Foundations in Public Policy

This course is available for on-campus & remote (online) learning. All students participate in interactive, real-time classes. With the world rapidly changing and populations around the globe faced with crisis as well as ongoing inequalities, the study of public policy and the ability to do it well, matters. This course introduces students to the fundamentals of contemporary public policy making. Students will explore core debates in policy studies and consider concepts, models and tools for understanding, designing, implementing and evaluating public policy for a rapidly changing world. To provide a deeper understanding of the policy process, students will be introduced to analytical perspectives on the policy process with the aim of provoking critical inquiry into policy practices and outcomes. Students will consider a variety of policy actors, power relations, and inequalities in the policy process, and reflect on how competing values and interests influence what issues get policy attention, how they shape decisions, outcomes and evaluation procedures.