Graduate Prerequisites: (SPHPH719) or consent of instructor. - This course is an introduction to the institutions, processes, and politics of United States government; how they were designed and how they actually operate today. The first month will be spent building a foundation of political science and legal theory dealing with concepts of power, institutional design, representation, interests and public opinion. Each subsequent week will feature an in-depth look at how government approaches a given issue. We will focus on instances of policymaking that have shaped health care and population health in America. This approach will help students not only become familiar with what happened, but why. History is not inevitable. Examining moments of policymaking will equip students to not only understand but also to anticipate and influence government policymaking.

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