PUAD 5348-001: Public Policy Theory and Process
Spring 2026
Class: Tuesdays 6:00 – 8:50pm, Holden Hall 127
Instructor: Dr./Professor Wesley Wehde
Office: Holden Hall 014 (Online Video link is available upon request)
Office Hours: Tuesday 11:00 am – 12:00 pm and 3:30 pm to 5:30 pm
Email: wwehde@ttu.edu
Course content pending review and approval by the Texas Tech University System Board of Regents.
Feel free to contact the regents or chancellor if you have any questions.
Catalog Description: Introduction to competing theoretic explanations of U.S. public policy making. Explores interactions between institutional actors, logic of administrative structure and delegated authority, and bureaucratic discretion.
My Description: Public policy is the product of a complex series of processes involving many actors including formal political institutions such as Congress and informal groups such as social movements. This course introduces students to broad theories which seek to explain the creation of public policy, with a substantive focus on social welfare policy, and its subsequent analysis as the product of such a complex system. Using these theories, students will develop a variety of different writing and presentation skills crucial to success as students and professionals.
We will examine a variety of scholarly approaches, with an emphasis on policy feedback, to understanding the policy process. The various theories scholars use to examine the policy process emphasize different aspects of political and policy relevant concepts. Students will develop critical thinking skills by comparing and contrasting the various concepts central to the theories of the policy process covered throughout the course. By synthesizing the theories of the policy process through the lens of policy analysis, students will gain preparation for both scholarly research and professional practice in their future endeavors.
Kindness Clause: Life is hard. If you need extra time on an assignment, just let me know. Remember, in this class, it is ALWAYS better to ask for permission than forgiveness. If you ask after the fact, I will be less generous in most cases. No need to tell me why but a quick heads-up is super helpful. If you need extra time on lots of assignments, definitely let me know so we can talk and figure out how to build a structure of support for you to finish this class and your degree. All I ask for is patience and kindness in return.
Course Goals and Learning Outcomes:
NASPAA Competency 1: to participate in, and contribute to, the policy process
Assessed by theory ‘diaries’, final project, and exam.
NASPAA Competency 2: to analyze, synthesize, think critically, solve problems and make evidence-informed decisions in a complex and dynamic environment;
Assessed by final project, and exam.
Course Materials:
Students will need reliable access to a computer and internet to succeed in this course. Please contact the instructor if this will be an issue and we will work to resolve it.
All other readings and materials will be posted on the course website.
Course Schedule:
| Dates: | Topic | Readings | Slides |
| Week One, Tuesday Jan. 20 | NO CLASS | ||
| Week Two. Tuesday Jan. 27 | Policy Conflict | Schattschneider 1957, Weible and Heikkila, Kim et al. 2018 | |
| Week Three, Tuesday Feb. 3 | Policy Conflict, part 2 | Ford and Irhke 2021, Koebele and Crow 2022 | Guest Lecture – Policy ConflictDownload |
| Week Four, Tuesday Feb. 10 | Multiple Streams | Jones et al. Review; Cairney and Jones 2016; Heenstra | Multiple StreamsDownload |
| Week Five, Tuesday Feb. 17 | Social Construction and Policy Design | Schneider and Ingram 1993, Kreitzer and Watts Smith Social Construction, Pierce et al. SC and PD | Social Construction and Policy Design |
| Week Six, Tuesday Feb. 24 | Narrative Policy Framework | NPF and Nuclear Energy, Narratives and Surveys | NPF Slides |
| Week Seven, Tuesday March 3 | NPF, Part Two | Rickinson et al. 2019, Ertas and McKnight 2020, Kristof 2023 | NPF and Edu. Slides |
| Week Eight, Monday March 10 | MIDTERM | EXAM | |
| Week Nine, Tuesday March 17 | SPRING | BREAK | |
| Week Ten, Tuesday March 24 | Policy Innovation and Diffusion | Shipan and Volden, Mintrom and Vergari, Mintrom 1997 | Diffusion Slides |
| Week Eleven, Tuesday March 31 | NO CLASS | ||
| Week Twelve, Tuesday April 7 | Policy Feedback | Campbell Feedback, Beland and Schlager, Pierson Institutions | Policy Feedback Slides |
| Week Thirteen, Tuesday April 14 | Advocacy Coalition Framework | Weible ACF, Fullerton et al. 2025, Pierce et al. ACF | ACF Slides |
| Week Fourteen, Tuesday April 21 | Emotion and Public Policy | Verhoeven and Metze 2022, Fullerton and Weible 2024 | |
| Week Fifteen, Tuesday April 28 | Typologies and other early ideas | EE 1952, Lowi 1964 | |
| Week Sixteen, Tuesday May 5 | Presentations |
Assignments and Grading:
A rubric for each major assignment will be posted to the course site detailing the grading and structure of the assignments in further detail.
Grading Policy
A = 93-100 B+ = 87-89 C+ = 77-79 D+ = 67-69
A- = 90-92 B = 84-86 C = 74-76 D = 60-66
B- = 80-83 C- = 70-73 F = 0-59
Grades will be calculated to the second decimal point and then rounded twice (all 5s will be rounded up), i.e. 93.35 rounds to 93.4 rounds to 93. Another example to be clear 93.44 rounds to 93.4 which rounds to 93.
Late Work Policy for Assignments:
Work for the assignments for this class will be accepted up to three days after the due date. For each day late, the assignment will be docked ten points. So, if an assignment is due 9/10 and is turned in on 9/13 then the maximum grade a student can receive is a 70. After the third day, the student will receive a zero for that assignment.
| Assignment | Grade |
| Practitioner-theory ‘diary’ – weekly | 40 |
| Midterm Exam – March 10 | 15 |
| Data Collection – Instructions on website – due March 27 | 10 |
| Data Coding- Instructions Pending – due May 3rd | 15 |
| Participation and attendance | 10 |
| Final Presentation | 10 |
| Total: | 100 |
Practitioner-Theory Diary: Weekly entries into a ‘diary’ where you reflect on your work and/or current events and their relation to the course material. These diary entries should be at least two paragraphs long and make reference to course concepts. In these entries, you can reflect on how course concepts do or do not apply to your day-to-day work. Ideally, by the end of the course, you could have developed your own theory of work in an organization (ideally public but not required). Additionally, I would like you to use this ‘diary’ to reflect on current events and their relation to course materials. Not every entry must meet all of these requirements, but most should.
| Attendance/participation per week | Point value |
| Attends both classes, participates at least once | 1 |
| Attends both classes, does not participate | 0.5 |
| Attends one class, participates | 0.5 |
| Attends one class, does not participate | 0.3 |
| Does not attend or any less participation | 0.0 |
Presentation: 5-10 minutes with slides. Summarize the lessons you have learned in the course and their application to public administration as a field of study and applied profession.
Midterm Exam: In class written exam made up of short answer, essay, definition, T/F and multiple choice questions.
College Policies
Please see all at this link: Required Syllabus Statements | TLPDC Home | TTU Once you have read these required syllabus statements you can send an e-mail to my ttu.edu address with a picture of your favorite animal, can be your own or any random picture, and I will give you 0.3 percent of extra credit on your final grade – i.e. if you have a 93.2 (A) you would end up with a 93.5 from rounding (A+).
Other Policies
The use of generative AI tools (such as ChatGPT) is strictly prohibited in this course for any purpose. Information gathered from AI cannot be used even with appropriate citation. Submission of AI-generated content (i.e., information, text, or images) as your own work is a violation of academic integrity and may result in referral to the Office of Student Conduct. Please contact your instructor if you have questions regarding this course policy.
Notes for Students:
Texas Senate Bill 17, which took effect on January 1, 2024, outlaws diversity, equity, and inclusion programs at public colleges and universities in Texas, but does not in any way affect content, instruction or discussion in an academic course at a public college or university in Texas. Expectations and academic freedom for teaching and class discussion have not been altered post-SB 17, and students should not feel the need to censor their speech pertaining to topics including race and racism, structural inequality, LGBTQ+ issues, or diversity, equity, and inclusion. [Source]
Texas Senate Bill 37, the 2025 law reshaping the governance of public colleges and universities, does not prohibit the teaching of any particular content in academic courses at public colleges and universities in Texas. Although earlier versions of the bill included censorship of specific course content, these provisions were removed in the final version. Expectations and academic freedom for teaching and class discussion have not been altered due to prohibitions in SB 37, and students should not feel the need to censor their speech pertaining to topics including race, gender, gender identity, ethnicity, politics, society, and religion.
For more information on Texas SB 37, please see Texas AAUP-AFT’s blog “SB 37 Implementation Concerns & Recommendations”.
