School of Public Policy 499C - Big Problems: Policy Methods

What are your community's most pressing problems? Policing? Housing? What are the world's? Ending global hunger? Climate? How might we address this problem today? This is the first course in the two course honors thesis capstone within the School of Public Policy, with the end product being a research proposal and design that will be carried out in the Spring semester. This course is an introduction to methodologies for analyzing, implementing, and evaluating public policy. Topics include research methods, participant observation survey research and questionnaire construction, research design, measurement theory and practice, and framing categories. Throughout the two-course sequence, students will first learn about different approaches to research culminating in solidifying a design for their project, which they then implement and execute the following semester. Further, they will reflect and synthesize their experiences, knowledge, and skills developed throughout their undergraduate careers. The end product is a thesis written by the student relating to a policy or management problem today.

This course is open to students in the Commonwealth Honors College. Students who would like to take this course should fill out this form (https://forms.gle/hw8dT5CEfjkMRZNk7) to express their interest. Those who submit the form by April 1 will be notified on April 5th whether they will be enrolled. Submissions beyond April 1 will be notified on a rolling basis.