PA 388K/PA 345: REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH POLICY
This course will provide you with an overview of the field of reproductive health policy
and help you to develop the skills required to analyze, evaluate, and advocate for policy.
We will focus primarily on the aspects of reproductive health that relate to fertility:
pregnancy, birth, contraception, abortion, assisted reproduction, and decisions about
childbearing. Control over fertility is a divisive issue in today’s political and social climate
and we will learn about the biological fundamentals of reproduction and the legal
frameworks governing reproductive rights. We will then explore current reproductive
health policies in detail. Like many other policy areas you will encounter during your
time at the LBJ School, the reproductive health policies we see today have been
shaped by multiple disciplinary perspectives and a wide variety of players and
stakeholders. To become adept at evaluating, designing, and arguing for responsible
reproductive health policy, you must build a strong foundation of knowledge, develop
the skills necessary to apply and communicate that knowledge, and hone your ability to
consider multiple, often conflicting, perspectives. This class is designed to help you to
do those things.
By the end of the semester you will have had the opportunity to:
1) Understand the historical trajectory of reproductive health policies and the legal
frameworks that govern reproductive rights in the US.
2) Get comfortable with the biological processes underpinning human capacity for
reproduction and fertility control.
3) Become familiar with the most important research in key reproductive policy topic
areas and develop in-depth knowledge of your particular area of interest.
4) View complex reproductive health policy issues from multiple philosophical and
ethical perspectives.
5) Critique and synthesize evidence to evaluate reproductive health policies and apply
your knowledge to make policy recommendations.
6) Practice writing effectively on a reproductive health issue, both for a policy audience
and for the general public.
7) Master the art of testimony––i.e. presenting oral arguments in favor of or against a
policy under legislative or judicial consideration––to design and deliver a concise,
compelling, and scientifically supported case for your point of view.
The course format will be weekly seminars involving a mix of interactive mini-lectures,
discussion of assigned readings, policy analysis exercises, and presentations from
guest speakers.
Requirements and expectations Student progress will be evaluated on the basis of
performance along four criteria:
(1) completion of weekly reading, quality of participation in class discussion, and
observations on weekly reading throughout the semester;
(2) an group assignment consisting of an in-class written and oral policy debate on an
assigned reproductive health topic;
(3) an op-ed on a reproductive health topic of the student’s choice; and
(4) an oral testimony on a different topic of the student’s choice.
The policy debate will be a mid-term assignment.
The op-ed and testimony will be a final assignment and must each be on a different
topic.
Undergraduates will complete the same course work and assignments as graduate
students but will be graded according to a set of expectations appropriate to their
educational level.
Readings: Students are not expected to purchase any texts for this course. All assigned
readings will be provided via Canvas or UT Libraries. Students should expect to
complete approximately 40-50 pages of reading per week. The reading load for this
course is intentionally moderate: the emphasis is on thoughtful reflection rather than
simply making it to the end of an assigned number of pages. Other media, including
videos and websites may also be assigned.