Spring 2014 Classes

Fridays 6pm to 9 pm (electives)

MAPL 5315 - Sustainable Development Policy and Advocacy
MAPL 5395 - Financial Aspects of Advocacy

Saturday 9am to 12pm (Core Classes)

MAPL 6001 The Political Process and Public Policy
MAPL 6005 - Political and Advocacy Leadership
MAPL 6004 Political Organizing and Communication
MAPL 6002 Policy Evaluation

Saturday 1:15pm to 4:15pm (Concentration Courses)
NOTE: Concentration Courses also serve as electives

MAPL 5111 - Labor Organizing
MAPL 5200 - Advocacy and Lobbying: Strategies and Tactics
MAPL 5311 - Advocacy in the Public Sector: Service in the Elected Branch

Internships (Arranged with Instructor)

MAPL 6008--3 credit organizing internship (135 hours)
MAPL 6009--2 credit policy internship (90 hours)


MAPL 5111 - Labor Organizing
(3.0 cr; Prereq-MAPL or Collegiate Grad student status or Grad School student status or #; A-F or Aud, fall semester, annually)
This class is required for the Labor Organizing and Leadership Concentration. Historical overview of the evolution of modern labor movement, examine the state of organized labor and labor organizing today, and analyze two emerging models of union leadership--social movement leadership and institutional leadership.

Back to Top

MAPL 5200 - Advocacy and Lobbying: Starategies and Tactics
(3.0 cr; Prereq-MAPL or Collegiate Grad student status or Grad School student status or #; A-F or Aud, spring semester, annually)
This class is required for the Nonprofit Advocacy Concentration.  History, theory and current practice of nonprofits in educating and activating citizens to participate in the public dialogue. Special attention is given to the role of nonprofits as resources to elected and appointed policy makers.

Back to Top

MAPL 5311 - Advocacy in the Public Sector: Service in the Elected Branch
(3.0 cr; Prereq-No Grad School cr; A-F or Aud, fall semester, annually)
Required for Advocacy in the Public Sector Concentration. Prepares for current or future careers in the elected branches of government, at the local, regional, state or national level as members of councils, boards, the Legislature or Congress, or as staff to those elected. Familiarizes students with three essential skills for persons interested in such careers, instruction on understanding and using public opinion measurement, instruction on best practices for those operating as staff to elected or appointed officials, and instruction on media relations in a political setting; all three skills-oriented segments will be taught by guest lecturers with outstanding credentials; the first and last three-hour periods of the class will discuss the ethical dimensions of working in the political realm.

Back to Top

MAPL 5315 - Sustainable Development Policy Advocacy
(3.0 cr; Prereq-no Graduate School cr; A-F or Aud, fall semester, even years)
Focus on the politics of sustainable development, specifically transit and transportation, housing, community planning, business development, and the environment. Students will develop working knowledge of the legislative and legal processes surrounding sustainable development policy at the local/state/federal levels: how, when and by whom development decisions are made and how the process works.

Back to Top


MAPL 5395 - Special Topics: (Various Titles to be Assigned)
(1.0 - 3.0 cr [max 9.0 cr]; Prereq-MAPL or Collegiate Grad student status or Grad School student status or #; A-F or Aud)
Opportunity to explore diverse topics in advocacy, to take advantage of new developments in the field and to explore current issues or events related to advocacy.

Financial Aspects of Advocacy Organizations:
This course is designed to familiarize students in the Advocacy & Political Leadership program with the business/financial side of advocacy organizations. Students will demonstrate basic competency in grant writing, in interpreting nonprofit and public sector budgets, and in filing basic campaign finance reports

Back to Top

MAPL 6001 - Political Process and Public Policy
(3.0 cr; Prereq-MAPL or Collegiate Grad student status or Grad School student status or cohort)
This is the first core course open only to students enrolled in the MAPL program. Offers familiarity with the concepts of agenda setting and policy development and with the variable meanings used in the political arena to define core concepts like equitable and efficient. After reading and reporting on a leading book from the public affairs literature, students focus primarily on a policy they wish to see enacted or changed, then prepare background papers and oral presentations arguing for that enactment or change.

Back to Top

MAPL 6002 - Policy Evaluation
(3.0 cr; Prereq-MAPL or Collegiate Grad student status or Grad School student status or cohort)
This is the fourth core course open only to students enrolled in the MAPL program. Prepares students to understand and, in some cases, to perform, formal evaluations of policy proposals, including cost benefit analysis and other efficacy-based measures. Students will learn that neither public policy nor politics are or can be ethically neutral.

Back to Top

MAPL 6004 - Political Organizing and Communication
(3.0 cr; Prereq-MAPL or Grad School or Collegiate Grad student or cohort)
This is the third core course open only to students enrolled in the MAPL program. Designed to give students an understanding of the sociological, intra-personal nature of political and advocacy communication as well as familiarity with successful advocacy writing and with modern organizing strategies.

Back to Top

MAPL 6005 - Political and Advocacy Leadership
(3.0 cr; Prereq-MAPL or Collegiate Grad student status or Grad School student status or cohort)
This is the second core course open only to students enrolled in the MAPL program. Designed to help advocates strengthen abilities to lead wisely, ethically and effectively in political settings. Provides an interdisciplinary framework to explore the principles of power and leadership, and features effective political leaders from Minnesota and Wisconsin who discuss their principles of leadership.

Back to Top

MAPL 6008 - Advocacy Internship I
(3.0 cr; Prereq-MAPL student or #, no Grad School cr; S-N or Aud, fall, spring, summer, every year)
Internship experiences will be offered in the advocacy and political leadership program. Students will have supervised direct experience with an individual or organizational sponsor in advocacy.

Back to Top

MAPL 6009 - Advocacy Internship
(2.0 cr [max 4.0 cr]; Prereq-MAPL or #, no Grad School cr; S-N or Aud, fall, spring, summer, every year)
Internship experiences will be offered in the advocacy and political leadership program. Students will have supervised direct experience with an individual or organizational sponsor in advocacy.

Back to Top