At which campus can I study this program?
Program Description
The minor in Politics and Public Policy enables students in any major to develop a robust understanding of the political and governmental processes through which public policies are formulated and implemented. Students learn various frameworks for designing and evaluating governmental policies, along with tools to analyze the impact and effectiveness of those policies. The knowledge and skills cultivated by the minor are important to any citizen interested in how government can and does respond to collective problems, as well as to future leaders who strive to influence the policymaking process. The minor is particularly useful to students who are interested in applying the expertise they are developing in their major field of study to public debate, decisions, and administration, and to those aspiring to careers at the intersection of industry and government regulation.
To complete the minor, students take 9 credits of required courses that provide a foundational understanding of the public policy process; the political context of policy advocacy, debate, and decisions; and the predominant methods of policy analysis and evaluation. They build upon this core knowledge with a choice of 9 credits of introductory and upper level courses from Political Science and partner disciplines that focus on the policy process itself, the actors and institutions that are central to the policy process, and the development of specific policy areas.
Program Requirements
| Requirement | Credits |
|---|---|
| Requirements for the Minor | 18-19 |
A grade of C or better is required for all courses in the minor, as specified by Senate Policy 59-10. In addition, at least six credits of the minor must be unique from the prescribed courses required by a student's major(s).
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Prescribed Courses | ||
| Prescribed Courses: Require a grade of C or better | ||
| PLSC 1 | American Politics: Principles, Processes and Powers  | 3 |
| Additional Courses | ||
| Additional Courses: Require a grade of C or better | ||
| PLSC 202 | American Public Policy | 3 |
| or PUBPL 304 | Public Policy Analysis | |
| Select 3-4 credits from the following: | 3-4 | |
| Quantitative Political Analysis | ||
| Quantitative Political Analysis | ||
| Elementary Statistics | ||
| Supporting Courses and Related Areas | ||
| Supporting Courses and Related Areas: Require a grade of C or better | ||
| Select 9 credits from the following (at least 6 credits must be at the 400-level or above): | 9 | |
| Race, Gender and Science | ||
| Black Liberation and American Foreign Policy | ||
| Black Ecologies | ||
| Politics of Affirmative Action | ||
| The Post-World War II Civil Rights Movement | ||
| Identities, Power and Perceptual Pedagogies in Teaching and Learning | ||
| Introduction to Global Health Issues | ||
| Language Rights, Policy, and Planning | ||
| Globalization and Its Implications | ||
| History of Imperialism and Nationalism in Africa | ||
| U.S. Food and Agricultural Policy | ||
| Language and Social Justice | ||
| Language Rights, Policy, and Planning | ||
| Architectural and Planning Theories | ||
| Analysis of Human Settlements: Cities | ||
| Integrative Energy and Environmental Design | ||
| Biology of Human Infectious Diseases | ||
| Ecological and Environmental Problem Solving | ||
| Introduction to Life Cycle Assessment | ||
| Foundations of Sustainable Business | ||
| Energy Analysis in Agricultural and Biorenewable Systems | ||
| Safety and Health in Agriculture and Biorenewable Industries | ||
| Rhetoric and Public Controversy | ||
| Introductory Environmental and Resource Economics | ||
| Land Economics and Policy | ||
| Community, Local Knowledge, and Democracy | ||
| Land Use Planning and Procedure | ||
| Power, Conflict, and Community Decision Making | ||
| Principles of Community Economic Development | ||
| Economic Analysis of Environmental and Resource Policies | ||
| Policy, Politics and Perspectives on Social & Environmental Responsibility | ||
| Drug Control Policy in Comparative Perspective | ||
| The Death Penalty | ||
| Hate Crime, Extremism, and Terrorism | ||
| Border Security | ||
| The Juvenile Justice System | ||
| Drugs and Drug Policy in the United States | ||
| Cyber-Defense Studio | ||
| Cyber Incident Handling and Response | ||
| Energy Law and Contracts | ||
| Risk Management in Energy Industries | ||
| Introductory Microeconomic Analysis and Policy | ||
| Introductory Macroeconomic Analysis and Policy | ||
| Education in American Society | ||
| Competing Rights: Issues in American Education | ||
| Educational Reform and Public Policy | ||
| Education and Public Policy | ||
| Economic Foundations of Education Policy | ||
| Intelligence and Educational Policy | ||
| History of Education in the United States | ||
| Ethnic Minorities and Schools in the United States | ||
ENVE 424 | ||
ENVE 425 | ||
| Sustainable Engineering | ||
ENVE 460 | ||
| Air Quality | ||
| Special Topics in Environmental Science | ||
| Case Studies in Environmental Analysis and Problem-Solving | ||
| Environmental Health and Safety | ||
| Foundations of Sustainable Business | ||
| Legal Aspects of Resource Management | ||
| The Chesapeake Bay Watershed: Issues and Careers in Complex Environmental Problem Solving | ||
| Air Pollution Impacts to Terrestrial Ecosystems | ||
| Sustainable Water Management: Economics and Policy | ||
| Special Topics | ||
| From Agriculture to Culture: Perspectives on your food from seed to plate | ||
| Human Dimensions of Natural Resources | ||
| Policy and Administration | ||
| Comparative Health Systems | ||
| Principles of Epidemiology | ||
| Aging Policy in the United States | ||
| Financing Health Care | ||
| Legal and Regulatory Environment of Information Science and Technology | ||
| Globalization Trends and World Issues | ||
| Legal and Regulatory Environment of Privacy and Security | ||
| Legal, Regulatory, Policy Environment of Cyber Forensics | ||
| Politics of Affirmative Action | ||
| Comparative Employment Relations Systems | ||
| The Law of Labor-Management Relations | ||
| Employment Strategies for People with Disabilities | ||
| Advanced Collective Bargaining and Contract Administration | ||
| Labor Relations in the Public Sector | ||
| History of Work in America | ||
| Labor Union Structure, Administration and Governance | ||
| American Labor Unions | ||
| Labor in the Global Economy | ||
| Radiological Safety | ||
| Nuclear Security System Design | ||
NUCE 446 | ||
| State, Society, and Public Policy | ||
| Politics and Government in Washington DC | ||
| Ethnic and Racial Politics | ||
| Special Topics | ||
| The Legislative Process | ||
| Analyzing Public Policy in the American States | ||
| The American Presidency | ||
| The Bureaucratic State | ||
| Government and Politics of the American States | ||
| Political Parties and Interest Groups | ||
| National Security Policies | ||
| American Foreign Policy | ||
| Government and the Economy | ||
| Science, Technology, and Public Policy | ||
| American Judicial Behavior | ||
| Empirical Legal Studies | ||
| Sex, Race, & Justice: The U.S. Supreme Court and Equality | ||
| American State and Urban Politics | ||
| Comparative Public Policy | ||
| Public Administration | ||
| Policy Making and Evaluation | ||
| Leadership Studies | ||
| Introduction to Crisis and Emergency Management | ||
| Race and Public Policy | ||
| Critical Infrastructure Protection | ||
| Homeland Security Intelligence | ||
| Seminar in Environmental Policy | ||
| Seminar in Health Policy | ||
| Seminar in National Security Policy | ||
| Seminar in Public Policy | ||
| Internship | ||
| Independent Studies | ||
| Special Topics | ||
| Presumed Innocent? Social Science of Wrongful Conviction | ||
| Social Determinants of Health | ||
| Intercultural Dialogue Concepts and Practice | ||
| Racial and Ethnic Inequality in America | ||
| Homelessness in America | ||
| Family Policy | ||
| U.S. Immigration | ||
| Ethnic Minorities and Schools in the United States | ||
| Justice and the Environment | ||
| Health, Disease & Society | ||
SOC 452 | ||
SOC 454 | ||
| Communities and Crime | ||
| Natural Resources Conservation and Community Sustainability | ||
| Ethics and the Design of Technology | ||
| Race, Gender and Science | ||
| Energy and Modern Society | ||
| Science, Technology, and Public Policy | ||
| The Science of Sustainable Development | ||
| Health and Environmental Sustainability | ||
| Wildlife and Fisheries Conservation | ||
| Conservation Biology | ||
| Wetland Science and Sustainability | ||
| Racism and Sexism | ||
| Family and Gender Roles in Modern History | ||
| Sex, Gender, and the Body | ||
| Race, Gender, and Employment | ||
| Gender and International Development | ||
| Sexual and Domestic Violence | ||
| Women and Sport | ||
| Gender and Politics | ||
| Women and the Criminal Justice System | ||
| Gender, Occupations, and Professions | ||
| Critical Feminist Issues in Reproduction | ||
| Work-Life Practices and Policies | ||
Academic Advising
The objectives of the university's academic advising program are to help advisees identify and achieve their academic goals, to promote their intellectual discovery, and to encourage students to take advantage of both in-and out-of class educational opportunities in order that they become self-directed learners and decision makers.
Both advisers and advisees share responsibility for making the advising relationship succeed. By encouraging their advisees to become engaged in their education, to meet their educational goals, and to develop the habit of learning, advisers assume a significant educational role. The advisee's unit of enrollment will provide each advisee with a primary academic adviser, the information needed to plan the chosen program of study, and referrals to other specialized resources.
READ SENATE POLICY 32-00: ADVISING POLICY
University Park
Liberal Arts Academic Advising
814-865-2545
Use the Liberal Arts Meet the Academic Advisers web page to see the contact information for the specific adviser(s) of this program
Erie
Robert Speel, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Political Science
159 Kochel Center
Erie, PA 16563
814-898-6202
rws15@psu.edu
Harrisburg
Juliette Tolay, Ph.D.
Program Coordinator
Olmsted W160
Middletown, PA 17057
717-948-6080
jtolay@psu.edu
Contact
University Park
DEPARTMENT OF POLITICAL SCIENCE
202 Pond Lab
University Park, PA 16802
814-865-4597
https://polisci.la.psu.edu/undergraduate/advising/
Erie
SCHOOL OF HUMANITIES AND SOCIAL SCIENCES
170 Irvin Kochel Center
Erie, PA 16563
814-898-6108
HSSOffice@psu.edu
https://behrend.psu.edu/school-of-humanities-social-sciences
Harrisburg
SCHOOL OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS
Olmsted Building, W160
Middletown, PA 17057
717-948-6648
aqk5884@psu.edu