PSCI 316
Policy Making Process Spring 2024
Division II

Class Details

Politics as usual. It’s a phenomenon we all love to hate. But what does it mean? When government policy is decided by politics, does that mean the policy is necessarily bad? Can we get rid of politics in policy making or improve on it somehow? What would “politics as unusual” look like anyway? This class examines the policy making process with particular emphasis on the United States: How do issues get defined as problems worthy of government attention? What kinds of alternatives are considered as solutions to these problems? Why do we end up with some policies but not others? Do certain kinds of processes yield better policies than others? How should we decide what constitutes a good policy?
The Class: Format: seminar
Limit: 14
Expected: 14
Class#: 3699
Grading: no pass/fail option, no fifth course option
Requirements/Evaluation: several short papers, research paper, class participation
Prerequisites: one course in PSCI or permission of instructor
Enrollment Preferences: Political Science and Political Economy majors, and students with an interest in public policy
Distributions: Division II
Attributes: POEC Depth
POEC Skills
PSCI American Politics Courses
PSCI Research Courses

Class Grid

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