Social Policy and Social Sciences

Develops in students an understanding of the nature, advantages, and limitations of negotiations as a conflict resolution tool. Provides a normative and practical framework for pursuing a negotiation strategy as a method of resolving disputes. Provides students with opportunities to apply this knowledge in a variety of simulated negotiation contexts. Finally, exposes students to feedback regarding their negotiation approaches via explicit instructor evaluation and via the impact of their actions on their teammates and opponents.

Instructor: Jeffrey Prottas

The focus of this course is about the practice of giving away money. It is not a comprehensive course on philanthropy, but rather allows students to practice social justice philanthropy and craft their own structure for identifying projects where their philanthropy can make an impact on social policy or social welfare.

Instructor: Andrew Hahn

Meets for one-half semester and yields half-course credit.

Provides students with an overview of the processes by which individuals and groups operating at the national, state, and local levels in the United States can effectively shape social policy, focusing: a) on how knowledge is used to promote social justice, the barriers that face those who seek to use knowledge to change policy, and the kinds of strategies that have been and are likely to be effective in overcoming these barriers in the future b) the role and strategies of advocacy organization in promoting policy change that benefit those segments of society with relatively little economic or political power.

Instructor: Lawrence Bailis

Meets for one-half semester and yields half-course credit.

Analyzes the role of government in the economy and the impact of public policy on the allocation and distribution of resources and development of social welfare in the United States. In this course, you will learn how to understand and predict the effects of public expenditures, taxes, and regulations. We will examine these issues at the federal, state, and local levels. The course will explore the political concerns around public finance decision-making and related issues of equality and social justice. This is a required course for MPP students and is open to Ph.D. students and others upon permission of instructor.

Instructor: Robert Kuttner

Examines attitudes and beliefs about poverty, wealth, mobility, and inequality and their relationship to institutional practices and social policy. We will explore the forces that shape U.S. beliefs, attitudes, and opinions, how these views are expressed in the public sphere and policy discourse, and the processes by which attitudes are measured and inform policy decisions. Reading broadly from the social science literature, we will explore the legitimizing functions of beliefs about inequality and work together to develop strategies for challenging hierarchy enhancing perceptions and relationships.

Instructor: Heather Bullock

Examines the development of social welfare over time by reviewing policy arguments within a historical context and using an analytic framework centered on eligibility, benefits, administration, financing, and behavioral incentives to assess perennial issues in social welfare and analyze contemporary challenges.

Instructor: Michael Doonan

Meets for one-half semester and yields half-course credit.

This course is about the last forty years (1969-2009) of social justice and social policy in the American Gay Rights Movement. It is about the development of social justice and social policy in America that is inclusive of sexual orientation and gender identity. And, it is about policy development, and human behavior, in America that reflects the full civil, political, legal and moral equality of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered people.

Instructor: Susan Curnan

Introduces students to the basic research literature on social stratification, social mobility, and inequality. The theme of this seminar is an analysis of rising inequality worldwide, placing the United States in this context. An examination of the sources for this phenomenon includes globalization, economic restructuring, public policy, and social mobility.

Instructor: Thomas Shapiro

Students will demonstrate the ability to define and diagnose public policy situations, collect relevant information, perform logical analysis, develop alternatives, and make compelling recommendations; and to organize and communicate information clearly to a variety of audiences through formats including verbal presentations, policy briefs, and statistical charts, graphs, and tables.

Instructor: Mary Brolin

Students who successfully complete this course will demonstrate an understanding of the following issues in regard to disability policy: 1) identify the principles, foundation and provisions of disability service programs in the United States; 2) understand specific current disability policies regarding financing, ethical, and legal issues related to civil rights, income transfers, education, employment and health care; 3) explain the interrelationships among disability policies at the federal, state, and local levels; 4) explain the intended and actual consequences of the major US disability policies; 5) discuss ethical issues in current disability policy, including individual and family rights, issues of distributive justice, and issues of power, discrimination, oppression, culture & race.

Instructor: Susan Parish

Prerequisite: a recent course in microeconomics.

Applies economic analysis to problems of importance to social policy. The particular applications may vary from year to year and may include such topics as unemployment and inflation, Social Security, and the economics of race and gender.

Instructor: Barry Friedman

Meets for one-half semester and yields half-course credit.

Rapid technological change and increasing economic globalization have created both opportunities and challenges to countries as they try to balance the benefits of economic growth with the costs of dislocation associated with these changes. This seminar will examine the impact of these changes using tools from labor economics and the experiences of developing and developed economies.

Instructor: Lisa Lynch

Provides students with frameworks of use for the study of the implementation of public policies. Considers the implementation process in the United States from a broad perspective, ranging from the context of legislation and the role of courts to how the role of street-level bureaucrats can be studied. Political science, organizational theory, and sociological perspectives are used to develop frameworks for understanding the process through which public policy is realized and how it impacts institutions and individuals.

Instructor: Jeffrey Prottas

Explores theoretical and empirical approaches to race/ethnicity and gender as factors in health and human services practices, programs, and policies in the United States. Begins by examining current data on racial/ethnic and gender differences in health, mental health, functional status, and lifestyle. Attention then turns to alternative accounts of the causes of these differences. Although primary focus is on patterns of race/ethnicity and gender differences in health outcomes and services that have received the most comprehensive attention, the course offers perspectives on research methods and analytic frameworks that can be applied to other issues.

Instructor: Laurie Nsiah-Jefferson

Students will examine framing in public policy in general, and its relationship to challenges faced by communities of color. Further, we will address the topics of race and gender in health and health care; education, welfare policy, immigration, housing, and other issues. Students will hone their skills in policy analysis, political advocacy, communication, coalition building and networking as they relate to the policy process. Class discussion, essays/case studies, and in-class assignments are used.

Instructor: Laurie Nsiah-Jefferson

Examines how social scientists and policymakers define "vulnerable" or "disadvantaged" population groups, how these constructions can shift or change over time, and how policies and programs address inequalities and serve the needs of diverse groups. We explore the causes, correlates, and consequences of inequalities across the lifespan, and consider how race, ethnicity, gender, disability, social class, sexual orientation, age, and their intersections shape lived experiences and well-being. The potential of social movements, institutional restructuring, and policy initiatives to reduce inequalities and promote inclusion, equality, and social justice are analyzed.  

Instructor: Heather Bullock

Examines approaches to policy analysis and assesses strengths and limitations of various methods. Exposes students to a range of methods and theoretical frameworks for exploring and understanding contemporary social problems and policy challenges. Begins with an overview of the stages of policy process including policy formulation, rule making, and implementation. Policy analysis will be defined and a distinction made with policy research. The course also focuses on the criteria for evaluating policy options including efficiency, equity, security, and liberty. Ethics and the role of values in shaping analysis will be explored. Actual policy analysis is evaluated in the areas of children and family policy, health, and welfare policy. Students have the opportunity to write and present a policy analysis critique.

Instructors: Michael Doonan

The class conducts a thorough and rigorous examination of the central features, assumptions, and implications of asset-based policy, focusing on four central aspects of asset-based policy. Explores the analytic features of an asset perspective and determines whether such policies could make a significant difference. Reviews evidence regarding the impact of asset-based policies from demonstration projects just now becoming available. Also examines in detail the implications for social policy.

Instructor: Janet Boguslaw