Course Overview
New policies, programs and operations do not just happen. Successful initiatives require careful research, thought, planning and implementation. Furthermore, they frequently require collaboration between the public sector and the nonprofit and private sectors. In this course, we will delve into three of the components of successful initiatives from inception to advocacy and finance. We will examine and use the following: co-creating techniques including design thinking and human centered design, and project management; advocacy including coalition building, collaboration and public engagement; and new finance methods.
The course will include learning from a variety of readings including academic literature and current topics. Also, we will have guest speakers in some of our classes from the public, private and nonprofit sectors with some experiential learning.
Course Requirements
Students must read the assignments in advance of class and come to class prepared to discuss them. Readings will be available on canvas from books, journals, media and other sources. Students will be advised to purchase a few of the books. Also, students must come to class prepared to engage with guest speakers. Class participation, oral presentations, writing and team work will be important in this class. Each student will lead one class discussion. Students will have one design thinking assignment, one advocacy assignment, and one finance assignment.