Course Descriptions

This list includes the public policy (833) courses offered at the Bloustein School. Courses are taught by various instructors and some may not be offered every semester. Check the Electronic Course Grid or faculty pages for specific syllabi.

34:833:510 Public Policy Formation (3) 
Formulation and implementation of public policy, with emphasis on federal policymaking, models for policy choice, and intergovernmental policy problems. Analysis of a selected governmental program.

34:833:513 Health Disparities (3)
The overarching goal of this class is to provide a broad overview of health disparities in the United States, with a focus on the "trifecta" of inequality -race/ethnicity, socioeconomic position, and gender.

34:833:520 Legislative Policymaking (3) 
Exploration of legislatures as political institutions responsible for policymaking in the American states. Consideration of the role of legislators, lobbyists, governors, and the media. 

34:833:521 Mass Media, Public Opinion, and Public Policy (3) 
Role and impact of the mass media, the nature and expression of public opinion, and how these feed into the development and implementation of public policy in the American political system. 

34:833:522 Public Policy Advocacy (3) 
Role and process of organized advocacy by private interests in the formation and implementation of public policy. Strategies and methods used to influence the policy process. 

34:833:524 Ethics in Public Policy (3) 
Examines issues in the ethics of policy professionals, focusing on the normative and conceptual aspects of problems that arise for individuals and institutions within a constitutional democracy. 
Credit not given for this course and 34:970:524.

34:833:525 Decision Making for Public Policy (3) 
Changes in policymaking over the last several decades. Examples include the environment, welfare reform, law enforcement, and health care. The budget as a policymaking "engine" at both the federal and state levels. 

34:833:530 Methods I: Research Design (3) 
Scientific method of study; the processes of conceptualization and measurement; "experimental design," or how social programs are structured so they may be effectively studied; and survey research and qualitative methods including focus groups, interviewing, and case studies. 

34:833:540 State and Local Public Finance (3) 
Theory and practice of state-local public finance; link between regional economy and subnational governments; fiscal federalism; major state-local spending programs; revenues, including property, sales, and income taxes and gambling; intergovernmental grants. 

34:833:543 Economics and Public Policy (3) 
Basic microeconomic analysis with applications to current policy issues such as assistance programs, tax incentives, and environmental regulation. Focus on public goods, externalities, and the role of government in economic markets. 

34:833:550 Education Policy and Policy Making (3) 
Development, implementation, and effects of federal and state education policy; key policy issues as cases for the exploration of political, policy design, and implementation issues. 

34:833:551 Education Finance Policy (3) 
Legal, political, economic, and equity issues in public school finance. Focus on revenue, school finance formulas, allocation of education resources, equity and adequacy of school finance systems, litigation, and the politics of reform. 

34:833:555 Labor Market Policy (3) 
Examination of labor markets and policies. Topics include wage inequality, discrimination, unions, and employment and training programs. 

34:833:565 Politics and Regulation (3) 
Examines the roles that executives, legislators, bureaucrats, courts, and others play in regulating the environment, privacy, worker safety, and other areas. 

34:833:570 Nonprofit Management (3) 
Applies management concepts to nonprofit organizations, emphasizing the challenges faced by managers under resource scarcity and uncertain boundaries among public, for-profit, and nonprofit sectors. 
Credit not given for this course and 34:970:672.

34:833:571 Public Management (3) 
Fundamental tasks and responsibilities of management in the public sector, with an emphasis on the external and internal environments in which managers implement public policy. 

34:833:572 Negotiation and Conflict Resolution (3) 
Nonadversarial concepts and techniques of conflict resolution, including negotiation, mediation, and consensus-building dialogues. Issues include controversial subjects such as implementing economic redevelopment plans, enacting environmental protection measures, and devising grievance mechanisms. 

34:833:580 Health Care Policy (3) 
Current issues in US health care policy with in-depth case examples from New Jersey. Overview of the financing, regulation, and delivery of health care, with discussion of health insurance coverage, quality of care, and racial/ethnic disparities in care. 

34:833:585 American Social Policy (3) 
Focus on the development of social welfare politics in the United States. Examine agenda setting, institutional choice, and implementation design with analysis of issues such as child support enforcement, nutrition programs, and medical care. 

34:833:591 Gender, the Family, and Public Policy (3) 
Gender is one of the most important ways through which American life, both private and public, is defined. This course will primarily explore the historical evolution of women's role in both the family and the labor market, following a life course approach. 
 
34:833:595 Economics of Poverty (3) 
Use of economic tools to examine the causes and consequences of poverty, how poverty is defined, and the impact/effectiveness of government policy. 

34:833:610 Macroeconomics for Public Policy (3) 
How the macro economy operates, and how public policies affect and are affected by it. Focus on the theory and measurement of the macro economy in the United States and the world. 

34:833:611 Community Economic Development (3)
This course is designed to familiarize masters and doctoral students with community economic development.  The course will review how the field evolved as one response to poverty and inequality and will examine the field’s present-day composition.
Credit not given for this course and 34:970:672.

34:833:612 Research Strategies (3)
This course serves as a guide for developing a research proposal. Focus on developing research questions, theories and hypotheses; measurement and instrumentation; causal inference; sampling; and data analysis.
Credit not given for this course and 16:762:612 or 34:970:612.

34:833:619 Environmental Economics and Policy (3) 
The role of economics in environmental issues and, especially, in the formation of environmental policy including environmental problems in air, water, land use, and natural environments. 
Credit not given for this course and 34:970:619.

34:833:620 Energy Sustainability and Policy (3)
This course examines energy policy and planning through a timely, critical and practical approach designed to give students an insight into the factors that shape energy policy. 
Credit not given for this course and 34:970:680.

34:833:624 Planning, Public Policy and Social Theory (3)
This course examines the intersection of planning and public policy through the theories and practices of the two fields. Focus on the policy-analytic roles played by the actors particularly as they relate knowledge to action.
Credit not given for this course and 34:970:625.

34:833:625 Theoretical Perspectives (3)
This course examines the intersection of planning and public policy through the theories and practices of the two fields. Focus on the policy-analytic roles played by the actors particularly as they relate knowledge to action.
Credit not given for this course and 34:970:625.

34:833:626 Advanced Scholarly Research (3)
The seminar encompasses the general and specific dimensions of proposal writing through collaborative reading, discussion, and critique.
Credit not given for this course and 16:762:626 or 34:970:626.

34:833:628 Advanced Qualitative Methods (3) 
Students apply techniques of qualitative research, including interviewing, ethnography, and phenomenology to help them gain an understanding of which techniques are appropriate for specific research needs.

34:833:630 Methods II: Data Analysis (3) 
Analysis of policy programs and problems, including univariate and bivariate statistics, simple and general linear regression modeling, use of intercept-dummy variables and interaction variables, and linear, probit and simultaneous equation models. 

34:833:632 Cost-Benefit Analysis (3) 
Introduction to and issues in using cost-benefit analysis. Identify costs and benefits, and understand discounting, dealing with uncertainty, valuing health and human life. 

34:833:635 Survey Research (3) 
Conduct, analyze, and evaluate surveys. Topics covered include problem formation, sample design and selection, questionnaire wording and layout, modes of survey administration, field procedures, data reduction, and data analysis. 

34:833:640, 641 Policy Research Practicum I, II (3,3) 
Participate in a directed research project that applies analytical techniques of policy analysis and evaluation or survey research to public policy problems. 

34:833:670 Independent Study in Public Policy (3) 

34:833:671 Internship in Public Policy (3) 

34:833:673, Applied Field Experience (BA) 
Students complete 275 hours in a public policy setting and synthesize their experience under the regular supervision of the faculty member.
Students may not exceed 12 credits in any semester. 
Required for students enrolled in the MPP degree program.

34:833:679 Advanced Qualitative Methods (3)
Examination of advanced econometric theories and their application for estimating the impact of policies and laws. Students complete of a “peer review” style research paper on a question of interest.

34:833:680 Energy, Sustainability and Policy (3)
Examine energy policy and planning through a timely, critical and practical approach. Students gain insight into the factors that shape energy policy. 
Credit not given for this course and 34:970:620.

34:833:681 Managing People and Organizations (3)
Introduction to organizational theory and concepts of management. Explore approaches that promote and hinder effective management in public and non-profit organizations.

34:833:684 Organizations, Work, and Policy (3) 
Examine contemporary policy issues through the lens of organizations, primarily the modern corporation, and the work systems of these organizations.  Topics include the global financial crisis, employment systems, and labor markets. 

34:833:684-687 Seminars in Public Policy (3)
Selected problems in American public policy.  Topics include globalization; education, law and public policy; science and technology.

Last updated April 23, 2013