MSL4000 Governance - Forms and Reforms Course description

The course provides an overview of forms of governance and governance challenges in the public sector, enabling students to acquire a good knowledge base for the rest of the programme. Governance reforms and governance instruments are placed in a theoretical and contextual perspective. Students will gain an understanding of the concepts governance and management, an insight into key development trends and important implications relating to relevant changes in forms of governance and management.

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Knowledge

The student has

• in-depth knowledge of the concepts governance and management and their use in different contexts

• in-depth knowledge of key public governance instruments

• in-depth knowledge of the connection between social changes and governance challenges in the public sector, and between governance challenges and changes in forms of governance and management

• in-depth knowledge of international trends in public sector reforms and Norwegian management policy

• insight into the relationship between systems of governance and civil society and an understanding of democratic implications relating to the development of different forms of governance

• insight into ethical issues relating to public governance

Skills

The student is capable of

• analysing governance challenges in the public sector

• assessing how these challenges can be met through reforms and measures

• assessing different governance tools in public policy

Competence

The student is capable of

• disseminating the results of independent work, writing reports, and giving oral presentations as forms of communication

• applying knowledge and skills in obtaining and using relevant sources, literature and other information, masters reference and quotation techniques, and is capable of defining what constitutes plagiarism and cheating

• communicating with both specialists in the field and the general public about relevant issues, analyses and conclusions relating to reforms and management policy

• playing an active role in renewal and reform work and contributing critical perspectives to such processes

The teaching is session-based in the form of lectures, student presentations, discussions, group work and seminars. Students will write assignments between the sessions. A high degree of independent activity is expected. The teaching will mainly be problem-based using examples and cases from the students' practical experiences.

Students will submit an individual presentation note of maximum three pages (that require an oral presentation). If the note is unsatisfactory, an improved version must be submitted within a short deadline stipulated by the lecturer. The note and presentation must be approved before the student can take the exam.

A grade scale with grades from A to E for pass and F for fail is used.

All answer papers are assessed by an internal examiner. External examiners are used in cases of doubt about whether a pass grade should be awarded and for spot check assessments of approx. 25% of the answer papers. The grades awarded for the answer papers assessed together with an external sensor form the basis for determining the level for awarding the different grades. The internal examiner shall take the external examiner's assessment into consideration in the grading of all the exams.