Political Science (POLI) 392

Overview

Political Science 392: 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.

Political Science 392 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: Parliament, Bureaucracy, and Accountability in Canada
• Unit 4: Policy Formulation: The Institutions and Processes of Political Governance
• Unit 5: Administrative Governance: The Challenge of Policy Implementation
• Unit 6: Non-state Actors in Policy-making and Administrative Governance
• Unit 7: Social Diversity and the Question of “Difference“ in Policy-making and Administrative Governance
• Unit 8: Governance in the Twenty-first Century

Evaluation

Your final grade in POLI 392 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 POLI 392, you must complete all the assignments, achieve a mark of at least D (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 Overview

The Challenge for Credit process allows you to demonstrate that you 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 about Challenge for Credit can be found in the Undergraduate Calendar.

Challenge Evaluation

To receive credit for the POLI 392 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