Southern Utah University

Course Syllabus

Southern Utah University
Southern Utah University
Summer Semester 2026

Public Administration (Online)

POLS 3410-30I

Course: POLS 3410-30I
Credits: 3
Term: Summer Semester 2026
Department: PSCJ
CRN: 21159

Course Description

Examination of the mechanics and dynamics of government administration. Emphasis on the rise and impact of bureaucratic state, tasks of administrators, technical aspects of administration, and administrative responsibility. (Fall - Odd Years) [Graded (Standard Letter)] Registration Restriction(s): None

Required Texts

Public Administration, An Introduction (Required) by Marc Holzer and Richard W. Schwester, Routledge; Fourth Edition, 2025 ISBN 978-1-03251703-2

Learning Outcomes

In this course, you will be introduced to the exciting world of Public Administration! The corresponding course outcomes are designed to be engaging and explorative in answering questions about a future study or career in Public Administration. These outcomes align with SUU's Essential Learning Outcomes 1,2,4, and 6. The course outcomes are as follows:

  1. Explain the role and scope of public administration in the U.S. political system and identify how public service contributes to civic life. (ELO 1: Civic Engagement)

  2. Communicate clearly and professionally about public administration concepts through written, oral, and visual formats. (ELO 2: Communication)

  3. Apply ethical reasoning to evaluate administrative decisions and public sector dilemmas. (ELO 6: Ethical Reasoning)

  4. Analyze public programs and policies using principles of organizational theory, leadership, and performance management. (ELO 4: Critical Thinking)

  5. Reflect on the values and responsibilities of public service, including transparency, accountability, and service to diverse communities. (ELO 1: Civic Engagement; ELO 6: Ethical Reasoning) 

Course Requirements

 

Grading Policy


The final course grade will be determined based on the following breakdown:

  1. Chapter Quizzes: 20%
  2. Public Data Visualization: 30%
  3. Public Data & Accounting Project: 30%
  4. Exams: 20% (2 @ 10% each)

The final numeric grade will map to the final letter grade according to SUU’s standard number to-letter grade conversion scheme. Final grades ending in .5 or higher are automatically rounded up to the nearest whole percentage point. 
 
A: 94-100
A-: 90-93
B+: 87-89
B: 84-86 
B-: 80-83 
C+: 77-79 
C: 74-76 
C-: 70-73  
D+: 67-69 
D: 64-66 
D-: 60-63
F: 0-59  


Chapter Quizzes
Each module has a corresponding quiz based on the chapter you are assigned to read from the required textbook. Each quiz is 5 questions. The quizzes should be done individually but they are open book. You will have one hour and one attempt to complete each quiz.

Public Data Visualization
This assignment will require students to explore the ever-changing world of Public Administration through technology. Students will collect publicly available municipal data and learn how to visualize it using Tableau Public (the free version). No prior experience is necessary and students will receive tutorials and guides on how to use the software.

Public Budgeting & Accounting
Students will build a simple departmental operating budget in Excel for a municipal or county department, using a provided dataset and guided template. Students will develop spreadsheet skills while thinking like public budget analysts: organizing line items, calculating totals, projecting costs, and identifying whether a department stays within a funding target. No prior experience is necessary, tutorials and guides will be provided. Students can use Excel, Numbers, or Google Sheets to complete the assignment.

Exams
There will be two exams, both of which are equally weighted. They will be given on Canvas, and the due dates are scheduled in the syllabus. The format of each exam will be multiple-choice and will include any material covered since the last exam. A study guide will be provided in advance.  Exam material will cover concepts, theories, and results from the readings, as well as material from the lectures.

Exams may only be made up for excused for participation in formally sanctioned University events, or extraordinary events if they are accompanied by sufficient documentation within two calendar days of the absence. The instructor reserves the right to determine what constitutes an extraordinary circumstance as well as what shall be considered “sufficient documentation.” If they have been excused for their absence, students will have five working days to make up a missed exam. If there are extraordinary circumstances, which would prevent the student from making up the exam in five working days, the instructor must be informed of this fact prior to the expiration of the five day period. The instructor reserves the right to administer makeup exams of any format (multiple choice, short answer, essay), which may not necessarily correspond to the original exam’s format. If a student misses an exam and does not have an excused absence, the student will receive a zero for the exam. 

Course Outline

Course Schedule & Assignments

 

Week 1: June 29-July 5

  • READ: Chp 1 What Public Administration Entails
  • READ: Chp 2 Organizational Theory and Management
  • Chapter 1 Quiz  Due: Sunday, July 5 (11:59 PM MDT) 
  • Chapter 2 Quiz  Due: Sunday, July 5 (11:59 PM MDT) 
  • Syllabus Quiz Due: Sunday, July 5 (11:59 PM MDT)


Week 2: July 6-12

  • READ: Chp 3 Politics and Public Administration
  • READ: Chp 4 Intergovernmental Relations
  • Chapter 3 Quiz  Due: Sunday, July 12 (11:59 PM MDT) 
  • Chapter 4 Quiz  Due: Sunday, July 12 (11:59 PM MDT) 
  • Public Accounting & Budgeting Project Part 1  Due: Sunday, July 12 (11:59 PM MDT) 

 

Week 3: July 13-19

  • READ: Chp 5 Ethics and Public Administration
  • READ: Chp 6 Managing Human Resources
  • Chapter 4 Quiz  Due: Sunday, July 19 (11:59 PM MDT) 
  • Chapter 5 Quiz  Due: Sunday, July 19 (11:59 PM MDT) 
  • Exam 1 (Midterm) Due: Sunday, July 19, 11:59pm
  • Public Data Visualization Project Part 1 Due: Sunday, July 19, 11:59pm 
 
 

Week 4: July 20-26

  • READ: Chp 7 Public Decision-Making
  • READ: Chp 8 Public Sector Leadership
  • Chapter 7 Quiz  Due: Sunday, July 26 (11:59 PM MDT) 
  • Chapter 8 Quiz  Due: Sunday, July 26 (11:59 PM MDT) 
  •  Public Accounting & Budgeting Project Part 2  Due: Sunday, July 26 (11:59 PM MDT) 


Week 5: July 27- Aug. 2

  • READ: Chp 9 Public Budgeting and Finance
  • READ: Chp 10 Public Performance
  • Chapter 9 Quiz  Due: Sunday, Aug. 2 (11:59 PM MDT) 
  • Chapter 10 Quiz  Due: Sunday, Aug. 2 (11:59 PM MDT) 
  • Public Data Visualization Project Part 2 Due: Sunday, Aug. 2 (11:59 PM MDT)

Week 6: Aug. 3-9

  • READ: Chp 11 Program and Policy Assessment
  • READ: Chp 12 Existing Data, Big Data, and Analyzing Data
  • Chapter 11 Quiz  Due: Sunday, Aug. 9 (11:59 PM MDT) 
  • Chapter 12 Quiz  Due: Sunday, Aug. 9 (11:59 PM MDT) 
  • Public Data Visualization Project Part 3 Due: Sunday, Aug. 9 (11:59 PM MDT) 

Week 7: Aug. 10-16

  • READ: Chp 13 Technology and Public Administration
  • READ: Chp 14 The Future of Public Administration
  • Chapter 13 Quiz  Due: Sunday, Aug. 2 (11:59 PM MDT)
  • Chapter 16 Quiz  Due: Sunday, Aug. 2 (11:59 PM MDT) 
  • Public Data Visualization Project Part 4 Due: Sunday, Aug. 2 (11:59 PM MDT) 
  • Exam 2 (Final): Sunday Aug. 16, 11:59pm

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

A late penalty of 10% per day late will be assessed for missing deadlines associated with the Quizzes, Reflections, Public Data Visualization, and the Public Budgeting & Accounting Project.

Make-up work for the Exam portion of the grade will not be accepted.

The Late Policy takes effect after the 11:59pm deadline. Meaning a 12:00am submission will count as 1 day late. 

Attendance Policy

This course is fully delivered asynchronously, meaning there are no specified times that the student is expected to view the videos. Students are responsible for planning ahead by checking the syllabus for upcoming readings and assignments. Students are responsible for all assigned readings. Therefore, it is imperative that students complete all readings and integrate them into the course assignments as applicable. The assignment deadlines are "hard" deadlines, so plan your week accordingly. 

Course Fees

N/A

Class Policies

Students are responsible for planning ahead by checking the syllabus for upcoming readings and assignments. Students are responsible for all assigned readings. Therefore, it is imperative that students complete all readings and integrate them into the course as applicable.

Students are responsible for checking rubrics for formatting requirements prior to submission. If assignment files are illegible, corrupted, uploaded to the wrong location, blank, or "wrong versions", they will be treated as late and the Late Policy will apply. To avoid issues, be sure to review your assignments after submission. Links to externally stored files (e.g. GoogleDocs) will not be accepted 

AI Policy

This course assumes that work submitted for a grade by students – all process work, drafts, brainstorming artifacts, final works – will be generated by the students themselves, working individually or in groups as directed by class assignment instructions. This policy indicates the following constitute violations of academic honesty: a student has another person/entity do the work of any substantive portion of a graded assignment for them, which includes purchasing work from a company, hiring a person or company to complete an assignment or exam, and/or using generative AI tools (such as ChatGPT). 

Syllabus Change Policy

Except for changes that substantially affect implementation of the evaluation (grading) statement, this syllabus is a guide for the course and is subject to change with advance notice. 

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.