Public Policy (PUBP)

This 1-credit course introduces students to the interdisciplinary field of public policy. Students learn about the field through a series of guest lectures from faculty members who teach core or elective requirements for the Public Policy major.

An exploration of a specific topic in Public Policy. A grade of C- or better fulfills the COLL 150 requirement. Although topics vary, the courses emphasize academic writing skills, reading and analysis of texts, and discussion.

This course introduces students to a wide range of topics important to an understanding of the field of public policy and to further study of the subject. Topics include: What public policy is and why governments pursue policies; the interplay between equity and efficiency; the tools by which public policies are carried out; the processes by which policy is adopted; and how public policies are evaluated for their effectiveness.

Economics plays an important role in the design of public policies that address problems in the U.S. healthcare system. Economic theory and analysis can point public policymakers to the underlying causes of problems, help to design policy solutions, and evaluate the effects of implemented policies. This course provides an introduction to the use of economics to address major health policy problems. After a review of the U.S. healthcare system’s general structure and historical development, the course focuses on two major topics: how is healthcare financed, and what drives growth in healthcare spending? In both areas, we will examine economic analysis of past, present, and future public policy to improve financial access to healthcare and lower the rate of growth of healthcare spending.

This course is the first of three courses for the W&M Global Scholars Program, Global Policy cohort. It will use academic research and policy literature to introduce students to some of the world’s most pressing contemporary issues of global importance. Drawing on William & Mary’s expertise and that of select external experts, this course invites students to think about the pitfalls and possibilities in tackling complex global issues with policy solutions. In this multidisciplinary introduction to the global policy landscape, students will encounter perspectives from history, anthropology, sociology, political science, public policy, and international relations. They will be challenged to put these perspectives into conversation with one another, craft their own arguments drawing on readings and lectures, and engage critically with the course material and the global policy landscape in preparation for engaging with policy makers on these topics in subsequent components of the program.

This course explores how foreign policy is made and implemented in Washington DC. We will analyze the factors that shape policy choices and their execution/enforcement across a range of issue areas and institutions at both the national and international level. Since the end of the Cold War the U.S. has occupied a relatively unique position in the international community. Through its cultural, military, and economic position the U.S. has had exceptional opportunities to influence international affairs. The world, however, is far from static. Proliferating information communication technologies have amplified the reach of nonstate actors, while global economic growth has triggered the ascendance of states seeking to counterbalance U.S. power. In a world of diverse perspectives and socio-cultural values, U.S. decision makers have also increasingly had to balance a world that is increasingly multi-polar. This course intends to provide students with an overview of the principal national security process of the U.S. that exists to manage these challenges and the diverse “tools” of statecraft available to policymakers. Students will explore the national security decision-making process, and they will analyze the utility of major foreign policy tools including diplomacy in bilateral and multilateral settings, aid, trade, sanctions, intelligence, and the use of force, among others. What sets this class apart from similar coursework is that you will hear directly from the policymakers, staff members, and opinion leaders about their own approach and experience with foreign policy decision-making and implementation. By bringing in a range of actors in the foreign policy space and exposing you to several analytical models, you will be more prepared to understand and analyze work in this area.

Selected topics in public policy. The topic to be considered will be announced prior to the beginning of the semester.

Selected topics in public policy. The topic to be considered will be announced prior to the beginning of the semester.

Course for students accepted into the State Department’s Diplomacy Lab program. Separate sections will be offered for each of the Diplomacy Lab projects. Instructor permission required.

Directed readings/research course conducted on individual or group basis on various topics in public policy which do not rise to the level of a capstone experience. No more than 4 credits may be taken in this course.

Conflict is everywhere. How should public leaders handle conflict? This practical course focuses on concepts and skills necessary to negotiate public policy and public leadership decisions, and manage internal and external conflicts. Interactive negotiation simulations help students explore negotiation dynamics and apply principles and strategies in diverse contexts. The cases studied highlight why negotiation is essential for public leadership.

Should guns be regulated? If so, how? If guns are not regulated, what are the consequences? This course seeks to foster discussion and encourage research of these and other questions of growing public interest in the wake of an epidemic of gun violence and mass shootings. Yet at the same time that policymakers in Congress, state legislatures, and city halls have identified gun violence as a public policy problem, recent United States Supreme Court decisions in District of Columbia v. Heller, 554 U.S. 570 (2008), McDonald v. Chicago, 561 U.S. 742 (2010), and New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen, 597 U.S. 1 (2022), have led to unprecedented constitutional scrutiny of gun regulations across the country. The tension between the rising public demand to prevent gun violence, on the one hand, and the new judicial requirement for the government to show an “historical tradition” to justify gun regulation, on the other hand, reveals a fundamental debate about the role of government in saving lives at the intersection of gun policy and the Second Amendment.

A social network is a collection of actors (people, organizations, countries, etc.) and the relationships that connect them (friendships, trust, advice-giving, financial exchanges, common membership in an organization, trade relationships, etc.). Social network analysis (SNA) is a discipline that revolves around the realization that actors do not make decisions in isolation; rather, they are influenced by those with whom they have relationships. It is increasingly being used in the field of public policy and related disciplines. In this course, students will learn how to perform SNA and will use it to conduct their own research project.

Directed readings/research course conducted on individual or group basis on various topics in public policy. The course will count as the student's Public Policy capstone and will fulfill the upper-level writing requirement. As a capstone, the final project must synthesize existing research and apply critical analysis to a public policy issue, conduct public policy research and analysis in an applied setting; or create original scholarship on a public policy issue. In addition, the student must demonstrate that he or she can communicate the results of his/her study effectively with diverse audiences. The course may not be taken more than twice.

Courses focusing on specific topics in public policy. Topics vary by section and semester-to-semester.

Students admitted to the Public Policy Honors program will be enrolled in this course during both semesters of their senior year. Students are responsible for (a) reading a selected bibliography; (b) satisfactory completion by April 15th of an original scholarly essay; and (c) satisfactory performance on a comprehensive oral examination. A student who completes the Honors essay but does not achieve Honors may be given credit for Public Policy 490.

Students admitted to the Public Policy Honors program will be enrolled in this course during both semesters of their senior year. Students are responsible for (a) reading a selected bibliography; (b) satisfactory completion by April 15th of an original scholarly essay; and (c) satisfactory performance on a comprehensive oral examination. A student who completes the Honors essay but does not achieve Honors may be given credit for Public Policy 490.