Course Syllabus

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V439 Debates in Government Finance Syllabus

This page provides highlights from the course syllabus.  The Course Summary below the syllabus lists your assignments and due dates.

Course description

V439 Debates in Public Finance

 

Instructor:

  • Dr John Shassberger, EdD
  • SPEA Office 410M
  • Email: johnshas@iu.edu

 

Teaching Assistant:  None for this course, enrollment is too low to permit one.

 

Class Meeting:

32312                   11:10 - 12:25 pm                M/W                     Room SPEA A272

8013                     3:55 – 5:10 pm                   M/W                     Room SPEA A205

 

Office Hours: (M/W) 9:30-10:30, or by arrangement

 

Course Description: The course uses the Socratic Method by using debates as a cooperative dialogue and teaching method.  The syllabus provides a series of federal budget financial debate topics. The students then form teams, choose their debates and the side of the debate they will argue.  The course is student led and the students rotate through different roles as they research the various aspects of each debate. The methodology uses relentless probing questions to help individuals explore their beliefs, uncover flaws in their reasoning, and arrive at deeper truths or understandings on their own, rather than through direct instruction. It fosters critical thinking, intellectual rigor, and independent learning by challenging assumptions, examining underlying principles, and encouraging participants to formulate and defend their own conclusions.

To provide the class a historical perspective of how Public Budgeting has changed from the 1970’s until today the class is based, in part, on “The Politics of Public Budgeting, Getting and Spending, Borrowing and Balancing” by Irene S Rubin.  It is important that the class understand that the large annual federal deficits and debt we have today is a relatively recent phenomenon and one that can change.  Various attempts were made from the 1990’s to use legislation to curb this trend.  This class will use debates on the most controversial financial topics to explore the challenges with each of these topics. 

Learning outcomes 

Upon completion of this course, you should be able to:

  1. Understand why current expenditures such as healthcare, social security, and education are causing problems in government finance with regards to balanced budgets and identifying which government goods and services should be funded and which should not.
  2. Understanding the “trade space” that exists between the two parties and where potential exists for negotiations and compromise.
  3. Engage in educated discussions about the biggest challenges to government finance.
  4. Understand the current U.S. tax system, the various taxes and the short comings in revenue generation contributing to unbalanced federal budgets and large federal debt.
  5. Understand the role of politics in governance and the challenges it presents in trying to govern effectively and efficiently.
  6. Be able to research and defend a current federal government position on a government finance program or topic causing a current or historical debate.
  7. Understand the largest challenges in the current process that inhibit effective and efficient federal budget practices.

Course requirements 

Required Text and Materials

The following textbook is OPTIONAL and materials are required for this course:

  • “The Politics of Public Budgeting, Getting and Spending, Borrowing and Balancing” by Irene S Rubin
  • Tophat

 

Technical requirements

You will need the following in order to participate in this course:

  • Desktop or laptop computer
  • Cell phone or laptop to access Top Hat
  • Reliable Internet connection
  • Access to Canvas using a supported web browser

 

Technical support

For additional help with technical issues, consult:

 

Course assessment & grades

Course assessment:

Assignments and Assessments

Grade Value

Weekly Debate Group Presentations / Rebuttal (13 x 25)

325 points / 31%

Weekly Individual Research Assignment (13 x 25)

325 points / 31%

Pre-Debate Question (12 x 5)

60 points / 5.7%

Attendance / Top Hat Voting (24 x 2)

48 points / 4.6%

Weekly Individual Personal Stance Assignment (24 x 10)

240 points / 22.9%

Course Lab Reflection

50 points / 4.8%

Total Points

1048 points / 100%

 

Grading Scale: The course uses the Canvas Grading Scale.

 

Submitting assignments

All assignments MUST be uploaded in Canvas in order to be graded. NO EXCEPTIONS.

 

How will I know how I’m doing in this course?

Grades will be posted in Canvas within 48 of the due date. The Canvas Grades tool shows the grades given to individual assignments as well as your calculated course grade based on the assignments that have been graded thus far. If you have questions or need assistance, please contact me.

 

Grading Scale

Your assignment and course grades will be determined using the following scale:

Grading Scale
Grade Range
A+ 100% to 97%
A < 97% to 93%
A- < 93% to 90%
B+ < 90% to 87%
B < 87% to 83%
B- < 83% to 80%
C+ < 80% to 77%
C < 77% to 73%
C- < 73% to 70%
D+ < 70% to 67%
D < 67% to 63%
D- < 63% to 60%
F < 60% to 0%

 

Late work

Late work will not be accepted and will not be graded.  If you are going to miss a class you must make arrangements with the instructor BEFORE class begins.