Brief Vignettes as a Pedagogical Device: Improving Analytical Practice

Providing public affairs students with real time brief analytical vignettes that may be drawn from newspapers or written as one page mini-cases has proven effective in sharpening the ability of graduate students with little... [ view full abstract ]

Providing public affairs students with real time brief analytical vignettes that may be drawn from newspapers or written as one page mini-cases has proven effective in sharpening the ability of graduate students with little professional experience to identify key issues for discussion and analysis. Moreover, this technique is useful to "warm up" the class before more extensive reading, case analysis or in-class exercises are provided. These vignettes also serve to focus students on a particular analytical challenge without the extensive detail found in substantive teaching cases that may be 20 pages or more. I demonstrate this approach offering five examples from decades of teaching in public affairs at the graduate level:
1) using a newspaper article to stimulate discussion as to whether an earmarked "meals tax" in restaurants in a good or a bad idea. This has been an effective way to introduce the topic of tax evaluation criteria in a budgeting course.
2) Introducing the concept of a "premortem" by having students say why a proposed consumption tax on sugary soft drinks in an effort to combat childhood obesity will fail.
3) Practicing Porter's five forces model through a white board exercise that has groups apply the model to the 100 percent condom program that was implemented in Thailand in the early 1980's.
4) A "Sesame Street" exercise--which one does not go with the others--by listing so-called terrorist groups on the board and asking students to apply definitions of terrorism.
5) Applying "back of the envelope" analysis: How much would it cost to make the Budapest metro handicapped accessible? Would giving taxi fares to all handicapped people in Budapest be more cost-effective?

I demonstrate these examples with brief handouts followed by discussion of their value and limitations.