Details
INSTRUCTOR: Armando Pedrero
SECTION: U24
SCHEDULE: Tuesday, 2:00PM-4:45PM
Course Description
How are decisions made and policies implemented in today’s America?
This course explores the spheres of power in the ECONOMIC, LEGAL/POLITICAL, and CIVIL SOCIETY spheres, both formal and informal, that make progress possible. It utilizes both field study (Washington DC trip and online conferences) and practical experience (internship and local field trips) methods to explore how power is exercised, by whom, and what are the lessons that can be useful for us personally and professionally.
The first portion of the course will focus on the sources of power, starting with formal and nominal organizations (governmental, quasi-governmental, and international organizations) and continuing to informal sources (civil society and private enterprise). The second portion of the course will examine in depth how the mechanisms for getting results can be extended to our own personal goals. We will finish with a study the role of the public at large and have student presentations on their individual experiences during the course and methods of effective communication and persuasion. Although there will be some class readings to provide background material and a framework for our discussions, there is NO assigned text.