PLCY630

Explores the normative and political dimensions of governance--or policymaking--at the domestic (focusing on the US) and global levels. Policymaking involves a myriad of public and private actors at the local, national, transnational, and global levels that have competing aims and values. Their interaction produces formal and informal policies that affect the international order, interstate relations, subnational dynamics, and individuals. Drawing on theory from multiple disciplines and case examples, the course examines governance at these interrelated levels. Students learn core concepts, debates, and actors involved in policy making, develop tools to identify the causes and consequences of different policies, and build skills to influence public governance. Students also critically analyze how the actors, institutions, and scholarship covered perpetuate systemic racism and other inequities based on gender, class, ethnicity, sexual orientation, religion, dis/ability, etc.