About the course:
Politics is messy, complex, unpredictable, and sometimes ugly. Yet, many of us want to work in environments that are heavily influenced by politics. So how do we make sense of the political world around us? How do we navigate it? How do we understand the behavior and choices of the political actors around us? How do we make our own choices - whether it's what issues to work on, what solutions to propose, whom to align ourselves with - that lead to desired outcomes?
To understand the politics of public affairs, it can be helpful to understand what motivates people who work in and around politics. Is it party, ideology, public opinion, the laws or the Constitution, personality, or a combination of these factors? During the semester, we will examine these, and other, factors and discuss to what extent they help us understand real-world policy issues and outcomes.
About the instructor:
Henriët grew up in the Netherlands and moved to the United States in 2003 for her graduate studies in political science at the University of Minnesota. She currently works as a research and management consultant within Minnesota state government. Prior to that, Henriët worked for the Minnesota House of Representatives as a non-partisan analyst in the Fiscal Analysis Department. She also held positions as an assistant professor at St. Olaf College (MN) and Susquehanna University (PA), where she taught courses on American politics, campaigns and elections, public opinion, and research methods.