Hobart and William Smith Colleges

Public Policy Studies

Program Faculty
Joshua Greenstein, Economics
Christina Houseworth, Economics
Kristy Kenyon, Biology
Beth Kinne, Environmental Studies
DeWayne Lucas, Politics
Renee Monson, Sociology, Program Chair
H. Wesley Perkins, Sociology
James Sutton, Sociology

At Hobart and William Smith, the study of public policy builds on and integrates theoretical perspectives and analytical tools in the disciplines of economics, political science, sociology, and ethics. The curriculum is designed to prepare students to think and act critically in public affairs, and to pursue careers in government, human services, social work, urban affairs, city planning, law, community organizing, policy analysis, business, communications or academia. The program offers an interdisciplinary minor.

Public Policy Minor

interdisciplinary, 6 courses
Requirements:
Two courses in foundations of public policy (ECON 160, POL 110, SOC 100); one course in ethics (PHIL 151, 152, 154, 155, 156, or 162); one course in quantitative analysis (ECON 202, POL 361, or SOC 212); one core course in Public Policy Studies (PPOL 201 or PPOL 202); and one course chosen from the list of policy-related electives. Three courses must be unique to the minor. No more than three courses may be taken from any one department or program. All courses applied toward a minor in Public Policy Studies must be completed with a grade of C- or higher. No more than one course with a CR grade may be counted toward the minor.

A student may count up to two courses transferred from other institutions toward the minor. Interested students should submit the complete course syllabus (including all assigned readings) for review. The required core course, PPOL 201/202, must be taken at HWS. The foundations courses (ECON 160, POL 110, SOC 100) may be taken elsewhere, provided the course is determined equivalent. The ethics, quantitative analysis, and elective courses may be taken elsewhere, subject to approval by the PPOL Steering Committee faculty. There must be evidence that the ethics course includes substantial public policy content and/or addresses ethics in applied contexts. There must be evidence that the quantitative analysis course covers the same topics as ECON 202/POL 361/SOC 212. There must be evidence that the elective course includes substantial public policy content, e.g., an explicit examination of specific policies and/or the policymaking process. A focus on one or more social problems will not be sufficient.

Foundations Courses (2 required. Students are encouraged to complete all three.)

ECON 160 Principles of Economics
POL 110 Introduction to American Politics
SOC 100 Introduction to Sociology

Ethics Courses (1 required)

PHIL 151 Contemporary Issues: Crime and Punishment
PHIL 152 Contemporary Issues: Philosophy and Feminism
PHIL 154 Contemporary Issues: Environmental Ethics
PHIL 155 Contemporary Issues: Morality and War
PHIL 156 Biomedical Ethics
PHIL 162 Ethics of Civic Engagement

Quantitative Analysis Courses (1 required) 

ECON 202 Statistics
POL 361 Quantitative Research Methods
SOC 212 Data Analysis

Core Public Policy Courses (1 required) 

PPOL 201/202 Public Policy Making, Implementation, and Evaluation

Electives (1 required)

BIDS 214 The Politics of Reproduction (Kenyon and Monson)
BIDS 295 Alcohol Use and Abuse (Perkins)
ECON 203 Between Labor and Management: Unions (Houseworth)
ECON 207 Economics of Education (Houseworth)
ECON 248 Poverty and Welfare (Greenstein)
ECON 301 Microeconomic Theory and Policy (Greenstein, Houseworth)
ECON 316 Labor Market Issues (Houseworth)
ECON 325 Economics of Inequality & Distribution (Greenstein)
ENV 205 Introduction to Environmental Law (Kinne)
ENV 320 Natural Resource Law (Kinne)
POL 324 American Congress (Lucas)
SOC 225 Working Families (Monson)
SOC 226 Sociology of Sex and Gender (Monson)
SOC 265 Penology (Sutton)
SOC 266 Sociology of Police and Policing (Sutton)
SOC 370 Religion, Politics, and Lifestyle (Perkins)
SOC 375 Social Policy (Monson)

Course Descriptions

PPOL 201 Public Policy Making, Implementation, and Evaluation  This course is an overview of the public policy process: policy making, policy implementation, and policy evaluation. It draws on core concepts and frameworks from three related disciplines - sociology, economics, and political science - to examine how legislation is proposed and passed, how policies are implemented on the ground, and what tools are used to analyze and evaluate the justice and efficacy of public policies. The primary focus is on U.S. policy, with case studies from other nation-states serving as comparative context. Substantive policy areas addressed in the course may include poverty and welfare, education, health care, and labor policies. May not receive credit for both PPOL 201 and PPOL 202. Prerequisites: C- or better in SOC 100, and C- or better in either POL 110 or ECON 160. (Monson, Offered every other year)

PPOL 202 Public Policy Making, Implementation, Evaluation  This course is an overview of the public policy process with an emphasis on the perspective from the discipline of economics. Policy making, policy implementation, and policy evaluation are all discussed. It draws on core concepts and frameworks from three related disciplines - economics, sociology, and political science - to examine how legislation is proposed and passed, how policies are implemented on the ground, and what tools are used to analyze and evaluate the justice and efficacy of public policies. The primary focus is on U.S. policy, with case studies from other nation-states serving as comparative context. Substantive policy areas addressed in the course may include poverty and welfare, labor polices, and education. May not receive credit for both PPOL 201 and PPOL 202. Prerequisites: C- or better in ECON 160, and C- or better in either POL 110 or SOC 100. (Greenstein, Offered every third year)

PPOL 450 Independent Study

PPOL 456 1/2 Credit Independent Study