Introducing our new Public Policy concentration!
The Public Policy Concentration will be available for students who are considering a career in government and public policy. The two primary goals of the proposed Public Policy concentration are to (a) help students develop skills in the political and ethical analysis of public policy issues and (b) provide opportunities to apply their skills to learning experiences that will position them to begin careers in public policy analysis.
The design of the concentration reflects these goals. First, two of the three required core courses in the concentration are designed to achieve the first goal – POLI 250 Politics and Power in American Policymaking and POLI 245 Ethics and Public Policy. The latter is a new course designed specifically for this concentration. Second, the third required core course in the concentration is designed to meet the second goal. The Public Policy Practicum is an avenue for experiential learning in public policy, such as a policy-related internship that will help students develop practical experience in policy analysis or an independent research project that allows students to apply skills developed in their policy-related coursework. Finally, the three electives offer students an interdisciplinary sample of courses at Roanoke College that address contemporary issues in public policy. These electives will allow students the freedom to apply their policy analysis skills to the substantive problems in public policy that interest them. Our department is hopeful that the interdisciplinary electives invite students from different majors across campus to complete the concentration. We strongly believe that allowing this freedom in the concentration will help students build substantive knowledge and skills in areas they may want to pursue in their careers.
-From Dr. Bryan Parsons, Public Policy Concentration Coordinator
Casey Wilson
Contributing Writer
