Sanford School of Public Policy
Duke University

New PPS Courses for Spring 2010

196S.02 Politics, Religion and Radical Democracy

What is the relationship between faith and political activism in America on local, state, and national levels? What democratic traditions and philosophies shape our understanding of political practice? This course considers the ways that American religious and democratic traditions inform our perspectives on grassroots activism and political policy. It will also introduce three approaches to political practice in America: the ethics of democracy, ecclesial counter-praxis, and radical democracy.

196S.10 Muckraking to Data Mining: Reporting that made a difference, Cohen

      Investigative reporting has prompted a president to resign, new consumer safety laws and the release of wronged prisoners. This class traces the evolution of investigative reporting through the lens of the stories which changed public policy. Relying largely on fresh reading of the original works, the class will follow the changing methods and mores of investigative and watchdog reporting.

196S.12 Narrative Journalism and the Web, Bennett

      Is the Internet killing journalism's "great stories"? For decades long-form journalism has distinguished elite publications, attracted great writers and produced stories that deepen readers' understanding of issues. The course examines journalism storytelling and the impact of new technologies in print, on television and online. In an age of "viral" images, will narrative journalism lose its power? Do different forms of storytelling influence what kind of issues and subjects receive attention? Students will produce original journalism during the term.

196S.13 Islam and the Media, Bennett

This course will examine how the news media portray Muslims in the United States, and how Muslim communities see themselves in the context of media coverage. What roles do religion, culture, language and other experience play in journalists’ approach to stories about Muslims in America? Do American Muslims identify with these stories? How closely do the news media’s portrayals of individuals and communities resemble Muslims’ self-portraits? As part of the course, students will develop a project involving Muslim communities guided by Wendy Ewald of the Center for International Studies and the Center for Documentary Studies. This course is cross-listed with Doc Studies.

196S.20 Crash: The Intersection of Politics, Policy and the Media, Schoenfeld

This course examines decisionmaking at the intersection of politics, public policy and media. The course will draw on real-world and real-time examples and case studies, as well as guest speakers. Issues include: Grassroots, grasstops, Astroturf and other exotic species of advocacy – When “new media” becomes “news media” – Congressional hearings as theater – The role of think tanks and trade associations – Scandal machines and the commodification of outrage – Differences between crises and controversies, and how to manage them. This writing-intensive course includes historical readings, tracking and discussing current events, papers, and a simulation/role playing exercise.

264.11 Social Theory, Economic Policy, and African American Literature, Darity

Social theories generally are embedded in literature, particularly African American literature, and carry complex messages about the economic policies appropriate to remedy racial inequality. This course will extract those theories from the texts and subject them to critical scrutiny using evidence from social science research, especially from economics. The writings of Toni Morrison, Charles Johnson, Sherda Williams, William Styron, and Thulani Davis will be included in the course.

264S.22 Economics of The Family, Hamoudi

At least as much as any other institution, families can distribute resources among their members across time and space, spread risk, and foster cooperation. In this seminar, we will examine some of the ways that extended families function as economic institutions. We will take a primarily empirical approach, reading original research from academic journals into the types of economic relationships that have been observed within families in contexts all over the world. Where relevant, we will also look at microeconomic theory. Students with a solid grounding in microeconomics and econometrics/statistics will be able to tackle the material.

264S.24 International Political Economy, Bermeo

Examines the economic relations between states. Topics covered include trade policy, foreign aid, foreign direct investment, exchange rates, capital flows, immigration and environment policy. Students must be comfortable reading statistical analysis, such as regression results reported in journal articles.

264S.26 Philanthropy: The Theory of Practice and the Practice of Theory, Skloot

This course is designed to enable graduate students and upper level undergraduate students to deepen their understanding of philanthropy: its special role in American society, it's influence and the issues it faces in maintaining its legitimacy and efficacy. This is not an introductory course. The course will cover both theory and practice and assignments will build on previous ones that ultimately demonstrate how foundations and their staffs work in the real world. There will be one or two guest lectures.

264S.27 The Political Economy of the Foreclosure Crisis and its Implications for Public Policy, Stegman

For the first time in recent memory, events in the housing market have triggered severe national and global economic crises with generational implications. Policy challenges posed by home foreclosures and the resulting macroeconomic dislocations are as great as they are complex. An estimated 2.4 million American homeowners will experience a foreclosure in 2009, and almost four times as many during 2009-2012. According to the Federal Reserve, between June 2007 and the end of 2008, just a year into the present recession, American households had already lost more than $15 trillion (22%) of their personal wealth, the fastest decline since the Fed began collecting such data in 1952. Any way one looks at it, whether from the perspective of individual families, the effects on communities, or from the larger perspective of the role of government in addressing these problems, this is a really big deal that justifies thoughtful consideration in a public policy curriculum The goal of the seminar is to help students gain a sophisticated and nuanced understanding of the contributory causes, consequences, and policy implications of the housing bubble and foreclosure crisis. A secondary goal is to encourage students to become more self-conscious about the ethical dimensions of the problem, and the importance of a strong moral compass in the pursuit of personal and professional goals.

 

                                   

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Class on the Sanford Building Lawn