Public Policy

Catalog description

This course investigates public policymaking within the United States with an emphasis on the social construction of public policy. Students will assess the significance of social, economic, and political factors that influence policymaking and implementation; how problems become a part of the political agenda; and the major political ideological perspectives in the U.S. that impact policy process and content. The course is a study of policy in practice, as students will evaluate current social problems along with empirical social science research to determine the strengths and weaknesses as well as the intended and unintended effects of a particular social policy at the state and/or national level.