The Politics of Public Policy

3 credits · Undergraduate

This course is geared towards an exogenous understanding and evaluation of Canadian public policy. To this end, it engages with the power dynamics that guide policy from initial inception through to evaluation and assessment. The first half of the course lays the foundations of the field of public policy through a focus on the policy cycle. Although, in reality, the policy process does not cohere to a neat cycle, this model continues to provide a useful heuristic to understand the relevant aspects of the often chaotic policy process and the theories and approaches that underlie it. The second half of the course is case driven, affording students opportunities to delve into the pressing policy issues of the day and assess policy responses to real world challenges. Themes in these weeks include: crisis response, climate change, creating inclusive policy, and housing policy. PREREQUISITES: 60 credit hours EXCLUSIONS: POLI 5255 FORMATS: Seminar