printer friendly pagePOLISCI 127: Controversies in American Public Policy
Making policy is hard. There are no obvious answers to the most important disputes in modern America: policing, drugs, taxes, abortion, affirmative action, education, and welfare. Politicians, pundits, and the public all may disagree on what to do. Even if they agree on what to prioritize, they might disagree on how to accomplish that goal. And even once a policy is implemented, it is challenging to know if it worked. Yet, deciding how to address each challenge is an essential role of the government. In this class we will examine the most contentious policy disputes. And we will develop a framework for analyzing these policies including. We will develop analytic skills to address these contentious policy disputes and we will learn how to listen and respond to opposing arguments. Students¿ own views about the best policies will be challenged in this class, but they will leave the class better able to advocate for what they think is right.
Terms: Win
| Units: 5
Instructors:
Grimmer, J. (PI)
;
Ramaswamy, A. (TA)
POLISCI 127A: Finance, Corporations, and Society (ECON 143, INTLPOL 227, PUBLPOL 143, SUSTAIN 143)
As society faces major challenges, democracies and "free-market" capitalism appear to be in crisis. This interdisciplinary course will explore the complex interactions between corporations, governments, and individuals, drawing on insights from the social sciences, business, and law to understand how institutions and collective actions translate to a set of rules and to outcomes for people and nature. The course aims to help students become savvier in their interactions with our economic and political systems and understand the governance issues that are critical to whether and how well institutions in the private and public sectors serve us. Topics include financial decisions, financial markets, banks and institutional investors; corporations and corporate governance; political economy and the rule of law as it applies to people and to organizations, and the role and functioning of the media. We will connect the material to specific issues such as climate change and justice, and discuss current events regularly throughout the course. Students will have the opportunity to explore a situation of their choosing in more depth through group final projects. Visitors with relevant experiences will regularly enrich our class discussion.
Terms: Aut
| Units: 4-5
Instructors:
Admati, A. (PI)
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