Course Syllabus

PACE C250-5826: Leadership and Public Policy 

Fall 2026 

College of Arts & Sciences 

Indiana University, Bloomington 

TR 2:20 – 3:35pm 

Ballantine Hall (BH) 105 

 

Instructor: Mark E. Fraley 

Email: fraleym@iu.edu 

 Office: Woodburn 309 

Office Hours: Thursdays 1:00-2:00pm 

Phone: (812) 855-7758 

 

COURSE DESCRIPTION 

Leadership and Public Policy is about bringing theory to practice. Public policy is shaped not only by ideas, but also by institutions, competing interests, political incentives, and the decisions of citizens who choose to engage in public life. This course examines how public policy is made, how democratic institutions function, and how leaders work within those institutions to address complex public problems. 

This semester, the course will use housing policy as a case study through which to examine the practice of democratic governance. Questions of affordability, land use, zoning, development, infrastructure, environmental sustainability, neighborhood character, and economic opportunity provide a useful lens for understanding the challenges of public leadership. Students will explore how elected officials, public agencies, advocacy organizations, businesses, community institutions, and residents influence public policy and how competing priorities shape political decision-making. 

This course invites students to reflect on the responsibilities that accompany life in a democratic society. Rather than viewing politics solely through the lens of national elections or ideological conflict, students will consider how public problems are experienced locally, how institutions shape public life, and how citizens can participate thoughtfully and responsibly in the communities they inhabit.  

 

COURSE OBJECTIVES 

Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to: 

• Explain the philosophical foundations of American constitutional democracy and evaluate how those ideas continue to shape contemporary public policy debates. 

• Analyze the political, economic, ethical, and institutional dimensions of complex public policy issues. 

• Explain how local, state, and federal governing institutions influence the development and implementation of public policy. 

• Evaluate competing policy proposals by identifying tradeoffs, unintended consequences, and the interests of diverse stakeholders. 

• Apply theories of leadership, democratic participation, and political communication to contemporary public policy challenges. 

• Develop evidence-based policy recommendations and defend them through reasoned analysis and civil dialogue. 

• Draw connections between national political issues and local governance by applying course concepts to Bloomington and to communities they know personally. 

• Demonstrate leadership by engaging constructively across disagreement, evaluating competing public values, and communicating policy recommendations with integrity and intellectual humility. 

 

COURSE STRUCTURE 

This course is designed to be participatory in nature. While lectures will provide the conceptual foundations for understanding leadership and public policy, much of the learning will occur through classroom discussions, simulations, case studies, and other interactive activities. Students should expect to engage regularly with one another, apply course concepts to real-world policy challenges, and defend their ideas through evidence-based discussion. 

The course is organized around housing policy as a semester-long case study. Throughout the semester, students will examine how local, state, and national institutions shape public policy while considering the competing interests, values, and tradeoffs that accompany democratic decision-making. Housing provides a useful lens through which to explore questions of governance, leadership, political communication, public participation, and institutional design. 

Although many examples will be drawn from Bloomington and the surrounding community, students will continually connect course concepts to national public policy debates and to issues facing their own hometowns and communities. The objective is not simply to understand one local issue, but to develop a framework for analyzing complex public policy challenges wherever they occur. 

 

WHAT TO EXPECT 

 Civic engagement and democratic deliberation are practices that require participation. As such, this class will require robust participation from all students. The success of this course hinges upon every student, with their own lens formed by their unique experiences, contributing to course discussions and in-class activities. 

This semester, the course will explore housing policy at the local and national level as a case study in leadership and public policy. We will hear from local civic leaders and observe local decision-making institutions to learn how concerns of affordability, density, placemaking, climate, infrastructure, and community well-being converge—and sometimes conflict—in the pursuit of a coherent policy agenda. We will also examine how residents, nonprofit organizations, businesses, churches, neighborhood associations, and public officials work within democratic institutions to influence policy, as well as the obstacles that can hinder productive collaboration. 

The class will be organized around small-group discussions, simulations, case studies, and other interactive learning experiences. Required readings will introduce the philosophical foundations of American government, public policy, and democratic leadership, while classroom discussions and activities will focus on applying those ideas to real-world policy challenges. Assignments will take the form of in-class activities, blue-book exercises, and a final policy paper that analyzes a local housing issue. Throughout the semester, students will be challenged not merely to advocate for a preferred outcome, but to weigh competing priorities, evaluate tradeoffs, and develop policy recommendations that are both principled and practical. 

 

COURSE COMMUNICATION 

Students are encouraged to contact me at any time with questions regarding the course.  You are expected to use my IU e-mail address to contact me. I will do my best to respond within a day of receiving an e-mail. I am available by phone if you need to reach me urgently. Students, likewise, are expected to check their e-mail regularly. 

 

READINGS AND MATERIALS 

All required readings and materials for the course are listed in the modules for each week. In addition to readings, I will occasionally assign videos, podcasts, and other forms of media.  Please do keep up with the materials requested. 

 

COURSE POLICIES 

Civility: While students are encouraged to express their opinions in an open and honest way, you are required to be respectful to other classmates and their opinions. Personal attacks, ridicule, and belittling of fellow classmates will not be tolerated. 

Public Health and Safety: Please be mindful of your fellow classmates when attending class. If you are ill, prioritize your health and the well-being of those around you. There is no need to attend class while sick. However, you are expected to notify the instructor in advance if you will be absent (see Attendance Policy below). 

Attention: This course is built around discussion, deliberation, and collaborative learning. Students are expected to devote their full attention to the subject matter throughout the class period. The use of laptops, tablets, or cell phones is prohibited unless explicitly authorized by the instructor for a specific classroom activity. Side conversations are not permitted. Students are welcome to knit, use fidget toys, or engage in other quiet activities that help maintain focus, provided they do not distract others. 

Attendance: Attendance is essential to the success of this course. Much of the learning occurs through classroom discussions, simulations, and collaborative activities that cannot be replicated outside of class. Attendance will be taken at the beginning of each class meeting. Students are permitted two no-excuse absences during the semester. Additional absences may negatively affect the participation portion of the course grade unless prior arrangements have been made with the instructor or the absence qualifies under university policy. 

Tardiness: Please make every effort to arrive on time. If circumstances require you to arrive late or leave early, do so in a manner that minimizes disruption to the class 

Grades: All grades will be posted to Canvas in a timely manner.   

Academic Dishonesty: All students are strongly encouraged to review the Indiana University Code of Student Rights, Responsibilities, and Conduct, which can be accessed at https://studentcode.iu.edu/ so you will be sure to understand what these terms mean and what penalties can be issued for academic dishonesty. Cheating and plagiarism will not be tolerated in this class. Any student found copying another student’s work or using the works of another author without proper quotations and citations will receive a failing grade on that assignment and will be reported to the Office of Student Conduct and Integrity.  

AI use:  Artificial Intelligence tools can be valuable resources for conducting research, identifying counterarguments, stress-testing ideas, checking grammar, and generating citations. However, all submitted work must reflect your own thinking, analysis, and writing. Generative AI may not be used to compose assignments on your behalf. If you use an AI tool in any capacity related to an assignment, you must disclose the program used and briefly explain how it was used. 

Commitment to Open Inquiry, Viewpoint Diversity, and Constructive Disagreement 

In order to create a classroom environment that supports respectful, critical inquiry through the free exchange of ideas, the following principles will guide interactions among students and professors in this class: 

• Treat every member of the class with respect, even if you disagree with their opinion; 

• Treat every opinion as open to examination, even if it comes from someone with more experience or expertise than you; 

• Reasonable minds can differ on any number of perspectives, opinions, and conclusions; We will regard our disagreements with curiosity and not hostility. 

• Some perspectives, opinions, and conclusions are unreasonable or based on falsehoods and may be identified as such; 

• All viewpoints are welcome; 

• No ideas are immune from scrutiny and debate; 

• You will not be graded on whether your professor or peers agree with your opinions; You will be graded on the evidence and reasoning that leads to those opinions. 

I aspire to teach this course in a manner that is fair, impartial, and open to critique. Like every human being, however, I am capable of bias. My understanding of the material and my approach to teaching are shaped by my own experiences, education, culture, history, and personal judgments. While I will strive to present competing viewpoints fairly and evaluate student work according to the quality of its reasoning rather than its conclusions, I welcome thoughtful questions and constructive disagreements. Your intellectual contributions help ensure that our collective learning is informed by a wider range of perspectives than any one individual can provide. 

 

ASSIGNMENTS 

Below is a brief description of the assignments for this class. You will receive a complete description for each assignment within two weeks of the due date.  

• Bluebook Assessments: Throughout the semester, you will have 3 in-class assessments on the readings, speakers, activities, and lectures. You will be provided a menu of potential questions that you can study and you will be allowed one page (8 1/2x 11) of notes written on one side.  
• Applied Learning Activities: These assignments are designed to encourage active participation and application of course concepts. Students who attend, engage in good faith, and satisfactorily complete the assignment should expect to receive full credit. (AL activities include federalism game, lobbying simulation, and public leadership paper.)
• Local Policy Analysis: Students will conduct an in-depth analysis of a significant issue related to housing and community life in Bloomington. Students will select from a range of research questions provided by the instructor or may propose an alternative question with approval. The purpose of the assignment is not simply to advocate for a preferred policy outcome, but to understand the political, institutional, economic, and civic dynamics that make complex public problems difficult to address. Students will identify relevant stakeholders, competing interests and values, institutional constraints, and the ways that different levels of government and political pressures shape the range of available policy choices. Students will submit a complete draft, meet individually with the instructor to discuss their work, and revise the paper before submitting a final version.
• Democratic Dialogue: The class will suggest a relevant issue of interest, then you will individually research the issue and compose a paper that highlights the strongest arguments on all sides, while stating your own perspective as you consider the issue. You will then participate in a deliberative dialogue with your classmates and consider tradeoffs, points of tension, and areas of commonality.
• Reflection Paper: Each student will submit a paper that draws on the course materials and their own experiences in the class to evaluate their success in achieving the course learning objectives.    

GRADE BREAKDOWN 

Bluebook Assessments: 30% (10% each) 

Federalism Activity: 5% 

Lobbying Exercise: 5% 

Public Leadership Paper: 5% 

Local Policy Analysis: 25% 

Classroom participation: 15% 

Democratic Dialogue: 10% 

Reflection Paper 5% 

 

COURSE CALENDAR* 

Section I: Foundations of Democratic Self-Government 

 

Week 1 (August 25 and 27) 

The Danger of a Single Story 

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie: The Danger of a Single Story (Ted Talk) 

 

Week 2 (September 1 and 3) 

Constitutional Foundations 

Thomas Jefferson, et al. – The Declaration of Independence 

Alexis de Tocqueville – Democracy in America (excerpt) 

 

Week 3 (September 8 and 10) 

Constitutional Democracy and Living with Disagreement 

Yuval Levin and John Wood Jr. – American Covenant: Reflections on Polarization, Virtue, and the Constitution. 

FDR first Inaugural Address 

Reagan 1981 Inaugural Address 

• Bluebook Assessment: September 10 

 

Week 4 (September 15 and 17)  

Sharing Power 

Martha Derthick: American Federalism: Half Full or Half-Empty? 

Daniel Elazar: The Federal Principle 

 

Week 5 (September 22 and September 24) 

How Does Policy Get Made? 

No readings this week. 

• Federalism in practice: September 22 and September 24 

 

Section II: Practicing Democratic Judgment 

 

Week 6 (September 29 and October 1) 

Public Policy – Diagnosing Housing Affordability 

Herald Times – Series on Affordability in Bloomington 

Halina Bennet – Congress Cuts a Deal on the 21st Century Road to Housing Act 

 

Week 7 (October 6 and 8) 

Political Communication 

Pratkanis and Aronson: Age of Propaganda – The Four Stratagems of Influence 

 

Week 8 (October 13 and 15) 

Public Leadership 

Required: Aristotle – Nicomachean Ethics: Book VI (Practical Wisdom) 

• October 15: Attend City Council Meeting 

 

Week 9 (October 20 and 22) 

Lobbying and Legislative Relations 

James Madison – Federalist Papers #10 

 

Week 10 (October 27 and 29) 

How to Influence Decision-makers 

• Public Leadership Paper due: October 27 

• Lobbying Exercise: October 27 and 29 

 

Week 11 (November 3 and 5) 

Representation and Elections 

• Bluebook Assessment: November 6 

 

Week 12 (November 10 and 12) 

Housing Synthesis 

Required: Jerusalem Demsas – How Housing Became A Crisis 

 

Section III: Living Together in a Democracy 

 

Week 13 (November 17 and 19)  

Moral Leadership 

Martin Luther King Jr.: Three Dimensions of a Complete Life 

 

November 24 and 26 

Thanksgiving Break: No Class 

 

Week 14 (December 1 and 3) 

Deliberative Dialogue 

Required: Cornel West and Robert George: “Is Civil Discourse Dead?” 

• Bluebook Assessment: December 3 

 

Week 15 (December 8 and 10) 

Reflection and Synthesis 

• Dialogue Paper due: December 10 

• In class Dialogue December 8 and 10 

 

Week 16 (December 15 and 17) 

FINALS WEEK 

• Reflection Paper Due December 17th 

 

*These items and dates are subject to change at any time, so please check for updates periodically

Download a copy of the syllabus here.