Introduces students to organizational theories and practices useful to public service managers. Teaches students how to use structural, human resource, political and symbolic perspectives to rethink public service organizations. Provides an introduction to managerial issues including workforce diversity, decision making, and leadership; stresses critical thinking skills. Open to students admitted into the MA in Public Service Leadership program (PSLD-MA).

Globalization challenges almost every aspect of communication from creating and delivering messages to spreading ideas that cross language, time, and cultural barriers. The course focuses on using strategies communication planning and management to guide communication activities in organizations. Open to students admitted into the MA in Public Service Leadership program (PSLD-MA).

There is an increasing demand for public service workers who can work with diverse communities through program management and development using strengths and empowerment perspectives and social and economic justice principles. This course builds on the ecological systems perspective that views program development as an arena for social change. Open to students admitted into the MA in Public Service Leadership program (PSLD-MA).

Using Microsoft Excel, this course introduces students to the use of quantitative data in policy, public management, and non-profit decision making. Topics include causal inference, descriptive statistics, data visualization, probability, statistical inference, and regression analysis. Open to students admitted into the MA in Public Service Leadership program (PSLD-MA).

Design thinking is a way of working with user-centered innovation to address problems where not all knowledge is available at the outset, i.e. the problem itself is unknown (wicked problems). Design thinking rests on principles such as user involvement, problem framing, experimentation, visualization, and diversity. Open to students admitted into the MA in Public Service Leadership program (PSLD-MA).

Introduction to emergency management theories and practices that are critical in the emergency management profession. Covers the phases of emergency management, human and political aspects, the importance of effective resource management, environmental concerns, and the threats and hazard identification and risk assessment process that is important to emergency management organizations. Introduces participants to issues related to managing personnel, including volunteers, workforce diversity, decision-making, leadership, and stresses critical thinking skills.

Disasters create lasting impacts for communities large and small. This course introduces students to emergency management concepts that ensure the needs are being met for citizens with access and functional needs, those living in areas with high social vulnerability, and other vulnerable populations throughout the community. Teaches students to include vulnerable populations in all phases of emergency management and provides students with the opportunity to learn critical communication and problem-solving skills.

This course examines the nature, extent, and causes of poverty and inequality in the US while relying on literature from sociology, political science, economics, psychology and other disciplines. It analyzes the anti-poverty initiatives and policies launched over the past five decades and examines the role of culture, discrimination and classism as well as policy issues.

Addresses global design for economic and social development via the UN adoption of Sustainable Development Goals and targets. Examines policies and programs that aim to achieve inclusive, people-centered and sustainable development. Covers the basics of narrative policy analysis, measures and outcomes. Explores environmental, social, and economic concerns and their impact at local, national and global levels.

This course uses the UNWomen's approach to gender diversity and sustainable development to encompass the issues that hinder and those that contribute to the progress of women and gender diversity within sustainable development. The course reviews the environmental, social, and economic relevance and impact on gender. The specific topics will include, the intersectionality of gender and sustainability in the context of agriculture, forestry, water, health, investment and corporate social responsibility and each topic will highlight a specific region or nation. The course will provide an overview of the underlying intersectionalities of class, age, region within Asia, Latin America, and Africa.

This course will introduce students to some of these key concepts and debates to enable critical evaluation of how well sociological understandings of development inform the social analysis of exclusion, poverty and inequality, as well as what implications this might have for development policy especially when focusing on underserved communities.