Apply Bardach principles to a policy issue

Apply Bardach principles to a policy issue

• This paper demonstrates students’ ability to apply Bardach principles to a policy issue in the

  sport industry.

  Part 1: Bardach Steps 1-4

  1. Start by identifying your client’s position (e.g., NFL commissioner, IOC President, etc.).

  a. Include a very short summary of the power, resources, and/or authority that your

  client could bring to bear on the problem.

  2. Select one policy problem and identify the root causes of the problem.

  3. Describe the most important consequences of the problem.

  a. Use both evidence and logic to demonstrate why the problem needs to be addressed.

  Remember, one-sided arguments and exaggerated rhetoric are rarely convincing.

  4. Provide four to five credible policy alternatives that merit your client’s consideration.

  a. Explain the rationale behind each alternative and provide sufficient detail about how

  it would work. (Proposed alternatives should be conceptually distinct rather than

  slight variations of one another. One of your options should be a “do nothing” or

  “status quo” alternative. Describe it in the same level of detail as your other

  alternatives.)

  b. Describe the evaluation criteria that you believe should drive the decision about

  which alternative to select. (Bear in mind that your criteria must be operationalized in

  your Final Policy Analysis; you are not developing criteria for use during policy

  implementation. Be specific about how your criteria would be operationalized in an

  analysis. Some criteria may be important not because your client cares about them,

  but because other stakeholders care about them. Do not describe how your

  alternatives will fare with respect to the criteria; simply describe the criteria. This

  Framing Memo will form the foundation for your Final Policy Analysis.

  Part 2: Bardach Steps 5-7 (your paper represents step 8).

  5. The student should project the performance of alternatives

  6. Assess the tradeoffs among alternatives

  7. Recommend an alternative.

  a. With regard to step seven, make sure to explain WHY you have chosen that

  alternative. The analysis should demonstrate the student understands course readings

  and be based both on logic and on the presentation and critique of relevant evidence.

  Make sure you briefly articulate the essential tradeoffs your client faces.

  Also:

  • Undergraduate students: Paper is limited to eight pages, no less than five.

  • Graduate students: The paper is limited to 14 pages, no less than 10.

  • This page count DOES NOT include cover page or references; applies to content of

  paper.

  You will be graded on the following:

• Style refers to correct grammar, spelling, and paper presentation (i.e., no typos). The goal is for

  professional-level writing style. (10 points)

  Logic is facilitated by using an introduction (stating the purpose and scope of the paper), section

  headings and subheadings, and a conclusion. It also involves logical connection of ideas

  throughout the paper. (20 points)

  Insight conveys your original thoughts and depth of understanding of the subject. This involves

  articulating the complexity of the issue in an understandable way without over-simplifying. (30

  points)

  Analysis involves doing what the assignment asked for and making it clear that you understand

  the tools involved. This involves using correct terminology, providing a range of types of

  evidence to support your argument, and reaching a conclusion based on that evidence. (30

  points)

  Documentation should include an appropriate number and range of sources. They should be

  presented in APA style of referencing. Class texts or other course readings should be

  referenced.

  Direct quotes should include page numbers. (10 points)

You must proofread your paper. But do not strictly rely on your computer’s spell-checker and grammar-checker; failure to do so indicates a lack of effort on your part and you can expect your grade to suffer accordingly. Papers with numerous misspelled words and grammatical mistakes will be penalized. Read over your paper – in silence and then aloud – before handing it in and make corrections as necessary. Often it is advantageous to have a friend proofread your paper for obvious errors. Handwritten corrections are preferable to uncorrected mistakes. Apply Bardach principles to a policy issue

Use a standard 10 to 12 point (10 to 12 characters per inch) typeface. Smaller or compressed type and papers with small margins or single-spacing are hard to read. It is better to let your essay run over the recommended number of pages than to try to compress it into fewer pages.

Likewise, large type, large margins, large indentations, triple-spacing, increased leading (space between lines), increased kerning (space between letters), and any other such attempts at “padding” to increase the length of a paper are unacceptable, wasteful of trees, and will not fool your professor.

The paper must be neatly formatted, double-spaced with a one-inch margin on the top, bottom, and sides of each page. When submitting hard copy, be sure to use white paper and print out using dark ink. If it is hard to read your essay, it will also be hard to follow your argument.

ADDITIONAL INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE CLASS

Discussion Questions (DQ)

Initial responses to the DQ should address all components of the questions asked, include a minimum of one scholarly source, and be at least 250 words.
Successful responses are substantive (i.e., add something new to the discussion, engage others in the discussion, well-developed idea) and include at least one scholarly source.
One or two sentence responses, simple statements of agreement or “good post,” and responses that are off-topic will not count as substantive. Substantive responses should be at least 150 words.
I encourage you to incorporate the readings from the week (as applicable) into your responses.

Weekly Participation

Your initial responses to the mandatory DQ do not count toward participation and are graded separately.
In addition to the DQ responses, you must post at least one reply to peers (or me) on three separate days, for a total of three replies.
Participation posts do not require a scholarly source/citation (unless you cite someone else’s work).
Part of your weekly participation includes viewing the weekly announcement and attesting to watching it in the comments. These announcements are made to ensure you understand everything that is due during the week.

APA Format and Writing Quality

Familiarize yourself with APA format and practice using it correctly. It is used for most writing assignments for your degree. Visit the Writing Center in the Student Success Center, under the Resources tab in LoudCloud for APA paper templates, citation examples, tips, etc. Points will be deducted for poor use of APA format or absence of APA format (if required).
Cite all sources of information! When in doubt, cite the source. Paraphrasing also requires a citation.
I highly recommend using the APA Publication Manual, 6th edition.

Use of Direct Quotes

I discourage overutilization of direct quotes in DQs and assignments at the Masters’ level and deduct points accordingly.
As Masters’ level students, it is important that you be able to critically analyze and interpret information from journal articles and other resources. Simply restating someone else’s words does not demonstrate an understanding of the content or critical analysis of the content.
It is best to paraphrase content and cite your source. Apply Bardach principles to a policy issue

LopesWrite Policy

For assignments that need to be submitted to LopesWrite, please be sure you have received your report and Similarity Index (SI) percentage BEFORE you do a “final submit” to me.
Once you have received your report, please review it. This report will show you grammatical, punctuation, and spelling errors that can easily be fixed. Take the extra few minutes to review instead of getting counted off for these mistakes.
Review your similarities. Did you forget to cite something? Did you not paraphrase well enough? Is your paper made up of someone else’s thoughts more than your own?
Visit the Writing Center in the Student Success Center, under the Resources tab in LoudCloud for tips on improving your paper and SI score.

Late Policy

The university’s policy on late assignments is 10% penalty PER DAY LATE. This also applies to late DQ replies.
Please communicate with me if you anticipate having to submit an assignment late. I am happy to be flexible, with advance notice. We may be able to work out an extension based on extenuating circumstances.
If you do not communicate with me before submitting an assignment late, the GCU late policy will be in effect.
I do not accept assignments that are two or more weeks late unless we have worked out an extension.
As per policy, no assignments are accepted after the last day of class. Any assignment submitted after midnight on the last day of class will not be accepted for grading.

Communication

Communication is so very important. There are multiple ways to communicate with me:
Questions to Instructor Forum: This is a great place to ask course content or assignment questions. If you have a question, there is a good chance one of your peers does as well. This is a public forum for the class.
Individual Forum: This is a private forum to ask me questions or send me messages. This will be checked at least once every 24 hours.

Apply Bardach principles to a policy issue