This course explores how to develop and implement strategies that drive policy change. You will learn how to analyze various approaches to changing policy, consider context for the change (timing, climate for change, opposition) and then identify the most viable option to use to influence policy change. This class is about influencing change versus the mechanics of designing policy. Students will review different influence models, discuss which ones work best in various situations, and identify how influence models connect to campaigns that influence legislative and institutional policy. You will better understand policy change efforts by reviewing examples and learning the central elements of a successful endeavor. Finally, students, in teams, will choose their own adventure and create their own policy change strategy.

Provides an overview of basic quantitative analysis techniques that are common in public policy analysis. Students will be trained to design high quality research and conduct statistical analyses. By the end of the course, students will be able to carry out basic statistical analyses, evaluate the statistical analyses in research reports and journal articles, and communicate clearly the results of analyses to both professional and general audiences.

This survey course provides an introduction to the science of psychology. It examines many of the major areas of applied and experimental psychology. A selection of topics from the following specialty areas are covered: History of Psychology, Research Methods, Biological Psychology, Cognition, Learning, Memory, Human Development, Stress, Emotion, Health Psychology, Personality Theories, Psychopathology, and Social Psychology. Students will apply knowledge of these topics to interpret personal experiences, current events, societal issues, and practical problems.

This course focuses on the development of children from birth to early adolescence. It includes the major developmental theories and perspectives as well as an overview of the research methodology used in the field. Through reflective writing, current research in the areas of physical, cognitive, and social and emotional development is explored in the context of the child's environment.