DPLS 703--Policy Analysis--3 credits
Summer 2001

SESSION 5

Influencing Policy and the Web

Communicating Policy Research

Reading assignment:
Majchrzak (1984) pp. 91-102

Written assignment:  (a) Identify one policy change that can only be made outside of the University that is, in your opinion, most critical for advancing the cause of equity in the university. Prepare a one page statement that identifies the needed policy change, the person or organization that would need to make the policy change, and a strategy for getting that person or organization to change the policy. (b) Identify implications from chapter 6 of Majchrzak for your efforts to influence policy and write a paragraph. Post parts (a) and (b) to the Discussion Board by 5:00 PM on July 24.  (c) Prepare a press release that might be used in the campaign.  Use Andrea Smith's Rules for Writing Press Releases Andrea Smith http://www.andrea.com/rules.html or another reference on how to prepare a press release. (d) Include the press release in a web page you create and publish to the Web.  Include the notice on your web page that "THIS PAGE IS AN EXERCISE IN A GRADUATE COURSE AND DOES NOT REFLECT AN ACTUAL SITUATION."  If you have trouble doing the web page, bring a hard copy of your press release and a disk with a copy of the file in .rtf  format to class.  Do not Panic!! As soon as you have successfully published your page to the web, send me an email message with the url for your page.

For written assignment (a): Explore the The Virtual Activist, A Training Course presented by Audrie Krause, NetAction Michael Stein, Judi Clark et.al. [http://netaction.org/training/] (b):Spend time exploring some other sites about how to influence policy (explore, sample, DO NOT FEEL YOU MUST VISIT ALL SITES):

Activist Net:  International Network for Social Change [ http://www.activistnet.org/Resource Pages/ActivismResources.html] ERROR READING 07-27-2001

On Organizing ; From the Kitchen of David C. Hollister, A Simple Recipe for Social Change by Michigan State Representative David Hollister, http://www.nvcdl.org/power.htm

Other Internet Advocacy Resources http://nch.ari.net/otheradvocacy.html

WebActive http://www.webactive.com/

The Electronic Activist An email address directory of congress people, state governments, and media entities. http://apocalypse.berkshire.net/~if as/activist/index1.html

Tools for Activists Tools for Grassroots Activists 20/20 Vision Education Fund Using Cyberspace: Activism Online Tips for Grassroots Activists Beating the Bureaucracy Pursuing the Press Tips on Making Letters and Phone Calls Effective http://www.2020vision.org/tools.html

Managing the Media A Guide for Activists http://tenant.net/Organize/media.html

Optional reading/computer assignments: Spend time exploring the home page for Educational Policy Advocacy EAF525 (http://coe.ilstu.edu/rpriegle/eaf524/. This course will be offered during the summer at ISU. This home page provides an introduction to the use of technology for bringing about policy changes and also provides a model of what a course offered without face to face sessions might look like.

For written assignment (c) Optional explore at least three of these resources of doing press releases:

HOW TO WRITE A PRESS RELEASE from The Information Index http://www.cotu.com/infopage/business/R134.htm

HOW TO WRITE A PRESS RELEASE http://www.net-market.com/howto.htm

For written assignment (d):  Teach yourself the basics of doing a Web page.  DO NOT SPEND MORE THAN AN HOUR AND A HALF ON THIS PART OF THE ASSIGNMENT BEFORE CLASS--WE WILL SPEND PART OF THE CLASS SESSION ON THIS.

There are thousands of web sites with instructions, tutorials, and resources for making home pages. The following are offered as suggestions. An excellent place to begin is to Download Netscape Communicator,and then select File, New Document, From Wizard. A CD with this version 4.7 of the program can be borrowed from reserve desk of Foley.  Note that Version 4.7 for the PC will not work with Windows 3.x.  Other versions that work with Windows 3.x can be downloaded from the site above.

Excellent information on using Netscape Composer for Building Web Pages
http://home.netscape.com/browsers/using/newusers/composer/index.html

Maintaing and Changing a Web Page http://guweb2.gonzaga.edu/doctoral/webmaster.rtf
These are specific instructions for using Netscape Composer for creating and posting a web page for this class

You can post your web page anyplace you have access to.  Most Internet Service Providers provide server space where you can post/publish your own pages. If you want to you can post your web page to guweb2.gonzaga.edu/doctoral/ld703.

ftp://guweb2.gonzaga.edu/doctoral/ld703/
User name:  students
Password: (be creative and figure it out)

Guidance on the creation of effective web pages. (EXPLORE AT LEAST TWO OF THE SITES BELOW)

Jakob Nielsen's Website [http://www.useit.com/ ]Excellent source of information on website design

How to Structure Your Website By Jakob Nielsen,[ http://www.zdnet.com/devhead/stories/articles/0,4413,2253058,00.html] May 4, 1999 on-line article.

Creating and posting a professional looking web page by Carlos Navas
http://www.bayarea.net/~webdemo/welcome.html

Free Graphics from SiteRightNow [http://www.siterightnow.com/FreeGraphics.html] 07/12/01

Ask Tog:  The Webzine for Computer Professionals, their Families, & Friends [http://www.asktog.com/ ]

The Technology Source [http://horizon.unc.edu/TS/contents/ ]provides illuminating articles designed to assist educators as they face the challenge of integrating information technology tools in teaching and in managing educational organizations.

The Web Course Project by John Hartzog, Professor of Religious Studies and Director, The Learning Resource Center at CSUN  http://lrc.csun.edu/wcp/index.html

Class activities:  Class review of press releases and discussion on managing the press.

Class discussion on web resources for influencing policy change.

Volunteers to lead discussion on the feminist approaches to ethics. Feminist Ethics by Matthew Mitchell provides a solid beginning point. (see reading for next session.)

Computer lab.  Each student will develop a Web page focusing on their press release for trying to influence policy to address the problems of gender inequality in higher education. The objective is not for you to develop sophisticated skills for Web page development, but to convince everyone that it can be done. Given the importance of home pages for policy advocacy in the future, this is a skill that is likely to be very relevant. (And if not for advocacy, for other purposes.)

For more information contact docinfo@gonzaga.edu or write to Doctoral Program in Leadership Gonzaga University Spokane, WA USA 99258 (509) 323-3490

Copyright 1998,1999,2000 Page maintained by  beebe@gonzaga.edu revised 07/26/2001