The College of Arts and Sciences is now offering an interdisciplinary minor in public policy studies through the political science department.
The minor includes classes in a number of departments including political science, geography, marketing and management, economics, finance and legal studies, and a number of other programs as well as the School of Social Work. Like most minors, the public policy studies minor will require 18 credit hours.
“We designed it in a way to make it very flexible,” Richard Fording, the chair of the political science department, said. “It will also allow students to develop a concentration and an expertise in a certain area.”
Fording said students are now able to get an introduction to public policy, economics and research methods, but then are able to choose from a number of different policy concentrations. If a student finds another policy concentration they like, they have the opportunity to go before the Academic Oversight Board and get it approved.
Anne Williamson, an assistant professor in political science, said it was in the best interest of both the students and the state to introduce the new minor.
“All of us have a role to play, and we felt that it was in the best interests of our students and our state to offer students who have varying backgrounds the chance to have some formal study in public policy,” Williamson said. “When we allow students, or facilitate them, to really hone in on what their policy interests are and do not require them to be political science majors, we do a very big service for a greater number of students.”
She also said exposure to policy and policy analysis can be applicable and relevant for students in a range of industries.
“Some formal exposure to the ways of thinking about policy, the ways of analyzing it, and the ways of evaluating it, including the political context in which anybody’s policy occurs, it’s not just for certain things where there is politics; there are even politics in a company. It’s not just in government,” Williamson said. “Politics as a context is there in the environment all the time.”
The process for creating a minor in public policy began five or six years ago, Fording said.
“I wasn’t here, so I wasn’t involved in the initial origins of the development of the proposal,” he said. “I do know that there has been a growing interest in public policy majors and minors nationwide, at other universities, and I think that is because we want to provide our students with a vehicle for studying issues and policy areas to supplement their political science work to help prepare them for public service.”
Fording said his ultimate goal, if the minor does become popular, would be to revisit public policy and to create a new major.
“I do think it helps our students get some skills and training that is more marketable in the job market,” Fording said. “It supplements the more academic material in our courses.”
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