PMGT Course Listings and Syllabi


201 Fundamentals of Political Management
Introduction to theory, practice and development of political management.Political developments 1945-present, and impact on development of political management as a field and profession. Public policy roles of political managers. Political strategy for the political manager.
(Cushman's syllabus)
(Johnson's syllbus)

202 Research Methods for Political Managers
Use of quantitative information in politics. Topics include research design, statistical association and causal reasoning, types of variables, hypothesis testing and confidence, and introduction to regression analysis. How to be informed user of quantitative data for political management and policymaking questions. (syllabus)

203 Communications Elements (formerly 207)
Basic political communications model, including such topics as communications strategy, political research (targeted audiences, polling and candidate research) and message discipline. Elements of communications relevant to politics: Internet usage (websites, social networking, and mobile technologies), plus press releases, issue briefs, direct mail letters, fact sheets, talking points, Congressional testimony, public addresses and television and radio commercials. Connection between strategic focus and each communications effort. (syllabus)

204 Communications Strategy (formerly 246)
Formulation of political communications strategies as foundation from which to design and develop political advocacy communications. Strategic elements necessary to create, introduce and maintain an effective political profile in issue advocacy campaigns, candidate elections, and legislative advocacy campaigns. Application of important principles in research, advertising and marketing to the political landscape. Prerequisite PMGT 203. (syllabus)

205 Ethics for Political Managers (formerly 260)
Professional responsibilities of political managers. Laws and regulations that determine political activity (conflict of interest, disclosure, lobbying registration, campaign finance, fraud, etc.) and political philosophy, the central ideas, principles, and purposes of democracy. Introduction to political leadership as ethics in action, bringing together theory and practical application, starting with concrete situations and reasoning back to Constitutional and philosophical principles.

206 Political Leadership
Theory and practice of leadership in the political arena. Develop self-assessment of leadership skills and potential. Communications practices for exercising political leadership. (syllabus)

211 Polling
Survey research uses in campaigns. Major objectives of surveys, designing and drawing samples, constructing and pretesting questionnaires, modes of interviewing, financial implications, practical problems in selecting and monitoring polling organizations, and interpretation of survey data. (syllabus)

212 Qualitative Research
Uses and usefulness of focus groups and small-sample interviews; procedures involved in these techniques; implications of psychological and sociological theory; relationship of qualitative and quantitative research.

214 Public Opinion Dynamics
Processes by which citizens make decisions about political issues and consider the range of methods for influencing those decisions. Public opinion polling, voter behavior studies, communications, media studies, and attitudinal change.

216 Speechwriting (formerly 206)
Analysis and techniques of effective speech writing and speech presentation for public officials and candidates; emphasis on speech writing for campaigns and public policy forums.
(McGroarty's syllabus)
(Steck's syllabus)

215 Managing Online Communities in an Electoral or Advocacy Campaigns
This course will cover all aspects of building and managing a web campaign in either the electoral or advocacy arenas and overseeing outreach in multiple online communities. Class topics will include both the technical (building a backend system, designing a budget, blogging, etc.) and practical (working with web vendors, online fundraising, get-out-the-vote activities, issues management). The course will address a series of situations or scenarios that pose short-term challenges (such as those faced by campaigns) and long-term challenges (such as those faced by advocacy groups and trade associations). Studio fee: $250 (syllabus)

217 Political Management and Media (formerly 212)
Organization, practices, and norms of the major media; media coverage of public officials, political campaigns, legislative battles, interest groups, and issues of public policy. Formulation of strategies for getting favorable news coverage for the issue or candidate and for ending a media crisis. Studio Fee: $300.

218 Videography, Marketing and Messaging in the Digital Era
In this advanced course students will learn how to conduct political marketing and messaging online, including search engine marketing and optimization, paid online advertising, web video, blogger outreach. Coursework will include (a) technical projects, such as designing online banner ads and creating videos for release on the web; (b) practical projects, such as building a search engine marketing plan and conducting blogger outreach; and (c) analytic projects, including using web metrics to measure return on investment, cost-per-click, reach, and persuasion. Students will learn how to develop cohesive online marketing plans, conduct research and measure success in online marketing and messaging. Studio fee $ 350.
(syllabus)

219 Targeting, Microtargeting and Analytics
A technical, hands-on course on using technology for microtargeting and analytics. Starting with a detailed review of traditional targeting techniques, this course will move on to consider the theory, mathematics, and behavioral science behind microtargeting. Topics include data collection and analysis, survey development, database construction, practical sources and uses of data in mobilization, messaging, and fundraising, and privacy and security. Studio Fee: $200. Prerequisite: PGMT 202 Research Methods. (syllabus)

220 Fundraising
Raising and spending of money in political campaigns, referenda contests, issue politics, and lobbying efforts. Budgeting, control of expenditures, accounting procedures, and general strategies for fundraising. (syllabus)

221 Fundraising for Organizations
Advanced techniques of fundraising for established political organizations. Long-range financial stability for organizations, including membership strategies, new technology (Internet and mobile), direct mail, telemarketing, and special events. The business and techniques of fundraising for charitable, trade association, semi-private, and public institutions.

222 Party Fundraising
How political parties raise money, with emphasis on new technology applications. Historical overview of political fundraising, campaign finance reform. Components of a political party fundraising plan. How to prepare fundraising plan.

225 Leadership Theory
Principles of leadership in the political realm compared to corporate and nonprofit sectors. How to govern while balancing electoral support and policy perspectives.

227 Women in Politics
Recent experience of women in American political life. Challenges, institutional and interpersonal opportunities and barriers for women. Knowledge, strategies, and skills needed for modern political leadership. Impact of politically active women on public policy; gender gap in voting behavior and public opinion;media portrayal of women candidates and public officials. Self-examination of political aspirations, attitudes, behaviors, and skills that will contribute to public leadership role.

228 Law of the Political Process (formerly 262)
Legal and constitutional framework for political process, including ballot access, voter registration, and state laws governing recognition of political parties and political organizations; federal and state laws regulating campaign finance; laws and regulations covering political broadcasting and cablecasting; laws and regulations covering lobbying registration and ethics in public service. (syllabus)

229 Managing Political Organizations
How to manage a candidate, campaign, team, and other stakeholders. Philosophy and framework for organizational management in the political arena.

230 Issues Management (formerly 250)
Management of public policy issues, rise of referenda and citizen initiatives, proliferation of issue-oriented campaigns directed at the grassroots. How individuals and interest groups participate in the issue advocacy process and the evolving role of political and campaign managers in issue campaigns. (syllabus)

231 Lobbying (formerly 230)
How lobbying and organized advocacy fit into the American political process and development and implementation of advocacy strategies. Lobbying by business, labor, public interest groups, and other nonprofit organizations; lobbying within and among various branches of government. (syllabus)

232 Lobbying Budget Process (formerly 231)
Politics of the budget process, using case studies from recent federal budget cycles. Formal and informal mechanisms of budgeting, the lobbying strategies employed by private and public organizations seeking to influence budgetary decision making, and negotiations within and between executive agencies. (syllabus)

233 Grassroots
Use of micro-targeting and database layering technology to identify potential advocates plus a study of motivational techniques to mobilize volunteers for political campaigns, lobbying efforts, and community advocacy. Techniques used by grassroots organizers to help corporations, unions, civic and nonprofit organizations, and special interest groups achieve strategic goals.

234 International Lobbying
Examination of current state of international lobbying and analysis of strategic models. (syllabus)

235 Strategic Management of Issues (formerly 257)
Case studies of advocacy efforts in major current policy questions. Development of strategy, message, integrating research and technology for advocacy campaigns.

236 Corporate Public Affairs
Exploration of major functional areas in corporate public affairs, with focus on political and policy dynamics.

241 Crisis Management (formerly 252)
Management of crisis situations and "defining moments" in electoral, legislative, and public policy campaigns. Through the use of simulation exercises and recent case studies, the course explores both the theoretical and practical aspects of crisis management.

244 Lobbying EU I
Principles of lobbying applied to the European Union. Legal basis, rules, and practice of lobbying EU ministries. Intensive seminar in preparation for on-site course (EU II).

245 Lobbying EU II
Intensive two-week, on-site course focusing on methods of communication and advocacy before EU ministries. Held at College of Europe, Brugge, Belgium, and EU headquarters in Brussels. Prerequisite EU I.

250 Campaign Strategy (formerly 240)
Orientation to the basic systems that must be managed to produce electoral victory. Importance of the campaign plan and campaign budget as foundation for management of campaigns. Focus on development of campaign plan.

251 Campaign Organization and Execution (formerly 242)
Choices facing the campaign manager in staffing a campaign and executing the campaign plan: candidate assessment, fundraising, geographic and demographic targeting, field organization, canvassing, phonebanks and get-out-the-vote, press operations, financial control, and relations with the party and interest groups.

252 Campaign Advertising (formerly 241)
Strategies and techniques for the use of the various media in political campaigns, with an emphasis on the use of television. Impact and potential uses of various media; development of campaign messages; and production, timing, and placement of television advertising. Students design print ads and brochures and produce a 30-second television spot. Studio fee additional.

253 Presidential Campaigns (formerly 243)
Current trends and innovation in presidential campaign strategy: use of new technology, campaign organization, fundraising, primaries and caucuses, delegation selection rules, party conventions, national and state party organizations, and the general election.

256 International Political Consulting (formerly 244)
How consultants help with professionalization of elections and modern campaign techniques around the world. Techniques and practices for the international consulting business.

257 State Government and Politics
Intersection of legislating and campaigning at the state and local levels. Methods and techniques for advocacy in state capitals.

258 State & Local Campaigns
Challenges of seeking public office or managing a political campaign. Based on a specific local office which they would like to run for and then design a detailed campaign plan.Develop the strategic sense of campaigning for office and leadership skills necessary for dealing with the many roadblocks in a campaign.

260 Running for Office (formerly 281)
Electoral politics from the perspective of the candidate, strategic and personal factors involved in the decision to run, consequences of victory or defeat. (syllabus)

265 Special Topics in Political Management
Recent special topics have included:
Political Marketing: Tactics, Tools, and Techniques (syllabus)
Lobbying the European Union (DC syllabus) and (Brugge syllabus)
Individual Leadership Styles (syllabus)
Strategic Discipline
Women and Political Leadership (Schafer syllabus) and (Grosfeld syllabus)
Political Affairs and Corporate Strategy (syllabus)
Parties and Politics
State Party Building (syllabus)
Fundraising for the Political Party (syllabus)
Religion and Politics (syllabus)
Ethics, Law and Politics (syllabus)
Ethics and Leadership (syllabus)
State and Local Politics (syllabus)
Film and Politics (Frazier syllabus) and (Parker syllabus)
State, Government and Politics (syllabus)
Politics of Non Profits (syllabus)
Campaigning for State and Local Office (syllabus)
Lobbying State and Local Government (syllabus)
History of Presidential Elections (syllabus)
How to Manage (syllabus)
Presentation Skills (syllabus)
Targeting and the Field Plan (syllabus)
Urban Political Campaign Management (syllabus)
Expanding the Electorate (syllabus)
Strategic Advocacy (syllabus)

290 Independent Study

295 Advanced Problems and Strategy
Capstone seminar that integrates research skills and political techniques required to define political objectives and develop the appropriate strategies to accomplish such objectives. Students must have completed 24 credit hours to enroll in this course. (syllabus)

299 Thesis
Master's degree candidates must apply to the program committee for thesis approval and have completed 24 credit hours with a 3.3 GPA.

300 Thesis
Master's degree candidates must apply to the program committee for thesis approval and have completed 24 credit hours with a 3.3 GPA.