Liberal Arts & Sciences: Public Policy

Associate in Science Degree

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This program prepares students to respond to the changes in government and their communities. It provides the skills to understand public policy making. Students choose electives from a broad range of disciplines in the field of policy making. Students completing this program are prepared to transfer to four-year programs in specialized interest areas, or find employment in state, local, and federal government, non-profit agencies, business, law, or management.

Goal 1 To prepare students to distinguish between empirically grounded social science data and opinion.

  • Students will be able to distinguish between empirically grounded social science data and opinion

Goal 2 Prepare students to read, speak, and write effectively

  • Students will write and orally present a report on a public policy issue

Goal 3 Prepare students to interact within a diverse population

  • Students will be exposed to diverse points of view.

Goal 4 Prepare students to analyze quantitative information and think critically

  • Students will be able to read, interpret, and use social science data skillfully.

Goal 5 To prepare students to demonstrate information literacy

  • Students will use traditional and contemporary information technology
  • Students will identify, access, and appropriately use authoritative sources of information

Total Credit Hours: 64

First Semester

This course is an opportunity for students to develop the skills necessary to be successful in college. Students learn the importance of the faculty-student and advisor-advisee relationship, develop time management techniques, apply effective study skill techniques, recognize the implications of living in a diverse society, utilize college resources, and explore career and transfer requirements. Collaborative projects are included. Students matriculated in a degree program must take this course in their first term of study.

This course focuses on several kinds of writing-self-expressive, informative, and argumentative/persuasive, and others. A minimum of five essay compositions are required. The course emphasizes the composition of clear, correct, and effective prose required in a variety of professions and occupations. Prerequisites: Appropriate high school GPA or placement test score or EN090 Basic Writing Skills or SL116 ESL4: Advanced Composition or SL145 ESOL Advanced Composition

This course provides knowledge of relevant computer skills and a solid foundation in the terminology and concepts of computer technology. Experience is provided with a variety of microcomputer software applications, including word processing, electronic spreadsheets, graphics, file management, and integrated software. Concepts and terms focus on preparing for a technologically oriented society and using the computer as a tool for productivity, research, and communication.

This course introduces the discipline of political science through the study of American government. Topics include the concept of the political system, democracy in theory and practice, the historical background and content of the Constitution, Federalism, and the role of the Supreme Court in civil rights. It stresses these aspects of the American political system: public opinion, voting behavior, the electoral system, political parties, and modern campaigning techniques.

This course introduces public policy, a field of study that integrates political, social, and economic theories and insights, and addresses the general question, “Who gets what, when, and how in society?” To answer this question, the history of public policy in the United States is studied, and how public policy is defined, developed, and applied within the federalist system of government. The role of governmental and non-governmental institutions in policy making is examined from several theoretical perspectives. Contemporary issues in public policy are studied through the application of these theories to key substantive areas, including crime and justice, healthcare, social welfare, education, and the environment.

This course gives an understanding of and a feeling for the society in which we live. The concepts and theories discussed relate to humanity, its culture and society, and to those forces that contribute to the smooth operation of this society as well as those forces that contribute to conflict and social problems. Topics include culture, socialization, stratification, population, and patterns of social organization.

Take any Physical Education Course

Second Semester

This course encourages a deeper understanding of human nature and the human condition through the study of ideas and values expressed in imaginative literature. Emphasis is placed on the use and development of critical thinking and language skills. Library-oriented research is required. Prerequisite: EN101 English 1: Composition or EN105 English Composition for Speakers of Other Languages or EN106 English 1: Composition & Reading.

The goal of this course is two-fold: first, to recognize the ethical implications of the daily decisions made by justice system personnel; and, second, to evaluate individual ethical frameworks. It addresses key analytical concepts including utilitarianism, deontology, peacemaking, codes of ethics, and tests of moral reasoning to resolve ethical dilemmas commonly found in the administration of justice, including policing, courts, and corrections. It addresses the relationship of criminal justice to social justice, along with issues of cultural competence and diversity, especially as they illustrate the existence of dilemmas in applied ethics. Scenarios are used to raise moral dilemmas in the administration of justice, with resolution of these dilemmas and analysis of the issues.

This course introduces probability and statistics. Topics include graphs, tables, frequency distributions, measures of central tendency and dispersion, normal distribution, correlation and regression, probability, and inferential statistics. This course is available in two formats: lecture only, or lecture plus laboratory using technology. Prerequisite: Appropriate high school GPA or placement test score or MA089 Arithmetic.

This course covers the organization, operation, and issues of state, county, and city government. Emphasis is placed on comparative politics in the 50 states and the current problems of federalism. Local governmental units and issues are considered in the study of developments on that level.

Take any General Education Natural Science Elective

Take any Physical Education Course

Third Semester

This course is the first of a sequence that explores fundamental accounting principles, concepts, and practices as a basis for the preparation, understanding, and interpretation of accounting information. It covers the complete accounting cycle for service and merchandising businesses through the adjustment and closing of the books and the preparation of the income statement, the statement of owner equity, and the balance sheet. The details of accounting for cash, receivables, inventory, long-lived assets, and current liabilities are investigated.

This course introduces economic theory and its relevance to daily life in a market economy. Topics include scarcity, supply and demand, choice, economic growth, taxation, and the role of government in the economy. Attention is given to current economic issues and their impact upon everyday life.

This course introduces the many and varied facets of psychology. Emphasis is on interactions of individuals in their cultural, social, and economic environments as determined by their cognitive, behavioral, and emotional experiences and training.

Take either CJ217, HS231, CJ202, or AH104

Take any foreign language, including sign language, HU187, HU280, HU290, HU291, HU295, HU296

Take any Physical Education Course

Fourth Semester

This course focuses on the preparation of written reports, grants, correspondences, proposals, and research in the public, private, and non-profit sectors. Analytical, theoretical, and practical writing techniques are explored, as is writing in a comprehensive, well-organized, and convincing manner. Legal and ethical issues that face government are explored and critiqued. Emphasis is placed on contemporary information and technologies. Prerequisites: EN101 English 1: Composition, PS101 American National Government, PS102 Introduction to Public Policy, and IS101 Computers and Society.

This survey course provides an introduction to American history as well as a deeper understanding of how its geography, people, institutions, and culture interact to define the American experience. It begins with Pre-Contact Societies and concludes with the end of the Civil War.

This course continues to survey the development of the American story from an agricultural, frontier society to an urban, industrial nation. Emphasis is placed on the economic revolution of the post-Civil War era, its social, political, and military aspects, and the emergence of America as a world leader. It begins with Reconstruction and concludes with the present.

Take any of the following courses PH112, PH113, PH114, PH131, PH141, PH142, PH151, PH152 or MA108, MA115, MA121, MA150

Any CJ restrictive elective that is offered to Criminal Justice students

This course focuses on understanding and applying scientific methodology to an area of inquiry within the social sciences. It covers quantitative and qualitative methods of research including survey research, interviewing, archival analysis, experimentation, and participant observation. Using data-gathering techniques, a number of mini-research projects are conducted. The application of statistical techniques to data analysis is stressed. Computer software applications are used to analyze data from a variety of sources. Research teams are formed to design and implement final research projects. Prerequisites: SO101 Introduction to Sociology or CJ101 Introduction to Criminal Justice or PS102 Introduction to Public Policy.

This course examines research methodology in the behavioral sciences including observational and recording methods, the evaluation of performance (psychometrics), and quasi-experimental research. Emphasis is placed upon the application of the methodologies to research designs and the interpretation of psychological reports. Prerequisite: PY101 Introduction to General Psychology.

Take any Physical Education Course

(a) Program Electives: CJ217, HS231, CJ202, AH104.

(b) Any foreign language, including sign language, HU187, HU280, HU290, HU291, HU295, or HU296.

(c) Electives: PH112, PH113, PH114, PH131, PH141, PH142, PH151, PH152 or MA108, MA115, MA121, or MA150.

(d) Any Criminal Justice course that is offered in the Criminal Justice Degree.

(e) History Electives include: HI111 American History 1492 - 1850 OR HI112 American History 1850 to Present.

(f) Program Electives include: SS218 Methods of Research OR PY210 Evaluation, Research & Measurements.