PUBPL 6001 - Complex Policy Arenas: Effective & Equitable Interdisciplinary Policy Analysis

Description: This course provides an introduction to interdisciplinary policy perspectives and problems, and their important relationship with social and environmental justice. Over the course of the semester, students—PPA or otherwise— will be taught how to communicate, collaborate, coordinate, and cooperate in an interdisciplinary team science setting. Our goal is to provide our students with the interdisciplinary knowledge and perspective required of an increasingly complex and dynamic approach to problem-solving. The first part of this course introduces students to the complexity of interdisciplinary problems and provides an overview of the policy process. Students will learn key concepts of interdisciplinary research and public policy. The second part of the course introduces students to the various perspectives of interdisciplinary problem solving. An overview of common issues associated with politics and governance will also be presented, including: environmental justice, population and demographics, economics, environment and sustainability, public health, science and technology policy, and urban planning. The case study of air pollution will be studied locally and international and from each of the interdisciplinary perspectives presented in the course. Arguments focusing on structural inequality, social justice, environmental racism, and sustainability will all be discussed throughout the course.