| CODE | PPL1942 | ||||||||||||
| TITLE | Encounters with Professionals in Public Life | ||||||||||||
| UM LEVEL | 01 - Year 1 in Modular Undergraduate Course | ||||||||||||
| MQF LEVEL | 5 | ||||||||||||
| ECTS CREDITS | 4 | ||||||||||||
| DEPARTMENT | Policy, Politics and Governance | ||||||||||||
| DESCRIPTION | This study-unit consists of a carefully selected series of thematic seminars and workshops in which students interact with invited senior executives within the public sector, private enterprise, community and not-for-profit organisations. The executives are invited - - to share selected aspects of their roles, recounting experiences of decision-making, negotiation, policy analysis, strategic planning, regulatory compliance, human resource management, innovation and other executive roles; - to expose students to real-world working environments, and offer advice about working on challenging assignments; - to listen to, and discuss, students’ career interests and concerns, their perceptions about organisational life and professional development. The study-unit will therefore complement the academic introduction to public policy provided by PPL1011, by helping students reading Public Policy to make a first, guided encounter with the working world. The unit is therefore positioned at the intersection of academia, public life, the economy and society which constitutes the core of the policy sciences. The study-unit is conceived as an ‘encounter’, rather than simply a series of guest speakers. Study-Unit Aims: The aims of this study-unit are twofold: - First, it exposes students to the different work settings, behavioural aspects, organisational cultures and professions engaged in a variety of entities, including state and European institutions, public sector organisations, private industry, communities and not-for-profit organisations. This exposure would enhance students’ comprehension of grounded realities within the different working scenarios and, at the same time, engage them in networking and debating with senior executives who coordinate policy, ascertain good governance practices and manage organisations. - Secondly, the curated series of encounters with experienced management professionals would provide students with a deeper, wider and empirical understanding of policy-making, political literacy and public/private/not-for-profit management. Learning Outcomes: 1. Knowledge & Understanding: By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - recognise and appraise grounded realities within a range of organisations and institutions that are associated with public life or the economy; - understand how cross-sector collaboration among different stakeholders is practised and set in motion; - relate theoretical frameworks that have been exposed to in other study units to actual performance and real-world scenarios; - explore the versatile array of job opportunities that are available to Public Policy graduates - identify operational, strategic and ethical challenges in exercising the profession of policy-maker, organisational leader or executive. 2. Skills: By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - engage actively in public debate; - improve listening, observational and questioning skills; - network and interact with practitioners and academics; - undertake public presentations; - think critically and creatively. Main Text/s and any supplementary readings: Main Texts: - Thake, A.M. (2018), Graduate Employability Skills in Malta. Malta: Kite Group - Vassallo, MT (2021), Kollox Politika? Governanza, Religjon, Ekonomija, Amministrazzjoni Pubblika. Malta: Malta University Publishing Supplementary Readings: - Vassallo, MT and Tabone, C. (2012), (2016), (2020), Public Life in Malta: Papers on Governance, Politics and Public Affairs in the EU’s Smallest Member State. Vol 1, 2, 3, Malta: Department of Public Policy. - Warrington, E. (forthcoming), Business, Public Policy and Governance in EU Member State: A Maltese Perspective. Malta: Malta University Press. |
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| STUDY-UNIT TYPE | Seminar and Tutorial | ||||||||||||
| METHOD OF ASSESSMENT |
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| LECTURER/S | Daniel Grima Duca |
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The University makes every effort to ensure that the published Courses Plans, Programmes of Study and Study-Unit information are complete and up-to-date at the time of publication. The University reserves the right to make changes in case errors are detected after publication.
The availability of optional units may be subject to timetabling constraints. Units not attracting a sufficient number of registrations may be withdrawn without notice. It should be noted that all the information in the description above applies to study-units available during the academic year 2024/5. It may be subject to change in subsequent years. |
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