73 courses found
An introductory course in which principles of assessing educational policies are applied to the evidence currently available across a range of policies. Areas of education policy may include early childhood education, charter schools, accountability, teacher recruitment, retention and assessment, and bridging from K-12 to high education. Discussions focus on linking policies to outcomes for students.
This class explores the intersection between how we perform elections and how we craft public policy. We investigate two broad questions (1) the effect of policy on elections -- how rules around voting, funding, and the organization of elections influence election outcomes and larger policy discourse, and (2) the effect of elections on policy -- how elections shape elite motivations and citizen expectations around the development and passage of policy.
Project oriented course that will research specific climate problems, proposing new solution to decision makers at local & state level. Course expands understanding of broad societal scope relevant to climate action. Students are exposed to federal, state & local policy challenges and opportunities as well as understanding how business & politics shape the policy landscape. Gain understanding of diverse climate-relevant career opportunities.
Course uses expert entrepreneurs with decades of starting & running new ventures. Expert entrepreneurs learn to tackle the unpredictable, but also to embrace and leverage it to cocreate enduring new ventures. Students will grapple with the principles and process of effectual action and interaction. The course is designed to delve into effectual entrepreneurship ¿ philosophically, psychologically and practically.
This course will provide a solid foundation of insights into how Congress works, essential for aspiring public policy advocates. Topics investigated include historical precedents for policymaking, the process of Congressional decision-making, and power dynamics in Congress. We will also identify and develop the leadership skills and tactics of successful advocates, placing recent controversies and public policy issues in an historical context.
This graduate seminar examines how contemporary US foreign policymakers proceed under pressures of competing interests. How are Washington policy options shaped for foreign aid, development, trade, and security issues? What leadership skills do crisis management and effective advocacy require? What constitutes best practices for nongovernmental organizations and policy entrepreneurs? How are national interests defined and pursued in Washington?
Course explores the integration of moral & ethical considerations in addressing U.S. public policy challenges. Students study & contrast major philosophical & political theories of justice & the common good, including those that are embedded in the U.S. constitutional architecture; and consider and contrast how these theories would guide public policy choices.
We will discuss how to measure and evaluate the trade-offs related to different environmental policy choices. We will discuss benefit-cost analysis, the impact of decentralization of policies impacting multiple jurisdictions, command and control policies versus tradeable permits, and sustainable development. We will evaluate policies designed to reduce water use and pollution, improve air quality, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Course will cover the fundamental processes of government budgeting, discussing the role of the office of management and budget and the congressional budget office including how long and short run budget projections and cost estimates of pending legislation are done. We will also address the role of the budget committees, and the congressional budget process including reconciliation. Similar issues at the state level will be covered.
What are the most pressing policy problems facing Virginia and how can they be addressed? Students will learn how the broad historical forces of Virginia's past, her current political institutions, and changing social divisions shape public policy in Virginia today. Student projects will focus on current and future challenges facing the Commonwealth and develop strategies to address them.
Students in this course will contend with and explore the implications of how politically relevant attitudes & behaviors in the U.S. have always been tied to identity. Students will employ psychological insights on self, identity, and culture to examine the historical trajectories and broad identity-relevance of pressing social issues in the U.S. today.
Consider the effect of public opinion on policy in the U.S. What do policymakers believe about citizens' preferences? Whose opinion matters, when does it matter, & why? Do policies always reflect the majority? How has partisan polarization affected policy-making in recent years? Examine questions through lens of some of today's most pressing issues, including immigration policy, social welfare programs, military spending, abortion, & more.
Course provides foundat'l understanding of orgs&processes in US statecraft, directly from current practitioners across govt. Students explore how elements of nat'l power are brought to bear to further US interests & strategy. Students explore Dept of Defense, Dept of State, the Intelligence Community, US Agency for Internat'l Development, & the Nat'l Security Council & policymaking processes. Lectures, guest-speakers, & research projects aid in learning org.structure, cultures&practices.
Under both Presidents Trump & Biden the U.S. has abandoned its previous "engagement" policy toward China. The U.S. agenda has expanded beyond trade, human rights, & Taiwan to include balancing the many aspects of China's rising national power. A relationship that once aspired to partnership has become competitive and even confrontational. This course will ask how the U.S. can best manage the world's most consequential international relationship.
This course provides an introduction to financial techniques that are essential for leadership dealing with any type of organizational finances. It provides an analytical treatment to valuations based on principles and theories of modern finance. Topics include discounted cash flow; interest rate; capital budgeting; valuation of stocks and bonds; investment decisions under uncertainty; capital asset pricing; option pricing; market efficiency.
This experiential course pairs students from the Schools of Law, Engineering, and Public Policy with U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) problem sponsors to address real-world national security challenges. Through student research, stakeholder interviews, and engagements with outside experts, each team develops policy recommendations for its sponsor's organization. Recent sponsors include the National Security Agency, U.S. Strategic Command, and the U.S. Air Force's Office of Operational Energy.
Explore US mental health policy & analyze effectiveness of policies to address behavioral health needs. Examine how US Fed govt perceives mental illness, impact of science on policy initiatives & why US remains in state of crisis. Topics include: COVID, Social Determinants of Health, institutionalization vs community based svcs, impact of adverse childhood experiences, PTSD & military, brain science, financing mental health svcs & opioid crisis.
This course introduces students to the field of impact investing and innovative finance. With insufficient non-profit and government spending in most policy areas (sustainable agriculture, economic development, health care, housing, etc.) innovative leaders are developing new models to unlock new capital to tackle the toughest issues facing humanity. Students will learn about blended finance, catalytic capital, impact investing, capital stacks, impact venture capital, and more.
The threat of international terrorism in the wake of 9/11 prompted costly & controversial US military & stabilization efforts in Afghanistan and Iraq. Initially targeting terrorism, it expanded into regime change. Bush, Obama, & Trump administrations struggled to craft effective strategies, facing setbacks like ISIS & Taliban resurgence. What can we learn from this chapter in America¿s endeavor to counter terrorist and security threats abroad?
Why are some countries poor and how can growth be increased? How do we ensure basic services for the poorest? This course examines capacity, demand, and influence in development, covering poverty, inequality, and growth. Topics include land, labor, credit, human capital, environment, urbanization, risk, decentralization, and corruption. Students test theories of effectiveness, design anti-poverty programs, and write policy memos.
Course explores historical & contemporary approaches to the measurement of military & economic capabilities. Capabilities are informed by the cultural, organizational, & bureaucratic context that shapes how states perceive, draw on, & apply them. Class brings these strands together through case studies illustrating the principles of net assessment.
International relations studies often overlook underlying geographic, economic, & intern¿l order dimensions that varyingly benefit some states & disadvantage others. How does access to open seas or having a veto at the UN benefit a country? How does being landlocked or lacking natural resources disadvantage a country? Course highlights underlying dimensions shaping how a country perceives its interests & what it emphasizes in foreign policy.
A graduate-level introduction to technology policy and industry analysis. Covers competitive dynamics, firm strategy, value chains, and economic/financial assessment. Uses semiconductors as a running case, with AI and quantum comparisons on standards, export controls, IP, safety, and ethics. Labs, memos, and debates build skills to evaluate regulation, international coordination, innovation, economic competitiveness, and societal welfare.