PUBPOL-301
POL ANALY PUB POL MAKING
Offered Fall 2026
Term
Instructor
Overview
A useful core policy class for learning how policy actually gets made and how to write about it, but execution varies a lot by professor.
DepartmentPPS
Terms offeredFall, Spring
Typical enrollment8–110
Semesters of data5
4.0
Hrs / week
294
Responses
574
Enrollment
51%
Response Rate
Evaluation Scores
Overall quality
Teaching, content, and experience combined.
4.0
Intellectually stimulating
Challenges students to think deeply.
4.0
Instructor effectiveness
Explains concepts and facilitates learning.
4.4
Difficulty
Higher means harder.
3.3
Feedback Analysis
Feedback Analysismedium
Analysis based on student evaluations
Based on 615 comments across 19 sections
A useful core policy class for learning how policy actually gets made and how to write about it, but execution varies a lot by professor.
Student Reports
How hard is the A?
A difficulty is mixed
The reports split here. Some comments frame grading as fair and reachable, while others describe stricter standards or more work than expected to land top grades.
Homework Load
Heavy homework load
Homework load is one of the clearest friction points. Students repeatedly describe assignments, readings, or problem sets as time-consuming.
Lecture Load
Lecture load is mixed
Lecture burden appears to vary by section. Some comments describe a discussion-driven format, while others emphasize denser or more central lectures.
Strengths
• Students repeatedly cite real gains in memo writing, policy analysis, and understanding policy as a political process.
• Case studies and discussion help connect theory to real institutions and decisions.
• Good sections are described as engaging, well-facilitated, and accessible outside class.
Tradeoffs
• Professor-to-professor variation is unusually large for a core course.
• The material can feel dense or lecture-heavy depending on the section.
• Some sections are clearly not easy-A territory.
Best fit for
Students who want concrete policy-writing practice and can handle theory, cases, and section-specific expectations.
Watch out for
• Choose your instructor carefully if you can.
• Do not assume the course will be highly interactive in every section.
• Stay on top of the writing because the skill-building is one of the main payoffs.
Student Responses
policy analysis, understanding each part of the policy process (actors, veto points, etc.), writing strong memos
Fall 2024 · Krishna, Anirudh
Memo writing skills, op ed skills, peer review
Spring 2025 · Napoli, Philip
Memo writing and political analysis.
Spring 2025 · Napoli, Philip
This class was very effective in having you consider multiple perspectives in policy analysis, including those of the policymaker, various constituent groups, and advocacy/lobbying organizations. It also strongly reinforces the memo-writing skills that you developed in Public Policy 155. It also teaches you a lot of the history behind major bills, and how the factors that surrounded their passing affected the language and application of those bills.
Fall 2025 · Rose, Deondra
In this discussion i learned much more about memo writing, policy research, and lots of team skills.
Fall 2025 · Rose, Deondra
Rating History
Rating history
Error bars show \u00B11 std dev
| Term | Instructor | Overall | Difficulty | Hrs/wk | Enrolled |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fall 2025 | Rose, Deondra 3.2Rate My ProfessorsQuality3.2Difficulty3.8Would retake53%Based on 17 ratingsClick to view on RMP → | 4.7 | 3.9 | 5.8 | 54 |
| Spring 2025 | Napoli, Philip 4.6Rate My ProfessorsQuality4.6Difficulty2.0Would retake100%Based on 9 ratingsClick to view on RMP → | 3.7 | 2.6 | 2.5 | 220 |
| Fall 2024 | Rose, Deondra 3.2Rate My ProfessorsQuality3.2Difficulty3.8Would retake53%Based on 17 ratingsClick to view on RMP → | 4.0 | 3.5 | 4.0 | 108 |
| Spring 2024 | Napoli, Philip 4.6Rate My ProfessorsQuality4.6Difficulty2.0Would retake100%Based on 9 ratingsClick to view on RMP → | 4.0 | 2.9 | 3.2 | 160 |
| Fall 2023 | Krishna, Anirudh 4.2Rate My ProfessorsQuality4.2Difficulty3.6Would retake71%Based on 18 ratingsClick to view on RMP → | 3.7 | 3.9 | 5.3 | 32 |