Course Schedule

This course covers persuasive legal writing and oral argument before an appellate panel.  All students will complete a series of assignments designed to help you learn to write an appellate brief.  All students will write a complete appellate brief and make two oral arguments.  The course also covers other practical legal skills.

This course covers persuasive legal writing and oral argument before an appellate panel.  All students will complete a series of assignments designed to help you learn to write an appellate brief.  All students will write a complete appellate brief and make two oral arguments.  The course also covers other practical legal skills.

This course covers persuasive legal writing and oral argument before an appellate panel.  All students will complete a series of assignments designed to help you learn to write an appellate brief.  All students will write a complete appellate brief and make two oral arguments.  The course also covers other practical legal skills.

This course covers persuasive legal writing and oral argument before an appellate panel.  All students will complete a series of assignments designed to help you learn to write an appellate brief.  All students will write a complete appellate brief and make two oral arguments.  The course also covers other practical legal skills.

This course covers persuasive legal writing and oral argument before an appellate panel.  All students will complete a series of assignments designed to help you learn to write an appellate brief.  All students will write a complete appellate brief and make two oral arguments.  The course also covers other practical legal skills.

This course covers persuasive legal writing and oral argument before an appellate panel.  All students will complete a series of assignments designed to help you learn to write an appellate brief.  All students will write a complete appellate brief and make two oral arguments.  The course also covers other practical legal skills.

This course covers persuasive legal writing and oral argument before an appellate panel.  All students will complete a series of assignments designed to help you learn to write an appellate brief.  All students will write a complete appellate brief and make two oral arguments.  The course also covers other practical legal skills.

This course covers persuasive legal writing and oral argument before an appellate panel.  All students will complete a series of assignments designed to help you learn to write an appellate brief.  All students will write a complete appellate brief and make two oral arguments.  The course also covers other practical legal skills.

This course covers persuasive legal writing and oral argument before an appellate panel.  All students will complete a series of assignments designed to help you learn to write an appellate brief.  All students will write a complete appellate brief and make two oral arguments.  The course also covers other practical legal skills.

This course covers persuasive legal writing and oral argument before an appellate panel.  All students will complete a series of assignments designed to help you learn to write an appellate brief.  All students will write a complete appellate brief and make two oral arguments.  The course also covers other practical legal skills.

This course covers persuasive legal writing and oral argument before an appellate panel.  All students will complete a series of assignments designed to help you learn to write an appellate brief.  All students will write a complete appellate brief and make two oral arguments.  The course also covers other practical legal skills.

This course covers persuasive legal writing and oral argument before an appellate panel.  All students will complete a series of assignments designed to help you learn to write an appellate brief.  All students will write a complete appellate brief and make two oral arguments.  The course also covers other practical legal skills.

This course covers persuasive legal writing and oral argument before an appellate panel.  All students will complete a series of assignments designed to help you learn to write an appellate brief.  All students will write a complete appellate brief and make two oral arguments.  The course also covers other practical legal skills.

This course covers persuasive legal writing and oral argument before an appellate panel.  All students will complete a series of assignments designed to help you learn to write an appellate brief.  All students will write a complete appellate brief and make two oral arguments.  The course also covers other practical legal skills.

This course covers persuasive legal writing and oral argument before an appellate panel.  All students will complete a series of assignments designed to help you learn to write an appellate brief.  All students will write a complete appellate brief and make two oral arguments.  The course also covers other practical legal skills.

This course covers persuasive legal writing and oral argument before an appellate panel.  All students will complete a series of assignments designed to help you learn to write an appellate brief.  All students will write a complete appellate brief and make two oral arguments.  The course also covers other practical legal skills.

This course covers persuasive legal writing and oral argument before an appellate panel.  All students will complete a series of assignments designed to help you learn to write an appellate brief.  All students will write a complete appellate brief and make two oral arguments.  The course also covers other practical legal skills.

This course covers persuasive legal writing and oral argument before an appellate panel.  All students will complete a series of assignments designed to help you learn to write an appellate brief.  All students will write a complete appellate brief and make two oral arguments.  The course also covers other practical legal skills.

This one-credit, five-day graduate seminar examines decision-making from both a theoretical perspective and from its execution in practice.  The course introduces students to various models of decision-making; explores cognitive biases in decision-making; and examines how decision-makers often use — and misuse — historical analogies and lessons from history. The course also focuses on the concept of risk and decision-making under conditions of risk and uncertainty, as well as the effects of groups and bureaucratic politics on decisions. Drawn, in part, from the professor’s nearly six years on the National Security Council (NSC) staff at the White House, the seminar will incorporate select examples from U.S. national security. That said, the theories, pitfalls, and best practices studied throughout the course also apply to business, public policy, and leadership decisions more broadly.

• Class #1: Monday, 21 August, 5:30-8:30pm CT• Class #2: Monday, 28 August, 5:30-8:30pm CT• Holiday: Monday, 4 September, Labor Day. No classes.• Class #3: Monday, 11 September, 5:30-8:30pm CT• Class #4: Monday, 18 September, 5:30-8:30pm CT• No Class: Monday, 25 September. Prep for Presentations & Papers. • Class #5: Monday, 2 October. Presentations & Papers Due. Final class.

This one-credit, five-day graduate seminar examines decision-making from both a theoretical perspective and from its execution in practice.  The course introduces students to various models of decision-making; explores cognitive biases in decision-making; and examines how decision-makers often use — and misuse — historical analogies and lessons from history.  The course also focuses on the concept of risk and decision-making under conditions of risk and uncertainty, as well as the effect of groups on decisions.  Drawn, in part, from the professor’s nearly six years on the National Security Council (NSC) staff, the seminar will incorporate select examples from U.S. national security, including decisions related to pandemics and terrorism.  The theories, pitfalls, and best practices studied throughout the course also apply to business, public policy, and leadership decisions more broadly.

Seminar Dates. All sessions will be held online.                                                                       

• Session #1: Wednesday, 20 January, 5:30-8:30pm CT
• Session #2: Wednesday, 27 January, 5:30-8:30pm CT
• Session #3: Wednesday, 3 February, 5:30-8:30pm CT
• Session #4: Wednesday, 10 February, 5:30-8:30pm CT
• Break:  NO CLASS on 17 February
• Session #5: Wednesday, 24 February 5:30-8:30pm CT  

This course provides a foundation that will introduce students to the use of a variety of analytic tools employed in the policymaking process. We pay particular attention to the major players in the process, and how gender in conjunction with race and ethnicity have become more salient in policy formation. Given the centrality of health care to the modern welfare state, we will examine how gender, race, and ethnicity influence health policy. Toward that end, the class will examine the gender dimensions of health, illness, and the health care industry in the United States and other developed nations. It is motivated by the fact that health, disease, and medical care have important gender-specific dimensions that interact with other sources of disadvantage, economic and political structures, and culture. In the past the health care system often ignored gender, as well as race-and ethnic-based differences in health and health-care needs.

These gaps in knowledge concerning risks and appropriate treatments have very specific consequences that we will investigate and debate. The collection of readings will allow us to examine the social institutions that shape men’s and women’s health and health care. Specific topics will include reproductive health, single motherhood and the stress of raising children alone, welfare and health care, divorce and changes in health, certain illnesses that women experience including breast and ovarian cancer, drug and alcohol abuse, and the forces that influence research into men and women’s health problems. Furthermore, we examine the role of women as major actors in changing the health care system, reducing health risks for themselves and their families, and their roles as health care providers, public administrators, and leaders in the health care establishment.

The second objective of the course is for students to develop an understanding of the major sources of health social policy data (e.g., demographic statistics, administrative records, health surveys, etc.). Our objective is to develop a critical understanding of the appropriate use of health-related data and to determine how they can best be used to evaluate a broad array of public policies.Finally, throughout the semester we examine the role of different levels and branches of government, touch upon the role of local, state and federal agencies in health policy formation and implementation (e.g., Medicaid), the politics of the medicalization of women’s issues including childbirth, refugee and immigrant health, and more. Alternative political ideologies regarding state and private responsibility for women’s health will be compared and contrasted. This involves gauging the relative power of key non-governmental actors, such as interest groups, health care NGOs, researchers, and the media in the definition and framing of our health agenda.

Note that the book course deals with rapidly evolving issues and readings serve as a point of departure. They will be adjusted in conformity with student interests and as current events warrant.

Bird, C.E. and P.P. Rieker. 2008. Gender and Health: The Effects of Constrained Choices and Social Policies. New York: Cambridge University Press.

This course provides a foundation that will introduce students to the use of a variety of analytic tools employed in the policymaking process. We pay particular attention to the major players in the process, and how gender in conjunction with race and ethnicity have become more salient in policy formation. Given the centrality of health care to the modern welfare state, we will examine how gender, race, and ethnicity influence health policy. Toward that end, the class will examine the gender dimensions of health, illness, and the health care industry in the United States and other developed nations. It is motivated by the fact that health, disease, and medical care have important gender-specific dimensions that interact with other sources of disadvantage, economic and political structures, and culture. In the past the health care system often ignored gender, as well as race-and ethnic-based differences in health and health-care needs.

These gaps in knowledge concerning risks and appropriate treatments have very specific consequences that we will investigate and debate. The collection of readings will allow us to examine the social institutions that shape men’s and women’s health and health care. Specific topics will include reproductive health, single motherhood and the stress of raising children alone, welfare and health care, divorce and changes in health, certain illnesses that women experience including breast and ovarian cancer, drug and alcohol abuse, and the forces that influence research into men and women’s health problems. Furthermore, we examine the role of women as major actors in changing the health care system, reducing health risks for themselves and their families, and their roles as health care providers, public administrators, and leaders in the health care establishment.

The second objective of the course is for students to develop an understanding of the major sources of health social policy data (e.g., demographic statistics, administrative records, health surveys, etc.). Our objective is to develop a critical understanding of the appropriate use of health-related data and to determine how they can best be used to evaluate a broad array of public policies.Finally, throughout the semester we examine the role of different levels and branches of government, touch upon the role of local, state and federal agencies in health policy formation and implementation (e.g., Medicaid), the politics of the medicalization of women’s issues including childbirth, refugee and immigrant health, and more. Alternative political ideologies regarding state and private responsibility for women’s health will be compared and contrasted. This involves gauging the relative power of key non-governmental actors, such as interest groups, health care NGOs, researchers, and the media in the definition and framing of our health agenda.

Note that the book course deals with rapidly evolving issues and readings serve as a point of departure. They will be adjusted in conformity with student interests and as current events warrant.

Bird, C.E. and P.P. Rieker. 2008. Gender and Health: The Effects of Constrained Choices and Social Policies. New York: Cambridge University Press.

This course examines the gender dimensions of health, illness, and the medical care industry in the United States and other developed nations.  It is motivated by the fact that health, disease, and medical care have important gender-specific dimensions that are affected by economics, politics, and culture. In the past the medical care system often ignored gender, as well as race-based differences in health care needs. These gaps in knowledge concerning risks and appropriate treatments have very specific consequences that we will investigate.  The collection of readings will allow us to examine the social institutions that shape men’s and women’s health and health care.  Specific topics will include reproductive health, single motherhood and the stress of raising children alone, welfare and health care, divorce and changes in health, certain illnesses that women experience including breast and ovarian cancer, drug and alcohol abuse, and the forces that influence research into women’s health problems. In addition, we examine the role of women as major actors in changing the health care system, reducing health risks for themselves and their families, and their roles as health care providers, public administrators, and leaders in the health care establishment. We will also touch upon the role of local, state and federal agencies in health policy formulation and implementation, the politics of the medicalization of women’s issues including childbirth, refugee and immigrant women's health, and more. The course will also examine the role of different levels and branches of government, including the presidency, Congress, the courts, and the bureaucracy, in the formation of public policy.  Alternative political ideologies regarding state and private responsibility for women’s health will be compared and contrasted.  Similarly, we will assess the relative power of key non-governmental actors, such as interest groups, health care NGOs, researchers, and the media in the definition and framing of our health agenda. The course deals with rapidly evolving issues and readings will be assigned as current events warrant. 

EVALUATION

Assignments include a policy issue brief (50%), point-counterpoint exchange (20%), and mid-term assessment (10%). Attendance and participation are integral parts of the course and will count towards the final grade (20%).

REQUIRED TEXT AND SELECTED READINGS TO BE ASSIGNED

Bird, C.E. and P.P. Rieker. 2008. Gender and Health: The Effects of Constrained Choices and Social Policies. New York: Cambridge University Press.

Stone, D.  2001.  Policy Paradox: The Art of Political Decision Making. New York:  W.W.Norton and Company.

POLICY MAKING/LEADERSHIP "ADVANCED PUBLIC MANAGEMENT: Policy Making and Leadership The purpose of the course is to expose students to contemporary policy challenges in the national security arena and, in doing so, provide the student a framework for making future decisions across the entire public policy spectrum. Students will be exposed to a variety of geopolitical scenarios and working in conjunction with a “national security team” they will develop a list of options for government leaders. The course goes beyond the theoretical and analytical to understanding exactly how national security policy is made in the most complex and politically sensitive environments. In the scenarios, students will be confronted with the challenges of whether to conduct a drone strike in a denied area, address the development of nuclear weapons in Iran, a potential conflict between Russia and NATO, whether to intervene in a potential Global contagion and several other current international problems. Students will learn to understand the implications of U.S. actions on both international and domestic policy. Throughout the course we will also examine the role of leadership in policy making."

The purpose of the course is to expose students to contemporary policy challenges in the national security arena and, in doing so, provide the student a framework for making future decisions across the entire public policy spectrum.   You will be exposed to a variety of geopolitical scenarios and working in conjunction with a “national security team” you will develop a list of options for government leaders. The course goes beyond the theoretical and analytical to understanding exactly how national security policy is made in the most complex and politically sensitive environments.  In the scenarios, you will be confronted with the challenges of whether to conduct a drone strike in a denied area, address the development of nuclear weapons in Iran, a potential conflict between Russia and NATO, whether to intervene in a potential Global contagion and several other current international problems.  You will learn to understand the implications of U.S. actions on both international and domestic policy.  Throughout the course we will also examine the role of leadership in policy making.