Assignments for Studying Frontline Bureaucracy

Abstract

This article outlines a set of assignments in an undergraduate class on public policy and public administration. The assignments are designed to pique student interest in public administration, consider what it means to implement public policy at the street level, and to teach students to critically assess the purpose of public administration and the meaning of public interest. Students achieve these objectives by completing several papers throughout the course. Most students have never considered careers in public service. In these assignments, students first broadly consider public administration and then focus on a specific public service occupation. Students research a specific job; articulate its duties, compensation, and required qualifications; describe what an average day looks like; and outline the job’s challenges. Finally, students address the abstract concept of how the profession they researched contributes to the public interest.