Overview
Governance 390: Public Policy and Administrative Governance has been designed for senior undergraduate students who are interested in the creation and implementation of Canadian public policy. There are no formal prerequisites for this course. While it is recommended that students have taken another course in political science or public administration, the course material should be accessible to anyone with the intellectual sophistication and academic maturity expected of senior undergraduate students.
Governance 390 aims to give students the knowledge, analytical skills, and tools necessary to think critically about matters associated with the making and implementation of Canadian public policy. This course will benefit those who have chosen a career in the public service, those who simply wish to increase their awareness of public policy-making and implementation, as well as students with aspirations toward graduate studies.
Outline
The course consists of the following eight units.
- Unit 1: Introduction to Public Policy and Administrative Governance
- Unit 2: Public Bureaucracy in Theory and Practice
- Unit 3: Parliament, Bureaucracy, and Accountability in Canada
- Unit 4: Policy Formulation—The Institutions and Processes of Political Governance
- Unit 5: Administrative Governance—The Challenge of Policy Implementation
- Unit 6: Non-State Actors in Policy-Making and Administrative Governance
- Unit 7: Social Diversity and the Question of “Difference“ in Policy-Making and Administrative Governance
- Unit 8: Governance in the 21st Century
Evaluation
Your final grade in GOVN 390 will be based on the marks you achieve on the assignments and the final examination. To receive credit for GOVN 390, you must complete all the assignments, achieve a mark of at least D (50 percent) on the final examination, and obtain an overall course grade of at least D (50 percent). The weighting of the assignments and exam toward your final grade are outlined below.
| Activity | Weight |
| Assignment 1: Concepts Paper | 10% |
| Assignment 2: Policy Memo Proposal | 10% |
| Assignment 3: Policy Memo | 20% |
| Assignment 4: Research Paper Outline | 10% |
| Assignment 5: Research Paper | 25% |
| Final Exam | 25% |
| Total | 100% |
The final examination for this course must be requested in advance and written under the supervision of an AU-approved exam invigilator. Invigilators include either ProctorU or an approved in-person invigilation centre that can accommodate online exams. Students are responsible for payment of any invigilation fees. Information on exam request deadlines, invigilators, and other exam-related questions, can be found at the Exams and grades section of the Calendar.
To learn more about assignments and examinations, please refer to Athabasca University’s online Calendar.
Materials
Physical course materials
The following course materials are included in a course package that will be shipped to your home prior to your course’s start date:
Dunn, C. (Ed.). (2018). The handbook of Canadian public administration (3rd ed.). Oxford University Press.
Other materials
All other course materials are available online through the course home page. These include a Course Information, Study Guide, and additional readings.
Challenge for credit
Overview
The challenge for credit process allows you to demonstrate that you have acquired a command of the general subject matter, knowledge, intellectual and/or other skills that would normally be found in a university-level course.
Full information about challenge for credit can be found in the Undergraduate Calendar.
Evaluation
To receive credit for the GOVN 390 challenge registration, you must receive a grade of “pass” on the exam.
| Activity | Weight |
| Exam | 100% |
| Total | 100% |
Challenge for credit course registration form