Course: Designing Policy for the Future

Reading the news today, one is confronted by an avalanche of challenges, big and small, that threaten our current way of life. From climate change to crumbling infrastructure, crippling inequality, global pandemics and racial and social injustice our society faces a vast array of problems that hold the potential for significant consequences to future generations. We must only look to the incredible progress that we've made over the last century — from ending the Cold War to enacting civil rights in the U.S. and international space exploration — to remember that lasting change can start even in the unlikeliest of places, with one person who dreams of making the world a better place.

This course, Designing Policy for the Future, provides a roadmap to empower you to make a difference in the world. The goal of this course is to deepen your understanding of how public policy, as in the solutions to problems that our communities confront, is developed. This course is designed with a particular emphasis on political actors, institutions and the broader global context in which policy is enacted and implemented. From interest groups to political leaders and the role of the media in foreign affairs, we will continually ask: how and why do some issues gain traction with the general public (and decision-makers) and others ignored? We will examine how public policy is crafted, negotiated and enacted. It is a complicated story — one worth understanding. This course will provide future leaders with conceptual tools for analyzing the environments in which policy is made.

• You will reside on the St. Edmund’s campus, located in the historic city of Oxford in double rooms and share common bathrooms.
• The On-Site Director, On-Site Coordinator and Student Life Managers reside in the residence hall with students, providing an atmosphere that supports your success by emphasizing community building and individual responsibility.
• You’ll have most meals in the St. Edmund’s dining hall. A few meals will be at local eateries in Oxford and London.

Site visits are designed to provide opportunities for you to immerse yourself in the field of public policy. Please Note: this is a sample of planned activities and is subject to change.

• Take up global economics with geopolitical experts from Oxford Analytica. 
• Engage with an Oxford based non-profit to learn about their work. 
• Attend a public policy lecture given by an Oxford University professor related to their research area.
• Discuss research methodology with a Principal Investigator of one of the UK’s oldest running surveys.  
• Tour the Palace of Westminster where the the Houses of Parliament are located to gain understanding of how Britain works (and doesn’t work). 
• Engage an elected official and discuss current public policy and world events. 
• Confer with an economic think tank in “The City” (London’s financial center) to delve into the impacts of Brexit. 
• Visit historical sites such as Blenheim Palace and Windsor Castle.