This course analyzes how society prioritizes and responds to public problems. From homelessness to climate change to obesity, the number of difficult and often intractable problems seems to increase each year. How do these problems get on the political agenda and compete for public attention? Why do we spend great resources on some problems, while we sometimes ignore more serious problems? Why are some problems so intractable? And what does it take for political institutions to respond creatively to such problems? Using a range of different types of public problems, the course will explore these questions at different stages of the political process. Students will write a research paper applying theses theoretical perspectives to a particular public problem.
The junior Seminars are intense writing seminars which focus on the research area of the faculty member teaching the course. The seminars provide an opportunity for students to have direct intellectual interactions with faculty members while also giving the students an understanding for faculty research.
This junior seminar falls within the American Politics sub-field an upper division requirement for the major.
Political Science Majors of Junior and Senior status, with a minimum overall GPA of 3.3. Students must place themselves on the waitlist through TeleBEARS. Selection and notification will occur around January 10, 2011.