Combines topics in data ethics, critical data studies, public policy, governance, and regulation. Address challenges by topic (Health, Education, Culture & Entertainment, Security & Defense, Cities, Environment, Labor). Research how data-centric systems are deployed within socioeconomic ecosystems and shape the world. Interrogate connections between data science, governments, industry, civil society organizations, and communities.

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.

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.

Introduces classic and contemporary theory and research on the social psychology of stigma, primarily from the perspective of the stigmatized. Topics include stigma's origin and nature, stigma and self-concept, stereotype threat, attributional ambiguity, stigma and social interaction, and implications of stigma for education, health, and life attainment more generally. Provides an overview of this area of psychology and its policy implications. Prerequisites: Graduate Student

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.

Students register for this course to complement an industry work experience. Topics focus on the application of engineering principles, analysis, methods and best practices in an industrial setting. A final report is required.

Guiding students in a 2-credit undertaking that culminates in a Public Safety Capstone project. MPS faculty support topic identification, literature review and research, and analysis/synthesis of data to demonstrate achievement of project objectives. Interactive sessions involve Q&A, progress presentations, and peer feedback. Course completes with an article-length paper and video presentation.

Specialized or advanced topics not in DS current course offerings. Requires (a) approval of the program director and (b) an SDS faculty member who will serve as instructor.  Propose a syllabus which includes a week-by-week accounting of the topics, materials (papers and textbooks), and assessments.  Reach out to the program director for more details.