Public Policy — Courses

PPOL G 601
Political Economy I

This is the first term of a two-semester multi-disciplinary course sequence exploring the basic philosophical, social, political, and economic underpinnings of public policy development, through a series of discrete units. It is taught primarily from a historical and theoretical perspective. Major units include the theory of scientific inquiry; views of human nature; the history of ideologies and institutions; theories of freedom and justice; the conservative, liberal, and radical paradigms in social science; and, finally, a synthesis of paradigms regarding the role of the state, race, ethnicity, gender, and class. (Course offered in the fall only.)
3 Lect Hrs, 3 Credits
Ms Albelda, Ms Uriarte, and Ms Smith

PPOL G 602
Political Economy II

A continuation of PPOL G 601. (Course offered in the spring only.)
3 Lect Hrs, 3 Credits

PPOL G 604
Statistics I

This course is one of five required quantitative and research methods courses. It begins with a basic review of graphical analysis and descriptive statistics. Subsequent topics include the fundamentals of probability theory, basic statistics, and the logic of hypothesis testing. The course concludes with an introduction to the basic linear model. The course makes frequent use of case studies, examples, and computer programs. (Course offered in the fall only.)
2 Lect Hrs, 2 Lab Hrs, 3 Credits
Mr Clayton-Matthews

PPOL G 605
Statistics II

Second term of the statistics sequence. This statistics lab course is devoted almost exclusively to a study of multiple regression and time series analysis methods, focusing on regression diagnostics and remedies. Topics include weighted least squares and non-linear transformations, the special nature of dummy variables, and the particular problems associated with serially correlated errors in time series models. (Course offered in the spring only.)
2 Lect Hrs, 2 Lab Hrs, 3 Credits
Mr Clayton-Matthews

PPOL G L609 (GERON L609)
Qualitative Methods

This course is designed to introduce students to qualitative research methods; its specific focus is on policy research and aging. Students practice the skills needed to observe the world around us, by attending to social phenomena, descriptively and analytically. The course functions as both a seminar and a research workshop, and students learn by doing, engaging in a field work project.
3 Lect Hrs, 3 Credits
Ms Friedman

PPOL G 611
Foundations of Public Policy Analysis I

This is the first term of a two-semester course that makes use of both theory and case study to examine various approaches to public policy analysis, evaluation, and implementation. The course seeks to introduce the student to the general methods used in formulating and analyzing policy. Major units in this course cover the history of policy analysis; theories of the policy process; the role of social construction, institutions, interests, and values in policy; organizational theory and leadership; the determination of policy goals and objectives; and various analytical and empirical frameworks for analyzing policy and its implementation. (Course offered in the fall only.)
3 Lect Hrs, 3 Credits
Mr Levy, Mr Stone, Mr Ward

PPOL G 612
Foundations of Public Policy Analysis II

A continuation of PPOL G 611. (Course offered in the spring only.)
3 Lect Hrs, 3 Credits
Ms Withorn

PPOL G 621
Economics for Policy Analysis I

This is the first term of a two-semester course sequence devoted to exploring the basic economics of policy analysis from both a microeconomic and macroeconomic perspective. The course is taught from both a theoretical and case study perspective. As with traditional graduate economics offerings, the micro/macro sequence begins with the foundations of household and firm behavior. Units in this course include production decisions; the theory of consumer choice; market structures; discrimination; the simple analytics of welfare maximization; public sector economics, including expenditure analysis, taxation, and regulation; theories of externalities and public goods; tax incidence; and the principles of cost-benefit analysis. The macroeconomic units include theories of income determination and income distribution and the problem of unemployment; the workings of financial markets and interest rate structures; the impact of macroeconomic policy on state and local government; and the constraints placed on domestic policy as a result of the internationalization of the economy. (Course offered in the fall only.)
3 Lect Hrs, 3 Credits
Ms Stevenson

PPOL G 622
Economics for Policy Analysis II

A continuation of PPOL G 621. (Course offered in the spring only.)
3 Lect Hrs, 3 Credits
Mr Clayton-Matthews

PPOL G 630
Research Methods I

This course provides the conceptual and practical foundation for policy research and program evaluation. Students develop an understanding of the fundamental concepts and problems involved in designing research. (Course offered in the fall only.)
3 Lect Hrs, 3 Credits
Mr Stone, Mr Borges-Mendez

PPOL G 704
Research Methods II

This course assists students to become critical consumers of policy research and to apply specific quantitative and qualitative techniques in policy analysis. Both generic and policy-specific aspects of various techniques are discussed and demonstrated through background readings and examination of concrete policy reports. Students are required to apply and present analyses in their field of interest. (Course offered in the spring only.)
3 Lect Hrs, 3 Credits
Mr Clayton-Matthews, Mr Borges-Mendez

PPOL G 740
Political Institutions

This course is designed to introduce students to a number of issues in the study of the American political system at the national, state, regional, and local levels. The readings bring together research and analysis concerning specific topics and theoretical reflection concerning conceptual and analytic approaches. The course’s objectives are to show how a variety of theoretical, methodological, substantive, and political presuppositions condition research and analysis; and to encourage students to acquire both substantive knowledge of the American political system and a critical attitude toward ways in which social scientists produce this knowledge. Both the subject matter and the ways in which it is analyzed are characterized by multiple conditions and contexts. Awareness of these relations is crucial for policy analysts. (Course offered in the fall only.)
3 Lect Hrs, 3 Credits
Mr Ward, Mr Borges-Mendez

PPOL G 743
Social Welfare Policy

This course is a study of social welfare policy narrowly defined as the alternative plans, decisions, choices, and actions of the public sector that have a direct impact on the material welfare of socially and economically disadvantaged citizens by providing them with services and/or income. The central core of programs included under this definition are social insurance, public assistance, health, and housing services.
3 Lect Hrs, 3 Credits
Ms Albelda, Ms Withorn

PPOL G 744
Community Political and Economic Development

This course explores the complex relationship between economic development policy and sociocultural and political processes at the community level. The readings are presented in three parts. The first examines global trends and local economic conditions. The second utilizes a selection of short case studies to survey a range of local policy responses to the pressures of economic decline. These studies will provide an empirical basis for evaluating the explanatory adequacy and policy implications of the theories presented in part one. The third introduces additional case studies and readings analyzing the role of grassroots organizations, leadership, and populist movements in shaping alternative approaches to economic development. Finally, the course explores emerging issues in the field.
3 Lect Hrs, 3 Credits
Staff

PPOL G 745
Advanced Quantitative Methods

The goal of this course is to extend the student’s knowledge of statistical techniques for use with social science data beyond that acquired in PPOL G 604 and 605. The course seeks to deepen the student’s understanding of multiple regression estimation by further examination of problems associated with choosing a proper model and estimating its parameters. As with other methods labs, the course has a strong practical bias, with attention to statistical and econometric theory kept to a minimum.
3 Lect Hrs, 3 Credits
Mr Clayton-Matthews

PPOL G L747 (HIST L747)
Law and Public Policy

This course exposes students to differing theoretical perspectives in the academic literature, as well as to important areas of law. The course focuses on judicial policy making and on the nature of the litigious US society. In addition to examining why the courts are such central actors in US policy making, participants also explore the consequences of the distinctive role the courts play in various policy areas—for example, abortion, civil rights, desegregation, the environment, health care, labor policy, social legislation, special education, and welfare.
3 Lect Hrs, 3 Credits
Ms Bussiere

PPOL G 748
Topics in Health Policy

This course is concerned with the determinants of health policy in the US, including the decisions and non-decisions made by institutional and political actors at all levels of government, and by private sector actors. The course covers the failure of health care reform in the US; the marketizing, corporatization, and commodification of health care; comparisons with Western European nations; and topics in the assessment of health care quality.
3 Lect Hrs, 3 Credits
Mr Ward and staff

PPOL G 749
Science, Technology, and Public Policy

Although relatively few Americans have backgrounds in science or engineering, they are increasingly confronted with issues that are technically complex. This course explores the resulting tensions and asks how the needs for scientific expertise and democratic control of science and technology are reconciled. The first half of the course traces the historical development of American science policy and situates this development comparatively. The second half focuses on contemporary controversies, including those over the nature of university-industry relations, patent policy, and the causes of expert/lay disagreements over risk.
3 Lect Hrs, 3 Credits
Mr Taylor

PPOL G 750
Human Rights and Public Policy

The course focuses on the relationship between public policy and human rights. Its concerns encompass the following questions: How does one define and understand human rights? What are the grounds for human rights emphases on the part of public policy specialists or professionals? What is the nature, scope, and depth of issues that are pertinent to public policy specialists? And most importantly, how do the development, promotion, and protection of human rights change the character and content of public policy as well as the nature of our individual and collective possibilities?
3 Lect Hrs, 3 Credits
Mr Langley

PPOL G L755 (EDLDRS L755)
Research in Special Education and Disability Policy

Students use current research to explore key topics that shape the policy and practice landscape for individuals with disabilities in schools, service agencies, and communities, while applying skills to critically read and interpret the research. Topics include notions of disability; self-determination and person-centered service delivery; access, participation, and progress in general curriculum; standards and educational accountability; and opportunities for community inclusion and improved quality of life. Students also critique and interpret the research in order to make policy and practice recommendations applicable to urban schools and to leaders of service systems working with diverse groups of students and adults with disabilities.
3 Lect Hrs, 3 Credits

PPOL G L756 (EDLDRS L756)
Disability Policy and Practice Frameworks

Focusing on the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Individual with Disabilities Education Act, and the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, this course introduces students to the process by which these laws have been articulated, framed as regulations, put into practice, and interpreted through the appeals process. Students will learn to identify: the values and principles of stakeholders who bring the mandate to the point of legislation, the role of written and oral testimony in the policy cycle, and the ways in which policy is interpreted in practice at the state and local level, as well as through appeals processes.
3 Lect Hrs, 3 Credits

PPOL G 780
Policy Planning and Program Development I

This course is taught as a practicum. Students work in teams providing professional services to public and non-profit agencies. The course focuses on the acquisition and application of techniques for policy planning and evaluation and for program development, both qualitative and quantitative, technical and political. The course begins with an examination of various models of planning: comprehensive rationality, its limits and counterpoints; synthetic methods; and strategic planning. The course then covers—through participation in carefully selected consulting projects—techniques of problem definition; goal setting; developing, evaluating, and selecting programmatic options; predicting social, economic, and fiscal impacts; designing and testing pilot programs; implementation planning; and developing models and methods for public participation and constituency development. Ethical issues arising from policy planning and implementation are also considered. (Course offered in the fall only.)
3 Lect Hrs, 3 Credits
Mr Borges-Mendez, Mr Stone, Ms Uriarte, Ms Withorn

PPOL G 781
Policy Planning and Program Development II

A continuation of PPOL G 780. (Course offered in the spring only.)
3 Lect Hrs, 3 Credits
Mr Stone, Ms Uriarte, Ms Withorn, Mr Borges-Mendez

PPOL G 795
Independent Study

Students may choose to work independently with a faculty member on a special topic not available in the instructional program. Students must make individual arrangements with faculty members regarding the amount of individual supervision to be provided and the outcome expected from the independent study.
Hrs by arrangement, 3 Credits

PPOL G 797
Special Topics

From time to time, specialized courses are added to the curriculum on a one-time-only basis.
3 Lect Hrs, 3 Credits
Staff

PPOL G 891
Dissertation Seminar

Fifth in the five-semester “laboratory sequence” in quantitative and research methods. The course is divided into the two broad areas of research and writing, a distinction that is only conceptual; in reality, it is very difficult to divorce one from the other: good research is the product of both solid reasoning and clear communication. The research aspect of the course covers defining a proposal and a thesis, selecting a topic, literature search and data collection, alternative methodologies, and selecting an advisor and a thesis committee. The writing aspect covers organizing research materials and developing an outline, avoiding writer’s block, and professional and impact writing.
3 Lect Hrs, 3 Credits
Mr Borges-Mendez, Ms Stone, Ms Uriarte

PPOL G 898
Internship in Public Policy

Students carry out supervised internships in such settings as state and local governments, quasi-public and non-profit organizations, and some areas of the private sector. Students are given credit for their internships on the basis of a detailed research or evaluation paper written about their experience.
Hrs to be arranged, 3-9 Credits
Mr Moran

PPOL G 899
Dissertation Research

Research conducted under faculty supervision that leads to the presentation of a doctoral dissertation.
Hrs by arrangement, 1-12 Credits