HIST682 20th Century American Public Policy
Course Is Full
Course Description
This course will examine public policy at the state and federal level in five important areas: immigration, children in poverty, the elderly, health care, and education. We will pay close attention to the two most active periods of policy creation, the 1930s and the 1960s, but we will also look at policies developed in other eras, beginning with immigration restriction and mothers' pensions in the first quarter of the century and carrying throughout the century to conclude with changes in education policy, welfare reform, and the failed Clinton health care reform of the 1990s. Along with government officials, potential clients, activists, experts in and outside of academia and government, and a variety of interest groups have lobbied for or against policy in each of these areas. We will look at how these groups interacted to develop policy, how programs actually functioned (particularly what groups were included or excluded), and the relationship between public policy and the changing economic, political, and social landscape of American society across the century.

Prerequisite: Graduate Degree Student.
Course Video
Video IntroductionClosed Captioned
Academic Information
Units: 3
Distribution I Area: None.
Distribution II Area: None.
Diversity Area: None.
Schedule & Fee
Dates: May 27-Aug 21
Class #: 2336
Course Fee: $1390
Lab Fee: $0
Total Course Fee: $1390
Instructor
Timothy Hasci
Tim.Hacsi@umb.edu
Book Information
  1. Nancy J. Altman, The Battle for Social Security
  2. Roger Daniels, Guarding the Golden Door
  3. Jonathan Engel, Poor People’s Medicine
  4. Linda Gordon, Pitied But Not Entitled (out of print, will be on reserve, widely available used)
  5. Timothy A. Hacsi, Children as Pawns
  6. Michael B. Katz, The Price of Citizenship (out of print, will be on reserve, widely available used)
  7. Patrick J. McGuin, No Child Left Behind
  8. Jonathan Oberlander, The Political Life of Medicare
Wimba Requirement
UMB online courses use Wimba classroom (a live discussion tool) at least twice during the semester. Information about Horizon Wimba can be found at www.dlvpc.umb.edu/wimbasupport.htm. Your course instructor will inform you about dates and times of course meetings in Wimba Classroom.