Fifteen credits, as follows:

Transcription

1 1. Title of the minor, participating faculty, responsible academic unit, and description of the minor as it would be included in the University Catalogue. a. Title: Public Policy b. Participating Faculty: All members of Economics Department and Political Science Department c. Responsible Academic Unit: Political Science Department d. Description of minor: Fifteen credits, as follows: EC 012 Principles of Microeconomics 3 EC 130 Public Policy 3 Three credits from: 3 POLS 127 The Congressional Process POLS 139 Public Policy Tools & Processes Three additional credits from: 3 POLS 121 Law & Politics POLS 122 Constitutional Law: Government Powers POLS 124 The Presidency POLS 127 The Congressional Process POLS 129 Constitutional Law: Civil Rights America POLS 130 U.S. Environmental Politics POLS 132 U.S. Supreme Court: Process and Policy POLS 133 Public Opinion/Political Participation POLS 137 Politics and the Media POLS 138 Constitutional Law: Civil Liberties POLS 139 Public Policy Tools & Processes POLS 151 American Foreign Policy POLS 154 International Political Economy POLS 159 International Environmental Governance POLS 180 Comparative Environmental Policy POLS 228 Congress and Foreign Policy POLS 230 Vermont Legislative Research Shop POLS 238 Law and Public Policy Special topics courses as approved by the POLS Undergraduate Director Three additional credits from: 3 POLS courses listed above or EC 120 Money and Banking EC 133 Economics of Environmental Policy EC 135 Law and Economics EC 137 Using Data for Economic Policy EC 143 International Econ I: Trade

2 EC 150 Labor Economics Special topics courses as approved by the EC Department Chair Prerequisites EC 011 Principles of Macroeconomics 3 POLS 021 American Political System 3 i. Prerequisites: 2 courses/6 hours in Economics and Political Science as follows: 1. EC 011, Principles of Macroeconomics, 3 credits. Introduction to economic concepts, institutions, and analysis, particularly as related to the economy as a whole. 2. POLS 021, American Political System, 3 credits. Institutions, processes, and problems of American government. ii. 5 courses/15 hours in Economics and Political Science as follows: 1. EC 012, Principles of Microeconomics, 3 credits. Study of individual economic units with particular emphasis on market interactions among firms and households. 2. EC 130, Public Policy, 3 credits. Revenues and expenditures of federal, state, and local governments and intergovernmental relationships; the effects of expenditures and taxation upon individuals, business institutions, and the national economy. Prerequisites: EC 011, EC Either of the following: 1) POLS 127, The Congressional Process, 3 credits. Organization, procedure, and behavior of the chambers of the U.S. Congress, focusing on the making of public policy. Prerequisite: POLS 21; or 2) POLS 139, Public Policy Tools & Processes, 3 credits. Examination of public policy process with a special focus on tools used to fashion public policy such as contracts, regulations, legislation, and presidential orders. Prerequisite: POLS One course/3 hours in Political Science from the list below. 5. One course/3 hours in Economics from the list below or one iii. additional course/3 hours in Political Science from the list below. This minor is not available to students with a major in Economics or in Political Science. e. Courses approved by the departments for the Public Policy minor. i. The following courses in Political Science may count towards the Public Policy minor. (We are listing here only courses taught in recent years.

3 Some additional relevant courses listed in the Catalog may be taught in the future.) Special topics courses (not listed below) that focus on public policy may also count towards the Public Policy minor. The Department s Undergraduate Director identifies those courses for students each semester. 1. POLS 121, Law & Politics, 3 credits. Examination of the U.S. courts focusing on the legal and political factors that influence court action, and judicial action that affects public policy. Prerequisite: POLS POLS 122, Constitutional Law: Government Powers, 3 credits. Emphasis on developing skills of legal analysis. Historical origins and general principles of constitutionalism. Prerequisite: POLS POLS 124, The Presidency, 3 credits. The functions and activities of the president and staff. Prerequisite: POLS POLS 127, The Congressional Process, 3 credits. Organization, procedure, and behavior of the chambers of the U.S. Congress, focusing on the making of public policy. Prerequisite: POLS POLS 129, Constitutional Law: Civil Rights America, 3 credits. Critical examination of role of judiciary in enforcing 14 th Amendment s Equal Protection Clause. Prerequisite: POLS POLS 130, U.S. Environmental Politics, 3 credits. Environmental and natural resources politics in the American context. Analysis of the environmental movement and political theories, issues, processes, and institutions. Prerequisite: POLS POLS 132, U.S. Supreme Court: Process and Policy, 3 credits. The U.S. Supreme Court as one of the three major political institutions, including the selection process, intracourt politics, and dynamics of court decision making. Prerequisite: POLS POLS 133, Public Opinion/Political Participation, 3 credits. Theories and the empirical study of public opinion and political participation. Topics include public opinion polling methodology, the origins of political outlooks, ideology, authoritarianism, generational politics, public opinion on race, voting behavior. Prerequisite: POLS POLS 137, Politics and the Media, 3 credits. The role of the media in politics, including how media presentation and interpretation of events affect public opinion, political institutions, and public policy. Prerequisite: POLS POLS 138, Constitutional Law: Civil Liberties, 3 credits. Investigation of the Supreme Court s interpretation of the First Amendment, rights of the accused, and the right to privacy. Prerequisite: POLS POLS 139, Public Policy Tools & Processes, 3 credits. Examination of public policy process with a special focus on tools used to

4 ii. fashion public policy such as contracts, regulations, legislation, and presidential orders. Prerequisite: POLS POLS 151, American Foreign Policy, 3 credits. Overview of the United States involvement with the world. Focuses on domestic political, institutional, and ideological influences on the formation of policy. Prerequisite: POLS POLS 154, International Political Economy, 3 credits. Examination of the major theories in international political economy. Specific topics include trade, finance, development, foreign direct investment, and the multinational corporation. Prerequisite: POLS 51 or EC POLS 159, International Environmental Governance, 3 credits. Examination of official and informal processes and institutions that have developed among, across, and beyond nation states for global environmental governance. Prerequisite: POLS POLS 180, Comparative Environmental Policy, 3 credits. The politics of environmentalism and sustainability from a crossnational perspective, covering social mobilization and nonstate actors, party politics, institutions and governance, policy development, and the role of culture, values, and knowledge in the convergence and divergence of political response. Prerequisite: POLS POLS 228, Congress and Foreign Policy, 3 credits. Congress s role in foreign policy making, emphasizing congressional action in the post-vietnam period. Prerequisite: POLS 21, three hours at the 100-level. 17. POLS 230, Vermont Legislative Research Shop (*Instructor Permission only), 3 credits. Involves students in policy research for the Vermont State Legislature on a wide range of topics that include the environment, health, and welfare. Prerequisite: Instructor permission. 18. POLS 238, Law and Public Policy, 3 credits. Examination of courts as policymakers, relationships with other actors in the policy process, fields in which courts play policy roles, and difficulties facing judges. Prerequisite: POLS 21, three hours at the 100-level. The following courses in Economics may count towards the Public Policy minor. Special topics courses (not listed below) that focus on public policy may also count towards the Public Policy minor. The Department Chair identifies those courses for students each semester. 1. EC 120, Money and Banking, 3 credits. Commercial and central banking with special attention given to the Federal Reserve system, monetary theory, and policy. Prerequisites: EC 011, EC 012.

5 2. EC 133, Economics of Environmental Policy, 3 credits. Investigation of the relationship of markets and government regulation to environmental quality. Alternative public policies to improve efficiency and equity will be evaluated. Prerequisites: EC 011, EC EC 135, Law and Economics, 3 credits. Economic analysis of the law, including property, contracts, torts and criminal law. Covers accident and malpractice compensation, product liability, breach of contract, deterrence of crime. Prerequisites: EC 011, EC EC 137, Using Data for Economic Policy, 3 credits. How to locate, use, and present economic data to understand economic issues, problems, and policy, and integrate data into written and oral presentations. Prerequisites: EC 011, EC EC 143, International Econ I: Trade, 3 credits. Trade Theory, policy, and history of international trade patterns, terms of trade, protectionism, competitiveness, structural adjustment, and international aspects of microeconomics. Prerequisites: EC 011, EC EC 150, Labor Economics, 3 credits. The economics of work, including wage determination, unemployment, productivity, discrimination, unions, and policy issues. Prerequisites: EC 011, EC The web page content as described in paragraph A4 above: Information about the minor will be added to the websites of both departments. 3. Relationship of this minor to the current mission and long-range plans of: a. Participating departments, schools and colleges: This new minor will be attractive to new students and to students from other colleges, especially the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, the College of Education and Social Services, the College of Engineering and Mathematical Sciences, the College of Nursing and Health Services, the Grossman School of Business, and the Rubenstein School. b. The University: This new minor will be attractive to new students and students in a variety of disciplines. 4. Relationship to minors offered currently. a. This minor specifically addresses a popular student interest, provides students with the curricular guidance needed, and offers them a minor credential that specifically describes the course of study. The current Political Science and Economics minors do not give the students the credential they need and want, which is something that on their transcript that reads Public Policy. Although this Public Policy course of study is already available to students within the structure of the existing Political Science and Economics minors, students would

6 have to complete both minors, or specific coursework in addition to one of the minors. Furthermore, this availability is not readily apparent beyond faculty in both departments. Students and prospective students interested in this course of study do not get directed towards the appropriate courses or do not become aware of this option. If we can get a chance in both departments to advise students in person, or can get them to read the advising materials in both departments closely, we can and do explain how they can gain expertise in Public Policy, but many of them are lost to us before they get that far. No matter how much effort we undertake to guide students into a coherent Public Policy path of study, those efforts will never reach as many prospective students as the simple listing of a new minor. 5. Indicate any other minors at the University that are similar in title or content and illustrate how they may overlap or differ. a. CALS offers a minor in Community and International Development in its Community Development and Applied Economics Department. That minor includes courses covering policy topics, but the focus of the minor is on sustainable community development. The proposed Public Policy minor is more general. In addition, although not a minor and quite different we also note that the College of Education and Social Services has a doctoral program, Educational and Leadership Policies. 6. Evidence of communication with academic units likely to be involved in or affected by the minor. Indicate the effect (cost, enrollment, etc.) the minor will have on other academic units. a. Minor will involve only the Economics and Political Science departments. Some students may opt for the Public Policy minor instead of an Economics minor or a Political Science minor. We do not expect the minor to have an effect on any other academic units except in providing an excellent minor option for their students. 7. Explain the anticipated effect of the minor on enrollments. List required new courses or description of changes to existing courses. a. The introductory level courses required for the minor (EC 011, EC 012 and POLS 021) are offered every semester and in the summer and have ample capacity. The intermediate courses required for the minor (EC 130 and POLS 127 or POLS 139) have in the past been offered once a year or every other year. If interest in the minor is high, then these courses will be offered more frequently. 8. Resources a. Faculty: anticipated appointments NONE b. Library Support i. Library resources presently available to support the minor ARE SUFFICIENT ii. Additional demands with estimate of dollar cost for additions. NONE

7 9. Cost estimates a. First year costs in addition to current budget; NONE b. Total costs for first five years in addition to current budget NONE 10. Schedule: Proposed starting date a. Fall Endorsements a. Department(s): The Economics Department and the Political Science department both voted to support the creation of the Public Policy minor. b. School or college curriculum committee(s) c. School or college dean(s) Revised 9/30/2016