ASP 324 - The Politics of Public Policy

Credits: 3

In this course, students directly engage Washington, D.C.-based policy experts and organizations-governmental and non-governmental, national and international-to deepen their understanding of the roles and influence of various political actors and institutions during the formulation stage of policymaking. The course first introduces students to models of policymaking and the tools of policy analysis. Next, students will learn to apply these concepts to the study of both a foreign and domestic policy issue through desk and field research. By studying foreign and domestic policy simultaneously, students will be able to identify and explain the differences between them in political environment, policy participants and public discourse. The course emphasizes written and oral communication through the development of professional memo-writing and presentation skills.

Corequisite(s): Available only to students participating in the BestSemester American Studies Program.