GOVT 300 - Public Policy

Credit Hours: 3
Lecture Hours: 3
Laboratory (or Other) Hours: 0

General Education Code(s): 23SS
Prerequisite(s): ECON 100 or ECON 110 or GOVT 110
Corequisite(s): None
Restriction(s): None

This course is a study of the theories and practice of governmental decision making, and draws on examples of policy making from the local, state, and national levels. The pervasiveness of public policy decisions on individuals, businesses, and not-for-profit institutions will be stressed. The course will examine the causes and consequences of public sector decision making. It will use as case studies contemporary issues in social and technology policy, healthcare, and environmental regulation.

Student Learning Outcomes of the Course: The General Education requirement for Social Sciences is satisfied by GOVT 300. To meet this General Education requirement, students will be able to:

describe major concepts and theories of at least one discipline in the social sciences; and
demonstrate an understanding of the methods social scientists use to explore social phenomena.

Course-specific SLOs for GOVT 300:

Show proficiency in understanding and applying the basic axioms/principles of at least one social science to demonstrate the explanatory power of the respective discipline by demonstrating a critical knowledge of its major concepts, models and issues;(knowledge of major concepts, models and issues in at least one discipline)
Demonstrate a critical knowledge of two or more theories/models of human behavior in one or more of the social sciences. (critical thinking- analyze and evaluate arguments)
Display an appreciation of, and basic competence in, the use of mathematical tools and analyses as these apply to the social sciences.
Exhibit an understanding of the methods used by social scientists, demonstrate an ability to develop a hypothesis related to observable human behavior in at least one discipline, and to appreciate the use data appropriate to the discipline to test a hypothesis (understanding of data collection, observation, and hypothesis development, interpretive analysis as part of critical thinking- developing well-reasoned arguments).