POL 368: INTEREST GROUPS & PUBLIC POLICY

The major purpose of this course is to assist the student in obtaining an understanding of the impact of interest groups on American politics and public policy and vice versa. This course will thus focus on the historical events and institutional developments of organized interest groups; their role and functions in politics - including the policy making process, interpretation, socialization, communication, persuasion and agenda setting; the assessment of the process of information dissemination for the American public; the impact of interest groups on the modern presidency, the bureaucracy, the courts and the Congress and why. We shall also explore many of the social, political and economic controversies that dominate the local, national and international scenes today. Prerequisite: POL 101 with a grade of C or better or Permission of Instructor