SPEA H501 U.S. Health Care Systems, Policies, and Ethical Challenges (3 cr.) Study of the individual and social determinants of health and disease, as well as the nature of the disease intervention process and provider and consumer roles. Description and analysis of resource, process, and control components involved in delivery of health services. Particular emphasis on quality care assessment, epidemiology, and medical terminology. (Occasionally)
SPEA H503 Principles of Health Systems Management and Development (3 cr.) Examination of the functional role, organization, and structure of the health system, its components, and their organizational interrelationships. Course provides a broad conceptual framework for the delivery of health services through various organizations, and provides an opportunity to visit and to study a variety of health services systems components. (Occasionally)
SPEA H504 Quantitative Health Planning Methods (3 cr.) P: SPEA H501, SPEA H503. An examination of health planning theory, methods, and techniques, including quantitative and subjective forecasting, determination of health service area, identifying need/demand for health services, health resource allocation decision models, and standards for the design of services and facilities. (Occasionally)
SPEA H505 Health Program Design, Implementation, and Evaluation (3 cr.) P: SPEA H501, SPEA H503, SPEA H504, and
SPEA V595, or permission of instructor. Study and application of techniques to conduct, interpret, and present the design, implementation, and evaluation of health services programs. Includes collecting, analyzing, interpreting, and reporting information. Emphasis on computer utilization and statistical analysis as a management tool. Field project required. (Occasionally)
SPEA H514 Health Economics (3 cr.) P: 3 credit hours of undergraduate economics or permission of instructor. Examines the principles and application of economic analysis in the health field and the economist’s approach to health care issues; provides insights offered by economic analysis of specific health issues and problems. (Occasionally)
SPEA H515 Seminar in Health Policy: Special Topics (3 cr.) An examination of public policy-making in the health care sector since 1900, with emphases on policy analysis, process of governmental regulation, and character of American institutions. Special attention will be given to the constitutional, jurisprudential, legislative, and bureaucratic features of the American health care environment. (Occasionally)
SPEA H516 Health Services Delivery and the Law
(3 cr.) Medical-legal concepts related to hospitals and other health services organizations. Course provides an in-depth understanding of the relationships of the law and the legal processes affecting the health services system. Presentation of the elements of administrative and agency processes, torts, contracts, facilities, physicians, patients, and personnel. (Occasionally)
SPEA H517 Public Health Epidemiology (3 cr.) An examination of basic epidemiology methods such as the design, administration, and analysis of observational and experimental studies involving human subjects. Emphasis will be on the application of epidemiology techniques, the assessment of health hazards and health requirements, as well as the evaluation of the effectiveness of health-related programs. (Occasionally)
SPEA H518 Public Health Statistics (3 cr.) This course presents data, description, and other statistical procedures used in the analysis of public health data. Topics include demographic techniques, life tables, hypothesis testing, and construction of confidence intervals. Standard statistical techniques such as contingency table analyses, analyses of variance, and regression analyses as applied to health research and program evaluation are also addressed. (Occasionally)
SPEA H601 Hospital Organization and Management (3 cr.) Study of the organization and management of hospital clinical, support, and administrative functions; examination of performance evaluation techniques for health managers; analysis of special operational problems; administrative ethics; requirements of the Joint Commission Accreditation of Hospitals emphasized. (Occasionally)
SPEA H602 Mental Health Services Organization and Management (3 cr.) Study of the organization and systems for delivery of mental health services; emphasis on the management and the financing of psychiatric services. (Occasionally)
SPEA H603 Nursing Home Organization and Management (3 cr.) Study of the purpose, organization, and management of nursing homes, personal and residential care facilities, and institutions needing long-term specialty treatment. Emphasis on personal and professional skills necessary to provide a wide range of services and quality care in those environments. (Occasionally)
SPEA H604 Ambulatory Care/Managed Care Programs (3 cr.) Study of the organizational and managerial aspects of ambulatory health services delivery. Focus on delivery strategies and organizational models and on the operational issues of financial control, personnel, regulation, and evaluation. (Occasionally)
SPEA J501 Evolution of Criminological Thought and Policy (3 cr.) This course provides an intensive introduction to the theoretical literature on crime and delinquency. Its purpose is to develop students’ ability to critically evaluate and compare theories of crime as they apply to public policy and the criminal justice system. (Spring)
SPEA J502 Research Methods in Criminal Justice and Public Affairs (3 cr.) This course examines research techniques necessary for systematic analysis of the criminal justice system, offenders’ behavior, crime trends, and program effectiveness. The course requires that students actively pursue such techniques as conducting interviews, coding data, and designing studies. Criminological research will be critically examined. (Spring)
SPEA J550 Topics in Criminal Justice (3 cr.) Selected research and special topics in criminal justice such as violence; history of criminal prosecution; and alcohol, drugs, and crime. (Fall, Spring)
SPEA J582 Criminal Justice Systems (2-3 cr.) P: SPEA V586. Detailed examination of operations of police, courts, and correctional agencies. Study of management problems in systems response to criminal activity. Development of understanding of interrelationships among system components. Examination of major policy issues in criminal justice, with emphasis on decision-making techniques. (Occasionally)
SPEA J587 Criminal Violation: Problems and Characteristics (3 cr.) Commonalities in criminal behavior. The criminal act: circumstances leading to commission and subsequent perceptions of them. Family, community, and other environments affecting criminal behavior. Behavioral consequences of crime control processes. (Occasionally)
SPEA J588 Law and Control in Society (3 cr.) The role of law versus other forms of social control. How social change and social institutions shape the law. Social factors influencing the administration of law. (Occasionally)
SPEA J666 Criminal Justice Policy and Evaluation
(3 cr.) An empirical assessment of the foundations of contemporary and historical attempts to control or prevent crime. Major policies, programs, and strategies are reviewed and critically analyzed. Specific topics and policies will vary in this capstone seminar. (Occasionally)
SPEA J682 Seminar in Criminal Justice Planning, Management, and Issues (3 cr.) P: SPEA J582. A seminar addressing selected issues in criminal justice. Topics may include management, planning, organized crime, juvenile delinquency, law enforcement, courts, corrections, and other issues. Topics will vary each semester. Different sections may address different topics. The course may be taken more than once. (Fall)
SPEA V500 Quantitative Tools for Public Affairs
(1-3 cr.) A modular presentation of mathematical and statistical concepts designed to prepare students for SPEA V506. Representative module topics include basic algebraic concepts, basic statistical concepts, probability, computer use, and matrix algebra. (Fall)
SPEA V502 Public Management (3 cr.) P: Analysis of concepts, methods, and procedures involved in managing public organizations. Problems of organization, planning, decision making, performance evaluation, and the management of human resources are considered. Cases are drawn from a variety of public services found at federal, state, and local levels of government. (Fall, Spring)
SPEA V504 Public Organizations (3 cr.) The course focuses on the behavior and theory of public organizations in four areas: individuals and groups in public organizations, the design of public organizations, organization-environment relations, and interorganizational relations. (Spring, Summer I)
SPEA V506 Statistical Analysis for Policy and Management (3 cr.) P: mathematics and computing foundation. Noncalculus survey of concepts in probability, estimation, and hypothesis testing. Applications of contingency table analysis, analysis of variance, regression, and other statistical techniques. Computer processing of data emphasized. (Spring)
SPEA V507 Data Analysis and Modeling for Public Affairs (3 cr.) P: SPEA V506. This course is a graduate level introduction to modeling complex systems, estimating parameters of models of the basis of data, forecasting future values of the system, and testing hypotheses about the nature of things within that context. (Occasionally)
SPEA V508 Topics in Quantitative Analysis (1-3 cr.) P: consent of instructor. Study and application of selected quantitative methods of analysis. Additional topics that are not included in SPEA V506 or SPEA V507 may be presented, or more advanced examination of topics that are introduced in SPEA V506 and SPEA V507 may be undertaken. (Occasionally)
SPEA V509 Administrative Ethics in the Public Sector (3 cr.) Ethical conduct in the public sector is examined. Topics covered could include personal ethical responsibility, deception, corruption, codes of ethics, policy making, morality, politics, and whistle blowing. Case studies and media material will be used to illustrate these and other such issues affecting the workplace. (Spring, Summer I—Occasionally, Summer II—Occasionally)
SPEA V512 Public Policy Process (3 cr.) An examination of the role of public affairs professionals in policy processes. Focuses on relationships with political actors in various policy arenas. (Occasionally)
SPEA V516 Public Management Information Systems (3 cr.) The economic, social, demographic, technological, and political data necessary for the effective analysis and management of public services. The formation and classification of information on public programs and services. The organization, gathering, storage, and retrieval of complex data banks. The assessment of public organizational data needs. (Occasionally)
SPEA V517 Public Management Economics (3 cr.) Application of microeconomics concepts and techniques—including cost, elasticity, pricing, wage determination, and cost-benefit analysis—to public management and public issues and concerns. The course is designed to provide a managerial economics perspective to decision making. (Fall, Summer I)
SPEA V518 Intergovernmental Systems Management (3 cr.) Discussion of theories and approaches to systems management including responsibilities and tasks of public systems. Examination of intergovernmental relationships such as national-state-local relationships and intralocal governmental relationships, treatment of organizational and systems design as well as planning, decision making, and control of public systems. Discussion of applications to services such as environment, health, and human services. (Occasionally)
SPEA V520 Environmental Policy Analysis (3 cr.) The interrelationships among social, technical, and natural systems. Theories of growth. Causes and implications of environmental problems. Alternative policies and mechanisms for environmental control and bases for choice. (Spring)
SPEA V522 Human Resource Management in Nonprofit Organizations (3 cr.) Effective human resource management is vital for the long-term success of nonprofit organizations. This course explores the attachments of participants in nonprofit organizations, the motivational and personnel programs required by these attachments, and the managerial strategies for effective human resource management. (Spring)
SPEA V525 Management in the Nonprofit Sector
(3 cr.) An examination of nonprofit (third-sector) organizations and their role in society. Management issues and public policy affecting these organizations are discussed. Primary emphasis is upon U.S. organizations, but attention is given to the global nature of the sector. (Fall)
SPEA V526 Financial Management for Nonprofit Organizations (3 cr.) This course emphasizes a thorough understanding of the language and key concepts of nonprofit financial management. A working knowledge of the basic analytical tools used in financial decision making for nonprofit organizations will be examined through the use of computer software. (Spring)
SPEA V529 Seminar in Career and Professional Development (1 cr.) Introduction to career development in public and environmental affairs. Orientation to career development approaches and resources. Discussion and practice of professional skills and techniques. Orientation to career development opportunities. Course is graded S/F. (Occasionally)
SPEA V532 Urban Decision Making (3 cr.) Administrative decision making against the background of urban politics, power structures, bureaucracies, commercial and industrial interests, and citizen participation. (Occasionally)
SPEA V539 Management Science for Public Affairs (3 cr.) P: SPEA V506. Focus on management science methods applied to public policy analysis. Includes treatment of decision theory, constrained optimization and probability/simulation modeling. (Occasionally)
SPEA V540 Law and Public Affairs (3 cr.) Explanation of law in society and its influence on public sector operations. Examination of some of the central substantive areas of the study of law, including regulatory processes, administrative adjudication, the Administrative Procedures Act, ombudsmen, and citizen rights, among others. (Spring)
SPEA V542 Governmental Financial Accounting and Reporting (3 cr.) P: SPEA V560 or concurrent. An introduction to the fundamentals of accounting in business, not-for-profit, and public sectors. Intended only for students without previous accounting courses. Primary emphasis is on municipal entity fund accounting, including the development and use of financial statements. (Occasionally)
SPEA V543 Health Services Management (3 cr.) A course that integrates theory and application with respect to management of health service organizations. Emphasis on the role of managers and management within formal health service organizations. Current management and organizational theory are applied to an understanding of health care delivery settings. (Occasionally)
SPEA V545 The U.S. Health Care System (3 cr.) An analysis of delivery of health care in the United States from 1900 to the present. Major system components are defined and studied with emphasis on current health care policy. Topics include the organization of health care delivery on federal, state, and local levels, both in public and private sectors. (Spring)
SPEA V546 Health Services Utilization (3 cr.) An examination of problems of access to health care and the utilization of health services. The social, political, and individual factors associated with utilization are studied along with social change and control strategies. Special emphasis is given to power and the definition of power in the system. (Spring)
SPEA V550 Topics in Public Affairs (3 cr.) Selected research and discussion topics organized on a semester-by-semester basis, usually with significant student input in the course design. (Fall, Spring, Summer I, Summer II)
SPEA V554 Human Services Administration (3 cr.) Focus is on policy, management, and organization relating to a variety of human service systems. Special attention is given to the management of social programs in the environmental systems. (Spring)
SPEA V556 Topics in Human Services Administration (3 cr.) Readings and research on selected topics in the field of the management of human services. Topics selected for study will vary. (Occasionally)
SPEA V560 Public Finance and Budgeting (3 cr.) The fiscal role of government in a mixed economy, sources of public revenue and credit; administrative, political, and institutional aspects of the budget and the budgetary process; problems and trends in intergovernmental fiscal relations. (Spring)
SPEA V561 Public Human Resources Management (3 cr.) Discussion of the selection and management of personnel. Personnel systems and the role of the merit system in government. Emphasis on public labor relations and continuous training of personnel for professional development. (Fall)
SPEA V562 Public Program Evaluation (3 cr.) Examination of how the programs of public agencies are proposed, established, operated, and evaluated. Discussion of the role and conduct of research in the program evaluation process. In addition, techniques of effective evaluation and analysis are discussed. (Spring)
SPEA V563 The Planning Process (3 cr.) Seminar designed to familiarize students with planning ramifications of policy issues faced by governments. The focal topics selected for study will vary. Emphasis placed on identification and analysis of substantive issues, methods employed for resolution, and application or planning techniques for achieving goals. (Summer I)
SPEA V564 Urban Management (3 cr.) The course deals with the management of public policy in American urban government, with special attention to the relationship of structure, process, and policy. Readings and case studies will focus on urban management problems relating to leadership, planning, and operations. (Occasionally)
SPEA V566 Executive Leadership (2 cr. module) Analysis of executive leadership within the context of public organization in the United States. Examines the role of public managers and the principles and factors that affect their actions in light of current research and practice. (Fall)
SPEA V567 Public Financial Administration (3 cr.) P: SPEA V560 or consent of instructor. Problems of financial management in governmental units; alternative revenue sources, financial planning and control, cash debt management; survey of modern expenditure management, control and planning. (Occasionally)
SPEA V568 Management of Urban Government Services (1-3 cr.) The course deals with selected topics in urban services. The course may focus on a specific urban service or provide an overview for several urban services. (Occasionally)
SPEA V570 Public Sector Labor Relations (3 cr.) An introductory overview of labor relations concepts within the framework of the public sector. The development, practice, and extent of the collective bargaining process as well as the administration of the labor agreement will be examined for state agencies, local municipalities, and school districts. (Occasionally)
SPEA V572 Urban Topics (3 cr.) Selected topics in urban policy and administration. The course is sometimes restricted to a special group of students focusing on a particular research interest. (Occasionally)
SPEA V575 International and Development Administration (3 cr.) Reading and discussion of case studies and comparative analyses of formal organizations with emphasis on governmental bureaucracies, public corporations, and international organizations. Topics include bureaucratic environment and culture, technology and organizations, program evaluation, communication and decision making, and administrative structure and process. (Occasionally)
SPEA V576 Comparative Approaches to Development (3 cr.) Examination of the application of development theory to the public sector. Topics include modernization theory, urbanization, development administration, community development, ethnicity, ideology, and national planning. Area case study project to include problems of policy implementation in developing areas. (Occasionally)
SPEA V577 International Economic Development Policy (3 cr.) Examination of topics in international economics as related to problems of economic development policy. Topics include international trade, comparative economic policy, economic integration, foreign aid investment, exchange rates, and international economic organizations. (Occasionally)
SPEA V579 Readings in Environmental Science
(1-3 cr.) Readings on selected topics in environmental science to be arranged with the individual instructor. (Occasionally)
SPEA V580 Readings in Public Affairs (1-3 cr.) Readings on selected topics in public affairs to be arranged with the individual instructor. (Fall, Spring, Summer I, Summer II)
SPEA V581 Public Safety Law (1-3 cr.) Survey of historical development of Anglo-American law of public safety, including criminal law, civil remedies, administrative regulation of risk, and recent developments in employee and consumer safety. Emphasis on understanding legal theory and practice as basis for management decisions. Comparison of jurisprudential viewpoints and other disciplinary approaches to causation, prevention, and correction of public safety problems. (Occasionally)
SPEA V585 Practicum in Public Affairs (1-6 cr.) Open to interested students through the Center for Public Affairs Service-Learning or Field Study Program. Students hold work assignments with public agencies; final product such as a report, oral examination, or examples of materials developed in the practicum is required. Grading is on a satisfactory/fail basis. (Fall, Spring, Summer I, Summer II)
SPEA V586 Public Safety in the U.S. (3 cr.) Overview of criminal justice and public safety. Definitions of public safety and identification of major components. Functional description of major public safety agencies. Discussion of basic issues in public safety. Management in public safety system. (Occasionally)
SPEA V590 Research in Public Affairs (1-3 cr.) Research on selected topics in public affairs to be arranged with the individual instructor. (Fall, Spring, Summer I, Summer II)
SPEA V593 Analytical Methods in Planning and Policy Analysis (3 cr.) P or concurrent: SPEA V507. Topics relate to goal setting and forecasting. Analytical methods include time series analysis, demographic projects, economic development and employment forecasting, land use and transportation planning analysis. Optimization methods are applied to transportation and project management. (Spring)
SPEA V595 Managerial Decision Making (1-3 cr.) P: SPEA V504 and SPEA V539. Applications of decision-making tools to substantive public management problems. A variety of managerial cases and issues are selected for intensive discussion and analysis. (Occasionally)
SPEA V600 Capstone in Public and Environmental Affairs (3 cr.) Interdisciplinary course designed to give students exposure to the realities of the policy process through detailed analyses of case studies and projects. Course integrates science, technology, policy, and management. Topic may change from semester to semester. (Spring)
SPEA V601 Workshop in Public Affairs (1-6 cr.) Projects in public affairs. The students work on a research and resource team to complete a project for a public sector client. Faculty act as project managers and resource personnel. (Occasionally)
SPEA V610 Seminar in Government Budget and Program Analysis (3 cr.) P: SPEA V560. Advanced study of management aspects of budgetary process. Special cases are analyzed, and budget problem-solving exercises are utilized. (Occasionally)
SPEA V631 Health Planning (3 cr.) A workshop in analysis and use of health data in a planning context. Course deals with the planning process and methods with an emphasis on systems theory. Class project or plan is developed, presented, and defended in a simulated public-hearing format. (Occasionally)
SPEA V639 Managing Government Operations
(3 cr.) P: SPEA V502 and SPEA V539. This is an introductory survey of operations management. Emphasis is placed on the analysis, design, and management of operation systems using models from operations management. Readings, lectures, and structured exercises are used to present the models and demonstrate their application. (Occasionally)
SPEA V650 Topics in Public Personnel Management (1-3 cr.) P: SPEA V561. Readings and research on selected topics in the public personnel field. Topics may include such subjects as affirmative action, occupational health and safety, manpower forecasting and planning, and approaches to position classification. (Occasionally)
SPEA V660 Cases and Problems in Fiscal Administration (3 cr.) P: SPEA V560 or consent of instructor. An advanced seminar in the management aspects of public finance that focuses on the budgetary process. Special cases are analyzed and budget problem-solving exercises are utilized. (Occasionally)
SPEA V665 Seminar in Policy and Administration (3 cr.) Politics of program development and management. Translation of plans into viable, administrable programs. Marshalling support, political process, strategies, constraints, tradeoffs, etc. (Occasionally)
SPEA V670 Topics in Public Sector Labor Relations (1-3 cr.) P: SPEA V570 or consent of instructor. Selected research and discussion topics in public sector labor relations arranged on a semester-by-semester basis. Possible topics are collective bargaining in the public sector and dispute settlement in public sector labor relations. (Occasionally)
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