College of Leadership and Public Service

PSL Department Homepage

Leadership and Public Service (PSL)
The leadership and public service program is the academic component of the George and Eleanor McGovern Library and Center for Leadership and Public Service. The goals of the PSL program are five-fold:

• to introduce students to public service fields and careers and to place students in workplace environments where they might develop and apply critical-thinking and problem-solving skills, develop their leadership potential and contribute to the common good through service;
• to explore the concept of the "common good" and other social values associated with the public domain, and to examine and apply ethical analysis of public policy and professional practice in public service;
• to help students explore, from a multidisciplinary perspective, compelling social, political, economic and other cultural issues that confront contemporary society;
• to develop in students the skills and perspectives relevant to problem solving in the public service sector; and
• to use effective oral and written communication in practical public service settings, including communication skills related to political activity, marketing and fundraising, and human relations.

The research project for PSL 400 and the internship experience in PSL 499 must relate to at least one of the student’s supporting concentrations.  The nine hours of content area electives must be approved by the director of the academic program.

The major must include at least 21 upper level hours in the 39 hours required for the major.

Policy Concentrations
For the major, nine hours must be taken from one of the following tracks: policy analysis, policy communication or policy formation.

Policy Analysis

Policy Communication

*Three or more hours of forensics may be counted as one course for the major/minor.
**CTH 302 may be used in the minor only if DRM 203 is also part of concentration.
***Photography may be used only if ENG 211/311 is also taken for the concentration.

Policy Formation

Content Area Concentrations
Suggested content area elective concentrations are hunger and poverty, globalization, gender, healthcare, and environmental issues. These are among a wide range of issues of interest to the McGovern Center. The content area concentration does not need to be one of these. However, each student’s content area concentration must be approved by the program director. Courses applied toward a policy concentration may not be double counted toward a content area concentration.

Minor
Students seeking a minor in leadership and public service must complete the following courses:

* The 12 hours of electives must be approved by the director of the academic program.  Suggested concentrations are the clusters of courses recommended for the major.

Content Area Concentrations
The following concentrations are examples from specific areas of interest to the McGovern Center. The content area concentration does not need to come from one of these, however, each student's content area concentration must be approved by the program director. Courses applied toward the policy concentration may not be double counted toward a content area concentration.

Environmental Issues*

* This concentration must include at least two biology courses

Gender

Globalization

Healthcare

Hunger and Poverty

Course Descriptions
210 Introduction to Leadership and Public Service 3 hours S
This course is an introductory survey of the environment, skills and social values of public service, defined broadly. The concept of the “common good,” as well as the ethical implications of this concept, will be explored. The course will also contain a basic examination of the role of leadership within social policy change.
General Education: Civic Values and Engagement

275 Field Experience 1-2 hours TBA

299 Selected Topics – Basic 1-3 hours TBA

310 Public Service: Policy Communications 3 hours TBA
This course is a study of the various tools which are commonly used in communicating to and persuading various “publics” about policy issues.

320 Ethics and Public Policy 3 hours S12
This course is a blend of ethical theories and the application of these theories within leadership and public service. Case studies will be used.

350 Public Service: Policy Formation and Analysis 3 hours TBA
This course is the study of how public policy is formulated and the concepts common to public policy analysis. It is structured around hands-on field experiences and service learning projects in which students actually engage in public policy formulation and analysis at the local level. Upon completion of the course students will be intimately familiar with the various tools commonly used in formulating and analyzing public policy, including various forms of cost/benefit analysis.
Prerequisite: SOC 312.

400 Leadership and Public Service Seminar 3 hours S12
In this capstone course, the student is expected to synthesize and integrate the conceptual and theoretical knowledge and understanding as well as skills acquired in the curriculum through coursework, internships, leadership development, research and other learning activities. The emphasis is on the student's demonstrated development and competency of applied skills and understanding of the literature.

450 Internship 3 hours TBA

460 Independent Study 1-3 hours F, S

499 Selected Topics – Advanced 1-3 hours TBA