Curriculum
Listening & Conversation Skills
More than just the words used, effective communication combines a set of skills including nonverbal communication, engaged listening, and managing stress and emotions. Students will enhance their listening and conversational skills for personal and professional communication.
Presentation Skills
Students will develop the delivery skills, organizational structure, and confidence needed to give an effective presentation in English. Faculty will help students evaluate individual problem areas, provide extensive feedback, and provide tools and techniques for successful presentations, such as: speaking clearly, gathering resource material, preparing and speaking from notes, and the appropriate use of visual aids.
Critical Thinking, Case Studies & Reading Strategies
Students will build discussion skills and a broad professional vocabulary through selected case readings. An emphasis will be given to the reading process and effective practices that aid students’ comprehension, vocabulary, critical thinking, studying, and writing. Through case study readings, students will also learn how to identify and define problems, develop techniques for organizing information, and understand different methods for building and analyzing arguments.
Cross Cultural Communications & Pronunciation
Students will explore American values and their origins, compare American beliefs, and learn verbal and non-verbal communication patterns, relationships, and customs. Students will also learn to interpret the communicative behavior of fellow students and to explain how conversational and classroom behavior differs from culture and culture. Listening, comprehension and oral skills will improve by practicing pronunciation. Students will also focus on formulating effective ways to build vocabulary.
Academic Writing & Academic Integrity
Students will practice American academic writing and researching techniques and review Northwestern academic integrity standards. Writing assignments will help students to think and write more clearly and refine writing processes through generating ideas, drafting, and peer evaluation. Students will learn how to effectively use the work of others in writing, including use of sources and citation methods.
About the Final Project
Students may pursue their capstone experience independently or as part of a team. As their final course, students take either the individual research project in an independent study format or the classroom final project class in which students integrate the knowledge they have gained in the core curriculum in work assigned by the instructor. In both cases students are guided by faculty in exploring the body of knowledge on public policy and administration while contributing research of practical value to the field. The capstone 590 thesis project and 498 capstone class count as one unit of credit.
- MPPA 498 Capstone Project or
- MPPA 590 Thesis Research