Syllabus
This semester, I’m taking my first step towards becoming a “genuine” academic by teaching my first class as an adjunct assistant professor at CUNY’s Murphy Institute for Labor Studies. The class in question is Urban Studies 621, “Delivery of Urban Public Services” (which mostly means New York City social welfare services). It’s a fascinating course to teach, not least because the overwhelming majority of my students currently work in New York City social welfare agencies, and thus have an enormous wealth of experience with how urban public services function.
I thought I’d post the syllabus here for anyone interested in the topic. And if anyone has recommendations for more documentaries, I’d love to hear them.
(9/3/14) Week 1 – Overview:
Defining Public Services
Recipients of Urban Services
Models of Service Delivery
Woodside and McClam. Introduction to Human Services, Ch. 1, 3, 4.
(9/10/14) Week 2 – Historical Origins of the Welfare State:
Responses to Human Need
Development of the Welfare State
The Welfare State Today
Katz, Michael B. In the Shadow of the Poorhouse, Ch. 1-2, 8, 9.
(9/17/14)Week 3 – Concepts and Theories of Social Welfare:
Ethics and Values
Political Theories
International Perspectives
Gilbert, Neil and Paul Terrell. Dimensions of Social Welfare Policy, Ch. 1, 4.
Myles, J and J. Quadagno. 2002.“Political Theories of the Welfare State.” Social Service Review, 76, pp. 34-57.
(10/1/14)Week 4 – Public Service Bureaucracies:
Government and Public Service
Bureaucratic Structures and Administration
Analyzing Organizations
Henry, Nicholas. 2009. Public Administration and Public Affairs, Part 1. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice-Hall.
Netting, F. Ellen, Petter Kettner, and Steven L. McMurty. 2004. Social Work Macro Practice, Ch 7-8. New York: Pearson.
(10/8/14)Week 5 – Mechanics of Service Delivery:
Design and Scope of Service Systems
Funding Public Services
Individuals in the System
Gilbert, Neil. And Paul Terrell. Dimensions of Social Welfare Policy, Ch. 5, 6. Boston: Allyn & Bacon.
Lipsky, Michael. 1983. Street Level Bureaucracy, Ch 3. New York: Russell Sage.
(10/15/14)Week 6 – Evaluation of Service Delivery:
Methods in Evaluation
Problems in Evaluation
Applied Evaluation Studies
Hatry, Harry P, Louis H. Blair, Donald M. Fisk, John M. Greiner, and John R. Hall, Jr. 1992. How Effective Are Your Community Services? 2nd Edition. Washington, D.C: Urban Institute.
Lambright, Kristina Trent. 2008. “Getting What You Ask For.” The American Review of Public Administration, 38(3), pp. 362-379.
Bardasch, Eugene. 2002. “A Practical Guide for Policy Analysis.” New York: Chatham House.
(10/22/14)Week 7 – Privatization and Non-Profits:
Contracting for Public Services
Types of Public-Private Partnerships
The Challenges of Privatization
Bowie, Stan. 2004. “Privatized Management in Urban Public Housing.” Social Work. 49(4), pp. 562-571.
Stiglitz, Joseph. 2008.“Privatization: Successes and Failures” New York: Columbia University.
Smith, Joanna and Priscilla Wohlsetter. 2006.“Understanding the Different Faces of Partnering.” School Leadership and Management, 26(3), pp. 249-268.
(10/29/14)Week 8– Social Service Professionals and Cultural Difference
Mission and Ethics in Social Service
Social Service Administration
Cultural Competency
Woodside and McClam. Introduction to Human Services, Ch. 6,8.
Gilbert, Neil. And Paul Terrell. Dimensions of Social Welfare Policy, p. 186-189.
Lipsky, Michael. Street Level Bureaucracy, Preface, Ch 1-2.
(11/5/14)Week 9 – Employment/Unemployment:
Unemployment Insurance
Job Training
Direct Job Creation
National Employment Law Project. 2014. “Protecting Our UI Lifeline”
OUR New York. 2014. “Why Reform NY State’s UI System?”
Fiscal Policy Institute. 2000. “An Agenda for a Better New York”
Lafer, Gordon. 2004. The Job Training Charade, Introduction, Ch. 3. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University.
Tcherneva, Pavlina, L. Randall Wray. 2005. “Can Basic Income and Job Guarantees Deliver on Their Promises?”
(11/12/14)Week 10 – Housing:
Origins of Public Housing
Public Housing as Social Policy
Public Housing as Architecture
Bloom, Nicholas Dagen. 2009. Public Housing That Worked, Intro, Ch 3, 4, 9, 13. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania.
FILM: The Pruitt-Igo Myth
(11/19/14)Week 11 – Education:
Urban Schools
High-Stakes Testing
Mateu-Gelabert, Pedro, Howard Lune. “Street Codes in High School: School as an Educational Deterrent” City & Community, 6:3 September 2007.
Gentile, Aminda. 2007. “Report of the UFT Task Force on High Stakes Testing”
Corcoran, Sean P. 2010. “Can Teachers be Evaluated by their Students’ Test Scores?”
(11/26/14)Week 12 – Children’s Services:
Child Welfare
Child Care Services
Pre-K Services
US Department of Health and Human Services. 2003. “National Study of Child Protective Services”
New York State Child Care Coordinating Council. 2004. “Investing In New York”
Office of the Mayor. 2014. “Ready to Launch”
(12/3/14)Week 13 – Healthcare:
The Affordable Care Act
Implementation In New York
The Role of the Navigator
Urban Institute. 2014. “The Launch of the Affordable Care Act”
NYS Health Foundation. 2010. “Roadmap for New York State”
Empire Justice Center. 2011.“Connecting Consumers to Coverage”
(12/10/14)Week 14 – Aging:
Caring for the Aged
Mollenkopf, ed. 2013. Toward a 21st Century City for All, Chapter 9. New York: CUNY.
(21/17/14) Week 15 – The Future of Urban Public Services:
Mollenkopf, ed. 2013. Toward a 21st Century City for All, Chapter 1