Spring 2022  |  POL 3321 Section 001: Issues in American Public Policy (65672)

Instructor(s)
Class Component:
Lecture
Credits:
3 Credits
Grading Basis:
Student Option
Instructor Consent:
No Special Consent Required
Instruction Mode:
In Person Term Based
Times and Locations:
Regular Academic Session
 
01/18/2022 - 05/02/2022
Mon, Wed 01:00PM - 02:15PM
UMTC, West Bank
Willey Hall 125
Enrollment Status:
Open (83 of 85 seats filled)
Also Offered:
Course Catalog Description:
This course examines the politics of social policy in the United States. Recent controversies over Social Security reform, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (?Obamacare?), and the No Child Left Behind Act and Common Core showcase the profound political and substantive impact of this topic. The first half of the course places the United States in comparative perspective. Scholars typically describe the United States as a ?laggard? where social policies developed relatively late, grew relatively slowly, and are less generous than are corresponding policies in other advanced industrial democracies. Is this an accurate portrayal of American social policy? Recent scholarship challenges the conventional wisdom, suggesting that the United States does not necessarily do less in terms of social policy but that it relies on an unusual set of policy tools to pursue objectives like poverty alleviation. What explains the distinctive shape of American social policy? This course investigates the impact of political culture, the relative power of various interest groups, the American constitutional system, and other factors. The second half of the course examines recent trends in American social policy, focusing on four specific policy areas: pensions, health care, education, and income support. It examines both the historical origins of contemporary American policies and recent reform proposals. A major theme of the course is that it is impossible to understand the contemporary shape of social policy, and the positions of specific stakeholders, without understanding the long-term historical processes that have shaped, and that continue to shape, the present political terrain of preferences and actors. New generations of leaders do not have the opportunity to build social policy from scratch. Rather, they have to react to what already exists. Some reforms will seem like logical extensions of what is already in place, while existing programs might make other alternative
Class Notes:
http://classinfo.umn.edu/?ajkarch+POL3321+Spring2022
Class Description:
This course examines the politics of social policy in the United States. The first half of the course places the United States in comparative perspective. Scholars typically describe the United States as a "laggard" where social policies developed relatively late, grew relatively slowly, and are less generous than are corresponding policies in other advanced industrial democracies. Is this an accurate portrayal of American social policy? Recent scholarship challenges the conventional wisdom, suggesting that the United States does not necessarily do less in terms of social policy but that it relies on an unusual set of policy tools to pursue objectives like poverty alleviation. What explains the distinctive shape of American social policy? This course investigates the impact of political culture, the politics of race, the relative power of various interest groups, the American constitutional system, and other factors.

The second half of the course examines recent trends in American social policy, focusing on four specific policy areas: pensions, health care, education, and income support. It examines both the historical origins of contemporary American policies and recent reform proposals. A major theme of the course is that it is impossible to understand the contemporary shape of social policy, and the positions of specific stakeholders, without understanding the long-term historical processes that have shaped, and that continue to shape, the present terrain of preferences and actors. New generations of leaders do not have the opportunity to build social policy from scratch. Rather, they have to react to what already exists. Some reforms will seem like logical extensions of what is already in place, while existing programs might make other alternatives difficult if not impossible to pursue. By understanding the roots of contemporary American social policy it becomes possible to devise a political strategy for major policy change.
Grading:
15% Midterm Exam I
15% Social Security Reform Policy Analysis
15% Health Care Reform Policy Analysis
15% Midterm Exam II
20% Education Policy Memo
20% Final Exam
Exam Format:
All exams will consist of multiple-choice questions, short identifications, and essay questions.
Class Format:
75% Lecture
15% Discussion
10% Small Group Activities
Workload:
75-100 pages of reading per week
Three exams
Three papers (2-4 double-spaced pages each)
Textbooks:
https://bookstores.umn.edu/course-lookup/65672/1223
Instructor Supplied Information Last Updated:
17 December 2021

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