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| Public Policy | |
| PPOL 3240 | Anti-Terrorism and the Role of Intelligence (3.00) |
| Course examines the intelligence failures prior to 9/11 and the Iraq war, and the critical reports composed after the events, to determine what improvements may be needed to avoid a recurrence and to pre-empt future terrorist attacks against the United States. Cross-listed with PLIR 3240. | |
| PPOL 3250 | Introduction to Development Policy (3.00) |
| Offered Spring 2012 | The course introduces students to the theories, policies and policy debates relevant to developing and transition economies. It introduces standard theories of development economics and discusses of how current trends in the global economy challenge those theories and existing policies. We will focus on the macro and micro-economic challenges facing governments in developing countries and the international institutions that attempt to assist them |
| PPOL 4750 | Political Leadership in American History (3.00) |
| Offered Spring 2012 | This course will consider political leadership in American history as illustrated in decisions taken by U.S. Presidents, such as Lincoln, Wilson, Truman, Kennedy and Nixon. We shall analyze the pressures and consusative factors leading to these decisions. |
| PPOL 5025 | Wise Interventions: Social Psychology and Public Policy (3.00) |
| Course will provide an overview of classic and contemporary psychological interventions aimed at improving human welfare. It will examine the role of psychological factors in social reforms in healthcare, the workplace, education, intergroup relations, and other domains. Theory, empirical evidence, policy implications, and policy implementation will be emphasized. | |
| PPOL 5035 | Leading and Managing Diverse Groups (3.00) |
| Offered Spring 2012 | This course will focus on interpersonal, organizational, and societal factors leaders must negotiate to lead effectively in socially diverse environments. Students will be exposed to cases and empirical research that will enable them to (1) develop well-articulated positions on diversity-related issues and (2) form strategies to promote sustainable settings for productive exchange among diverse groups of individuals. |
| PPOL 5040 | Macroeconomic Policy (3.00) |
| Course examines how the macroeconomy finds equilibrium where aggregate supply equals aggregate demand. Lectures will examine fiscal policy, monetary policy, and the use of economic reasoning to understand the performance of national economies. Students will gain an appreciation for how the current global economic recession happened and why some policy intervensions have been more effective than others. | |
| PPOL 5060 | International Financial Institutions (3.00) |
| What are the IFIs and how have they influenced development policy and country outcomes? What factors do internal and external politics play in their operation and the panopoly of international aid efforts? Are groups like "50/60 years in enough" and the Meltzer report right? Come explore IFIs (the IMF, the World Bank, and the Multilateral Development Banks) in a seminar setting examining policy in practice. Cross-listed with PLIR 5060. | |
| PPOL 5460 | The Politics of the Budgetary Process (3.00) |
| Offered Spring 2012 | This course examines the politics and processes of federal budgeting, and the role the budget plays in national economic policy making. Topics covered include the historical development of the budget and fiscal policy; the creation of the executive budget; the politics of the budgetary process through appropriations, entitlements, and tax policy; and the relationship between fiscal and monetary policy. Crosslisted with PLAP 5460 |
| PPOL 5660 | Design and Leadership (3.00) |
| The aim of this course is to give students a fundamental and practical understanding of leadership and the role that design plays in exercising leadership and mobilizing the resources of a group. This is a course designed for students currently being educated in the disciplines of architecture, landscape architecture and urban planning. The purpose is to increase significantly one's individual capacity to sustain the demands of leadership and to | |
| PPOL 6000 | Political Institutions & Process (3.00) |
| Offered Spring 2012 | This class focuses on political strategy from the point of view of participants in American public policy, especially managers, analysts, advocates, and elected officials. The goal of the class is to promote a better understanding of the political and organizational factors involved in policy adoption, choosing among alternatives, gaining acceptance, assuring implementation, and coping with unanticipated consequences. |
| PPOL 6050 | Leadership in the Public Arena (3.00) |
| Course provides an introduction to leadership in the public arena. Through course readings, team projects, and discussion of case studies, students will develop skill at identifying the resources, options, and constraints of leaders and followers in different organizational and political settings, writing policy memos, making professional policy presentations, developing negotiation strategies, managing uncertainty and stress, & working in teams. | |
| PPOL 6100 | Economics of Public Policy I (3.00) |
| This course presents the simplest economic models explaining how individuals and organizations respond to changes in their circumstances and how they interact in markets, and it applies these models to predict the effects of a wide range of government programs. It also analyzes justifications that have been offered for government actions. | |
| PPOL 6150 | Research Methods & Data Analysis I (3.00) |
| The first part of a two-semester sequence in research methods and tools used to evaluate public policies. This course reviews basic mathematics and statistics used by policy analysts, and introduces regression methods for empirical implementation and testing of relations among variables. The purpose of this course is to develop skills that can be used throughout your profession and civic life. | |
| PPOL 6250 | Policy Analysis (3.00) |
| Offered Spring 2012 | The purpose of this course is to develop the student's ability to define and solve public problems. Subsidiary objectives of the course are to help the student to integrate the analytical, political, and leadership skills they have learned in their other MPP courses and improve their ability to work in teams; and hone their written and oral presentation skills. |
| PPOL 6500 | Topics in Public Policy (1.00) |
| Offered Spring 2012 | Investigates a selected issue in public policy or leadership. |
| PPOL 6501 | Topical Workshops in Public Policy and Leadership (0.00) |
| Courses examine public policy and leadership issues in a workshop seminar format - no grade. | |
| PPOL 6700 | Strategic Thinking at the Organizational Level (1.00) |
| Topics include Conducting an Environmental Scan: What It Is and How To Do It, Strategic Planning: How to Complete a Plan That Will Get Used, Setting Benchmarks and Performance Goals, and Implementing Plan Results. | |
| PPOL 6710 | Congress 101: Leadership Strategies (3.00) |
| Offered Spring 2012 | This course will provide a solid foundation of insights into how Congress works, essential for aspiring public policy advocate. Topics investigated include historical precedents for policymaking, the process of Congressional decision-making, and power dynamics in Congress. We will also identify and develop the leadership skills and tactics of successful advocates, placing recent controversies and public policy issues in an historical context. |
| PPOL 6715 | Leadership in U.S. International Policymaking (3.00) |
| This seminar will examine how US foreign policymakers proceed under pressures of competing interests. How are Washington policy options shaped for diplomacy, trade, intelligence and military deployments? What leadership skills do crisis management and effective advocacy require? How are national interests defined and pursued in contemporary Washington? We¿ll assess recent U.S. foreign policy development to define best practices for policymakers. | |
| PPOL 6720 | Economic Development Policy (3.00) |
| This course will review of the history of development policy advice to lesser developed countries and will examine the most pressing development challenges of the current age including AIDs, urbanization, climate change, disease, and failed states. | |
| PPOL 6725 | Evaluating Causal Effects of Social Policies (3.00) |
| The goal of this class is to learn how to evaluate the causal effects of social policies. Course will increase understanding of distinctions between correlation and causation through an examination of social policy issues from 'birth to old age.' Alternative estimation approaches will be explored. Each policy section will include substantive discussion of current policies and alternatives followed by close readings of social science studies. | |
| PPOL 6730 | Global Advocacy and Activism (3.00) |
| In an increasingly globalized world many public policy problems can no longer be solved within the confines of a single country. This course provides an overview of grassroots advocacy and direct lobbying with close attention given to the strategic choices of interest groups, civil society organizations, social movements, transnational NGOs like Amnesty International, and MNCs. | |
| PPOL 6735 | Politics and Policymaking in European Union (3.00) |
| This graduate course offers an introduction to the history, institutions and politics of the European Union, with an emphasis on policymaking in the EU today. First, the class will review the process of European integration and enlargement since the Treaty of Paris in 1951, including a review of the major theories of European integration. Second, the structure and function of the EU institutions will be introduced. | |
| PPOL 6745 | Stigma and Social Disparities (3.00) |
| Introduces classic and contemporary theory and research on the social psychology of stigma, primarily from the perspective of the stigmatized. Topics include stigma's origin and nature, stigma and self-concept, stereotype threat, attributional ambiguity, stigma and social interaction, and implications of stigma for education, health, and life attainment more generally. Provides an overview of this area of psychology and its policy implications. Prerequisites: Graduate Student | |
| PPOL 6755 | Strategies and Processes of Negotiation (3.00) |
| This course examines the art and science of negotiation. The science of negotiation involves learning to recognize the structure of a conflict situation and knowing what techniques tend to be most effective given that structure. Because there is no substitute for negotiating experience, this class will rely heavily on role-playing exercises and analyses designed to help students develop their own styles and learning the art of negotiation. | |
| PPOL 6765 | Federal and State Budgeting (3.00) |
| Course will cover the fundamental processes of government budgeting, discussing the role of the office of management and budget and the congressional budget office including how long and short run budget projections and cost estimates of pending legislation are done. We will also address the role of the budget committees, and the congressional budget process including reconciliation. Similar issues at the state level will be covered. | |
| PPOL 7005 | The Science of Self-Regulation and Decision Making (3.00) |
| Offered Spring 2012 | Self-regulation is the management of social, cognitive, and motivational resources in goal pursuit. It is critical to understanding psychological processes (e.g., self control, decision-making) and influencing economic & health behavior (¿40% of US deaths involve self-reg. failures). Via in-depth reading and discussion of the science of self-regulation, researchers will aim to generate new ideas, and MPPs to inform policy analysis and solutions |
| PPOL 7010 | The Changing Context of Public Policy (3.00) |
| Offered Spring 2012 | Draws on recent scholarship in American Political Development and policy history to explore the origins of government¿s contemporary role in American life. Topics may include the development of social and environmental policies and the challenges of domestic and foreign policymaking in an age of globalization and terrorism. |
| PPOL 7035 | Cost-Benefit Analysis (3.00) |
| Offered Spring 2012 | This course examines methods for valuing public projects¿ outcomes. Topics include valuing outcomes not traded in explicit markets (health, environment), the theory of second best, external v. internal costs and benefits, the problem of interpersonal comparisons, valuing unintended consequences, discounting, dynamics of the provision of non-market goods (what is the present value of the rest of your life?), opportunity costs and shadow prices. |
| PPOL 7045 | Game Theory: Applications and Experiments (3.00) |
| Offered Spring 2012 | Game theory is the analytic study of strategic interactions among individuals, firms, governments, or other groups of people. Game theory has been widely used in economics, management, political science, and public policy. This course demonstrates the usefulness of this powerful analytic approach, through numerous real-world and scholarly applications and through an examination of lab experiments built upon game theoretic modeling techniques. |
| PPOL 7055 | Strategies and Processes of Negotiation (3.00) |
| Offered Spring 2012 | This course examines the art and science of negotiation. The science of negotiation involves learning to recognize the structure of a conflict situation and knowing what techniques tend to be most effective given that structure. Because there is no substitute for negotiating experience, this class will rely heavily on role-playing exercises and analyses designed to help students develop their own styles and learning the art of negotiation. |
| PPOL 7110 | Economics of Public Policy II (3.00) |
| Offered Spring 2012 | Prepares students to apply economic analysis to public policy problems. Topics include externalities, industry regulation, and policy problems of allocating resources over time. Examples will show a broad range of substantive applications to domestic and international policymaking. |
| PPOL 7160 | Research Methods and Data Analysis II (3.00) |
| Offered Spring 2012 | Builds on the methods and concepts introduced into Research Methods and Data Analysis I to prepare students to gather, analyze, criticize, and interpret complex data in public policy settings. Tools stressed may include multiple regression and experimentation. |
| PPOL 7250 | Summer Internship (0.00) |
| An important requirement of the Master in Public Policy, PPOL7250 allows students to apply the knowledge gained through their course work in a hands-on setting through domestic and international summer internships. Internships must last 10 weeks, 40 hours weekly. | |
| PPOL 7350 | Summer Internship Experience (3.00) |
| Students will assess and reflect upon their internship experience through written work and discussion. | |
| PPOL 7400 | Legal and Moral Dimensions of Policymaking (3.00) |
| This seminar will explore uses of legal and moral analysis in the American political culture through case studies of current policy problems. The range of possible case setudies includes organ transplantation, tobacco control, immunization, mental health policy, and physician-assisted suicide. Course is designed to introduce MPP students to the basic structure of American law and patterns of moral reasoning about public policy. | |
| PPOL 7410 | Psychology for Leadership (3.00) |
| Leading requires an understanding of one's own and others' thoughts, feelings, attitudes, motivations, and determinants of behavior. This course will use lectures, discussions, demonstrations, and group interactions to provide an introduction to theory and research in behavioral science. The goals of the course are to provide conceptual knowledge that helps students understand and manage their own unique and complicated leadership interactions. | |
| PPOL 7550 | Leadership Workshop (3.00) |
| his workshop course will provide an introduction to the theory and practice of leadership. It will begin with an evaluation of the ways in which leadership is studied and taught, and will then turn to the identification and analysis of the specific tasks required of leaders in various public policy arenas, including examples of both leadership success and leadership failure. | |
| PPOL 7600 | Thesis Project (6.00) |
| Offered Spring 2012 | |
| PPOL 7610 | Applied Policy Project (3.00) |
| Offered Spring 2012 | |
| PPOL 7650 | Law and Public Policy (0.00 - 6.00) |
| Students will take a class in the law and complete assignments that will be graded by Batten faculty. | |
| PPOL 7800 | Leadership Skills (1.00) |
| Emphasizing learning through practice, this ¿short course¿ reinforces, and in some cases introduces, skills that students will use in the policy arena. Skills include public speaking, negotiation in public policy, and grant-writing. Students will be graded on the basis of engagement with class materials and completion of a weekly, one-page deliverable or assignment of similar weight. Meets for 10 hours during the semester of students' second year. | |
| PPOL 7993 | Independent Study (3.00) |
| Offered Spring 2012 | Student will perform independent projects under close faculty supervision. |