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 | |
| Introductory Microeconomics* | |
| Introductory Macroeconomics* | |
| Public Finance: Government Expenditures | |
| Public Finance: Taxation | |
| Introduction to American Politics* | |
| Power and Public Policy in the U.S. | |
| Introduction to Applied Statistics 1 | |
| Policy-Related Political Science Courses | |
| Select at least two from the following examples: | |
| Climate Change: Science, Policy, Media, and Politics | |
| 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 | |
| Environmental Economics | |
| Energy, Environment, and Society | |
| Global Environmental Politics | |
| Environmental Sociology | |
| Urban Sociology | |
| 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 | |
| Introductory Microeconomics* | |
| Introductory Macroeconomics* | |
| Intermediate Microeconomics | |
| Intermediate Macroeconomics | |
| Math Tools for the Social Sciences* (or equivalent such as Calculus I) | |
| Introduction to Applied Statistics (or equivalent such as Quantitative Political Analysis I and/or II) | |
| Public Finance: Government Expenditures | |
| Public Finance: Taxation | |
| Introduction to American Politics* | |
| Power and Public Policy in the U.S. | |
| 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* | |
| Comparative Politics* | |
| Introduction to World Politics* | |
| Introduction to Political Theory* | |
| Required for the Joint AOC | |
| Introduction to American Politics* | |
| Power and Public Policy in the U.S. | |
| Introductory Microeconomics* | |
| Introductory Macroeconomics* | |
| Quantitative Political Analysis or Statistics Course | |
| Quantitative Political Analysis I* 1 | |
| Research Design Workshop | |
| Research Design Workshop in Political Science (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 | |
| Politics of Congress | |
| 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 | |
| Politics of Central and Eastern Europe: From "Soviet Bloc" to United Europe | |
| Modern Authoritarianism | |
| Transitions to Democracy in Comparative Perspective | |
| Advanced Seminar: Social Networks and the Context of Political Behavior | |
International Relations | |
| Global Environmental Politics | |
| US Foreign Policy | |
| International Political Economy | |
| The Transition from War to Peace | |
| International Law and Politics | |
Political Theory | |
| Democratic Theory | |
| Citizenship, Political Authority and the Public Sphere in the U.S. | |
| Freedom and Slavery in Political Thought | |
| Contemporary Republican Theory | |
| 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 | |
| Global Environmental Politics | |
| Energy, Environment, and Society | |
| Environmental Sociology | |
| Sociology of Disasters | |
| Sustainable Cities | |
| Sociology of Education | |
| 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: | |
| Introductory Microeconomics* | |
| Introductory Macroeconomics* | |
| Public Finance: Government Expenditures | |
or ECON 3110 | Public Finance: Taxation |
| Introduction to American Politics* | |
| Power and Public Policy in the U.S. | |
| Additional Political Science Course | |
| Select one other course in Political Science | |
| Quantitative Methods Course | |
| Quantitative Political Analysis I* | |
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