PLCY 805 Policy Analysis and Statesmanship

This course introduces students to various models of public policy analysis and evaluation as a foundation to developing a viable public policy research project.

For information regarding prerequisites for this course, please refer to the Academic Course Catalog.

Public policy and public policy recommendations are often derived from or constructed upon social science research. Not only does this course prepare the doctoral-level student to conduct his/her own robust research, but it equips the student with the toolkit needed for the full evaluation of research used as justification for particular policies.

Textbook readings and lecture presentations

No details available.

Course Requirements Checklist

After reading the Course Syllabus and Student Expectations, the student will complete the related checklist found in the Course Overview.

Discussions (6)

Discussions are collaborative learning experiences. Therefore, the student is required to write a response thread to the prompt for each discussion assignment. Each thread must consist of at least 500 words and demonstrate mastery of course content. For each thread, the student must ground his/her responses and lines of argumentation in the course readings with at least three (3) scholarly, peer-reviewed citations in current APA format. In addition to this initial thread, the student must reply to two (2) of the threads authored by his or her colleagues. Each reply must consist of at least 300 words. Replies should be rooted in course readings and content and incorporate at least three (3) scholarly citations from the Learn items used during the assigned Module: Week cited in current APA format. Additionally, reputable academic titles and articles may be invoked to answer prompts (especially those in the recommended reading list).

Each doctoral student will complete 1 video presentation at the conclusion of this course. The student will post one video of approximately 10 minutes in length. The student must then post 2 replies to colleague video posts of at least 150 words each. Video presentations must cover each and every major component of the student’s full research design proposal.

Research Design Comparison Assignment

The student will identify and write a comparative analysis and critique of 2 prominent, peer-reviewed research articles, each of which focuses on the same general research question/dependent variable. The paper must be at least 7 pages. Citations must be in APA format. 

Mock Research Proposal Assignment

The doctoral student will write an abbreviated practice proposal based on the research question/dependent variable (DV) selected for the Discussion in a specified Module. The primary focus of the practice proposal is the selection of a research design appropriate for the study of a particular dependent variable. The proposal can build out of the literature review constructed in the previous writing assignment.

After providing a concise description of his or her dependent variable on page one of the proposal, the student should spend significant space describing the conceptualization of his or her DV. The student must also provide a clearly specified research question. The focus should then shift to explaining why the chosen research design is appropriate for the study of the particular DV. Strong proposals will address measurement issues, provide examples of observable implications, and explain/justify case selection. This paper must by at least 15 pages, include at least 20 references in addition to the course readings, and must demonstrate the integration of biblical principles. The paper must be written in current APA format.