Skip to main content

Individual Course

U.S. Public Policy: Social, Economic, and Foreign Policies

Course Length

4 weeks

2-4 hours per week

Featuring faculty from:

Harvard Kennedy School LogoHarvard Kennedy School

Enroll as Individual

Certificate Price:

$ 149

Enroll as Individual

Certificate Price:

$ 149

This course will explore broadly how public policy puts laws into place in the United States.

Public policy puts laws into action. The executive branch directs the combined activities of the federal government to address a multitude of problems, from the environment to the economy. The policies of the United States affect social issues, economic growth, taxes, regulation, and foreign affairs. This course will take a broad view of public policy in America but will use specific examples, such as the 2008 economic downturn and climate change, to illustrate the wide-ranging effects of those policies.

We’ll address the intersection of religion and politics, and how issues such as abortion and same-sex marriage have played out in the political arena. We’ll discuss fiscal, monetary, welfare and income policy—what they are, what tools they involve, and what political divisions they create. We’ll examine partisan divisions over regulatory policy, and the basis for those divisions. Finally, we’ll trace the evolution of America’s position as a trading nation by examining trade agreements like the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP).

This course will also serve as an overview of American government, concentrating on overarching tendencies such as its fragmented power structure. The importance of these tendencies will be explained by showing how thoroughly each of them affects American politics.

Self-Guided

edX

  • Pittayatorn P.

Global Learning Community

  • Learn from Harvard faculty
  • Do it on your own time
  • Get a certificate, add it to your resume
  • Be part of the Harvard Community
Data Science for Business values

Syllabus

What you'll learn

Faculty

Your Instructor

Thomas E. Patterson

Bradlee Professor of Government and the Press, Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University

Thomas E. Patterson is Bradlee Professor of Government and the Press in the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. He is author of the book Informing the News: The Need for Knowledge-Based Journalism , published in October 2013. His earlier book, The Vanishing Voter , looks at the causes and consequences of electoral participation, and his book on the media’s political role, Out of Order , received the American Political Science Association’s Graber Award as the best book of the decade in political communication. His first book, The Unseeing Eye , was named by the American Association for Public Opinion Research as one of the 50 most influential books on public opinion in the past half century. He is also the author of the award winning Mass Media Election (1980), and a general American government text, We the People , now in the 11th edition. His articles have appeared in Political Communication , Journal of Communication , and other academic journals, as well as in the popular press. His research has been funded by the Ford, Markle, Smith-Richardson, Pew, Knight, Carnegie, and National Science foundations. Patterson received his PhD from the University of Minnesota in 1971.

Being part of Harvard is not just about learning from world-class professors—it’s about stepping into a whole new world of academic exploration. The content is challenging yet deeply rewarding, offering the joy of learning and uncovering new perspectives. For me, Harvard Online is more than a learning platform; it’s a seamless integration of the modern world and academia, enabling us to study, grow, and discover.

Pittayatorn P.

Complete your journey with this XSeries Certificate

These courses can be bundled together to receive a professional certificate at a discounted price.

Learn More
  • 4 Courses
  • 4 Months
  • Earn Your Certificate
An example HarvardX certificate

Ways to take this course

Audit or Pursue a Verified Certificate

A Verified Certificate costs $149 and provides unlimited access to full course materials, activities, tests, and forums. At the end of the course, learners who earn a passing grade can receive a certificate.

⁠Alternatively, learners can Audit the course for free and have access to select course material, activities, tests, and forums. Please note that this track does not offer a certificate for learners who earn a passing grade.

Stay tuned for more

Don’t miss a thing. Subscribe to our newsletter and get updates on exclusive content for Harvard Online learners.