4.0

credits

Average Course Rating

The nexus of scientific and technological (S&T) innovation and public policy influences virtually every issue on the agenda of national and international governments: the economy, public health, education, energy, environment, defense, diplomacy, and more. This course will introduce the complex relationships between science, technology, and public policy in the international sphere. The tools and methods policy analysts and science advisors use to assess issues critical to science, technology, and international affairs will be discussed, with deep dives into specific cases. Students will acquire knowledge that they can implement in practice; for example, how governments solicit expertise, determine funding, and regulate science research and technological industries. The classroom sessions will include the inception of S&T in policy and international affairs, illuminating past and present case studies with role-playing, lively discussion, and exercises. In addition to several skills-enhancing assignments, students will complete a final project on a topic of their own choosing. Topics may include investigations of new innovations and their implications for international affairs or even interactions between specific S&T topics and policy responses to the present pandemic. Join us in this course for exciting lessons and guest lectures featuring real-world experience from prominent practitioners, and an active learning approach that will help you acquire real-world skills.