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| Public Policy | |
| PPOL 3000 | Writing Lab (1.00) |
| Effective written communication is critical to leadership for public policy. The Writing Lab provides students an opportunity to improve their composition and revision skills. Students will use the assignments from a required core class as the material for the lab. | |
| PPOL 3200 | Introduction to Public Policy (3.00) |
| Offered Fall 2012 | This course will introduce students to both the process of public policy and the tools of policy analysis. The first part examines the actors, institutions, and procedures involved in the adoption, implementation, and evaluation of public policy. The second part introduces students to the basic concepts and tools of policy analysis including problem definition, specification of alternatives, and solution analysis. |
| PPOL 3210 | Introduction to Civic Leadership (3.00) |
| Drawing on social science research, this course explores how public leaders contribute to problem identification, issue framing, policy adoption, crisis management, and organizational and societal change. The course will clarify the relationships among key concepts including leadership and followership, authority and influence, reciprocity and persuasion, and examine the role of contextual factors in shaping the strategies of 21st century leaders | |
| PPOL 3230 | Public Policy Challenges of the 21st Century (3.00) |
| This survey course that introduces students to the history, politics, and economic and social significance of the major challenges facing 21st century U.S. policymakers. Examples of topics that may be explored include: the federal deficit and debt, the rise of China and India, health care costs, climate policy, energy security, economic opportunity in an era of globalization, the future of public higher education, and U.S. foreign policy. | |
| PPOL 3240 | Anti-Terrorism and the Role of Intelligence (3.00) |
| Offered Fall 2012 | 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. Course was offered Fall 2011 |
| PPOL 3250 | Introduction to Development Policy (3.00) |
| 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 Course was offered Spring 2012 | |
| PPOL 3255 | Comparative Policy History (3.00) |
| Course will survey the historical development of key public policy issues in cross-national perspective. What explains the similarities and differences in the content of the policy agendas across nations? Why do different nations often respond to similar problems in very different ways? Examples of issues that will be explored include health care, education, immigration, environment, and social policy. | |
| PPOL 3260 | Value and Bias in Public Policy (3.00) |
| Offered Fall 2012 | This course moves beyond the traditional economic approach to public policy and explores the role of psychological analysis. Decision-making is not always rational, but involves various cognitive biases that can result in mistrust and prejudice, preference for avoidance of loss rather than maximization of gain, and overweighting of short-term outcomes. |
| PPOL 4200 | Institutional and Political Context of Public Policy (3.00) |
| What are the strengths and weaknesses of the major policy-making institutions, and how does the current system of American governance compare with that of other advanced societies? This class will examine the key institutional and political actors in policymaking; focusing on the increasing fole of non-governmental institutions in problem solving. | |
| PPOL 4210 | Ethical Dimensions of Civic Life (3.00) |
| This course will examine the ethical and moral dilemmas in leadership and public policy making in the 21st century. Students will consider the challenges of considering diverse moral principles and values when promoting the common good through advocacy, leadership and policy action. | |
| PPOL 4240 | Research Methods and Data Analysis in Public Policy (3.00) |
| This course will provide an overview of research methods and data analysis in public policy, integrating basic statistical modeling. The class will promote a critical understanding of what good research is, how people sometimes lie with statistics, and how flawed research can be identified, and an appreciation of the relationship between researchers and the rest of society, and how researchers can most suitably deal with the existence of skeptics | |
| PPOL 4250 | Choice and Consequences: The Economics of Public Policy (3.00) |
| This course uses basic models from microeconomics to understand how these decision makers will respond to policies and when voluntary actions in private markets may be expected to lead to suboptimal outcomes and hence the circumstances under which a collective decision to control or influence behavior might produce better outcomes than private choices. | |
| PPOL 4740 | Philanthropy: Private Initiatives for the Public Good (3.00) |
| This is a course on the philanthropic sector, comprising a set of private actors - foundations, nonprofit organizations, and private citizens - engaged in work to promote the public good. What distinguishes this sector is that while interacting with government and the business community, it operates differently than either, with its own ethics, goals, standards, and practices. Course was offered Spring 2012 | |
| PPOL 4750 | Political Leadership in American History (3.00) |
| 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. Course was offered Spring 2012, Spring 2011 | |
| PPOL 4760 | International Financial Institutions (3.00) |
| Offered Fall 2012 | 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 panoply 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 4770 | Seminar in Public Policy and Leadership (3.00) |
| Offered Fall 2012 | This course will examine current topics in public policy and leadership at the undergraduate level |
| PPOL 4991 | Capstone Seminar (3.00) |
| Students will produce a report providing an analysis of the problem, the policy options available, and their action recommendations. Students will improve their ability to work in teams and hone their written and oral presentation skills. | |
| 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) |
| 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. Course was offered Spring 2012 | |
| 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. Course was offered Fall 2011 | |
| 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. Course was offered Fall 2011 | |
| PPOL 5240 | Anti-Terrorism and the Role of Intelligence (3.00) |
| Offered Fall 2012 | 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. |
| PPOL 5460 | The Politics of the Budgetary Process (3.00) |
| 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 Course was offered Spring 2012 | |
| PPOL 5500 | Special Topics (3.00) |
| Offered Fall 2012 | Courses examine special topics in public policy and/or leadership |
| 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 5760 | International Financial Institutions (3.00) |
| Offered Fall 2012 | 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. |
| PPOL 6000 | Political Institutions & Process (3.00) |
| 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. Course was offered Spring 2012, Spring 2011 | |
| PPOL 6050 | Leadership in the Public Arena (3.00) |
| Offered Fall 2012 | 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) |
| Offered Fall 2012 | 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) |
| Offered Fall 2012 | 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) |
| 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. Prerequisites: Graduate student in public policy Course was offered Spring 2012, Spring 2011 | |
| PPOL 6500 | Topics in Public Policy (1.00) |
| 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. Course was offered Fall 2011 | |
| 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. Course was offered Fall 2010 | |
| PPOL 6710 | Congress 101: Leadership Strategies (3.00) |
| 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.
Course was offered Spring 2012, Spring 2011 | |
| PPOL 6715 | Leadership in U.S. International Policymaking (3.00) |
| Offered Fall 2012 | 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. Course was offered Fall 2011 |
| 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. Course was offered Fall 2010 | |
| 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. Course was offered Spring 2011 | |
| 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 Course was offered Spring 2011 | |
| 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. Course was offered Fall 2011 | |
| PPOL 7001 | Math Camp (0.00) |
| Offered Fall 2012 | Students will review fundamental math concepts in preparation for the MPP degree Course was offered Fall 2011 |
| PPOL 7005 | The Science of Self-Regulation and Decision Making (3.00) |
| 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 Course was offered Spring 2012 | |
| PPOL 7010 | The Changing Context of Public Policy (3.00) |
| Offered Fall 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 7020 | Macroeconomic Policy (3.00) |
| Offered Fall 2012 | 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 7030 | Regulatory Policy (3.00) |
| This course will explore the policies of regulation and deregulation | |
| PPOL 7035 | Cost-Benefit Analysis (3.00) |
| 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. Course was offered Spring 2012 | |
| PPOL 7040 | Evaluating Social Safety Net Programs (3.00) |
| Social safety nets, or "socioeconomic safety nets", are non-contributory transfer programs seeking to prevent the poor or those vulnerable to shocks and poverty from falling below a certain poverty level. This course will evaluate their effectiveness. | |
| PPOL 7045 | Game Theory: Applications and Experiments (3.00) |
| 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. Course was offered Spring 2012 | |
| PPOL 7050 | The National Security Process (3.00) |
| Offered Fall 2012 | This seminar will cover the national security process in the US from the passage of the National Security Act of 1947 to the present. It will cover important national security movements and moments such as containment of the Soviet Union after the Kennan "Long Telegram," the onset of CIA-mounted covert action, the passage of the National Security Act Amendment of 1949, the Bay of Pigs, and Osama bin Laden and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. |
| PPOL 7055 | 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. Course was offered Spring 2012 | |
| PPOL 7060 | Health Policy (3.00) |
| Offered Fall 2012 | A major challenge for the United States, and other countries, is to choose policies that promote good health while maintaining freedom of choice and financial viability of government budgets and the health care system. This course will examine how governments maintain that balance and the effectiveness of their policies. |
| PPOL 7065 | Drug Abuse Control Policy (3.00) |
| Offered Fall 2012 | The abuse of psychoactive drugs can damage drug users and lead them to damage other people. Policies aimed at controlling drug abuse-especially drug prohibition and its enforcement-generate harms of their own. What set of policies toward currently legal drugs such as alcohol and tobacco and currently illegal drugs such as cocaine, marijuana, methamphetamine, and heroin would minimize the total social damage from drug abuse and drug abuse control? |
| PPOL 7070 | Workshop in Public Policy (3.00) |
| This workshop will explore a key policy issue throughout the semester, including the political, economic, and psychological contexts through which the issue is viewed. | |
| PPOL 7080 | Workshop in Leadership (3.00) |
| This workshop will examine leadership and public policy issues. | |
| PPOL 7110 | Economics of Public Policy II (3.00) |
| 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 Fall 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. Course was offered Summer 2010 | |
| PPOL 7350 | Summer Internship Experience (3.00) |
| Offered Fall 2012 | Students will assess and reflect upon their internship experience through written work and discussion. |
| PPOL 7400 | Legal and Moral Dimensions of Policymaking (3.00) |
| Offered Fall 2012 | 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) |
| Offered Fall 2012 | 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. Course was offered Fall 2011, Spring 2011 |
| 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. Course was offered Fall 2009 | |
| PPOL 7600 | Thesis Project (3.00) |
| Thesis Project | |
| PPOL 7610 | Applied Policy Project (3.00) |
| Applied Policy Project | |
| 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. Course was offered Spring 2010, Fall 2009 | |
| 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. Course was offered Spring 2010 | |
| PPOL 7993 | Independent Study (3.00) |
| Offered Fall 2012 | Student will perform independent projects under close faculty supervision. |