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Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs

• Prerequisites
• Program of Study
• Independent Work
• Senior Departmental Examination
• Study Abroad
• Courses

Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs

Undergraduate Program. The Woodrow Wilson School (WWS) seeks to educate Princeton undergraduate students who desire to be public servants and public leaders active in the world of public and international affairs. To that end, the major provides a liberal arts education with a focus on the tools, understanding, and habits of mind required for the careful consideration of public policy issues. The goal of the school's curriculum is to provide students with the capacity to think analytically and critically, deliberate collectively, balance competing interests, think about public policy issues in a broader ethical frame, and communicate effectively, as well as to cultivate initiative, entrepreneurship, and leadership. The curriculum is designed to provide an undergraduate education that is intended to be both broad and deep, combining knowledge and perspective from multiple disciplines while ensuring the mastery of one subject or set of issues sufficient to provide a foundation for future expertise.

Policy Seminars. The most distinctive aspects of the undergraduate experience in the school are the junior policy seminars, called task forces or policy research seminars. Woodrow Wilson School juniors enroll in a task force in one semester and a research seminar in the other. Task forces meet both in Princeton and overseas as part of WWS programs abroad; policy research seminars only meet in Princeton.

In the task forces, a small group of juniors work together with a faculty director, one or two seniors, and often a graduate student toward proposing solutions to current problems in public and international affairs. Each junior conducts research on a topic carefully chosen to shed light upon the larger problem that is central to the group. The principal collective product is a final report with policy recommendations drafted after debates among the entire group.

In the research seminars, a faculty member supervises a small group of students similarly engaged in research on a specific topic in public and international affairs. An important aim of the seminar is to prepare students for senior thesis research.

Enrollment. Beginning with the Class of 2015, any sophomore who has completed the prerequisites will be able to concentrate in the Woodrow Wilson School; there will be no application process. The Woodrow Wilson School will no longer have a general certificate program for non-majors, although certificate programs in special areas of interest are under consideration.

Information and Departmental Plan of Study

Prerequisites

There are four prerequisites: A course in Microeconomics; a course in statistics; a course in history; and a course in politics, sociology, or psychology.

Program of Study

The school's curriculum is an interdisciplinary program consisting chiefly of courses from the social sciences. In addition to a task force and a policy research seminar, each student will be required to take core courses and to complete a set number of courses in one of a choice of policy clusters.

Independent Work

For Woodrow Wilson School concentrators, the policy seminars fulfill the junior independent work requirement of the University. The senior thesis constitutes the independent work of the senior year. The senior thesis is a scholarly paper related to the subject in public or international affairs that is of greatest interest to the student. It is based on extensive research and is the major project of the senior year.

Senior Departmental Examination

The Woodrow Wilson School senior comprehensive examination is an oral defense of the thesis that also tests the student's ability to integrate the senior thesis with other coursework.

Study Abroad

Study abroad during junior year is limited to those universities at which task forces may be offered. In recent years task forces have been offered at the University of Cape Town, South Africa; University of Oxford, England; the Institute of Political and Social Sciences in Paris, France; American University in Cairo, Egypt; Chinese University of Hong Kong, China; and the University of Havana, Cuba.

The program awards several scholarships each year to students from any department for travel and living expenses related to senior thesis research in public policy. The program also awards several scholarships to Woodrow Wilson School students participating in public policy internships.

Courses

WWS 300 Democracy (also POL 300)   Fall SA

An introduction to current empirical and theoretical work done in politics on the following topics: the formation of the state, dictatorships, democratic transitions and democratic consolidation, electoral representation and political accountability, the relationship between democracy and redistribution, and the role of constitutional structures in the aggregation of preferences and in policy making. Two lectures, one preceptorial. N. McCarty, C. Boix

WWS 301 Ethics and Public Policy (also POL 308/CHV 301)   Spring EM

This course examines basic ethical controversies in public life. What rights do persons have at the beginning and end of life? Do people have moral claims to unequal economic rewards or is economic distribution properly subject to political design for the sake of social justice? Do we have significant moral obligations to distant others? Other possible topics include toleration (including the rights of religious and cultural minorities), racial and gender equity, and just war. Two lectures, one preceptorial. Staff

WWS 304 Science, Technology, and Public Policy   Not offered this year SA

An exploration of the issues encountered by policymakers in scientific and technical areas of public policy. Topics include: the importance of understanding the scientific structure of a problem, critical ethical and technical assumptions, risk assessment, interest groups and policy alternatives, the roles and responsibilities of technical experts. Case studies and policy debates include: nuclear weapons policy, climate change, alternative energy futures, R and D policy, genetic engineering, and cancer risks. Two lectures, one preceptorial. Staff

WWS 306 Public Leadership and Public Policy (also POL 329)   Spring SA

Considers the intellectual (ethical and legal) frameworks for making leadership decisions on major public issues in the United States, as well as the operational frameworks for effective and responsible public leadership. Students review historical cases from federal and state government, discuss the policy decisions made in each case, and examine the decision-making processes in view of these frameworks. Two 90-minute seminars. N. Scovronick

WWS 307 Economics and Public Policy (also ECO 349)   Fall SA

Evaluation of public policies in terms of economic efficiency and equity. The course will examine the conditions that lead to efficient markets and those that lead to market failure, as well as the implications for government policy. It will discuss both existing and proposed public policies in a number of areas, including education, health care, poverty, financial markets, the environment, and industrial development. Prerequisites: Economics 100 and 101, or instructor's permission. Two lectures, one preceptorial. E. Bogan

WWS 309 Media and Public Policy (also SOC 313)   Fall SA

Introduction to communications policy and law, covering such topics as freedom of the press and the development of journalism; intellectual property; regulation of telecommunications, broadcasting, and cable; and policy challenges raised by the Internet and the globalization of the media. P. Starr

WWS 310 The American City   Not offered this year SA

An introduction to major theories of the growth and structure of cities, and an analysis of contemporary urban policy issues in the United States. We begin with a set of political, social, and economic explanations for the formation and character of American urban environments. To evaluate these theories, the evolution and structural change in United States cities, particularly in the postwar period, will be examined. The course is designed to provide students with the background necessary to analyze urban policies and the prospects for American cities in the next century. Two lectures, one preceptorial. Staff

WWS 312 The Psychology of Decision Making and Judgment (also PSY 321)   Fall EC

An introduction to the logic of decision making and reasoning under uncertainty. Focus on psychological mechanisms that govern choice and judgment and on characteristic errors found in intuitive judgment and choice. Discussion of divergence from the model of rational agent often assumed in social science theory and economics. Rules governing pleasure, pain, and well-being provide background for analysis of the rationality of some individual choices and for the evaluation of general policies that affect human welfare. Prerequisite: introductory statistics for social science or instructor's permission. E. Shafir

WWS 313 Peacemaking (also POL 387)   Fall SA

The course begins with a discussion of civil and international conflict and the history of making peace. It then focuses on contemporary civil wars and the lessons from an array of United Nations and other efforts to make peace, including the Gulf War, Cambodia, El Salvador, Somalia, and the former Yugoslavia. One lecture, one two-hour seminar. W. Nash

WWS 315 Bioethics and Public Policy   Not offered this year SA

Focuses on the relationship between selected issues in bioethics and their implications for public policy. Issues include the ethical responsibilities of doctor and patient to each other; the ethics of research with human subjects; the ethics of death and dying; the ethics of reproduction; eugenics; access to health care; the role of bioethics committees; and animal experimentation. Considers the history of cultural attitudes toward these matters, the contemporary policies designed to deal with them, and the landmark court cases that have focused on bioethics. One three-hour seminar. H. Shapiro

WWS 316 Health and the Environment   Not offered this year SA

Explores population history and its relationship to health; ecology, economics, and health; ecosystem dynamics; drought, famine, and health; psychosocial environments and physiology; well-being and positive health; and social stratification and morbidity. Staff

WWS 317 Race and Public Policy (also SOC 312/AAS 317)   Spring SA

Analyzes the historical construction of race as a concept in American society, how and why this concept was institutionalized publicly and privately in various arenas of U.S. public life at different historical junctures, and the progress that has been made in dismantling racialized institutions since the civil rights era. One three-hour seminar. D. Massey

WWS 320 Human Genetics, Reproduction, and Public Policy (also MOL 320)   Not offered this year SA

Advances in genetic and reproductive technologies will soon make possible rapid, complete genetic screens on individuals and cells and, ultimately, permit us to direct our own evolution as a species. The course presents the science behind genetic screening, therapy, and enhancement, as well as cloning and the manipulation of human embryos, along with an analysis of anticipated uses by individuals and corporations. Discussions will focus on the impact of these revolutionary technologies on society as a whole, as well as on approaches to policy making. Prerequisites: MOL 209 or 214, or AP credit in biology, or instructor's permission. L. Silver

WWS 321 Theory and Practice of International Diplomacy (also POL 389)   Not offered this year

This course examines the development, challenges, and multiple complexities of international diplomacy. It addresses three dimensions: the conceptual aspects of diplomacy in the international system; the historic development of international diplomacy; and the intricacies of international negotiations. Two lectures, one preceptorial. W. Danspeckgruber

WWS 322 The Politics of Policy Making (also POL 341)   Not offered this year SA

How and why do American policymakers enact the policies that they do? This seminar first explores the environment in which policymakers operate, with special attention to public opinion and elections, and then examines how Congress, the president, and other political actors make decisions. One three-hour seminar. R. Arnold

WWS 324 Education Policy   Fall SA

This course will consider some of the major issues in education policy, with particular focus on attempts to secure equal educational opportunity. It will include discussions of desegregation and resource equity, education for immigrants and the handicapped, school choice, and school reform. Two 90-minute seminars. N. Scovronick

WWS 325 Civil Society and Public Policy (also AMS 350)   Fall SA

Civil society is the arena of voluntary organizations (churches, social welfare organizations, sporting clubs) and communal activity. Scholars now tell us that such voluntary and cooperative activities create "social capital"--a stock of mutual trust that forms the glue that holds society together. The course will be devoted to the study of the history of these concepts, and to the analysis of their application to the United States and other societies. This will be an interdisciplinary effort, embracing history, philosophy, anthropology, sociology, and other disciplines. One three-hour seminar. S. Katz

WWS 327 Pharmaceutical Research and Health Policy (also CHM 443)   Not offered this year SA

Examines the process by which drugs are discovered, tested on human populations, and approved for sale. Analyzes the role of the Food and Drug Administration in guaranteeing the safety of medication, as well as the role of Congress in providing oversight, governing prices, and regulating competition. Examines the legal, political, and economic context in which health policy decisions are made in this area. Two 90-minute seminars. Staff

WWS 332 Quantitative Analysis for Public Policy   Fall QR

The course will review the principal methods of data analysis and applied statistics used in political, economic, psychological, and policy research, including multiple regression, analysis of variance, and nonparametric methods. These methods will be introduced in the context of case studies that will incorporate research design, data collection, data management, exploratory and inferential analyses, and the presentation of results. Two lectures, one preceptorial. G. Lord

WWS 333 Claims and Evidence in Policy Research   Not offered this year SA

Teaches concentrators the foundations of research design, including formulating researchable questions from topics and how to use empirical evidence to evaluate claims. Students are exposed to a variety of substantive problems and research approaches that use qualitative and quantitative methods through critical reading of social science literature. Covers several practical aspects of research, including ethics and regulations concerning research with human subjects; library search tools and reference sources in social sciences; and resources for acquiring data and conducting statistical analyses. Two lectures, one preceptorial. Staff

WWS 334 Global Environmental Issues (see CEE 334)

WWS 335 Climate Change: Scientific Basis, Policy Implications (see GEO 366)

WWS 336 Inequalities (also POL 326/GSS 451)   Spring SA

This course examines various types of human inequalities and considers several GSS 451 provoking explanations for their occurrence. The focus is primarily conceptual and philosophical, although the discussions will include references to current instances of inequality and policies designed to alleviate them. The readings include both classics in political theory and more contemporary works. One three-hour seminar. N. Keohane

WWS 337 International Institutions and Law (also POL 398)   Spring SA

This course will focus on the continual tension between international law and international politics. It will examine the impact of this tension on issues of intervention and also on other issues of substantive importance, including environmental protection, trade, human rights, laws of war applicable to the "war on terror," and crimes of state. The course will also discuss recent developments affecting international institutions and recent changes in international law, such as the changing conception of "sovereignty." One three-hour seminar. R. Keohane

WWS 340 The History of Financial Crises (also HIS 466)   Fall SA

This course takes historical examples of financial crises over the past four centuries, including the tulip mania, 19th-century business cycles, international debt defaults, the 1907 crisis, the Great Depression, the Latin American debt crisis of the 1980s, the Asia crisis of 1997, and the post-2007 global financial crisis. Are there commonalities as well as differences in the experience of crisis? How do market participants, policymakers, and academic observers go about learning lessons and drawing conclusions from financial crises? Is there a need for a lender of last resort, domestically and internationally? One three-hour seminar. H. James

WWS 341 Infection: Biology, Burden, Policy (see MOL 425)

WWS 399 U.S. Medical Research and Researchers (see MOL 328)

WWS 401 Policy Seminars   Fall

Open only to students enrolled in the school. (See description above.) Juniors who are concentrators in the school must register for the policy task force as "Junior Independent Work.'' Certificate students and seniors should register for WWS 401 or 402 as a course rather than junior independent work. Staff

WWS 402 Policy Seminars   Spring

Open only to students enrolled in the school. Juniors who are concentrators in the school must register for the policy task force as "Junior Independent Work.'' Certificate students and seniors should register for 401 or 402 as a course rather than junior independent work. Staff

WWS 451 Special Topics in Public Affairs   Not offered this year SA

Each term special courses will be offered on topical issues of concern for public policy. Course form may be seminar, workshop, lecture with preceptorials, or other combinations. These courses are open to students of all departments. P. DiMaggio, D. Dobkin

WWS 452 Special Topics in Public Affairs (also GSS 451)   SA

Each term special courses will be offered on topical issues of concern for public policy. Course form may be seminar, workshop, lecture with preceptorials, or other combinations. These courses are open to students of all departments. Staff

WWS 456 Special Topics in Public Affairs   Not offered this year SA

Each term special courses will be offered on topical issues of concern for public policy. Course form may be seminar, workshop, lecture with preceptorials, or other combinations. These courses are open to students of all departments. H. Price

WWS 457 Special Topics in Public Affairs   SA

Each term special courses will be offered on topical issues of concern for public policy. Course form may be seminar, workshop, lecture with preceptorials, or other combinations. These courses are open to students of all departments. M. Daoudy

WWS 462 Special Topics in Public Affairs (also EAS 462/POL 462)   Not offered this year SA

Each term special courses will be offered on topical issues of concern for public policy. Course form may be seminar, workshop, lecture with preceptorials, or other combinations. These courses are open to students of all departments. Staff

WWS 466 Special Topics in Public Affairs (also NES 466/POL 466)   Not offered this year SA

Each term special courses will be offered on topical issues of concern for public policy. Course form may be seminar, workshop, lecture with preceptorials, or other combinations. These courses are open to students of all departments. D. Kurtzer

WWS 472 Special Topics in Public Affairs   SA

Each term special courses will be offered on topical issues of concern for public policy. Course form may be seminar, workshop, lecture with preceptorials, or other combinations. These courses are open to students of all departments. P. Krugman

WWS 473 Special Topics in Public Affairs   Not offered this year SA

Each term special courses will be offered on topical issues of concern for public policy. Course form may be seminar, workshop, lecture with preceptorials, or other combinations. These courses are open to students of all departments. R. Ahdieh

WWS 475 Special Topics in Public Affairs (also POL 393)   Not offered this year SA

Each term special courses will be offered on topical issues of concern for public policy. Course form may be seminar, workshop, lecture with preceptorials, or other combinations. These courses are open to students of all departments. J. Hammer

WWS 476 Special Topics in Public Affairs (also ECO 354)   Not offered this year SA

Each term special courses will be offered on topical issues of concern for public policy. Course form may be seminar, workshop, lecture with preceptorials, or other combinations. These courses are open to students of all departments. S. Kotkin

WWS 477 Special Topics in Public Affairs (also POL 478)   Not offered this year SA

Each term special courses will be offered on topical issues of concern for public policy. Course form may be seminar, workshop, lecture with preceptorials, or other combinations. These courses are open to students of all departments. Staff

WWS 478 Special Topics in Public Affairs   Not offered this year SA

Each term special courses will be offered on topical issues of concern for public policy. Course form may be seminar, workshop, lecture with preceptorials, or other combinations. These courses are open to students of all departments. S. Kotkin

WWS 481 Special Topics in Public Affairs   Not offered this year SA

Each term special courses will be offered on topical issues of concern for public policy. Course form may be seminar, workshop, lecture with preceptorials, or other combinations. These courses are open to students of all departments. Staff

WWS 482 Special Topics in Public Affairs (also JDS 482)   Not offered this year SA

This course examines the political, legal, and regulatory structures for international economic relations. Half the course will cover the trading system (WTO), including the role of labor and environmental standards in trade agreements. The other half will cover selected topics in finance and investment. Particular attention will be paid to the economic and political issues raised by the intersection of international arrangements with domestic regulation of private economic conduct. E. Kaplan

WWS 488 Special Topics in Public Affairs   SA

Each term, special courses will be offered on topical issues of concern of public policy. Course form may be seminar, workshop, lecture with preceptorials, or other combinations. Theses courses are open to all students in other departments. , S. Pillai Staff

WWS 490 Ecology and Epidemiology of Parasites and Infectious Diseases (see EEB 328)

WWS 491 Critical Perspectives on Global Health and Health Policy (see GHP 350)

WWS 493 Radical Innovation in Global Markets (see EGR 492)

WWS 494 Epidemiology (see GHP 351)

WWS 496 Disease Ecology, Economics, and Policy (see ENV 304)

WWS 497 Race and the American Legal Process: Emancipation to the Voting Rights Act (see AAS 362)