Southern Utah University

Course Syllabus

Southern Utah University
Southern Utah University
Fall Semester 2025

Managing America's Cities (Online)

PADM 6650-70I

Course: PADM 6650-70I
Credits: 3
Term: Fall Semester 2025
Department: PSCJ
CRN: 32447

Course Description

This course is designed to give students an overview of city management. It will review the laws that create and enable municipalities and it will explore the effects of different city organizational structures. Additionally, the course will review several case studies that explore the many policy and management changes experienced by city managers. (Fall) [Graded (Standard Letter)] Registration Restriction(s): Graduate students only

Required Texts

Nelson, Kimberly, Stenberg. 2017. Managing Local Government: An Essential Guide For Municipal And County Managers. CQ Press. ISBN #9781506323374

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this course, you will be able to:

  1. Understand the mission, scope, and functionality of city management and administration.
  2. Understand the history and evolution of local government administration, including the complexities associated with managing through political, social, and technological changes.
  3. Understand the delicate role between policy-makers and policy administrators.
  4. Learn and practice management skills through exercises in case studies, experiential learning projects, and simulated city management experiences. 

Course Requirements

Participation - Understand the mission, scope, and functionality of city management.
Course Portfolio - Ability to relate city management theory to real-world applications.
Experiential project - Applied understanding of principles and practices of city management, including real-world problem-solving, community engagement, collaboration and communication, and political environments.
Simulated city management - Enhanced understanding of strategic planning, problem-solving skills, trade-off considerations, risk assessment, adaptability and resilience, and reflection and improvement.

Course Outline

  1. Participation - 10% of total Grade.  As you can see from this course outline, participation is crucial.  Participation will include the following: 
    1. Orientation - Participation is expected.  I will hold a synchronous (live) orientation during the first week of the semester. The purpose of this orientation will be to review the syllabus and assignments as well as the expectations of the student.
    2. Lecture participation - since I will be updating the lectures to this course, I will be holding live synchronous sessions approximately every two weeks. Students have found these most effective when they've been able to participate in them live. If you plan to watch the recording, I will be using Annoto to track your viewing of the lecture videos. It will be expected that within your portfolio assignments, you will refer to lecture material as a valid source, including an appropriate citation. 
    3. Other synchronous Lectures - On occasion, there may be a lecture (Front Porch discussions, MPA lecture series) that requires your participation.  I will notify you well in advance of such an event.  If you are unable to attend these synchronous meetings, you must make prior arrangements with the professor.
  2. Course portfolios - 35% of Grade. Students will complete an individual learning portfolio across the semester that demonstrates engagement with city management issues through case studies, interviews, observations, and applied exercises. Students will complete one portfolio assignment per topic block (weeks 1–2, 3–4, 5–6, 7–8, 9–10, 11–12). For each block, students may choose from three options (e.g., observation of a council meeting, interview with a practitioner, case study analysis, applied design exercise). Assignments will be turned in as: Midterm Portfolio (Weeks 1–6). Final Portfolio (Weeks 7–12).
  3. Pocket City - 20% of Grade. You will play a simulated game called Pocket City this semester. This is both Android and iPhone-based (it can be played on a desktop, but it's a little more cumbersome. For those true-blue gamers, reach out to me if you want to do this.) The purpose of this game will be to give you a feel for the competing demands of being a city manager and how to balance all of those demands with citizens' wishes. There may be a small cost for this, and if that creates any problems for you please let me know.
  4. Experiential Projects - 35% of the total grade.  Students will work as small groups to complete a community-focused applied project that addresses a real small-city management issue. These projects will be outlined in more detail based on the specific project. The grading of these assignments will be based on the completeness and quality of your submittals. Additionally, incorporating information you have learned from the book, the lectures, and other resources will be necessary to secure a strong grade on this assignment. 

Instructor's policies on late assignments and/or makeup work


Late Policy
- Points will be reduced by 10 points each day that the assignment is late, unless prior arrangement has been made with the professor. 

Technology & Group Expectations - All graduate students in public administration must have a comprehensive understanding of computer technology to effectively engage in their coursework and collaborative activities. They are expected to confidently participate in virtual meetings using both video and audio features on platforms such as Zoom and Google Meet. In addition, they must be proficient in using standard office software, including Microsoft Word, Google Docs, Excel, All Google products (Docs, Sheets, Slides, Forms, etc), and similar tools. As collaboration and group projects are integral to public administration programs, students must be prepared to participate fully and contribute with other students in projects and coursework using these digital resources. Students who find themselves struggling and in need of additional resources are strongly encouraged to reach out to MEET with their professor for additional assistance.

Attendance Policy

This is an online course. Attendance policy will be provided by the instructor.

Course Fees

None

ADA Statement

Students with medical, psychological, learning, or other disabilities desiring academic adjustments, accommodations, or auxiliary aids will need to contact the Disability Resource Center, located in Room 206F of the Sharwan Smith Center or by phone at (435) 865-8042. The Disability Resource Center determines eligibility for and authorizes the provision of services.

If your instructor requires attendance, you may need to seek an ADA accommodation to request an exception to this attendance policy. Please contact the Disability Resource Center to determine what, if any, ADA accommodations are reasonable and appropriate.

Academic Credit

According to the federal definition of a Carnegie credit hour: A credit hour of work is the equivalent of approximately 60 minutes of class time or independent study work. A minimum of 45 hours of work by each student is required for each unit of credit. Credit is earned only when course requirements are met. One (1) credit hour is equivalent to 15 contact hours of lecture, discussion, testing, evaluation, or seminar, as well as 30 hours of student homework. An equivalent amount of work is expected for laboratory work, internships, practica, studio, and other academic work leading to the awarding of credit hours. Credit granted for individual courses, labs, or studio classes ranges from 0.5 to 15 credit hours per semester.

Academic Freedom

SUU is operated for the common good of the greater community it serves. The common good depends upon the free search for truth and its free exposition. Academic Freedom is the right of faculty to study, discuss, investigate, teach, and publish. Academic Freedom is essential to these purposes and applies to both teaching and research.

Academic Freedom in the realm of teaching is fundamental for the protection of the rights of the faculty member and of you, the student, with respect to the free pursuit of learning and discovery. Faculty members possess the right to full freedom in the classroom in discussing their subjects. They may present any controversial material relevant to their courses and their intended learning outcomes, but they shall take care not to introduce into their teaching controversial materials which have no relation to the subject being taught or the intended learning outcomes for the course.

As such, students enrolled in any course at SUU may encounter topics, perspectives, and ideas that are unfamiliar or controversial, with the educational intent of providing a meaningful learning environment that fosters your growth and development. These parameters related to Academic Freedom are included in SUU Policy 6.6.

Academic Misconduct

Scholastic honesty is expected of all students. Dishonesty will not be tolerated and will be prosecuted to the fullest extent (see SUU Policy 6.33). You are expected to have read and understood the current SUU student conduct code (SUU Policy 11.2) regarding student responsibilities and rights, the intellectual property policy (SUU Policy 5.52), information about procedures, and what constitutes acceptable behavior.

Please Note: The use of websites or services that sell essays is a violation of these policies; likewise, the use of websites or services that provide answers to assignments, quizzes, or tests is also a violation of these policies. Regarding the use of Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI), you should check with your individual course instructor.

Emergency Management Statement

In case of an emergency, the University's Emergency Notification System (ENS) will be activated. Students are encouraged to maintain updated contact information using the link on the homepage of the mySUU portal. In addition, students are encouraged to familiarize themselves with the Emergency Response Protocols posted in each classroom. Detailed information about the University's emergency management plan can be found at https://www.suu.edu/emergency.

HEOA Compliance Statement

For a full set of Higher Education Opportunity Act (HEOA) compliance statements, please visit https://www.suu.edu/heoa. The sharing of copyrighted material through peer-to-peer (P2P) file sharing, except as provided under U.S. copyright law, is prohibited by law; additional information can be found at https://my.suu.edu/help/article/1096/heoa-compliance-plan.

You are also expected to comply with policies regarding intellectual property (SUU Policy 5.52) and copyright (SUU Policy 5.54).

Mandatory Reporting

University policy (SUU Policy 5.60) requires instructors to report disclosures received from students that indicate they have been subjected to sexual misconduct/harassment. The University defines sexual harassment consistent with Federal Regulations (34 C.F.R. Part 106, Subpart D) to include quid pro quo, hostile environment harassment, sexual assault, dating violence, domestic violence, and stalking. When students communicate this information to an instructor in-person, by email, or within writing assignments, the instructor will report that to the Title IX Coordinator to ensure students receive support from the Title IX Office. A reporting form is available at https://cm.maxient.com/reportingform.php?SouthernUtahUniv

Non-Discrimination Statement

SUU is committed to fostering an inclusive community of lifelong learners and believes our university's encompassing of different views, beliefs, and identities makes us stronger, more innovative, and better prepared for the global society.

SUU does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, citizenship, sex (including sex discrimination and sexual harassment), sexual orientation, gender identity, age, ancestry, disability status, pregnancy, pregnancy-related conditions, genetic information, military status, veteran status, or other bases protected by applicable law in employment, treatment, admission, access to educational programs and activities, or other University benefits or services.

SUU strives to cultivate a campus environment that encourages freedom of expression from diverse viewpoints. We encourage all to dialogue within a spirit of respect, civility, and decency.

For additional information on non-discrimination, please see SUU Policy 5.27 and/or visit https://www.suu.edu/nondiscrimination.

Pregnancy

Students who are or become pregnant during this course may receive reasonable modifications to facilitate continued access and participation in the course. Pregnancy and related conditions are broadly defined to include pregnancy, childbirth, termination of pregnancy, lactation, related medical conditions, and recovery. To obtain reasonable modifications, please make a request to title9@suu.edu. To learn more visit: https://www.suu.edu/titleix/pregnancy.html.

Disclaimer Statement

Information contained in this syllabus, other than the grading, late assignments, makeup work, and attendance policies, may be subject to change with advance notice, as deemed appropriate by the instructor.