17 courses with the subject PPOL, each shown exactly as we captured it from the college's catalog, with every element we hold. Where the wording looks broken, that is our reading of the catalog, not the college's text.
PPOL 6007Policy Process3
The purpose of this course is to provide students with an understanding of how government can influence the progress toward improving social conditions. Students will examine the processes and tensions that characterize the formulation, adoption, and implementation of government policies and programs and how they are affected by a diverse range of values and priorities in a democratic context. Students will examine their own values and explore how they affect their views of social problems and proposed policy solutions. Note: Students should have some undergraduate exposure to the social sciences or be willing to read some outside material to be prepared for this graduate course.
PPOL 6010History and Social Context of U.S. Policy3
This course examines the development of American social policy. It considers definitions of social policy and a systematic framework for policy analysis of service delivery systems. We consider American individualism and its relationship to the development of social policy from the 1930s, through the Great Society programs of the 1960s, to contemporary social issues. This course was previously SOC-620501.
Research in the public sector serves to inform new policies and evaluate existing ones. Conducting meaningful research is truly a process. This course will provide a framework for initiating, developing, and implementing research methodologies to answer context-appropriate policy questions. The course will focus on the fundamentals of quantitative and qualitative analysis and the elements of research design necessary to conduct policy-relevant public sector research. Quantitative and qualitative research approaches will be examined through the lenses of formulating a research question, research design, the identification of key variables, establishing appropriate measurement devices, and carrying out appropriate methods of data collection. The course will also discuss research ethics and help students identify and comply with ethical concerns in conducting research with human subjects. This course was previously RAM-620591.
This course will introduce policy studies students to the requirements of conducting graduate level research. It will emphasize qualitative methodology (meaning non-statistical data) while also discussing how to identify and use good quantitative research sources. Topics that will be covered include how to identify bias in sources, different types of sources, how to properly integrate research sources into graduate research, and the processes involved with human subject research. Full Catalog 2026-2027 - DRAFT COPY 931
This course will examine the broad array of state and federal policies for children, youth, and their families, with a particular emphasis on understanding policies and services for populations involved with child- serving systems. The course will also examine the historical foundations of these policies and how they have evolved over time in response to unmet needs. Students will develop critical frameworks for assessing the strengths and weaknesses of these policy interventions and of the delivery of child-oriented social services based on social and behavioral science research evidence and through the lens of multiculturalism and social justice values. This is a required course in the Child and Family Advocacy advanced certificate.
In this course, students will examine how social policy influences, and is influenced by, the way in which human service functions, service populations, outcomes, and resources are publicly and privately defined, identified, secured, and measured. Students will examine the interactional effects of social policy and human services at organizational, and professional levels. For example, at the community level, local funding agencies such as the United Way often act as gatekeepers controlling community resources. At the organizational level, this might be expressed as a conflict between the stated mission of an organization and actual practices necessitated by the requirements of its funding sources. An example at the professional level is the socialization of human service workers which often includes membership in professional associations. These associations serve as interpreters of state-of-the- art practices and attitudes and lobby for their expression in social policy, law and regulation. By semester's end, students should be capable of effectively analyzing or deconstructing any human services agency or concept in current social policy. This course is required for the Advanced Certificate in Community Advocacy and the Advanced Certificate in Child and Family Advocacy. This course was previously SOC-622535. Last Generated 2:01 pm 05/26/26
PPOL 6070Race Class & Gender in U.S. Public Policy3
This course is designed to develop understanding of the implications of race, class, and gender for U.S. public policy. We will consider both social structural and cultural dimensions of this question, and we will examine a range of policy areas from domestic policy and civil rights to international affairs and foreign policy. We will investigate the political and theoretical basis of policymaking as it reflects and affects social- structural relations between social groups, especially relations of gender, race, and class. We will seek to understand the social relations that systematically disadvantage some social groups and privilege others. We will explore how these social relations shape policy processes and how this influences how governments respond to public problems.
In this course, students examine the institution of the family through the lens of cultural values and as an area for policy decisions. More generally, this course will explore the reciprocal linkages between family functioning and public and private policies in this country. Topics raised in the course consider how the family unit has evolved over time, the cultural values that shape not only how family is viewed but also how that view shapes policy decisions that affect the family and the impact that these policy decisions have upon both families and the larger society. This course is required for the Advanced Certificate in Child and Family Advocacy.
The content of this course will vary by term and section. Students may repeat this course for credit as long as the topic differs. Please refer to the Term Guide for course topic offerings.
PPOL 6998Individualized Studies in Public Policy (PPOL)1-8
Students have the opportunity to develop individualized studies with their mentor/advisor in Public Policy (PPOL). Please contact your mentor/ advisor for more details. Last Generated 2:01 pm 05/26/26
PPOL 7010Final Project - Professional Project: Social and Public
Policy (3 Credits) As the concluding study in this Master of Arts program, students will complete a culminating project, in which they engage in a sustained examination of a critical question or issue related to their program. The final project will usually take the form of a policy memorandum. This course is designed to guide students through the implementation of a policy memorandum. Policy Memorandums are not published in the ProQuest/UMI service. In some cases, students may choose to do a Practicum, a learning opportunity to develop skills and practical insights related to workplace development, analysis, and implementation. intending to pursue doctoral studies).
PPOL 7015Final Project - Thesis: Social and Public Policy3
As the concluding study in the masters' program, students will complete a culminating independent research project in the form of an academic thesis, in which they engage in a sustained examination of a critical question or issue related to their program. In a thesis, the student is expected to make a contribution to the current body of knowledge in a scholarly field. To do that, students may conduct an original investigation or develop an original interpretation of existing research and/or literature. A thesis is a scholarly piece of work that systematically and analytically explores a specific topic or question. It is an in-depth investigation that contributes new knowledge to a field, and can be either theoretical or empirical. Writers of theses make appropriate inferences based on a deep analysis of the chosen topic or question. The thesis is the best choice of final project for students with plans to continue their studies toward a doctorate. Completion of the thesis requires an oral defense. All theses are published in the ProQuest/UMI service. This course was previously SOC-620595. Prerequisites: Students must have taken all required core courses.
PPOL 7998Individualized Studies in Public Policy (PPOL)1-8
Students have the opportunity to develop individualized studies with their mentor/advisor in Public Policy (PPOL). Please contact your mentor/ advisor for more details. PSYC: Psychology
