WSU Graduate Courses - Urban Affairs/URS

URS 599 STUDIES IN SELECTED SUBJECTS (Credits: 4)

Deals with problems, approaches, and topics in the field of urban studies. Topics vary.

URS 612 CITIES AND TECHNOLOGY (Credits: 4)

Cities and technology deals with the evolving relationship between technology and urban growth, physical form, government, and politics. Explores how technological fixes for complex urban problems have shaped urban development and politics.

URS 614 URBAN FISCAL ADMINISTRATION (Credits: 4)

Examines local fiscal institutions and introduces analytical tools for designing and evaluating fiscal policies. Reviews financial reporting and accounting, the municipal bond market, pension systems, state and local taxes, user charges, and intergovernmental relations.

PREREQUISITE: URS 710 OR EQUIVALENT.

URS 615 COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT I (Credits: 4)

Focuses on the importance, the profession, and the practice of community development. Introduces theories of community and development and studies current neighborhood programs and policies.

URS 616 COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT II (Credits: 4)

Examines three fundamental organizing strategies-self-help, technical assistance, and conflict-which are used to improve a community's quality of life. The course combines classroom learning and field observation.

PREREQUISITE: COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT I STRONGLY RECOMMENDED
BUT NOT MANDATORY.

URS 617 PUBLIC SECTOR LABOR RELATIONS (Credits: 4)

Examines collective bargaining, the negotiation process, impasse resolution, and contract and grievance administration in local government.

URS 618 URBAN PUBLIC WORKS ADMINISTRATION (Credits: 4)

Examines the community's infrastructure with an emphasis on capital improvements programming. Reviews the community's development of the street system, water and sewer systems, solid waste management, and code enforcement.

PREREQUISITE: URS 710 AND 614(714) OR PERMISSION OF
INSTRUCTOR.

URS 620 PUBLIC SAFETY ADMINISTRATION (Credits: 4)

Policing, corrections, fire, emergency medical services, and emergency management systems will be surveyed to provide an understanding of the services offered, technologies used, problems faced, and alternatives available in each of the areas.

URS 623 ISSUES IN URBAN ADMINISTRATION (Credits: 4)

Courses taught under this title explore issues and topics related to the administration of urban nonprofit organizations, community development agencies, and local governments. Titles vary.

URS 624 ISSUES IN URBAN PLANNING (Credits: 4)

Various issues related to planning urban environments. Topics include housing, funding non-profit organizations, strategic planning, vision planning, and economic development action plans. Titles vary.

URS 625 ISSUES IN URBAN DEVELOPMENT (Credits: 4)

Explores issues that impact urban development such as housing, pollution, or privatization. Emphasizes an approach for understanding the issues and formulating effective responses.

URS 627 URBAN POLICY ANALYSIS (Credits: 4)

(Also listed as PLS 427/627.) Study of
the policy development process and its relationship to past and current urban issues. The course focuses on a current urban issue through discussion, reading, and research.

URS 650 ETHICS IN PUBLIC SERVICE (Credits: 4)

Systematic development of ethics in public service, including individual roles and obligations, values, standards, and codes of conduct.

URS 670 URBAN LEADERSHIP (Credits: 4)

Study of urban government leadership and community decision making. Major theories and concepts of leadership behavior within organizations and macro studies of urban community power systems.

URS 675 MANAGEMENT OF URBAN NONPROFIT AGENCIES (Credits: 4)

Examines the organizational and managerial foundations of nonprofit organizations. Areas such as the nature and mission of nonprofit organizations, strategies for achieving the mission, roles involved, evaluating performance, resource development/fundraising, and managing volunteers are explored.

URS 690 SPECIAL TOPICS (Credits: 1 TO 4)

Advanced study in selected topics in urban studies. Topics may include new developments in methodology or the various subfields of the discipline.

URS 710 ENVIRONMENT OF PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION (Credits: 4)

Examines the legal and political variables that affect the management and operation of local governments with special emphasis on Ohio.

URS 711 URBAN ORGANIZATIONAL THEORY AND MANAGEMENT BEHAVIOR (Credits: 4)

Analysis of the fundamental behavior concepts and processes involved in public sector organizations. Evaluation of approaches to major behavioral issues such as motivation, leadership, and management development.

PREREQUISITE: URS 710 OR PERMISSION OF INSTRUCTOR.

URS 712 RESEARCH METHODS IN PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION (Credits: 4)

Focuses on different aspects of policy evaluation by obtaining facts and analyzing information on impact of public programs. Deals with controversy over the use of objective performance indicators and citizen surveys as program performance measures.

PREREQUISITE: URS 710 AND 711, OR PERMISSION FROM THE
INSTRUCTOR.

URS 713 PUBLIC PLANNING (Credits: 4)

Reviews concepts, theories, and practices of community development and planning. Evaluation of current developments in the field with special emphasis on implementation strategies.

URS 715 PUBLIC AND NON-PROFIT BUDGETING (Credits: 4)

Focuses on the budget process at the city level. Structural influences on the budget process are discussed. Different budget techniques are analyzed and critiqued.

URS 716 PUBLIC HUMAN RESOURCES ADMINISTRATION (Credits: 4)

Examines personnel functions such as job evaluation, recruitment and selection, performance appraisal, compensation, training, labor relations, and affirmative action.

PREREQUISITE: URS 710 OR PERMISSION OF INSTRUCTOR.

URS 720 QUANTITATIVE ANALYSIS FOR PUBLIC MANAGERS (Credits: 4)

Survey of the methodologies and concepts for analyzing the efficiency and effectiveness of decision-making, information management, and processes of the public organization.

URS 722 DIRECTED STUDY IN URBAN ADMINISTRATION (Credits: 4)

If previous knowledge and/or experience in a selected core course is demonstrated, then URS 722 may be substituted for that selected core course.

PREREQUISITE: M.A. (URBAN ADMINISTRATION) CORE COURSES.

URS 723 URBAN INTERNSHIP (Credits: 4 TO 8)

One quarter supervised internship of at least 200 hours in a selected urban government or agency, arranged in consultation with student's advisor or intern director. Graded pass/unsatisfactory

PREREQUISITE: PERMISSION OF INTERNSHIP DIRECTOR.

URS 724 URBAN RESEARCH PROJECT (Credits: 4)

Research project for the master-s degree in urban administration.

PREREQUISITE: PERMISSION OF DEPARTMENT CHAIR.

URS 799 URBAN THESIS (Credits: 4 TO 8)

Under the supervision of a thesis committee and chair, students select an urban administration problem, prepare a proposal detailing the research question, complete the research, write their thesis with full documentation and defend their work before the committee.