Students participating in the Washington, D.C. Public Policy program will have the opportunity, through both coursework and an internship placement, to gain insight into how policy is made in the nation's capital. The courses taught in the program are policy-related and the internships into which students will be placed involve almost daily contact and discussion with governmental decision-makers or others involved in making or influencing government policy. In this way participants in the program will experience first-hand the intense activity inherent in Washington politics.
Social Policy (1 credit)
This course is an overview of sociological perspectives on U.S. social policy. In particular, this course focuses on U.S. income
support policies that address poverty due to work and family "failures": e.g., unemployment, old age, illness and disability, and
single parenthood. As such, the course examines how families, economies, and states intersect, and how welfare policy responds
to and reshapes inequalities of gender, race, and class. We begin with an historical overview of the origins of the U.S. welfare
state, from the "poor laws" in the colonial era through the New Deal of the 1930s, the War on Poverty of the 1960s, and the
beginning of "the end of welfare as we know it" in the 1980s and 1990s, using case studies of other Western welfare states for
comparative purposes. Next we examine the popular and political discourses on social problems in the 1980s and 1990s that
came to a head in the restructuring of welfare in the U.S. in 1996 and the devolution of welfare policy to the state and local
level. We link the origins of U.S. welfare policy as well as the changes over time to theoretical analyses of gender relations,
class relations, and race relations in the U.S. We conclude by considering various analyses of U.S. welfare state restructuring
and devolution, and its effects on inequalities of gender, race, and class.
Policy Implementation and the State (1 credit)
This course will examine the central role of policy implementation in shaping the content and consequences of social policy. In
particular, this course focuses on the importance of "front-line" workers in social service agencies as de facto policymakers and
key state actors. We will examine the key patterns in state workers' policy implementation practices and their interactions with
state clients in order to shed light on the questions of: what is the state, what do states do, and what is the relationship of the
modern state to inequalities of gender, class, and race. Policy areas to be addressed in the course include welfare, juvenile
justice, child support, education, and job training.
Public Policy Internship (1 credit)
The internship program is a central focus of the Washington, DC term. Each student is placed in an internship of his/her
choice. The placement process is quite involved and it will be explained in full during the orientation. However, it is important to
emphasize that the sponsor organization is given an opportunity to choose, and students will also have the opportunity to select
the internship they would like to do. Most students are placed through the Colleges; however, a few may find their own
internships, e.g., with a member of Congress from their state or district. All students in the program will have a full-time internship
in a challenging and responsible position.
Fundamentals of Social Program Evaluation (1 credit)
In this age of expanding budget deficits, the President is under great pressure to control government discretionary spending,
including spending on social programs. This was one of the motivations behind President Obama's creation of the new federal
post of Chief Performance Officer, whose role will include identifying successful programs to be protected and wasteful
programs to be targeted for elimination. But how should successful or wasteful programs be identified?
This course will provide an overview of the science and politics behind the field of program evaluation. There will be a particular focus on program evaluation that originates in Washington, DC, sponsored by federal agencies such as the U.S. Departments of Education, Agriculture, and Health and Human Services. Guest lecturers will include staff who oversee the research process at one or more of these federal agencies as well as researchers at universities or organizations specializing in evaluation. In addition, students will examine in detail one evaluation of a major policy intervention that took place in Washington, DC: the recently completed evaluation of a school voucher initiative that enabled disadvantaged public school students in Washington to obtain vouchers that would allow them to attend private schools in the area. The course will consist of three major sections. In the first section, students will study the politics of program evaluation design, focusing on questions such as: What programs and policies end up being evaluated? Who decides how these evaluations are conducted? What individuals or organizations conduct the research? The second section of the course will examine the methods used in policy evaluation. Students will learn about alternative possible evaluation designs, discuss key evaluation issues such as validity and generalizability, and study the basics of the methods used to conduct implementation studies, impact analyses, and cost-benefit analyses. The last section of the course will again focus on politics in an examination of how evaluation results are disseminated and used -or not used- in the development or reform of social policy.
The Washington program will be of particular interest to students in economics and political science and, more broadly, to those interested in a variety of public policy issues.
This program is open to juniors and seniors in good academic and social standing with a minimum GPA of 2.5. All students must successfully complete (with a grade of C- or better) Soc 100 (introduction to Sociology) and either PPol 101 (Democracy and Public Policy) or Pol Sci 110 (Introduction to American Politics) prior to participating in the program. Due to the challenging nature of off-campus study, student academic and disciplinary records will be carefully screened.
Students reside in "corporate"-style housing arranged by HWS, just outside of D.C. Normally, there will be four students in each apartment (two double bedrooms) and each apartment will be fully furnished including cooking facilities, linen, desks, etc. While the specific complex has not yet been determined, it will be in close proximity to the Metro and to shopping.
Occasional day trips in and around Washington will be included as part of the program.
Students will be charged standard HWS tuition and room fees and a $500 administrative fee. This will cover credit for a four-course semester, housing, a subsidy to defray the costs of a Metro pass and any program-related excursions. Note that no HWS board fee is charged: students should plan to bring their board fee (approximately $2400) to Washington to cover meal expenses. Additional expenses not covered include travel to/from Washington, books and personal expenses (laundry, entertainment, local ground transportation and independent travel). We estimate books at $250. It is difficult to give an accurate estimate of personal expenses because student spending habits differ considerably. We would suggest a minimum of $1,000, above and beyond meal expenses. However, students on a tight budget should be able to manage with less. If you are concerned about finances, we strongly encourage you to talk to the CGE staff who can offer information and advice based on your specific situation.
NOTE: The information contained in this brochure is subject to change. Please see the CGE for more information.
