The LBJ School is pleased to offer nearly 100 classes this fall to equip future public policy professionals with the skills they will need to lead and succeed. Alongside 18 dual degree options, 27 specializations and the vast resources of The University of Texas at Austin, students have endless opportunities to customize their degree.
Here’s a snapshot of a few of our stand out courses:
Public Management and Leadership
Taught by Admiral Bill McRaven, the purpose of the course is to expose students to contemporary policy challenges in the national security arena and, in doing so, provide the student a framework for making future decisions across the entire public policy spectrum. Students will be exposed to a variety of geopolitical scenarios and working in conjunction with a “national security team” they will develop a list of options for government leaders.
International Policy and Administration
Civil Society Activities in Israel and Palestine
Taught by Professor David Eaton, this course offers a unique opportunity to experience the challenges and complexities of shared society and coexistence in Israel/Palestine, the Holy Land for Jews, Muslims and Christians, a homeland shared and claimed by both Israelis and Palestinians. The course will focus on activities carried out by nonprofit organizations operating within the Israeli civil society dealing with issues related to shared society and to the protection and advancement of the civil and human rights of different populations, with special emphasis on the Arab-Palestinian population in Israel.
Public Policy Analysis
Taught by Professor James Galbraith, this course will examine the political economy of resilience, recovery and reorganization in the face of the world crisis unleashed by the pandemic of Covid-19 in 2020/21 and by war in 2022.
Taught by Professor Raissa Fabregas, this course uses the tools from labor economics to discuss policy-relevant questions concerning human capital and wage determination. First, we will focus on human capital and schooling. The second block will concentrate on issues around compensation, incentives, and wage setting. The third block will focus on selected policy-relevant questions, looking at labor markets as a whole. This might include topics such as the effects of minimum wages and immigration.
Health Policy and Management
Taught by Professor Jacqueline Angel, this course examines the gender dimensions of health, illness, and the medical care industry in the United States and other developed nations. It is motivated by the fact that health, disease, and medical care have important gender-specific dimensions that are affected by economics, politics, and culture. In the past the medical care system often ignored gender, as well as race-based differences in health care needs. These gaps in knowledge concerning risks and appropriate treatments have very specific consequences that we will investigate.
Homeland Security and Emergency Management
New tech and international security
In 2014, a new competitive strategy took hold in the United States, fueled by the expectation of a technology-inspired disruption to the practice of international security. The new strategy, called the Third Offset, is now a major part of the national security discourse in the United States. The strategy advocates for the adoption of disruptive new technologies and organizational changes to balance Russian and Chinese military threats. What opportunities and challenges do the Third Offset pose to American policymakers? American national security has always been highly dependent on its ability to develop and adopt new military technologies at the forefront of science and technology. What is different now? Taught by Professor Jaganath Sankaran, this course is designed to explore the opportunities and challenges of the Third Offset. Students will emerge with the tools and techniques needed to critically examine new technologies and evaluate their impact on American national security policy.
Policy Research Project: Humanitarian and Counterterrorism Policy Challenges in Syrian Refugee Camps
Guided by retired CIA Directorate of Operations officer Bianca Adair, a team of students will tackle a real world policy challenge for the State Department in this Policy Research Project (PRP). Students will investigate the humanitarian crisis connected to forced migration and the resurgence of ISIL threat posed by the ongoing problems associated with al-Hol (al-Hawl) refugee camp located on the outskirts of al-Hawl, Syria, near the border with Iraq. The final report will be published and presented to audiences in the executive and legislative branches.