Public Affairs 2620: Science, Engineering and Technology for Policy and the Public Interest

Goals: 

• Successful students will analyze an important topic or idea at a more advanced and in-depth level than in the Foundations component. [Note: In this context, "advanced" refers to courses that are e.g., synthetic, rely on research or cutting-edge findings, or deeply engage with the subject matter, among other possibilities.]
• Successful students will integrate approaches to the theme by making connections to out-of-classroom experiences with academic knowledge or across disciplines and/or to work they have done in previous classes and that they anticipate doing in future. 
• Successful students will explore and analyze a range of perspectives on local, national, or global citizenship and apply the knowledge, skills, and dispositions that constitute citizenship. 
• Successful students will examine notions of justice amid difference and analyze and critique how these interact with historically and socially constructed ideas of citizenship and membership within society, both within the United States and around the world. 

This course fosters an integrative approach to the Citizenship GE theme by engaging students in an advanced examination of citizenship, justice, and diversity through the interdisciplinary lens of Science, Engineering, and Technology Policy (SETP). In developing knowledge and skills of how SET and SETP are used as a means of strengthening citizenship and justice, students are able to:

• Engage in critical and logical thinking about the topic or idea of citizenship for a just and diverse world.
• Engage in an advanced, in-depth, scholarly exploration of the topic or idea of citizenship for a just and diverse world.
• Identify, describe and synthesize approaches or experiences as they apply to citizenship for a just and diverse world.
• Demonstrate a developing sense of self as a learner through reflection, self-assessment and creative work, building on prior experiences to respond to new and challenging contexts.
• Describe and analyze a range of perspectives on what constitutes citizenship and how it differs across political, cultural, national, global and/or historical communities.
• Identify, reflect on and apply the knowledge, skills and dispositions required for intercultural competence as a global citizen.
• Examine, critique and evaluate various expressions and implications of diversity, equity and inclusion, and explore a variety of lived experiences.
• Analyze and critique the intersection of concepts of justice, difference, citizenship, and how these interact with cultural traditions, structures of power and/or advocacy for social change.

• Grasp the breadth of science and engineering endeavors that have public policy dimensions and appreciate the diversity and interdisciplinary nature of public affairs.
• Demonstrate a firm grasp of basic public affairs concepts and tools employed in this space, specifically:
  • Governmental, financial, economic, legal, and political institutions and systems that constitute public and nonprofit sectors;
  • Public sector policy making and administrative processes;
  • The role of citizenship and ethical public service in a democratic process and just outcomes;
  • Core research methodologies employed to bridge scientific knowledge and public action.
• Practice essential professional skills that form the basis for engaging in science, engineering, and technology policy, specifically:
  • Use primary sources and research methodologies appropriate to the policy sciences to describe, analyze, and evaluate public policy problems;
  • Recognize and interpret human behavior – individual, group, and organizational – in the context of public policy and policy research and systematically incorporate human behaviors and values into empirical research;
  • Communicate effectively via written, oral, and electronic methods for varied policy audiences and consumers of policy research;
  • Appreciate individual and group differences in perspectives, backgrounds, interests, and needs.

• Understand and conceptualize a range of contemporary issues in SET policy, the factors that drive SET innovation and the way it is accomplished, and the role of the public sector in SET and its processes. 
• Identify, analyze, and navigate complex modern challenges at the intersection of the policy, science, engineering, and technology worlds using interdisciplinary perspectives and methods.
• Apply effective communication skills to develop, propose, and advocate for innovative, evidence-based policies to both public- and private-sector decision makers.

As a research-oriented survey course in public affairs, this course develops knowledge and skills essential for a career as a policy scientist, i.e., a mediator and integrator of knowledge and action, having “knowledge of the policy process and of the relevance of knowledge in the process” (Lasswell 1970, p 4).

Furthermore, this course prepares students for more advanced collegiate, graduate, and professional work by providing ample opportunities to practice research development, project management, collaboration, communication, and applied research (including data collection) skills.

The first 2-week segment of the course establishes foundational knowledge about public policy, public interest technology, and science, engineering, and technology (SET) policy research. Students complete a set of knowledge assessments on the material and in-class activities to demonstrate their readiness for: a) deeper engagement with the themes of technology, citizenship and justice, and b) the conduct and presentation of original SET policy research.

In segments 2 and 3 (weeks 3-12), students work in groups, during class and outside class via Microsoft Teams or other collaboration platforms, to conduct an original SET policy research project and produce three policy research deliverables for a range of policy audiences (based on scholarly standards modeled in the Journal of Science Policy & Governance). Students develop their original research questions from current SETP issues that reflect critical challenges of the time, utilizing primary sources and novel data collection. Examples from 2020-22 include global pandemic response, climate-driven wildfires in Latin America, Australia, and the U.S., the cybersecurity implications of 5G rollout in developed economies, building public interest and investment in space exploration, investing in the hydrogen grid for sustainable energy, and addressing carcinogens in period care products. Coursework covers the disciplinary research methodologies (i.e., issue, stakeholder, policy, and market analysis) and skills (i.e., strategic communication, complex systems thinking) that are essential to carrying out the project and creating the deliverables.

The final course segment (weeks 13-15) will focus on exploring career journeys in the SETP domain and fostering the development of personal frameworks for supporting and making ethical decisions based on diverse perspectives of citizenship and justice. Guests and readings will showcase individuals working in the public science, engineering, and technology realm. All students (in their teams) will participate in a Public Interest Technology Research Conference in the last week of the course.

Throughout the semester, participation and engagement are assessed through in-class activities, polls, and written reflections.

Detailed descriptions, prompts, and deadlines for all course deliverables can be found on the CarmenCanvas site.

• Personal Assets Reflection: 2 points
• Syllabus & Technology Contract: 2 points
• Weekly Quizzes: 12 points
• Attendance (in-class activities): 14 points
• Midterm Exam: 10 points
• Team Research Deliverables: 30 points
  (Media Posts, Policy Memo, Policy Position Paper, Industry Pitch Portfolio)
• Peer Feedback/engagement score: 5 points
• Visit to Battelle Center/Instructor Office: 1 points
• Battelle Center SCOPE Events: 4 points
• Book Review: 10 points
• Final Exam: 10 points