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College of Arts and Sciences |
CJ6644
Administrative Law
Course Syllabus
Last updated June 1, 2017
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Term - 1, 2017
(August 14 - October 15, 2017) |
For course syllabus posted prior to the beginning of the term, the instructor reserves the right to make minor changes prior to or during the term. The instructor will notify students, via e-mail or Blackboard announcement, when changes are made in the requirements and/or grading of the course.
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INSTRUCTOR INFORMATION
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INSTRUCTOR BIOGRAPHY: Professor of Public Administration; Malone D. Wallace Distinguished Faculty 2011. Formerly: Director, TROY 's Florida and Western Regions; Chair, TROY 's Department of Public Administration; Associate Regional Director for Academic Affairs, TROY 's Atlantic Region. Education: Ph.D. in Public Administration, Master of Arts in Criminal Justice, Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice. Previous teaching: Virginia Commonwealth University; City University of New York; University of Maryland; Central Texas College; Columbia College; Saint Leo College. Professional background: Consultant, training developer and instructor for New York and New Jersey social service agencies. Graduate, FBI National Academy; thirty years law enforcement, personnel management, and training management experience. Certified Government Financial Manager; Executive Committee and former Treasurer, American Society for Public Administration, Section on Ethics and Integrity in Government (SEIGov); Past President: Florida Advisory Council on Military Education; Former Executive Committee member and Treasurer, National Association of Institutions for Military Education Services. Editorial Board member and manuscript reviewer for Public Integrity; Guest Editor for Public Integrity’s Symposium Edition on Military Ethics (2017). Doctoral dissertation examiner and invited Visiting Professor for the University of Pretoria’s School of Public Management and Administration (SPMA).
COURSE INFORMATION
Prerequisites: There are no prerequisites for this course.
Course Description:
A study of the legal environment in which public administrators function. The
process and procedures of administrative agencies including administrative
discretion, rule-making, investigating, prosecuting, negotiating and settling;
constitutional law, statutory law, common law, and agency made law. Liability
of governments and their officers. Selected cases and decisions.
Student Learning Outcomes:
1. Discuss the significance of administrative law for public administrators.
2. Explain legislative delegation and the power of judicial review
3. Define and discuss the concept of rights (entitlement and privileges) from conservative, liberal, and pluralistic views.
4. Describe the federal regulatory process and control of citizens through court action and administrative regulations.
5. Articulate arguments for and against the proposition that rule making is more efficient than adjudication on pursuing legislative outcomes through administrative law.
6. Describe the relationship between our court system and the executive agencies.
7. Articulate how the fundamental ideas of the framers of the constitution are challenged by the evolvement and growth of federal agencies.
8. Explain the impact of the Administrative Procedures Act on the processes of public administration.
9. Examine the importance of ethics and diversity in the administration of public agencies and in the regulatory process.
10. Demonstrate the ability to analyze complex public sector issues, identify potential solutions, and defend courses of action using case analysis methodology.
11. Demonstrate
the ability to research complex public issues and present information orally
and/or in writing.
Desired Competency:
Students will be able to analyze, understand and articulate the relationships
and legal limitations of each of the branches of government and how they impact
their agency.
This is an eTROY class. It is not a “correspondence course” in which a student may work at his/her own pace. Each week there will be assignments, on-line discussions, and/or exams with due dates. Refer to the Course Schedule in this syllabus for more information.
• Interaction will take place
primarily via the course discussion board supported by email as needed. Weekly
postings are required to the discussion board in response to posted
assignments. I will respond to each posting and provide general responses to
the class.
• In addition to instructor-student interaction, student to student interaction
is expected in the discussion board, and specific group assignments will be
posted that require such interaction. I assess that interaction by reviewing
the group discussion board I will create for each group.
• Students are to participate in this course by following the guidelines of
this syllabus and any additional information I will provide during the term.
• The student is expected to remain in regular contact with the instructor and
class via email or other communication means by participating in the discussion
forums, submitting assignments, and taking exams.
• TROY requires instructors to respond to students’ emails within 24 hours
Monday-Thursday and 48 hours Friday-Sunday, but I normally respond to all
questions issues within 24 hours, and usually faster.
• As the instructor, I will communicate on the Blackboard.com Announcements
page, in the discussion board for the appropriate week and/or via email. Check
your email, the announcements section of Blackboard and especially the
discussion board area daily.
Internet Access
Since this is an on-line class, students must have access to a working
computer and access to the internet. Students can use the TROY computer lab, a
public library, etc., to insure they have access.
“Not having a computer” or “computer crashes” are not acceptable excuses for
late work. Have a backup plan in place in case you have computer problems.
Useful Web Sites for This Course:
See the External Links section in Blackboard.
TEXTBOOKS AND OTHER MATERIALS REQUIRED:
Szypszak, Charles (2011) Understanding Law for Public Administration. Sudburry, Massachusetts: Jones and Bartlett Publishers. (ISBN: 978-0-7637-8011-1).
TThe official bookstore for Troy University is Barnes and Noble (B&N). Students can now order textbooks within Canvas, Trojan Web Express or on the B&N website at http://shoptroytrojans.com/. For further instructions on how to order your course materials go to “How to Order Textbooks”. Students should have their textbook by the first week of class. Not having your textbook is not an acceptable excuse for late work.
Required Additional Reading
None
Professionally Suggested Readings:
Visit Federal Agency Web pages as assigned/discussed in class.
ATTENDANCE POLICY:
In addition to interaction via Canvas and email contact, you are required to contact the instructor via email by the first day of the term. Although physical class meetings are not part of this course, participation in all interactive, learning activities is required.
Make-Up Work Policy
Missing any part of this schedule may prevent completion of the course. If you foresee difficulty of any type (e.g., an illness, employment change, etc.) which may prevent completion of this course, notify the instructor as soon as possible. Failure to do so will result in failure for an assignment and/or failure of the course. If I have not heard from you by the deadline dates for assignments, exams, or forums, no make-up work will be allowed (unless extraordinary circumstances exist, such as hospitalization). Requests for extensions must be made in advance and accompanied by appropriate written documentation. “Computer problems” is not an acceptable excuse.
METHOD OF EVALUATION:
GRADING POLICY
a. Class Preparation and Participation: Students are expected to read all assigned material and participate in online discussion. The class participation grade will be based on the weekly discussion question assignments which will be due each Sunday evening by 8:00 PM.
b. Group Presentations: Students will be assigned legal issues for graded group presentations using Powerpoint® slides with story boards. Presentations, which will be used to support online discussion must include a professional quality presentation using an appropriate computer presentation program. Presentations must be posted in the discussion board area for the appropriate week for which they are assigned.
c. Examinations: One end-of course examination will be administered. Complex essay and case scenario questions will be used to measure students' understanding of course material and the ability to analyze and articulate key issues.
d. Research Paper: Students must prepare, a term/research paper dealing with public sector legal issues/administrative law. A research topic outline must be submitted for instructor approval via e-mail no later than the end of week two. Papers should be at least 20 pages in length and should represent the student's best effort in academic writing. Papers must be prepared using a traditional academic style guide. The APA Style Guide is the TROY MPA Program's required style guide. Paper writing tips and requirements will be discussed during the class.
The course grade is a compilation of scores achieved on the four course elements noted under the grading scale below. All work is graded on a 100 point scale. Those scores are then multiplied by the percentage weight noted below. Weekly homework is valued at a maximum of 100 points per week, with the participation grade being an average of the scores for the seven weeks of weekly discussion requirement. Late work is assessed a penalty of at least 10 points for the first day, 20 points for the second day, 30 points for the third day. A zero value will be awarded for assignments later than day 3. Weekly homework scores are not computed into the course grade book total weighted score until after all weekly work due dates have passed. Students can view their progress in the Blackboard grade book at any time. The final course weighted score will tell students what their course grade will be in accordance with the grading standard below.
a. Grading Standard: b. Weighted Percentages:
90-100 = A Class Participation 25%
80-89 = B Group Presentation 25%
70-79 = C Term Project 25%
60-69 = D Course Examination 25%
Assignments:
a. Class Participation: Students are expected to read all assigned material and to participate in class discussion. Weekly discussion question assignments due each Sunday by 8:00 PM will comprise the class participation grade. Active participation will enhance understanding of the course material. Failure to submit weekly discussions on time will result in significant grade reduction as noted below.
b. Presentations: Group Presentations: Students will be assigned legal topics related to the course for graded group presentations using PowerPoint® slides with story boards/notes pages. Presentations, which will be used to support online discussion and must include a professional quality presentation using an appropriate computer presentation program. Presentations must be posted in the discussion board area for the appropriate week for which they are assigned.
c. Research or Case Analysis Paper: Students must prepare and discuss in class, a research or case analysis paper focusing on legal issues particularly those impacting the criminal justice community. The specific topic must be approved by the instructor, requiring an e-mail outline of the topic to be submitted by week three of the course for instructor approval. Papers should be at least 15 pages in length and should represent the student's best effort in academic writing. Traditional academic style according to the APA style guide is required.
d. Examinations: An examination, designed to measure students' understanding of and ability to integrate course material will be administered during week eight of the term. This will not require a formal proctor, but I will establish appropriate security measures.
Examination Schedule and Instructions: A three to four hour closed book final examination will be administered during Week 8 of the course and will consist of complex essay questions and/or cases requiring students to explain and apply course concepts and case analysis methodology.
(Any required weekly work is due by 8:00 PM, Sunday of the week in question unless otherwise posted, due dates are further explained in the discussion board area of the course): MATERIAL SUBMITTED AFTER THE DUE DATE WILL RECEIVE A GRADE PENALTY OF AT LEAST TEN POINTS PER DAY, and result in a zero grade if delinquent over three days. Weekly assignments will be posted in the Weekly Module in Canvas at the appropriate time, and will consist of weekly discussion questions forstudent submission in the corresponding Weekly Discussion Board for my review and response.
COURSE POLICIES
Submitting Assignments
Weekly assignments must be posted to the discussion board by the submission deadline. I do not permit attachments in the discussion board except for the group presentation and the term research project paper. Instead, text should be pasted directly into the discussion board submission to allow me and your classmates to read the material online without opening another program. The weekly assignments will be the primary interaction mechanism for the course. Instructor comments and discussion of student submissions will be provided each week. These assignments will assist the student in preparing for the examination, all portions of which will have been discussed in this manner.
Submit papers in Standard English using a 12-point format, 1-inch margins, and double spacing in MS-Word format. The American Psychological Association (APA) guidelines are the standards for writing and referencing papers in the MPA program.
Plagiarism Policy
The awarding of a university degree attests that an individual has demonstrated mastery of a significant body of knowledge and skills of substantive value to society. Any type of dishonesty in securing those credentials therefore invites serious sanctions, up to and including suspension and expulsion (see Standard of Conduct in the TROY Graduate Catalog). Examples of dishonesty include actual or attempted cheating, plagiarism, or knowingly furnishing false information to any university employee. Consult the eTroy policies for a complete explanation of plagiarism policies.
The penalty for plagiarism will result in 0 points for that assignment and may result in a failing grade for the course.
COURSE SCHEDULE/CALENDAR OF WEEKLY ASSIGNMENT:
(Any required weekly work is due by 8:00 PM, Sunday of the week in question unless otherwise posted, as necessary, due dates are further explained in the discussion board area of the course): MATERIAL SUBMITTED AFTER THE DUE DATE WILL RECEIVE A GRADE PENALTY AS NOTED ABOVE. Weekly assignments will be posted in the Weekly Learning Module in Canvas at the appropriate time, and will consist of weekly discussion questions for student submission in the corresponding Weekly Discussion Board for my review and response.
Week One:
- Class Introduction, Discussion of Course Requirements
- Read: Szypszak, Chapters 1 and 15
- Discussion: Understanding the Law and Legal Research
Week Two:
- Read: Szypszak, Chapters 2-4
- Discussion: The US Constitution; Due Process, Equal Protection and Civil Rights; Freedom of Speech and Religion
Week Three:
- Read: Szypszak, Chapters 5-7
- Discussion: Freedom of Information; Property and Contract Law
Week Four:
- Read: Szypszak, Chapters 8-9
- Discussion: Employment Law and Torts
Week Five:
- Read: Szypszak, Chapters 10-11
- Discussion: Criminal Law and Procedure; Administrative Law
Week Six:
- Read: Szypszak, Chapters 12
- Discussion: Public Sector Ethics
Week Seven:
- Read: Szypszak, Chapters 13-14
- Discussion: Civil Litigation and Dealing with the Legal Profession
Group presentations are due by 8:00 PM Friday evening of this week to allow other class members to respond. Students must respond to presentations posted by all groups except their own.
The final exam will be available after the seventh week for completion during week eight.
Week Eight:
Final Exam: There will be no weekly postings required to allow students to complete the final exam planned for the eighth week of the course.
Week Nine:
Submission of the Course Writing Project, due Wednesday evening by 8:00 PM
Discussion of Course Project.