to demonstrate that they have acquired a command of the general subject matter, knowledge, intellectual and/or other skills that would normally be found in a university level course.

Full information for the Challenge for Credit can be found in the Undergraduate Calendar.

• Undergraduate Challenge for Credit Policy
• Undergraduate Challenge for Credit Procedures

Challenge Evaluation

To receive credit for the GOVN 390 challenge registration, you must complete all required components, and achieve an overall grade of at least “D” (50 percent).

Undergraduate Challenge for Credit Course Registration Form

• Challenge for Credit Form

Current Grouped Study Locations