In this class, we will discuss current policy topics drawn from recent national, state and/or institutional policies (and as relevant, historical topics) that are relevant to civil infrastructure development and maintenance. You will write two policy briefs and complete a policy analysis project, lead and participate in discussions, as well as provide constructive critique for your classmates' work. For the project you will be able to investigate a policy topic of your choosing by performing an in-depth analysis, synthesizing your findings, and critiquing the current state of your policy topic in both written and presentation formats.
Each class period, you are expected to come to class prepared to discuss the assigned readings with you classmates. Discussion Leaders (or co-Leaders) will start off with a 3-5 minute introduction of the reading for which they have volunteered (or have been assigned). Everyone is expected to read all of the assigned documents and actively participate in the class discussion. Please come to class with your notes from the readings and several points that you found to be important and/or interesting along with any questions you would like to discuss.
I will serve as a moderator to keep us on time, and ensure that all students have a chance to express their viewpoints. Please be conscious of the fact that everyone has different communication styles. Each of us is responsible for giving everyone "space" in the conversation and ensuring that the extroverts in the class do not dominate the conversation (even if that extrovert is you). Given our interest in the topics at hand, I do not expect that we will be able to "completely" cover each topic/reading. Rather, the readings are geared toward helping you gain an awareness of a finite number of policies related to each topic, and help you identify topics that you may wish to explore in more depth in your project.