Foundations of Policy Writing and Analysis

Semester: 

Fall

Offered: 

2017
The aim of the course is to provide students with the critical and analytical skills to evaluate, design, and write a policy paper. A policy paper is a scholarly work that analyzes a relevant policy issue and provides evidence-based, actionable recommendations. Emphasis is placed on the identification of policy problems, the use of methodological tools to analyze them, and the design and presentation of potential solutions. Class meetings feature presentations of policy papers that address the students' topics of interest, discussions of research strategies employed by policy analysts, and assignments that bolster written and oral communication. Students learn about all aspects of policy paper design, including the identification of relevant data sources, techniques for analysis, and the proper method of presenting policy paper findings. Examples of policy paper topics include migration and refugee policies, social and economic inequality issues, environmental and sustainability issues, gender equality and gender-based violence issues, cyberwarfare strategies, counterterrorism strategies, and issues of international security and nuclear proliferation.