Module SGIA40L30: Public Policy

Department: Government and International Affairs

SGIA40L30: Public Policy

Prerequisites

• None

Corequisites

• None

Excluded Combination of Modules

• None

Aims

• Familiarize students with literature in public policy, public administration and comparative politics, including interdisciplinary literature and literature at the cutting edge of knowledge, that can inform policy making;
• Familiarize students with a diverse range of (country) contexts for policy making, and give students the skills to compare across these contexts;
• Familiarize students with a diverse range of public policy issue areas, including current and novel policy issues areas;
• Advance students’ skills in applying knowledge from literature to a diverse range of public policy issue areas and (country) contexts;
• Enable students to do independent research to identifying policy options in a particular context, and critically weigh the merits of these options;
• Advance students’ communication and argumentation skills, in the context of the public policy profession.

Content

• Indicative content may include:
• The policy-making cycle and stages of the policy process;
• Macro-structural context of policy making;
• Agenda-setting;
• Policy formulation;
• Decision-making in public policy;
• Legislative decision-making;
• Public opinion and public policy;
• Parties, interest groups and public policy;
• Policy implementation;
• Policy enforcement;
• Policy evaluation.

Learning Outcomes

• Advanced knowledge and understanding of how literature in public policy, public administration, comparative politics, and interdisciplinary literature can inform policy making;
• Advanced knowledge and understanding of (country) contexts for policy making;
• Advanced knowledge and understanding of key public policy issue areas.

• The ability to apply insights from literature to identify policy options to address a specific public policy issue in a specific (country) context;
• The ability to critically weigh the merits of different policy options;
• The ability to communicate and argue in favour of a particular policy option.

• Research skills: the ability to conduct independent research;
• Problem-solving skills: the ability to identify and critically evaluate different solutions for a given problem;
• Communication skills: the ability convey conformation or arguments effectively to others.
• Teamwork: the ability to come to an agreement with others.

Modes of Teaching, Learning and Assessment and how these contribute to the learning outcomes of the module

• Teaching and learning are through a series of 2-hour lectures and 1-hour seminars, and a simulation.
• Lectures will introduce students to literature that can inform policy making, to different public policy issues areas, and to different (country) contexts for policy making. Lectures will thus provide key subject-specific knowledge students will need to complete the summative assessments.
• Seminars will allow students to apply insights from the literature to different public policy issue areas and different (country) contexts, and to identify, weigh and discuss different policy options. Seminars will thus allow students to practice skills they will need to complete the summative assessments. Seminars also allow for formative feedback to help student complete the simulation.
• The simulation will allow students to emulate a real-world policy making context, to discuss different policy options and to arrive at a consensus as to which policy option is most suited to a context. The simulation is integral part of the summative assessment.
• Summative assessment is a 5,000-word policy report (accounting for 70% of the final grade) and a 2,000-word paper capturing students’ preparation for and reflection on the simulation (accounting for 30% of the final grade).
• Formative assessment is a 750-word outline of the summative policy report, allowing students to receive feedback on their plans for the policy report. Formative feedback helping students to complete the simulation paper will be given in seminar(s) dedicated to preparing students for the simulation, and at a debriefing session at the end of the simulation.

Teaching Methods and Learning Hours

Summative Assessment

Formative Assessment:

Formative assessment is a 750-word outline of the summative policy report. Formative feedback helping students to complete the simulation will be given in seminar(s) dedicated to preparing students for the simulation, and at a debriefing session at the end of the simulation.

■ Attendance at all activities marked with this symbol will be monitored. Students who fail to attend these activities, or to complete the summative or formative assessment specified above, will be subject to the procedures defined in the University's General Regulation V, and may be required to leave the University