PUPOL 100: Introduction to Public Policy

PUPOL 100 is an interdisciplinary course designed to introduce students to basic concepts in policy studies. It is taught by faculty from different disciplines. It will acquaint students with public policy as a field of study, the basic elements of the policy-making process, and a variety of approaches for applying distinct modes of analysis (political, economic, demographic, statistical, qualitative, normative). In addition to a textbook and select articles that have defined the field, the course uses practical case studies that address a range of policy problems. This course is open to students who declare the Public Policy Minor.
Thursday 1:10-4:00pm (Online) with Robyn Rowe

PUPOL 400: Public Policy Capstone Seminar

Roosevelt House’s Public Policy Capstone course serves as the culminating educational experience for students pursuing the 18-credit Public Policy Minor and/or 27-credit certificate. During this semester-long seminar, each student develops a substantive project that integrates the practical skills and topical knowledge learned in the Public Policy Program. The Capstone presents students the opportunity to go in-depth with real-world policy questions and ideas, with the aim of discovering, developing, and refining individual policy interests and goals.
Wednesday, 10:10-1:00pm (Online) with TBD

GEOG38311: Health Equity in the United States: Policies and Politics
This course will count towards the following concentrations: Urban Policy, Health Policy, Environmental Policy, Immigration Policy, LGBTQ+ Policy, Social Welfare Policy

This course will explore how to transform the current federal, state, and local regulatory and operational framework from one that focuses on “sick care” to one that keeps patients and their communities healthy. The emphasis will be on integrating the “social context,” i.e. social determinants of health into care delivery, and developing policies that blend public health, health care, and human services to address the whole patient. The course will also consider how best to align incentives for patients, payers (commercial and government), care providers, community-based organizations, and pharmaceutical companies. Case studies will examine vulnerable communities, including those who are homeless, involved in the criminal justice system, and undocumented immigrants.
Wednesday, 9:10-12:00pm (Online) with Ram Raju, MD, Former President and CEO of New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation

URBS403.1O: Research Practicum: Income Inequality and Poverty in New York City and the United States
This course will count towards all Public Policy Certificate concentrations OR the quantitative requirement for Minor.

This course is designed to provide students with an opportunity to develop their ability to conduct data analysis. Prerequisites for the course are introductory courses in micro-economics and statistics. Students will learn how to work with large micro-data sets using SPSS or STATA. Students will also further their expertise in statistical methods. In addition to these “nuts and bolts” skills, students will grapple with the challenges of interpreting the results of data analysis. What can a researcher responsibly claim his or her analysis has established?
Tuesday, 4:10-7:00pm (Online) with Eri Noguchi, Chief Program Officer, Association to Benefit Children

MEDIA399.19: Changing Media Landscape: United States Policy and Politics
This course will count towards the following concentrations: Media Policy, Law and Policy, LGBTQ+ Policy, Social Welfare Policy

The splintering of the Old Guard media establishment, the ascent of social and non-traditional media platforms, and the ever-changing, 24/7 news cycle has fundamentally transformed the American political landscape and the way Americans digest and analyze the news. This course will serve as an introduction to these dramatic shifts that have reshaped American politics and how public officials communicate and implement policy. Using key moments since 9/11 as the narrative framework for the course, from Hurricane Katrina and the financial crisis to Obamacare and the election of President Trump, the course will survey and analyze the media’s impact on American politics. The course will also examine the fundamental question: what’s next? This course will focus on critical thinking about the state of our Democracy and which technologies and communications tools will play a central role in the upcoming political and policy debates.
Monday, 4:10-7:00pm (Online) with Rob O’Donnell, Founder, 38 Paces

URBS 403.30: Education, Politics, and Race
This course will count towards the following concentrations: Education Policy, Social Welfare Policy, Law and Public Policy

It is imperative for students to understand the socio-political phenomena that influence local, state, and national political life. A significant grasp of the nature of politics will give you a competitive advantage in almost every field. The purpose of this course is to provide you with a broader understanding of the ways that education, race and politics uniquely and collaboratively influence American society. Discussions of these elements will be applied to a wide range of socio-political applications. The course will engage with the intertwining nature of race, politics and education in American society. Education, politics and race interact in powerful ways across the American landscape. One’s level of educational attainment frequently impacts their political leanings and racial perspectives. Legislative bodies draft the policies that dictate the United States’ educational opportunities and diversity initiatives. Race is frequently a third rail that drastically impacts everything from school districting and political contests. This course will allow students to critically explore the intersections of these three phenomena in American life and, thereby, poise them to be more effective change agents in their communities.
Tuesday 10:10 AM – 1:00 PM (Online) with Catherine Voulgarides, School of Education, Hunter College

PUPOL 40N01: Aging Policy and Politics
This course will count towards the following concentrations: Urban Policy, Social Welfare Policy, Health Policy, Law and Public Policy

This course will focus both on the politics of aging, including current generational conflicts, and on aging policy, with an emphasis on aspects of urban life that should be considered part of aging policy, but are not. We think of growing old as an individual, immutable process, striking some earlier and others later according to biological luck. But, by examining multiple kinds of evidence, we will see that the experience of aging is different in different neighborhoods, different times, and for different groups of people – leading us directly to policy causes and solutions. We will discover the significant limitations of what is currently deemed “aging policy” and begin to derive a more appropriate policy framework. This is a seminar course for upper-level undergraduate students who can interpret quantitative and qualitative data. A final project is required, including both a written paper and a presentation to the class consisting of one of the following: draft legislation; candidate’s platform; mapping; video; photography; oral history; structured learning experience; or academic poster.
Wednesday 3:10-6:00pm (Online) with Professor Ruth Finkelstein, Executive Director, Brookdale Center for Healthy Aging & Professor, Urban Public Health, Hunter College