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The program in public policy provides students
with an opportunity to explore, from a multidisciplinary perspective, both the processes
of making social choices and the content of contemporary policy issues. Most courses
in the program are intended to serve as interdisciplinary complements to departmental
offerings. Likewise, the minor in public policy is designed to be a valuable complement
to majors in both the social and the natural sciences.
GOV 207 Politics of Public Policy
A thorough introduction to the study of public policy in the United States. A theoretical
overview of the policy process provides the framework for an analysis of several
substantive policy areas, to be announced at the beginning of the term. {S} 4 credits
Donald Baumer Offered Fall 2011
IDP 208 Women’s Medical Issues
A study of topics and issues relating to women’s health, including menstrual
cycle, contraception, sexually transmitted diseases, pregnancy, abortion, menopause,
depression, eating disorders, nutrition and cardiovascular disease. While the course
focus will primarily be on the physiological aspects of these topics, some social,
ethical and political implications will be considered including the issues of violence
and the media’s representation of women. {N} 4 credits Leslie Jaffe (Health
Services) Offered Spring 2012
220 Public Policy Analysis
Analysis of the institutions and processes of public policy formation and implementation.
Explores models designed to explain policy and also those whose purpose is to “improve” policy.
Develops and uses analytical tools of formal policy analysis. Examines the debate
over the possible and proper uses of these analytic tools. {S} 4 credits Randall
Bartlett (Economics) Offered Fall 2012
SWG 222 Gender Law and
Policy
This course explores the legal status of women in the United States historically and today, focusing in the areas of employment, education, sexuality, reproduction, the family, and violence. We will study constitutional and stuatory law as well as public policy. Some of the topics we will cover are sexual harassment, domestic violence, sexual assault, sexual orientation and gender identity discrimination, and pregnancy discrimination. We will study feminist sctivism to reform the law and will examine how inequalities based on gender, race, class, and sexuality shape the law. We will also discuss and debate contemporary policy and future directions.Enrollment limited to 20 students.
{H/S} 4 credits Carrie Baker (Program for the Study of Women and Gender) Offered Fall 2011
SWG 223 Sexual Harassment and Social Change
This course is an interdisciplinary exploration of sexual harassment in the United States. We will examine the history and incidence of sexual harassment, the social movement opposing sexual harassment, and the development of law and public policy on the issue. We will study sexual harassment in a variety of contexts, including the workplace, primary and secondary schools, higher education, the military and prisons, housing, and on the street. Finally, we will consider the significance of gender, race, and sexuality for sexual harassment. Readings include first person accounts, feminist theory, legal cases, social science research, and primary and secondary sources. {S} 4 credits Carrie Baker (Program for the Study of Women and Gender) Offered Fall 2011
ECO 224 Environmental Economics The economic causes of environmental degradation and the role that markets can play in both causing and solving pollution and resource allocation problems. Topics include resource allocation and sustainability, cost-benefit analysis, pollution standards, taxes and permits, public goods, and common property resources. Prerequisite: ECO 150 {S} 4 credits Susan Stratton Sayre (Economics) Offered Spring 2012
SOC 232 World Population
This course will introduce students to environmental, economic, feminist and nationalist
perspectives on population growth and decline. We will examine current populations
trends and processes (fertility, mortality and migration) and consider the social,
political, economic and environmental implications of those trends. The course
will also provide an overview of various sources of demographic data as well as
basic demographic methods. Cross-listed with Environmental Science and policy.
{S} 4 credits Leslie King Offered Spring 2012
250 Race and Public Policy in the United States
Explanation of current policy issues regarding race. Topics include voting rights,
compensation, public and private education, bilingual education and affirmative
action in employment. Recommended background: PPL 220a or a course in American
government. {S} 4 credits Randall Bartlett Offered Fall 2011
GOV 306 Seminar: Politics and the Environment
Topic: Politics and the Environment. An examination of environmental policy making
within the federal government, with special emphasis on how Congress deals with
environmental policy issues. A variety of substantive policy areas from clean air
to toxic waste will be covered. Students will complete research papers on an environmental
policy topic of their choice. Prerequisite: a 200-level course in American government.
{S} 4 credits Donald Baumer Offered Spring 2012
SOC 333 Seminar: Social Justice, the Environment, and the CorporationOver the last century, the reach of corporations has gradually extended into all facets of our lives, yet most of us rarely stop to think about the corporation as a social entity. This course will focus on the social, economic and legal foundations that both shape its power and provide a dominant logic for its actions. We will examine the implications of corporate power and processes for communities, workers, and the environment. We will also focus on the ways that governments and various social groups have sought to change corporate assumptions and behaviors concerning their social and environmental responsibilities. Prerequisites: SOC 101. Enrollment limited to 12 students {E} 4 credits Leslie King (Sociology) Offered Fall 2011
ECO 351 Seminar: The Economics of Education
Why does college cost so much? What is the state of America’s public schools,
and what can be done to improve them? In this course we will study these questions
and others related to the economics of primary, secondary and higher education. We
will develop models of educational choice (is schooling an investment or a signal?),
analyze the role for government in the market for education (should it provide financial
support for schools?), and study the implications of institutional policies, including
preferential admissions, tenure and governance procedures, and endowment spending
rules as they are practiced in America’s universities. Prerequisites: ECO 190
and 250. {S} 4 credits Roger Kaufman (Economics) Offered Fall 2011
390 Senior Public Policy Workshop
An assessment of current policy controversies undertaken as group projects. Policy
recommendations made by groups should be based on both technical advisability and
political feasibility. Limited to seniors who are completing the program in public
policy, or other seniors with permission of the instructor. {S} 4 credits To be announced Not offered 2011-2012
404 Special Studies
By permission of the director. 4 credits Offered both semesters each year
Director: Donald Baumer, Professor of Government
Advisers: Randall Bartlett (Economics); Donald Baumer
(Government); Deborah
Haas-Wilson (Economics)
The minor consists of six courses:
GOV 207 or PPL 220
Any two public policy electives; Any two courses from departmental offerings that
have substantial policy content (to be selected in consultation with a minor adviser);
PPL 390 or an alternate selected in consultation with a minor adviser. |
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