86
Åbo Akademi University 2014/2015
POLITICAL SCIENCE AND PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION
2. Rhodes, R.A.W. Understanding Governance: Policy Net-
works, Governance,Reflexivity andAccountability. 1997. Open
University Press.
3. The Project State. Journal of Environmental policy & Plan-
ning. Special Issue Papers. Volume 11, Number 3, September
2009.
4. Special Issue: Projectified Politics. The Role of Temporary
Organisations in the Public Sector, Scandinavian Journal of
Public Administration, 2013: (17)2
Project Management
370188.0
5 credits (Public administration)
Advanced level
Web-based course
Offered: Spring2015by theOpenUniversityatÅboAkademi
University
Lecturer: PD Catharina Groop
Contact: Carina Gräsbeck (carina.grasbeck[a]abo.fi)
Registration:
Aim and contents: As a result of a broad societal develop-
ment which has taken place during the last decades - often
referred to from a political perspective as "from government
to governance" - projects have emerged as important gov-
ernance instruments. This has resulted in a transition from
traditional politics, which implicitly has beenbasedon stability
and longevity, to new forms of governance, which explicitly
are based on just-in time actions such as projects and issue-
based collaborations in networks and programs.
This course focuses on projects, i.e. time-bound, collective
activities aimed at achieving a given result, and their man-
agement. Project management is defined as the process of
planning, organizing, motivating, and controlling resources
to achieve specific targets. The backbone and point of de-
parture of the course is the project cycle, which outlines the
different phases of a project. The course introduces students
to the intricacies of these different phases as well as key is-
sues from a project management perspective. These include
e.g. stakeholder involvement, risk management, information
management and learning.
Learning outcomes: After completing the course the student
should be able to:
1.
outline the different phases of the project cycle and the
way they relate to one another
2.
explainwhy the different phases are of importancewhen
managing projects
3.
conduct a basic situation analysis so as to come up with
a draft project plan/document
4.
give examples of ways in which stakeholders can and
should be involved during a projects lifespan
5.
explain the concept of monitoring, and list tools used to
review progress
6.
conduct a basic project evaluation against a givenproject
plan/document.
Teaching methods: Web-based course: written assignments,
discussions and readings
Entry requirements: (No entry requirements at the Open
University.)
Target group: a) students at the open university, b) exchange
students, c) graduate students at Åbo Akademi
Form of assessment: Assignments in Moodle.
Course literature (preliminary):
1. Eskerod, P and Anna Lund Jepsen. Project stakeholder
Management. Fundamentals of Project Management. 2013.
Gower Publishing.
2. Lock, Dennis. The Essentials of Project management. 3. ed.
2007. Gower Publishing.
3. Müller, Ralf. Project Governance. 2009. Gower Publishing.
Self-study courses in Public administration
The examination in self-study courses is decided by the
responsible teacher for each course. As the examiner of the
subject, Professor Marko Joas is responsible for a majority of
them. For more information about the possibility to complete
courses, please contact Professor Marko Joas, marko.joas[a]
abo.fi /+358 2 215 4561 or the responsible teacher (if indicated
below). Professor Joas has tutoring hours on demand.
Many of the courses have course literature in Swedish. If the
student cannot read Swedish the teacher will try to find cor-
responding course literature in English.
Most of the self-study courses are examined by:
A) Written assignment. The student collects the literature for
the course and only after that contacts/visits the responsible
teacher to discuss and define an essay title. The assignment
shouldmainly be based on course literature but the students
can also include external material. The topics/titles are ana-
lytical and have to cover a rather large part of the literature.
There is no time limit for the task. The expected length of a
paper for 10 credits is about 18-25 pages, for 5 credits about
12-20 pages, however, the grading is based on the quality of
the paper, not quantity. Regular follow-up of the progress is
required.
B) Written assignments using Moodle.
C) As a written exam. The student pre-registers at the respon-
sible teacher, reads the literature and writes the exam on as
an e-exam or upon agreement. The responsible teacher will
define a free number of questions for the students to answer
with short essays within a time limit of 4 hours.
Environmental Governance at the Local Level
370156.0
10 credits
Intermediate level
Self-study course
The Nonprofit Sector and the Civic Society
370159.0
10 credits
Intermediate level
Self-study course
Regions as Politico-administrative systems
370162.0
10 credits
Intermediate level
Self-study course in Moodle
Responsible teacher: Siv Sandberg (siv.sandberg[a]abo.fi)
The Policies of Public Sector Reform
370164.0
10 credits
Intermediate level
Self-study course
Responsible teacher: Siv Sandberg (siv.sandberg[a]abo.fi)
Developing Local Democracy
370187.0
10 credits
Intermediate level
Self-study course
