Public Policy
Overview
The Public Policy Area of Concentration (AOC) is an interdisciplinary program designed to provide students with the knowledge and skills necessary to address the major public policy issues facing society. The goal is to equip students with a variety of analytical tools so they can examine complex, multi-faceted policy problems from a non-partisan framework and begin to formulate effective policy solutions. Economic factors and the political process fundamentally impact policy issues, and thus the disciplines of political science and economics constitute the core of the Public Policy AOC. Important insights into specific policy issues can also be gained from a number of other fields, such as sociology, environmental studies, anthropology, international studies, and gender studies.
The usual beginning points for pursuing a Public Policy AOC are the introductory theory course in economics and introductory courses on the American political system. Successful completion of these courses will provide a solid foundation in the economic principles that shape policy formation and analysis, and the political processes and influences that determine whether or not policy proposals are adopted. Students then build on this foundation by taking upper-level courses in political science, economics, and other fields that might inform the particular policy issues that they wish to analyze. The final step in the AOC is the senior thesis, in which students, under the guidance of a faculty mentor, apply the analytical tools and insights they have learned into a comprehensive analysis of a specific issue of their choice. In the past, issues selected by students have included, among others, state constitutional balanced-budget requirements, local energy policy, coastal zone management, racial discrimination, bicycle pathways, and educational policy-making. Students will also have the opportunity to complete internships designed to provide real-world experience in how policy issues are approached at the local, state, national, and international levels. The program is particularly useful to students who wish to pursue careers in the private sector, government service, journalism, law, or nonprofit advocacy.
(See also Political Science)
Public Policy Faculty
Economics
Tarron Khemraj, Professor of Economics and International Economics/William and Marie Selby Chair
Tracy Collins, Associate Professor of Economics
Political Science
Frank Alcock, Professor of Political Science and Environmental Studies (On Leave)
Barbara Hicks, Professor of Political Science/Social Sciences Division Chair
Jack Reilly, Associate Professor of Political Science (On Leave)
Sociology
Sarah Hernandez, Associate Professor of Sociology & Caribbean and Latin American Studies
Requirements for the AOC in Public Policy
A minimum of eleven (11) academic units.
| Code | Title |
|---|---|
| Required Courses | |
| Principles of Microeconomics | |
| Principles of Macroeconomics | |
| Public Finance: Government Expenditures | |
| Public Finance: Taxation | |
POLS 2100 | |
POLS 3600 | |
| Introduction to Applied Statis | |
| Policy-Related Political Science Courses | |
| Select at least two from the following examples: | |
| Climate Change: Science, Politics, Media and Policy | |
| Politics of Health Care Policy in the U.S. | |
| U.S. Immigration Policy from Origins to Current Issues | |
| Florida Politics and Government* | |
| Public Opinion, Polarization, and the Politics of Identity in the United States | |
| Policy-Related Courses in Other Disciplines | |
| Select two additional policy-related courses in other disciplines, for example: | |
| Medical Anthropology | |
| Anthropology of Humanitarianism and Development | |
| Anthropology of Food | |
| International Trade Theory and Policy | |
ECON 2400 | |
| Energy, Environment, and Society | |
ENVS 3310 | |
SOCI 2300 | |
SOCI 2310 | |
| Sociology of Disasters | |
| Sustainable Cities | |
| Additional Requirement | |
| Senior Thesis in Public Policy and Baccalaureate Exam | |
- 1
Students are strongly encouraged to take courses that develop their quantitative and statistical skills if they plan on pursuing a public policy career.
Requirements for the Joint AOC in Public Policy
Joint Economics/Public Policy AOC
A minimum of ten (10) academic units.
| Code | Title |
|---|---|
| Required Courses | |
| Principles of Microeconomics | |
| Principles of Macroeconomics | |
ECON 3500 | |
| Intermediate Macroeconomics | |
MATH 2055 | (or equivalent such as Calculus I) |
| Introduction to Applied Statis | |
| Public Finance: Government Expenditures | |
| Public Finance: Taxation | |
POLS 2100 | |
POLS 3600 | |
| Highly Recommended | |
| An intermediate-level Statistics course | |
| Internships or summer research projects to complement the learning experience with applications from the world of work | |
| Additional Requirement | |
| Senior Thesis in Economics/Public Policy and Baccalaureate Exam 1 | |
- 1
A member of the Economics faculty must be the thesis sponsor, who will be a signatory to the Thesis Prospectus/Area of Concentration form and will serve on the thesis committee along with a non-economics member of the Public Policy faculty.
Joint Political Science/Public Policy AOC
A minimum of seventeen (17) academic units. The student must complete all the requirements for an Area of Concentration in Political Science.
| Code | Title |
|---|---|
| Required Courses | |
| American Government and Civics | |
POLS 2200 | |
| Introduction to World Politics | |
POLS 2400 | |
| Required for the Joint AOC | |
POLS 2100 | |
POLS 3600 | |
| Principles of Microeconomics | |
| Principles of Macroeconomics | |
| Quantitative Political Analysis or Statistics Course | |
POLS 2500 | 1 |
| Research Design Workshop | |
POLS 3500 | (recommended for 3rd-year students) |
| 3000- or 4000-Level Courses 2 | |
| Select at least six courses at the 3000- or 4000-levels, with at least one course in three of the following four subfields (American Politics, Comparative Politics, International Relations, and Political Theory). At least two of the six must be advanced seminars at the 4000-level, each in a different subfield: | |
American Politics | |
POLS 3110 | |
| Florida Politics and Government* | |
| Politics of Health Care Policy in the U.S. | |
| U.S. Immigration Policy from Origins to Current Issues | |
| Public Opinion, Polarization, and the Politics of Identity in the United States | |
| Political Geography | |
Comparative Politics | |
| Politics of Russia | |
POLS 3240 | |
POLS 3250 | |
POLS 4250 | |
| Advanced Seminar: Social Networks and the Context of Political Behavior | |
International Relations | |
POLS 3310 | |
POLS 3340 | |
| International Political Economy | |
| The War to Peace Transition | |
POLS 4300 | |
Political Theory | |
POLS 3450 | |
POLS 4110 | |
| Special Topics in Political Theory | |
POLS 4480 | |
| Policy-Related Course in Another Discipline | |
| Select one policy-related course in a discipline other than Political Science or Economics: | |
| Medical Anthropology | |
| Anthropology of Humanitarianism and Development | |
| Anthropology and the Law | |
| Anthropology of Food | |
ENVS 3310 | |
| Energy, Environment, and Society | |
SOCI 2300 | |
| Sociology of Disasters | |
| Sustainable Cities | |
SOCI 3110 | |
| Additional Requirements | |
| Senior Thesis or Portfolio Project in Political Science/Public Policy, and Baccalaureate Exam 3 | |
- 1
Alternate Statistics class accepted if approved by Political Science faculty advisor.
- 2
See here for additional Political Science classes in these subfields.
- 3
A non-Political Science member of the Public Policy faculty must be on the thesis committee.
Joint Other Discipline (Not Political Science or Economics)/Public Policy AOC
A minimum of seven (7) academic units.
| Code | Title |
|---|---|
| Required Courses | |
| Must complete the requirements for the “Other Discipline” Joint Disciplinary Area of Concentration, plus: | |
| Principles of Microeconomics | |
| Principles of Macroeconomics | |
| Public Finance: Government Expenditures | |
or ECON 3110 | Public Finance: Taxation |
POLS 2100 | |
POLS 3600 | |
| Additional Political Science Course | |
| Select one other course in Political Science | |
| Quantitative Methods Course | |
POLS 2500 | |
or STAT 2125 | Statistics for Economics and the Social Sciences |
| Additional Requirements | |
| Senior Thesis or Portfolio Project with Public Policy component, and a Baccalaureate Exam 1 | |
- 1
A member of the Public Policy faculty must be on the thesis committee.
Representative Senior Theses in Public Policy
- Introducing Context to the Determinants of Individual Legislative Effectiveness in the U.S. House of Representatives
- 'Dèyè Mòn Gen Mòn': An Examination of Health Disparities Affecting Haitian Communities in Florida
- Re-Examining the Education System: Policy Recommendations for Florida Education Reform, K-12
- Model Legislation as a Tool for Policy Diffusion in the United States
- Read to Me! Parent-Child Book-Reading and Early Literacy Intervention Programs
- Optimal Retrospective Capital Gains Taxation
- Unorthodox Lawmaking and the Decline of Social Insurance in the Medicare Modernization Act of 2003