This course is designed to apply the analytical skills developed in the Second Year to a number of topical issues. Accordingly, it is expected that the specific content of this course will change from year to year. The content of this course is intended to "practicalize" the students' theoretical knowledge. The delivery methodology will be primarily through guest lectures. Where possible these will be supported by filed trips or case analysis. The emphasis of this course will be on contemporary controversies and themes. These will be related to a settled body of ideas that comprise the core of the discipline.

This course is intended to act as a capstone course for all students doing studies in Public Administration.

NB: The course will be taught in Semester 2 only and it will be required that students complete all other core public administration courses before pursuing this one.

The course will be assessed as follows:

Seminar Presentation (10%)

Extended Essay (20%) - due on Friday 11^th March.

Project (70%) - 10% of which will be based on an oral presentation of the findings. Projects are to be submitted to Exams Section on May 4, 2005 .

NB:

• There will be no final examination for this course as it is intended to be a capstone course requiring the students to bring together a pool of knowledge and their practical experience to bear on one of the issues covered in Module 3 of the course.


• The project will be structured to allow for a proposal submission, a first draft and a final paper each of which will be allocated a % of the marks available

• The course project should be done in groups of four students who may not necessarily come from the same seminar class.

The essays should be typed or word-processed and should not exceed 3000 words. A list of questions will be supplied by week 2 of the Semester. A project guideline will be issued at the same time.

This is a reading course. You will be expected to read in advance of lectures and to follow up the lectures with further study as the lectures will only provide a skeletal account of what you need to know for essays, seminars and project. It is estimated that students will devote a minimum of around ten hours per week.

In addition to the listed texts (in course outline), other readings will be supplied from time to time.

Please see your email or the Department of Government website for full guidance on the above

There will be 10 Lectures (starting in Week 1 of Semester II), plus a revision session in the final week of Semester II. The course will be lectured by a number of individuals and each lecture will be given by an expert in the area. Lectures will be given in the order set out in the Programme below. The issues under topics are a guide to the central questions involved, and to which you should direct your reading: not all of the topics will necessarily be covered (or given equal weight) in the appropriate lecture.

Each topic will have at least a one-hour seminar. The purpose of a lecture is to motivate you to explore the topic in question thoroughly, and in an analytically informed way. A lecture is not an occasion on which you will be 'spoon fed' knowledge, or a substitute for independent reading and writing.