Drawing on social science research, this course explores how public leaders contribute to problem identification, issue framing, policy adoption, crisis management, and organizational and societal change. The course will clarify the relationships among key concepts including leadership and followership, authority and influence, reciprocity and persuasion, and examine the role of contextual factors in shaping the strategies of 21st century leaders

The 9-11 attacks ushered in a new era of international terrorism. Over the course of the Bush, Obama, Trump, and Biden administrations, experts have grappled to employ an effective strategy for countering Al Qaeda, ISIS, and their affiliates. This course explores the lessons of this long, troubled chapter, especially through our engagement in Afghanistan, and seeks to apply those lessons to countering future terrorist threats at home and abroad.

For students advanced beyond the level of ENCW 2300. Involves workshop of student work, craft discussions, and relevant reading. May be repeated with different instructor. For instructions on how to apply to this class or more details, please visit our program website at creativewriting.virginia.edu/ugrad.

Students will survey the main currents of US & international sustainability policy (air & water quality, endangered species protection, public land management, private land conservation), consider their origins in conservation thought, and learn to evaluate these policies via examples and assignments from current natural resource and environmental challenges. Students will learn about the actors and processes by which policy decisions are made.

The current state of US police-community relations is in a precarious condition. Recent incidents of negative police-citizen encounters resulting in deaths of unarmed citizens & police officers has affected public trust & confidence in local law enforcement. Class focuses on problems of police-community relations & deliberates prospects for policy solutions. Students develop & present policy proposals to address a particular problem.

Through global case studies in regions including Africa, the Middle East, the US, & Australia, course explores relationship betwn education & conflict: how education systems exacerbate conflict through curricula, inequalities such as access & knowledge gaps; how educ systems can alleviate poverty & other factors leading to armed conflict; how external factors (resource scarcity, global climate change,political instability) impact educ & conflict.

Experiential course where students work directly w/U.S. Dept. of Defense to address real-world nat'l security challenges, gaining problem-solving & prof. skills for any field. Through research, stakeholder interviews, & engagements w/outside experts, student teams develop policy recs for project sponsors' orgs. Recent project sponsors: US Strategic Command, Space Security & Defense Program, & Nat'l Ground Intelligence Center.

For students advanced beyond the level of ENWR 2600. Involves workshop of student work, craft discussion, and relevant reading. May be repeated with different instructor. For instructions on how to apply to this class, see www.engl.virginia.edu/courses. Prerequisite: Instructor permission.

Non-governmental organizations are essential in the work of building a sustainable, just, and aesthetically pleasant world. In this course, we examine the history and role of NGOs, explore the legal and institutional frameworks that govern them, and exercise skills in planning, budgeting, fundraising, and communications. Students study existing NGOs as examples and propose and plan for the launch of a new NGO to address unmet societal needs.

Discussion-based course w/a developmental examination of child poverty (multi-layer effects of history, culture,&geographic location). Examine: school reform efforts ("turnaround" schools,charter schools); implications of No Child Left Behind &2015 Every Student Succeeds Act; barriers (social isolation,violence,oppression,etc.) that contribute to failure of previous reform initiatives; education policies&proposals aiming to address these issues.