The concentration stresses the analysis and understanding of public policy. Participants will learn how to apply the disciplines of economics, political science, and sociology to analyze public policy problems and to understand how public policy is formulated and implemented. Students begin by taking foundation courses in economics and political science. The principles learned in these courses will then be applied to specific policy areas in the elective courses. In a typical program, a student would take ECON 101 and 102 as a first-year or sophomore student, PSCI 310 in the sophomore year, three courses of electives following these foundation courses, and a seminar (300- or 400-level) with a public policy focus in the senior year.
Any course taken on a pass/D/fail basis will not count toward the concentration requirements. This includes the foundation courses in the concentration (ECON 101, 102 and PSCI 310).
The concentration encompasses seven courses in economics, political science, and/or sociology. All students are required to take three foundation courses (ECON 101, 102 and PSCI 310) and a 300- or 400-level seminar. The remaining three courses will be selected from the electives designated as appropriate for the concentration. Students must choose elective courses from at least two different departments.
ECON 101 Principles of Microeconomics
ECON 102 Principles of Macroeconomics
PSCI 310 Public Policy
*indicates counts as a seminar
ECON 331 Economics of Development
ECON 336 Environmental Economics
ECON 338 International Trade
ECON 339 International Finance and Open-Economy Macroeconomics
ECON 342 Economics of Regulation
ECON 343 Money and Financial Markets
ECON 344 Labor Economics
ECON 347 Economics of the Public Sector
ECON 355 Business Cycles
ECON 358 The Federal Reserve System
ECON 359 History of Political Economy
ECON 373 Economic Growth*
ECON 378 Economics of Women and Work*
ECON 382 Economics of Education*
ECON 383 American Economic History*
ECON 386 Economics of Health*
*indicates counts as a seminar
PSCI 300 Congress and Public Policymaking
PSCI 313 Making U.S. Foreign Policy
PSCI 315 Gender and Politics in the U.S.
PSCI 342 Politics of Development
PSCI 355 Immigration, Citizenship and National Identity
PSCI 361 Globalization
PSCI 363 Global Environmental Politics
PSCI 364 American Environmental Politics and Policy
PSCI 366 Global Poverty, Policy, and Politics
PSCI 446 The Politics of the Welfare State*
PSCI 465 International Terrorism*
PSCI 470 Power, States and Markets: The Making of Modern Social Order*
PSCI 476 International Organizations*
PSCI 480 Science and Politics*
SOCY 222 Economy and Society
SOCY 223 Wealth and Power
SOCY 224 Sociology of Health and Illness
SOCY 225 Notions of Family
SOCY 232 Sexual Harassment: Normative Expectations and Legal Questions
SOCY 237 Border and Border Crossings
SOCY 252 Cultural Foundations of Politics
The co-directors for the concentration will certify when students have completed the concentration. Courses taken for the concentration may also count for the major.