More CI related courses: W08

Here are a few more courses related to CI (thanks to Buzzy for the public policy courses):

UM Nonprofit Management Center - updated list of courses for Winter 2008.

Pubpol 587-001: Public Management - The Politics of Bureaucracy
The Ford School offers three public management courses, one in the fall and two in the winter. Each is offered by a different professor and has a different spin. This one focuses on government processes and their functions (and disfunctions). This may be particularly good for those of you interested in politics or careers in federal government.

Pubpol 587-002: Public Management - Strategic Management in the Public and Nonprofit Sectors
This is a more "big picture" view of public management and would be good for any of you considering working in the public or nonprofit sectors (that includes you, librarians and archivists!). I actually took this course and found it a nice mix of theoretical and practical readings (generally case studies). You'll also get an opportunity to examine a local organization's management structure.

Pubpol 636: Program Evaluation
This course could be a good companion to SI 622 or 623. It's a more quantitative look at how to evaluate programs and whether they're effective. Again, this may be good for those of you entering the nonprofit or public sectors, where it's more difficult to ascertain program effectiveness. Just as a warning, this is a highly-quantitative class. If you're considering taking this, make sure that you have a basic grasp of statistics. The course makes heavy use of regression.

Pubpol 671: Policy and Management in the Nonprofit Sector
This course provides an excellent basic overview of what makes nonprofits different from the public or private sectors. You get a nice dose of theory and practice, and the course covers topics such as evaluating effectiveness, the legal environment surrounding nonprofits, finances, philanthropy, and other topics. It's taught by Neel Hajra, a very dynamic guy and CEO of the NEW Center here in Ann Arbor. A great class for those of you interested in community informatics.

Pubpol 687: Negotiation and Conflict Management
I took this class last winter and found it incredibly helpful not only professionally, but also personally. The professor pairs some interesting theoretical and practical reading on negotiation with simulation exercises. The course has a heavy psychology bent (as the instructor's a social psychologist) and focuses not so much on negotiation techniques themselves as why the techniques work. It provides a nice complement to some of the social psychology you learn in SI 500 or the old 502.

Pubpol 746: Social Welfare Policy
Social welfare policy is a particular strength of the Ford School, and Sheldon is a well-known figure in the field. The course addresses programs the federal government implements to combat poverty. Again, this course may be useful for those of you interested in community informatics. It also may be a good course for people interested in radical librarianship or simply in helping out the less fortunate. Some economics would help in this course.

Pubpol 754: Research Seminar in Science, Tech and Public Policy
A broad overview of science & technology policy taught by James Duderstadt (yes, that Duderstadt). Invited lecturers come each week and will discuss different interesting areas. Both 1- and 3-credit versions of the class are available.