PUBPOL 2301

Introduction to Public Policy

Course Description

Course information provided by the 2025-2026 Catalog.

The pressing issues of our time-from climate change to national security, from immigration to policing, from global economic development to domestic voting rights-are deeply intertwined with public policy decisions made by governments. In this course, we consider how societal conditions come to be defined as problems for governments to solve, the role of public and private actors in influencing policy processes, and how we know whether policies achieve their goals. Course readings, lectures, discussions, and experiential learning assignments provide opportunities for students to critically analyze public policy processes and outcomes from multiple disciplinary perspectives, including economics, political science, and sociology. The course also introduces students to key areas of public policy including technology policy; environmental and sustainability policy; global security; health policy; inequality and social policy; international development; and race, racism and public policy.

Forbidden Overlaps REF-FA25 PUBPOL 2300, PUBPOL 2301

Distribution Requirements (SBA-AG), (SBA-HE)

Last 4 terms offered (None)

Outcomes REF-FA25

• Students will be able to describe the various political institutions that create public policy and how stakeholders engage such institutions to shape the policy process.
• Students will be able to evaluate methods of policy analysis that can be used to identify the effects of public policies.
• Students will be able to critically examine public policy issues from multiple disciplinary, normative, and cultural perspectives.
• Students will be able to communicate effectively and respectfully about public policy in written and oral formats.

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