Chair(s): 
William Ferguson

This interdisciplinary concentration aims to provide students with the tools to analyze policymaking processes and implementation and to evaluate policy decisions and outcomes from multiple perspectives. The concentration will take an interdisciplinary approach to case-study analysis and student research.

Students who intend to declare a policy studies concentration must, at the time of declaration, design a curricular concentration plan, which indicates how the student will meet concentration requirements 1–6 listed below. Ideally, student plans will utilize students’ major or other curricular interests as a focus for policy analysis and develop some expertise in a specific policy area. However, in order to ensure the interdisciplinary nature of the concentration, students may not count more than eight credits from any one department (including methods courses) toward the concentration.

Concentration Requirements: 

Required, 22 or 24 credits as follows:

  1. Policy Studies 295: Foundations of Policy Analysis (prerequisites: second-year standing and at least one of the following: ECN 111, POL 101.

  2. Empirical Methods Course, one from the following list: 
    • ANT/SOC 292 Ethnographic Research in Complex Societies
    • ECN 312 Econometrics
    • MAT 209 Applied Statistics
    • POL 310 Advanced Seminar in American Politics
    • PSY 225 Research Methods
    • SOC/ANT 291 Methods of Empirical Investigation

  3. Humanistic and Scientific Context of Policy-Making. Take at least one course from the Humanistic and Scientific Context List. The concentration will periodically revise this list on-line. Recommendations: This course should be taken prior to Policy Studies 395 Applied Policy Analysis; students with majors in the Division of Social Studies should take at least two courses from this list (one humanities course and one science course). Students with majors in the Division of Humanities should take at least one science course from this list. Students with majors in the Division of Science should take at least one humanities course from this list. Students who wish to pursue policy research projects (see item 6) in the sciences or humanities will be encouraged to take additional relevant courses from the list. 
    • BIO 150 Introduction to Biological Inquiry
    • CHM 210 Inorganic and Analytical Chemistry
    • CSC 151 Functional Problem Solving
    • ENG 120 Literary Analysis
    • ENG 204 The Craft of Argument
    • LIN 114 Introduction to General Linguistics
    • PHI 111 Introduction to Philosophy
    • PHI 106 Contemporary Ethical Issues
    • PHY 131 General Physics I
    • PSY 113 Introduction to Psychology
    • REL 241 Religion in U.S. Public Life

  4. Institutional Context of Policy. Take at least one of the following: 
    • One course from the Institutional Context List. The concentration will periodically revise this list online.
    • Contextual Policy Making (POL 295), offered by Grinnell-in-Washington, D.C.
    • A two- or four-credit internship with prior committee approval, which must be supervised through an existing Grinnell College program such as Grinnell-in-Washington, D.C., or Grinnell-in-London.
    • ANT 210 Illness, Healing, and Culture
    • ANT 238 Cultural and Political Ecology
    • ANT 252 Culture and Agriculture
    • ECN 215 Labor Economics
    • ECN 218 Gender and the Economy
    • ECN 230 Economic Development
    • ECN 240 Resource and Environmental Economics
    • ECN 245 The U.S. Financial System
    • ECN 250 Public Finance
    • HIS 222 The History of Women in the United States
    • HIS 228 The Promised Land: U.S. Immigration History
    • POL 219 Constitutional Law and Politics
    • POL 237 Political Parties
    • POL 239 The Presidency
    • POL 250 Politics of International Relations
    • POL 251 International Political Economy
    • POL 265 Issues in Democratic Political Theory
    • SOC 220 Sociology of Global Development
    • SOC 242 Deviance and Social Control
    • SOC 248 Self and Society
    • SOC 250 Social Inequality
    • SOC 265 Sociology of Health and Illness
    • SOC 275 Race and Ethnicity in America

  5. Policy Studies 395 Applied Policy Analysis

  6. Research project, either one of the following, with a prerequisite of: Policy Studies 395 Applied Policy Analysis
    • A two-credit research project Policy Studies 395B
    • A four-credit Mentored Advanced Project (MAP) Policy Studies 499 with prior committee approval
Courses:

220 Foundations of Policy Analysis

Credits: 4
Instructor(s): William Ferguson
Prerequisite(s): Economics 111, or Political Science 101, and second-year standing.

This course explores principles of policymaking, with applications. It opens by examining theoretical rationales for policy, including those premised on ideology or market failure. It proceeds to investigate institutional context and processes relevant to policymaking, using case studies. With this foundation, the course explores specific policy problems and solutions related to important problem areas, such as economic growth, health care, monetary policy, education, and environment. Students will be encouraged to investigate policy areas of interest for case studies and papers.

320 Applied Policy Analysis Fall
Credits: 4
Instructor(s): Staff
Prerequisite(s): Foundations of Policy Analysis (listed as Policy Studies 295, Political Science 295, Economics 295, or Policy Studies 220). Exceptions or alternative prerequisites may vary by year (see course schedule).

Topic changes each year. This course will apply fundamental policy ideas from Policy Studies 220 to specific policy problems. Students will analyze policy problems and propose solutions. See online course schedule for detailed description.

395 Applied Policy Analysis: Climate Change

Credits: 4
Instructor(s):
Elaine Marzluff
H. Wayne Moyer
Prerequisite(s): Policy Studies 295 or Economics 295 (Foundations of Policy Analysis), Economics 240 or Political Science 225.

This course will analyze different aspects of policy to mitigate climate change, bringing to bear the perspectives of science and social science. Topics for discussion will include: 1) assessment of the scientific data on climate change; 2) discussion of the ways that climate change is a policy issue; 3) evaluation of strategies and technologies for reducing greenhouse gas emissions to address climate change; 4) explanation of policy development up to the present, as policy has been impacted by scientific, economic, and political factors; the changing climate change agenda; decision-making at international, national, and local arenas; and the interplay between the various arenas; and 5) policy recommendations for effective and feasible action to meet the climate change challenge of 2009 in international and U.S. policy arenas.

* Indicates courses not offered every year.