The late Tip O’Neill, Boston congressman and speaker of
the U.S. House of Representatives, was fond of saying that all
politics is local—and there is no more interesting mix of
local, state, and national politics than in Boston. As the urban
hub of the metropolitan region and as the state capital of Massachusetts,
Boston plays a major role in local and state politics. It is also
the center of federal government for New England, home to numerous
federal agencies, the United States Court of Appeals for the First
Circuit, and the First District of the Federal Reserve.
Students in the Politics and Public Policy track choose from
courses in criminal justice, economics, political science, public
policy, and urban affairs. Students also gain first-hand experience
working with local, state, and federal government agencies; international
agencies and organizations; law firms, clinics, or commercial
legal departments, public policy think tanks; and political parties,
public relations, or pressure groups.
Fun Facts:
- Adopted in 1780, the constitution for the Commonwealth of
Massachusetts is the oldest written constitution in effect in
the world today and was a model for the United States Constitution
and its Bill of Rights.
- The democratic concept of the American town meeting began
in Boston in 1633, when citizens of Dorchester approved an order
requiring a regular weekly meeting.
- Henry David Thoreau's writings on civil disobedience
led to the development of the concept of passive resistance
advocated by Gandhi and Martin Luther King, Jr.
Summer 1: Courses (May 19-June 26, 2009)
You’ll spend your first six weeks of the Summer Study Internship
Program taking two courses of your choice from select offerings in politics and public policy.
Summer 2: Internship (July 6-August 14, 2009)
For the second six weeks of the program, you’ll be placed
as an intern in a Boston area organization or business that matches
your interests and experience. You should expect to work a minimum
of 35 hours a week, for five days a week.
Summer Study Internship Course (May 22-August 11, 2009)
The Summer Study Internship Course begins in Summer 1 and continues through Summer 2. 2 cr.
The courses below were available in Summer 2008. Check back on December 15 for an updated list of classes for Summer 2009.
Politics and Public Policy Summer 1 Courses (pick two):
CAS AN 319 Anthropology of Muslim Cultures and Politics
Muslim societies are today being buffeted by a struggle over the
forms and meanings of Muslim culture and politics. This course
examines this struggle, and its implications for religious authority,
gender ideals, and new notions of citizenship, civil society,
and democracy. 4 cr.
CAS EC 356 Economics of the Labor Market
Prereq: CAS EC 201 or CAS EC 211 or CAS EC 303. Application of
current theories of labor supply and demand, wages, education
and experience, immigration, labor efficiency, discrimination,
and unemployment. Appraisal of the effects of government policies
on labor markets. 4 cr.
CAS IR 271 Introduction to International Relations
Undergraduate required principal course. Study of basic factors
in international relations, Western state systems, the concept
of balance of power, nationalism, and imperialism. Primarily for
concentrators. 4 cr.
CAS PH 251 Medical Ethics
Prereq: one philosophy course or sophomore standing. Examination
of a number of value problems arising within the context of medicine
and health care. Particular ethical problems of euthanasia, abortion,
human experimentation, reproduction, and allocation of scarce
resources; critiques of contemporary medicine as an institution.
4 cr.
CAS PO 241 Introduction to Public Policy
Undergraduate core course. Analysis of several issue areas: civil
rights, school desegregation, welfare and social policy, education
and urban housing, energy and the environment. Characteristics
of policy systems in each issue area are analyzed to identify
factors which may affect the content and implementation of public
policies. 4 cr.
CAS PO 317 Presidential Leadership
Presidential power and functions; relations with Congress, political
party, and the public; personality and leadership; and comparative
study of selected presidents. 4 cr.
CAS PO 324 Media and Politics in the United States
Examines changes over time in the American polity's assumptions
about what the press ought to do. In particular, relates our understanding
of the press's role to contemporary media developments including
technological changes, corporate media ownership, and the re-amateurization
of journalism. 4 cr.
CAS PO 548 The Politics of Education
Overview of the origins of public schooling, the purpose of public
education, and controversial educational policies and research.
4 cr.
CAS SO 215 Patients, Professionals, and Health Care
Social factors in health and illness, experience of illness, medicalization; socialization of professionals; organization of delivery and financing of healthcare; pharmaceutical and insurance markets; hospitals, nursing homes and hospices; problems and reforms of U.S. healthcare system.
4 cr.
CAS WS 305 Critical Issues in Women's Studies: Hillary
Clinton and Women's Political Leadership
Emphasizes the Presidential campaign of Hillary Clinton. Readings,
discussion, and field research on issues of women's relationship
to the processes of political leadership, change, and environment.
Analysis of public policy related to women and children. 4 cr.
COM CM 507 Social Activism and PR in the 21st Century
Prereq: COM CM 301 or CM 701. Today's communication-savvy, global
social action groups are turning the PR table on the establishment.
Fueled by broad mistrust of corporations and governments, the
Internet, and the 24/7 media hunger for confrontation, new age
"Davids" are aiming their PR slingshots at modern "Goliaths."
Through case studies, readings, and guest speakers, we examine
the public relations strategies, tactics, ethics, successes, and
challenges of social activism in the twenty-first century. 4 cr.
MET CJ 101 Principles of Criminal Justice
An overview of the criminal justice system and explanations of
criminal behavior. How the system relates to the individual, from
the time of arrest through conviction and sentencing. Emphasis
is on the conflict between social order and individual justice.
4 cr.
