Budget in the MTA

Each student will have the opportunity to select a public administration topic covered in the course that fits her/his research interests and become an expert on this topic. An in-depth analysis of the topic will result in a topic paper. To perform the analysis, the weekly reading will serve as a point of departure. This paper should not be a summary of the reading. Rather, the student should perform an in-depth analysis of a topic that can be referenced in a future in-class and online discussion activities.

Requirements:

1. Selecting a Topic: Students sign up for weekly topics on a first-come-first-serve basis in the Discussion Board thread. A maximum of four students is able to select the same week. When posting your preference, be sure to indicate a detailed theme or issue you would like to address within the broader weekly theme. For example, if you are interested in managing human resources and select Chapter 3 as the basis for your topic paper, you would read Chapter 3 in advance, brainstorm topics, and post your topic selection (i.e. “employee motivation” or “promoting diversity in public service”).

2. Outside Resources: At least 4 outside sources (academic journal articles, news articles, government websites, and/or government videos) must be used in addition to the Chapter reading. Cite all of your sources using APA citation style (the Purdue OWL is a great resource for the latest APA style guide) and include a reference list.

3. Writing your Topic Paper: below is a list of what your topic paper should include. Use the subheadings: “summary,” “analysis,” and “recommendation” in your paper. The summary should be 1 page. The analysis should be no more than 2-3 pages, and the recommendation should be 1 page, with the entire paper at approximately 4-5 pages in Times New Roman 12 point font with 1-inch margins. Your writing should be clear and without grammatical and/or stylistic errors.