Requirements for
the public policy and law major:
The public policy and law major
requires 14 courses consisting of:
- three foundation courses,
- four core courses,
- four courses in a chosen concentration,
- two electives chosen from an approved list, and
- one senior seminar.
Students
who think that they may wish to choose the public policy
major are strongly urged to take
ECON 101. Introduction to Economics
and POLS 102. American National Government
prior to declaring the major. These two courses are important
for understanding the basic elements of public policy debate
and are a prerequisite for certain upper-level courses
students may wish to elect later in the program. Only
courses passed with a grade of C- or better will count
towards the major.
Foundation courses
(three courses)---All students must take the following courses.
They are not sequential, but it is recommended that students
take PBPL 201 first.
- PBPL 201. Introduction to American Public Policy
- PBPL 202. Law, Argument, and Public Policy
- ECON 247. Introduction to Policy Analysis
Core courses
(four courses)---All students must take a course in each
of four core areas.
- Ethics (COLL 307,
PBPL 324, PHIL 215,
PHIL 355, or another appropriate
course approved in advance by the program director)
- Statistics (MATH 107 or another
appropriate course approved in advance by the program director)
- Legal history (POLS 316,
PBPL 323, or another appropriate
course approved in advance by the program director)
- Institutions of American government (POLS 309,
PBPL 251, POLS 225,
or another appropriate course approved in advance by the program director)
Concentrations
(four courses)---All students must select one of the
concentrations specified below and take three courses
that are chosen in consultation with their adviser. Students
must also complete an integrated internship in their area of
concentration. Students may select a senior thesis as one of
their three concentration courses.
- Policy analysis
- Law and society
- Human rights and international policy
- Policy and politics
- Educational policy
- Environmental policy
- Health policy
- Arts policy
Alternatively,
students may, with the approval of their adviser and the director
of the program, pursue a self-designed concentration.
The
Writing Intensive Part II requirement is fulfilled by one
of the following courses: PBPL 201,
PBPL 202, PBPL 350,
PBPL 401, or PBPL 497.
Electives
(two courses)---One economic elective must be selected from
outside of the student's area of concentration, and one
elective must be selected from a list of global courses
made available to students each term.
Senior seminar---All
students will take the 400-level current issues senior seminar,
which serves as the senior exercise. The specific topics for the
seminar will vary from year to year.
Thesis
option: Students may elect to write a one-semester,
one-course-credit senior thesis in their area of
concentration. Only students who write a thesis will
be considered for honors in the major.
Honors---An
average of at least A- in courses counted toward the major,
and a grade of A- or higher on a senior thesis. Students
who fall just below the A- average may petition the
program director on the basis of exceptional circumstances.
Study away---While
there are many general programs of foreign study available
to Trinity students, public policy majors interested in
foreign study should be aware of The Swedish Program at
Stockholm University, which was specially created "to
develop an understanding of how organizations and public
policy in Sweden address economic, political, and social
issues relevant to all Western industrial societies." The
Center for European Studies---Study Europe in Maastricht
also has a particularly rich offering of courses in social
science and public policy. Students should refer to updated
study abroad listings available at the International
Programs Office for additional information.