Cost Benefit Analysis
Pre-req: EMPA IA8213 - Microeconomics or equivalent.
Familiarity with Excel is strongly recommended. This course introduces students to the principles and practice of cost-benefit analysis for evaluating policies and projects. Emphasizing practical skills over theoretical complexity, students will learn to apply key tools, including valuation methods, discounting, sensitivity analysis, and Excel-based modeling. The first half of the course focuses on the economic and methodological foundations; the second half applies these tools to real-world case studies in various sectors, including transportation, health, education, energy, and security. The course culminates in a major project requiring students to conduct and present an independent cost-benefit analysis on a topic of their choice.
- S 10 a.m.-11:50 a.m.
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Instructor:
Eva Weissman
Info - 3 points
Strategic Management in the Age of AI
Strategic Management of Information and Communication Technologies for the Public Good” addresses the spectrum of policy issues, options, and critical decisions confronting senior managers in the public sphere. Classes will be taught by a combination of lecture, readings, and case. Each class will address policy, technical, and managerial challenges for a particular domain of practice from the introduction or use of established and leading-edge information and communication technologies (ICTs), among them cloud, mobile and social. Arenas may include, for example, health, education, energy, economic development, transportation, civic engagement, law enforcement, human resources, social services, transportation, or compliance and regulatory affairs. The cases will involve a variety of managerial dilemmas and decisions, from governance to transparency, performance management to project management, and be generalizable across multiple domains, arenas, and technologies. Our goal is to expose students to the broadest range of policy challenges, and technologies comprising ICTs in use in the principal domains of practice, giving students a comprehensive exposure to the issues and opportunities as managers encounter them today - and will in the very near future. The course is intended for general, non-technical managers and assumes no engineering capability greater than plugging in a USB stick.
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Instructor:
Robert Z Tumin
Info - 3 points
Political Economy Seminar
This seminar surveys the defining political economy issues of our time. It explores the interplay between politics and economics in the substantive issue areas of economic growth, industrial capitalist development, social welfare and inequality, financial crisis, and global migration. The seminar surveys the most provocative and influential contributions across multiple fields of study, drawing on a wide range of research methods. The course equips students with the conceptual and empirical tools to better understand current developments, provides exposure to multiple perspectives, and builds confidence in developing one’s own point of view. The course wraps up with a shared exploration of how political economy shapes the lives of marginalized communities.
- W 6:10 p.m.-9 p.m.
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Instructor:
Yumiko T Shimabukuro
Info - 3 points
International Relations Theory for Globa
IR Theory & Global Policy
This course provides an advanced introduction to core theories of international relations and their application to real-world policymaking in a global context. Students will examine foundational and contemporary analytical frameworks, including realism, liberalism, constructivism, game theory, selectorate theory, decision-making models, two-level game theory, and complex interdependence. Through a structured combination of lectures, discussions, and collaborative group analysis, students will apply these theories to contemporary global issues, with a focus on the U.S.–China relationship. The course culminates in a two-session policy forum, in which students present theory-based policy analyses they have developed over the semester. Emphasis is placed on practical application, clarity of analysis, and professional presentation.
- T 5:10 p.m.-7 p.m.
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Instructor:
Fumiko Sasaki
Info - 3 points
Quantitative Techniques
This course equips mid-career professionals with the statistical tools needed to make data-informed decisions in public management and policy contexts. The course begins with foundational concepts in probability and statistics and advances through hypothesis testing, regression analysis, and applied data interpretation. Emphasis is placed on practical application, allowing students to critically evaluate research and apply quantitative findings to real-world policy and business challenges.
Designed for students with basic mathematics and high school algebra, the course does not require prior statistical knowledge. It includes hands-on training in STATA, a widely used statistical software package, to streamline analysis and enhance decision-making capabilities. By the end of the semester, students will be prepared to use statistical reasoning in managerial settings and interpret quantitative analysis produced by professional researchers.
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Instructor:
Stuart E Ward
Info - 3 points
Communicating in Organizations
Communicating in Organizations is a survey course that explores aspects of day-to-day managerial communication relating to presentations and other high-profile moments and more familiar elements of interpersonal communication. The course uses many teaching techniques: short lectures, individual and group exercises, video-recorded presentations, role plays, case discussions, video clips, and writing assignments. It is highly experiential, with exercises or presentations scheduled in most sessions. Initially, we’ll focus on the communication skills and strategies that help you present your ideas to others. I’ll ask you to do two benchmark assignments―a letter and a brief presentation―to assess the abilities you bring to the course. In several of our class sessions, you’ll be the one “in front of the room,” delivering either a prepared talk or brief, impromptu comments. Such assignments will allow you to develop your skills as a presenter. I’ll also discuss the link between listening and speaking, showing you how developing your listening skills will improve your effectiveness as a speaker. And we’ll explore several elements of visual communication, including how to design effective visual aids and written documents. To communicate effectively in such roles as coach, interviewer, negotiator, or facilitator, you need to be skilled at listening, questioning, observing behavior, and giving feedback. We’ll practice each of these skills in-class exercises and assignments. The Social Style instrument will provide detailed feedback about how others view your communication style. You’ll discover how style differences may lead to miscommunication, missed opportunities, or mishandled conflict.
- R 7:10 p.m.-9 p.m.
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Instructor:
Joann P Baney
Info - 3 points
Social Justice Movements and Coalition-B
This course is an introduction to how emerging hybrid models of traditional and digital organizing and advocacy are building unprecedented social justice movements in the United States. During the first half of the course, students will examine the theory and practice of successful traditional offline organizing and advocacy campaigns as well as principles and characteristics of successful digital activism. In the second half of the course, students w2ill analyze contemporary social movements that have fused offline and online organizing and advocacy tactics, including ongoing activism for racial equity, drug policy reform, LGBTQ rights, criminal justice reform, gender equity, and immigration reform. Using a blend of book and journal readings, case studies, videos, and hands-on group project, and guest speaker practitioners, this course will paint a vivid picture of how social change happens in our age of social media coexisting within the practical realities of longstanding power dynamics.
- W 7:10 p.m.-9 p.m.
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Instructor:
Richard F Greenberg
Info - 3 points
Rethinking Policing in the 21st Century
Rethinking Policing Today
This course examines modern policing in the United States through historical, legal, racial, and political lenses. Students will explore the evolution of policing practices and their implications for civil rights, public trust, and public safety. Key topics include police recruitment and training, disciplinary procedures, technology in law enforcement, use-of-force guidelines, and the impact of police unions. The course will evaluate the role of social movements, such as Black Lives Matter, in advancing reform and will analyze policy recommendations implemented in cities across the U.S. and abroad. Students will engage with current scholarship, government reports, and case studies to assess efforts to reimagine public safety, address systemic racism, and improve police-community relations. The course culminates in a policy-oriented final paper proposing actionable reform strategies.
- M 7:10 p.m.-9 p.m.
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Instructor:
Basil A Jr Smikle
Info - 3 points