Public Policy

The study of policy analysis using and comparing a variety of disciplinary and analytic traditions. Consideration of controversies over particular policies at the national and local level and the premises underlying them. Examination of methods and principles used in formulating and evaluating public policy.

This course examines conflict from a variety of perspectives. We will investigate how arbitration, adjudication, and mediation differ, in addition to exploring how the policies and strategies of cultural and legal institutions dictate different approaches to mediation. Societies cope with conflict by enacting policies consistent with their culture and values. This course examines conflict resolution policies in the U.S. and abroad, including the legal system, the media, the educational sector, and international dispute resolution.

This course provides an introduction to microeconomic analysis and its applications to environmental policy. We first consider the conditions under which markets fail to efficiently allocate scarce resources in the context of environmental issues, such as managing natural resources and climate change. We examine policy instruments including regulations, taxes, subsidies, quotas, and tradable permits to address those market failures. The last part of the course focuses on analyzing distributive impacts of environmental policies and understanding the economic forces behind environmental justice issues.

This course focuses on understanding community-mobilization, organizational leadership models and perspectives for creating social change. It will promote an intersectional understanding of campus and community conditions that give rise to damaging experiences. Students will collaboratively develop leadership change strategies that oppose more common, “expert”-driven approaches. Required field study: week one of spring break. Prerequisite: participation in LLI  (January) and Intro level WMGST, PPOL, AFRST, or SOC course and consent of the instructor.