NOTE: This minor is in the process of being transferred to the John Glenn College of Public Affairs.
The public policy minor seeks to provide students with the tools for undertaking two related tasks: learning to identify viable solutions to today’s pressing problems, and understanding how to implement these solutions in the contemporary policymaking environment. As we enter the 21st century, society is confronted by a wide array of challenges on matters related to education, health care, the environment, urban housing, and a number of other policy areas. In trying to find an appropriate response to these challenges, society needs leaders who grasp the connection between their causes and the effects of different possible solutions. However, simply knowing which solutions may work is not enough. To bring about change, leaders need to understand how to implement the plans and solutions that they advocate, and this requires that they be able to navigate the policymaking and enforcement processes in local, state, and national institutions, both in the United States and abroad.
Capstone Course in Public Policy
The capstone course in public policy (SBS 591) provides students with an experience-based learning environment. To facilitate this goal, partnerships have been developed between the public policy minor and different local, regional and state offices and organizations that have public policy interests, to identify projects that students can engage when they are participating in the capstone course which will be relevant to these offices' initiatives. Thus far, arrangements have been secured with the City of Columbus, the Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission (MORPC), and the Ohio Business Roundtable, and preliminary discussions have occurred with the other state and local agencies and organizations.
The capstone course was first conducted during Spring quarter 2008, with the student who was enrolled in the course writing a substantial report that analyzed the legal background and experiences of eight major cities in the United States that had adopted mandatory recycling programs for multi-family residential and commercial properties within their jurisdictions, and identified lessons that could be gleaned for Columbus and the surrounding metropolitan area. The final report was delivered to members of MORPC, staff members of the Mayor of Columbus (including the environmental steward of Columbus, and Mayor’s environmental policy advisor), and the head of education and outreach for SWACO. Future iterations of the course will engage a wide array of topics, including climate change management in the state of Ohio, the impacts of ballot initiatives on electoral processes in Ohio, and the relationship between tax zones and business development in different localities.
In the following links you can find helpful information that describes the goals, details and management of the public policy minor at The Ohio State University. We invite you to begin the journey towards understanding the causes and effects of the problems, and possible solutions that are being explored in today’s world.
2012
Impact of Meeting a Benchmark for Non-Instructional Spending on Student Performance in Ohio School Districts
Financial Costs and Benefits of Healthy, Hunger Free Kids Act for Ohio's Elementary Schools
The Importance of School District Size
Definitions and Counts of Doubling Up
2011
Creating Green Jobs in Columbus
Government Consolidation and Regional Economic Development
Sustainability
Honors Students
Honors students who minor in public policy will be able to take honors courses and participate in the honors thesis capstone experience.
Possible honors courses include the prerequisite course for the minor (H200: Principles of Microeconomics) and a significant number of the specialization courses including: Comm 607 (Mass Communication Law), Geog 240 (Economic and Social Geography), Pol Sci 585 (Techniques of Political Analysis), Pol Sci 511 (Political Strategy, Public Policy and the Private Sector), Psych 320 (Introduction to Data Analysis in Psychology), Psych 371 (Language and the Mind), Psych 522 (Organizational Psychology), Soc 367.03 (Work and Family in the United States), and Soc 410 (Criminology).
Internships
Internship experiences with government agencies, advocacy groups, or other organizations involved in developing or implementing public policy are available through most of the departments in the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences. Contact the undergraduate academic advisor in your department major about various internship opportunities.
Internships opportunities can also be attained through the Washington Academic Internship Program, which is administered through the John Glenn School of Public Affairs.
Internship experiences totaling five credit hours may be substituted for one of the courses in the specialization area with prior approval of the director of the public policy minor.