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Junior Summer Institutes

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PPIA Junior Summer Institute at Princeton University
June 11 - July 31, 2009 • Princeton, New Jersey

Program Overview

For over two decades, the Woodrow Wilson School has hosted summer institutes as part of its proud tradition of promoting diversity in our own student body and in the public service arena. The 2009 PPIA Junior Summer Institute continues this tradition by training future leaders for government service and other public service careers and by cultivating the development of leaders equipped to interact effectively with people from diverse backgrounds in an era of globalization.  The program’s mission is to increase leadership opportunities for future global policy leaders in both the public and nonprofit sectors. We believe that by encouraging a diverse cadre of leaders who are culturally aware and socially sensitive to consider careers in public service, we will strengthen the leadership capacity of government and nonprofit organizations throughout the world.  The goal of the program is to prepare students for graduate study and careers in public policy and international affairs. This goal is achieved by providing participants with the tools of critical thinking, speaking, writing, and quantitative reasoning and with the skills and experiences necessary to create, analyze, implement, evaluate, and affect policy in a multicultural, multiethnic society.

The PPIA Junior Summer Institute is a seven-week program structured to introduce or strengthen skills in economics, statistics, policy analysis, writing, and public speaking.  At the end of the seven-week program, students will be able to present a comprehensive final report on a current policy issue that will encompass the skills acquired in their coursework, including the seminar on the intercultural dimensions of policy making, field research, policy analysis, and writing and computer workshops.

Courses/Curriculum

Required coursework will include seven weeks of classroom instruction with some field research in:

• Quantitative Methods for Policy Analysis
• Economics for Policy Analysis
• Policy Workshop (International and Domestic)
• Policy Analysis and Writing Seminar
• Intercultural Dimensions of Policy Making Seminar

Both the statistics and economics courses have introductory and advanced levels to fit the appropriate needs of students. Generally those students who have a background in calculus are encouraged to take the more advanced level of statistics and economics, especially when they have already completed the introductory levels in those fields. Students taking the introductory courses in statistics and economics may or may not have familiarity with these subjects. The curriculum seeks to build new skill sets in these areas or strengthen current skills for students with previous exposure to these fields. The policy workshop will examine a specific issue in domestic policy or international affairs. The policy workshop will develop students’ ability to use research skills, write policy memos, effectively integrate coursework obtained in statistics and economics into a policy report, and make group presentations. Students also participate in a parallel seminar on policy analysis and writing, with lectures that analyze the political forces that influence the policy making process with an emphasis on the political implication of policy decisions.  Attention is also given to writing skills as they apply to the roles of advisers and decision makers in the public sector.

Students will also participate in a seminar series focused on the intercultural dimensions of policymaking. Topics will address a range of issues, such as: culture and identity in policy leadership, culture and politics, cross-cultural negotiations, intercultural communication, and gender. Students will be expected to incorporate their learning on these matters into their final policy workshop.

Enrichment

The seven-week program provides a mixture of both academic coursework and extracurricular activities, such as lectures and off-site visits to observe public policy in action. Students in previous summer programs have had the opportunity to speak with leading practitioners in the field of public affairs, several of whom attended a Junior Summer Institute and are graduates of the Woodrow Wilson School.

Calendar

Application deadline	November 1, 2008
Admission notification	February 1 , 2009
Program begins	June 11, 2009
Program ends	July 31, 2009

Additional

For more information, please contact:

Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs
PPIA Junior Summer Institute at Princeton University
110 Robertson Hall
Princeton University
Princeton, NJ 08544-1013

Phone: (609) 258-4836
E-mail: wwsjsi@princeton.edu
http://www.wws.princeton.edu/jsi