Course Syllabus

Political Science 4370

The Policymaking Process
Meeting Date: Mondays, Jan. 12, 2009—April. 13, 2009 (Additional outside meetings as assigned.)
Time: 5:45—8:45pm
Location: Archer Center

Professor Contact Information

Instructor: Jenifer Sarver
Phone: 202.445.3321 (cell)
E-mail: jsarver@alumni.utexas.net

Course Pre-requisites, Co-requisites, and/or Other Restrictions

Acceptance into the Archer Fellowship.

Course Description
This course is designed to give you an overview of how policy is made at the federal level. Through
various historical and academic readings you will become familiar with the process as it is designed.
However, through in-class discussions, on-the-job experiences and by meeting Washington powerbrokers
who help craft policy, you will see how the process works in actuality. The course will be interactive, with
a strong focus on in-class discussion and guest speakers who will peak your curiosity, challenge your
views and give you an insiders’ perspective on Washington.

For this course we will pick one policy area on which to focus: trade. Trade policy has implications
domestically and internationally, and has been an issue in American politics throughout the century. But
with globalization and heightened rhetoric, trade has become a front burner issue in American politics,
providing a timely, thought provoking issue to study, discuss and analyze.

Student Learning Objectives/Outcomes

Students will be able:
• To identify the key political and economic factors that affect public policy issues.
• To understand the policymaking process from the perspective of the legislative, judicial and
executive branches of government.
• To analyze the impact various actors from the public and private sectors have on public policy
formulation, and be able to identify those actors.
• To assess the effectiveness (or ineffectiveness) of the policymaking process in Washington D.C.

Required Textbooks and Materials

Thomas Birkland, An Introduction to the Policy Process: Theories, Concepts, and Models of Public
Policy Making. second edition, 2005.

Course Syllabus Page 1

Additional readings (to be provided by instructor):
Deborah Stone, Policy Paradox: The Art of Political Decision Making. 2001. (various excerpts)
Kingdon, John, Agendas, Alternatives and Public Policies. 1984. (various excerpts)
The Washington Post, Roll Call, The Hill (various articles; daily reading)
Various Research Papers (Congressional Research Service, Brookings, PEW, etc.)

Assignments & Academic Calendar

Below are textbook readings and potential class speakers and panelists who will reinforce the assigned
readings with their on-the-job perspectives. An updated syllabus with confirmed speakers and additional
reading assignments will provided during Week 1. Note that every attempt will be made to secure
speakers in advance, but knowing the busy schedules of our guests, students should always be prepared
for new or different speakers to address the topics of the day. *Additional outside class meetings and
one-on-one meetings with students to be scheduled during the semester.

Jan. 12— Class Introduction/Overview

Read: Birkland, Chapter 1 “The Study and Practice of Public Policy”

Potential Guest:
Liz Chadderdon, President, The Chadderdon Group

Jan. 21 NOTE: Wednesday Special Session on Inaugural Week and President-Elect Obama’s
Policy Priorities for the first 100 Days in Office

Jan. 26— Politics 101: How it’s Supposed to Work

Read: Birkland, Chapter 2 “The Historical and Structural Context of Public Policy Making”

Potential Guest:
Dr. Anthony M. Champagne (via videoconference)

Feb. 2— Legislative Process: How it Really Works

Read: Birkland, Chapter 3 “Official Actors and Their Roles in Public Policy”

Potential Guest:
Caryn Schenewerk, Legislative Director for Congresswoman Giffords (D-AZ)

Feb. 9— Legislative Process: The Administration’s Role in Policymaking

Birkland, Chapter 4 “Unofficial Actors and Their Roles in Public Policy”

Potential Guests:
Jim Bayless, Shareholder, Winstead PC
TBD, Appointee in the Obama Administration

Feb. 16— External Actors and their Impact on the Policymaking Process: lobbyists, think tanks,
donors, grassroots organizations, 527s
Read: Birkland, Chapter 5 “Agenda Setting, Power, and Interest Groups”

Course Syllabus Page 2

 Potential Guests:
Tim Greeff, League of Conservation Voters
Michael Drobac, Online Publishing Association
Henry Gandy, Duberstein Group

Feb. 23— The Impact of Communications in the Policymaking Process

Read: Birkland, Chapter 6 “Policies and Policy Types”

Potential Guests:
Matt Mackowiak, Press Secretary for Senator Hutchison (R-TX)
Mark Murray, NBC Deputy Political Director
Karen Tumulty, Time Magazine
Morgan Felchner, U.S. News and World Report

March 2— The Federal Budget Process; Appropriations

Read: Birkland, Chapter 7-8 “Policy Design and Policy Tools” and “Policy Implementation and
Policy Failure”

Potential Guest:
David H. Morrison, Former Deputy Associate Director at the Office of Management and
Budget

March 9— Trade Policy Discussion Part I—Domestic and Foreign Policy

Read: Birkland, Chapter 9 “Putting it All Together: Models of the Policy Process”

Potential Guests:
E. Richard, Mills, Senior Advisor at the World Bank
Israel Hernandez, Former Assistant Secretary for Trade Promotion and Director General of
the U.S. & Foreign Commercial Service
TBD, Appointee in the Obama Administration

March 16— SPRING BREAK

March 23— Trade Policy Discussion Part II; Mark-Up Prep

Potential Guests:
J.V. Schwan, Former Deputy Chief of Staff at the U.S. Department of Commerce
TBD, Appointee in the Obama Administration

March 30— Trade Bill Mark-Up

April 6— Trade Bill Mark-Up

April 13— Final Essay Exam

Course Syllabus Page 3

Grading Policy
15—Mark-up participation
10—Mark-up briefing paper
10—Campaign assignment
10—Policy in the Paper participation
25—Final essay exam
20—Class participation
10—Pop quizzes

Mark-Up—25 percent (15 percent participation; 10 briefing paper)

For this assignment, students are to assume they are members of a House-Senate conference committee
trying to resolve differences in the chambers’ version of legislation to change the nation’s trade policy.
Students will be provided research materials, but expected to do substantial supplemental research. They
will take on the roles of actual committee members and chairs, and conduct the mark-up in a role-playing
fashion. Students will be graded on depth of knowledge, preparation, presentation and process. Students
will prepare a briefing paper that profiles the member they are portraying, synopsizes the issue and
highlights the key policy points they will try to incorporate into the final mark up.

First 100 Days Assignment—15 percent (10 percent Policy memos; 5 percent creative essay)
Being in Washington, D.C. during an inauguration and the beginning of a new administration creates a
unique opportunity for Archer Fellows to observe history in the making. Instead of a formal class meeting
on Monday, Jan. 19, Archer Fellows will be required to watch President-Elect Obama’s inaugural address,
and observe policy priorities he lays out for his first 100 days in office. Fellows will select one policy and
write an initial memo explaining the importance of the policy, and will follow the progress of that policy
throughout the semester. A follow-up memo at the end of the semester will outline progress toward policy
implementation. Additionally, Fellows will be required to participate in or volunteer at other inaugural
activities, such as the parade or an inaugural ball, and incorporate their overall perceptions into a short
creative writing essay.

Policy in the Paper—10 percent

Several students will be assigned each week to bring a newspaper clip that highlights a particular policy
the Obama Administration is pushing. They will be given five minutes to explain the topic, the conflict
and the players in the policymaking process (official and unofficial), as well as what kind of evidence the
article uses to outline the issue. This will take place the first 30 minutes of each class period, with time for
class questions. The intention is to encourage daily reading of the newspaper, stay abreast of current
policies and be able to identify the various actors in the policymaking process in a “real world” setting.
Each student will present once, and be assigned to prepare questions once throughout the semester.

Final Essay Exam—20 percent

The final exam will pose an essay question that forces the students to recall course discussions and
information from throughout the semester. It will enable them to demonstrate their grasp of the
policymaking process, from an academic perspective while also allowing input from the practical, hands-
on perspective of their internship and experiences in Washington.

Pop Quizzes—10 percent

Periodic pop quizzes on assigned readings and class discussions will encourage students to stay on top of
their reading assignments and actively listen in class.

Course Syllabus Page 4

Course & Instructor Policies
I hope this course will be fun, engaging and enlightening. I am excited to be your instructor this semester
and hope you will not only learn about the policymaking process, but that you will enjoy the course.
• Attendance: Attendance at all class sessions is mandatory. Class participation is essential and missing
class will negatively impact a student’s participation grade. If there is an extreme circumstance it is at
the professor’s discretion to assign make-up work. Tardiness without a legitimate excuse or
forewarning will be counted against your participation grade. If a student is running late, or will not
be attending class, it is their responsibility to personally alert the professor. Having a classmate
inform the professor is not acceptable.
• Participation: Students are expected to be alert, engaged and active in class discussion. Each week it
will be noted if students speak up in class and participate in discussion. Students who do not
participate in class discussions, ask questions of their peers or guest speakers cannot expect to receive
full credit for participation. E-mailing, texting or any other distraction during class will not be
tolerated and will negatively impact a student’s participation grade.
• Writing: All materials turned in must have 1” margins, be double-spaced and use 12-point Times
New Roman font. Include your name and e-mail in the header in the top right hand corner of each
page. (Please follow these instructions explicitly!)

Technical Support

If you experience any problems with your UTD account you may send an email to:
assist@utdallas.edu or call the UTD Computer Helpdesk at 972-883-2911.

Field Trip Policies

Off-campus Instruction and Course Activities

Off-campus, out-of-state, and foreign instruction and activities are subject to state law and
University policies and procedures regarding travel and risk-related activities. Information
regarding these rules and regulations may be found at the website address
http://www.utdallas.edu/BusinessAffairs/Travel_Risk_Activities.htm. Additional information is
available from the office of the school dean. Below is a description of any travel and/or risk-
related activity associated with this course.

Student Conduct & Discipline

The University of Texas System and The University of Texas at Dallas have rules and regulations
for the orderly and efficient conduct of their business. It is the responsibility of each student and
each student organization to be knowledgeable about the rules and regulations which govern
student conduct and activities. General information on student conduct and discipline is contained
in the UTD printed publication, A to Z Guide, which is provided to all registered students each
academic year.

The University of Texas at Dallas administers student discipline within the procedures of
recognized and established due process. Procedures are defined and described in the Rules and
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 Regulations, Series 50000, Board of Regents, The University of Texas System, and in Title V,
Rules on Student Services and Activities of the university’s Handbook of Operating Procedures.
Copies of these rules and regulations are available to students in the Office of the Dean of
Students, where staff members are available to assist students in interpreting the rules and
regulations (SU 1.602, 972/883-6391) and online at
http://www.utdallas.edu/judicialaffairs/UTDJudicialAffairs-HOPV.html

A student at the university neither loses the rights nor escapes the responsibilities of citizenship.
He or she is expected to obey federal, state, and local laws as well as the Regents’ Rules,
university regulations, and administrative rules. Students are subject to discipline for violating the
standards of conduct whether such conduct takes place on or off campus, or whether civil or
criminal penalties are also imposed for such conduct.

Academic Integrity

The faculty expects from its students a high level of responsibility and academic honesty. Because
the value of an academic degree depends upon the absolute integrity of the work done by the
student for that degree, it is imperative that a student demonstrate a high standard of individual
honor in his or her scholastic work.

Scholastic Dishonesty, any student who commits an act of scholastic dishonesty is subject to
discipline. Scholastic dishonesty includes but is not limited to cheating, plagiarism, collusion, the
submission for credit of any work or materials that are attributable in whole or in part to another
person, taking an examination for another person, any act designed to give unfair advantage to a
student or the attempt to commit such acts.

Plagiarism, especially from the web, from portions of papers for other classes, and from any other
source is unacceptable and will be dealt with under the university’s policy on plagiarism (see
general catalog for details). This course will use the resources of turnitin.com, which searches the
web for possible plagiarism and is over 90% effective.

Copyright Notice

The copyright law of the United States (Title 17, United States Code) governs the making of
photocopies or other reproductions of copyrighted materials, including music and software.
Copying, displaying, reproducing, or distributing copyrighted works may infringe the copyright
owner’s rights and such infringement is subject to appropriate disciplinary action as well as
criminal penalties provided by federal law. Usage of such material is only appropriate when that
usage constitutes “fair use” under the Copyright Act. As a UT Dallas student, you are required to
follow the institution’s copyright policy (Policy Memorandum 84-I.3-46). For more information
about the fair use exemption, see http://www.utsystem.edu/ogc/intellectualproperty/copypol2.htm

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Email Use

The University of Texas at Dallas recognizes the value and efficiency of communication between
faculty/staff and students through electronic mail. At the same time, email raises some issues
concerning security and the identity of each individual in an email exchange. The university
encourages all official student email correspondence be sent only to a student’s U.T. Dallas email
address and that faculty and staff consider email from students official only if it originates from a
UTD student account. This allows the university to maintain a high degree of confidence in the
identity of all individual corresponding and the security of the transmitted information. UTD
furnishes each student with a free email account that is to be used in all communication with
university personnel. The Department of Information Resources at U.T. Dallas provides a method
for students to have their U.T. Dallas mail forwarded to other accounts.

Withdrawal from Class

The administration of this institution has set deadlines for withdrawal of any college-level courses.
These dates and times are published in that semester's course catalog. Administration procedures
must be followed. It is the student's responsibility to handle withdrawal requirements from any
class. In other words, I cannot drop or withdraw any student. You must do the proper paperwork to
ensure that you will not receive a final grade of "F" in a course if you choose not to attend the class
once you are enrolled.

Student Grievance Procedures

Procedures for student grievances are found in Title V, Rules on Student Services and Activities,
of the university’s Handbook of Operating Procedures.

In attempting to resolve any student grievance regarding grades, evaluations, or other fulfillments
of academic responsibility, it is the obligation of the student first to make a serious effort to
resolve the matter with the instructor, supervisor, administrator, or committee with whom the
grievance originates (hereafter called “the respondent”). Individual faculty members retain
primary responsibility for assigning grades and evaluations. If the matter cannot be resolved at
that level, the grievance must be submitted in writing to the respondent with a copy of the
respondent’s School Dean. If the matter is not resolved by the written response provided by the
respondent, the student may submit a written appeal to the School Dean. If the grievance is not
resolved by the School Dean’s decision, the student may make a written appeal to the Dean of
Graduate or Undergraduate Education, and the deal will appoint and convene an Academic
Appeals Panel. The decision of the Academic Appeals Panel is final. The results of the academic
appeals process will be distributed to all involved parties.

Copies of these rules and regulations are available to students in the Office of the Dean of
Students, where staff members are available to assist students in interpreting the rules and
regulations.

Course Syllabus Page 7

Incomplete Grade Policy

As per university policy, incomplete grades will be granted only for work unavoidably missed at
the semester’s end and only if 70% of the course work has been completed. An incomplete grade
must be resolved within eight (8) weeks from the first day of the subsequent long semester. If the
required work to complete the course and to remove the incomplete grade is not submitted by the
specified deadline, the incomplete grade is changed automatically to a grade of F.

Disability Services

The goal of Disability Services is to provide students with disabilities educational opportunities
equal to those of their non-disabled peers. Disability Services is located in room 1.610 in the
Student Union. Office hours are Monday and Thursday, 8:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.; Tuesday and
Wednesday, 8:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.; and Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

The contact information for the Office of Disability Services is:

The University of Texas at Dallas, SU 22
PO Box 830688
Richardson, Texas 75083-0688
(972) 883-2098 (voice or TTY)
disabilityservice@utdallas.edu

If you anticipate issues related to the format or requirements of this course, please meet with the
Coordinator of Disability Services. The Coordinator is available to discuss ways to ensure your
full participation in the course. If you determine that formal, disability-related accommodations are
necessary, it is very important that you be registered with Disability Services to notify them of
your eligibility for reasonable accommodations. Disability Services can then plan how best to
coordinate your accommodations.

It is the student’s responsibility to notify his or her professors of the need for such an
accommodation. Disability Services provides students with letters to present to faculty members
to verify that the student has a disability and needs accommodations. Individuals requiring special
accommodation should contact the professor after class or during office hours.

Religious Holy Days

The University of Texas at Dallas will excuse a student from class or other required activities for
the travel to and observance of a religious holy day for a religion whose places of worship are
exempt from property tax under Section 11.20, Tax Code, Texas Code Annotated.

The student is encouraged to notify the instructor or activity sponsor as soon as possible regarding
the absence, preferably in advance of the assignment. The student, so excused, will be allowed to
take the exam or complete the assignment within a reasonable time after the absence: a period
equal to the length of the absence, up to a maximum of one week. A student who notifies the
instructor and completes any missed exam or assignment may not be penalized for the absence. A
student who fails to complete the exam or assignment within the prescribed period may receive a
failing grade for that exam or assignment.

Course Syllabus Page 8

 If a student or an instructor disagrees about the nature of the absence [i.e., for the purpose of
observing a religious holy day] or if there is similar disagreement about whether the student has
been given a reasonable time to complete any missed assignments or examinations, either the
student or the instructor may request a ruling from the chief executive officer of the institution, or
his or her designee. The chief executive officer or designee must take into account the legislative
intent of TEC 51.911(b), and the student and instructor will abide by the decision of the chief
executive officer or designee.

These descriptions and timelines are subject to change at the discretion of the Professor.

Course Syllabus Page 9