MSCI 689 - Public Policy for Science & Professions

Fall (3) Gilmour, Rossiter

This course examines a component of the larger process of law and rule making, for students to understand the identification and definition of a policy problem, the generation of options or choices for addressing the problem, the selection of a particular policy option through political institutions (e.g., the executive or legislative), the development of a plan for implementation, and the implementation and evaluation of the outputs and outcomes of policy. The course is specifically designed for an interdisciplinary class of graduate students from the Schools of Business, Education, Law, and Marine Science, and non-master’s in Public Policy from the School of Arts and Sciences. Students will come to understand public policy as an academic discipline and as a systematic method of thinking about the design, development and assessment of public sector policies and programs. By the end of the course students will develop the skills required to define and analyze policy issues and problems, articulate relevant decision-making criteria for policy analysis, evaluate alternative policy solutions, assess their political and economic implications. The course is taught in an engaging seminar format using provocative materials with practical application.