Government and Public Affairs (GVPA)

GVPA 100. Making Policy Real: Social Problems and Policy Solutions. 3 Hours.

Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. This course is designed to introduce students to public affairs, expose them to the intersections among Wilder School disciplines through current issues and provide them with placement and career opportunities available through the school. The course explores current social problems, crises, challenges and policy solutions and will expand the students’ knowledge and scope of the process and impact of public decision-making. The course will use social problems as a key framework to discuss public policy, civic engagement, policy analysis and the influence of politics and the media on public affairs.

GVPA 200. Race and Racism in U.S. Government and Public Affairs. 3 Hours.

Semester course; 3 lecture hours (delivered online). 3 credits. Interrogates four key areas of inquiry: origins, ideology, maintenance and resistance to race and racism in the U.S., and applies an intersectional lens to examine how race interlocks with other systems of power. The course will draw from government and public affairs, public policy, criminal justice, homeland security and emergency management, urban and regional studies and planning, and applied social sciences to explore these issues and to help students understand how racism operates in the U.S.

GVPA 391. Special Topics in Government and Public Affairs. 1-3 Hours.

Semester course; 1-3 lecture hours. 1-3 credits. A maximum 6 credits in all special topics courses offered in the Wilder School may be applied to any of the school’s majors. Intended for sophomores and juniors. An intensive focus on a selected field of interest relevant to all majors in the school. See the Schedule of Classes for specific topics to be offered each semester.

GVPA 399. Introduction to Science and Technology Studies. 3 Hours.

Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. An introduction to the study of science, technology and medicine from political, sociological and historical perspectives, focusing on case studies that illustrate the methods and theories used to examine the structure and behavior of the scientific community and the role of scientific knowledge in shaping public culture. Crosslisted as: HIST 399/SCTS 300.

GVPA 423. Virginia Capital Semester Seminar. 3 Hours.

Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. Open only to students in the Virginia Capital Semester program. Designed as an integral part of the program, this course provides an examination of state policy issues and state legislative processes using the current Virginia General Assembly session as illustration.

GVPA 491. Advanced Special Topics in Government and Public Affairs. 1-3 Hours.

Semester course; 1-3 lecture hours. 1-3 credits. A maximum 6 credits in all special topics courses offered in the Wilder School may be applied to any of the school’s majors. Intended for advanced students and seniors. An intensive focus on a selected field of interest relevant to all majors in the school. See the Schedule of Classes for specific topics to be offered each semester.

GVPA 493. Government and Public Affairs Internship. 1-6 Hours.

Semester course; variable hours. 1-6 credits. (50 hours per credit.) May be repeated for a maximum of 6 credits. Permission of internship coordinator required. Designed to provide the student with an opportunity to relate theory to practice through observation and actual experience within the field of government and public affairs.

GVPA 494. Virginia Capital Semester Internship. 3 Hours.

Semester course; 3 internship hours. 3 credits. Corequisite: GVPA 423. Enrollment restricted to students in the Virginia Capital Semester program. Designed to provide students with an opportunity to relate theory to practice through participation in activities related to the annual session of the Virginia General Assembly. Graded as Pass/Fail.

GVPA 495. UROP Directed Study. 3 Hours.

Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. Students enrolling in this course must meet the eligibility requirements of the Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program. Designed to provide advanced research opportunities to undergraduate students. Topics chosen in consultation with the UROP coordinator. Students may take a total of six GVPA 495 credits; only three of those credits may be applied to the major.

GVPA 499. Wilder School Scholars Seminar. 3 Hours.

Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. Capstone seminar course focusing on a broad topic in one of several disciplines of interest to Wilder School Scholars. Topics, structure and content determined each semester.

GVPA 591. Special Topics in Government and Public Affairs. 3 Hours.

Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. An intensive focus on a specialized subject area relevant to graduate programs in the L. Douglas Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs. See the Schedule of Classes for specific topics to be offered each semester. Also open to graduate students in programs outside of the Wilder School with permission of the instructor.

GVPA 601. Principles of Public Administration. 3 Hours.

Semester course; 3 lecture hours (delivered online, face-to-face or hybrid). 3 credits. Dynamics of governmental administration including administrative principles, decision-making, communication, leadership, organizational models, and the social, economic, legal and political milieu of administration. Crosslisted as: PADM 601.

GVPA 623. Research Methods for Government and Public Affairs. 3 Hours.

Semester course; 3 lecture hours (delivered online, face-to-face or hybrid). 3 credits. Introduction to the scope and methods of applied research for the public sector. Focuses on problem structuring through logical methods, exploring problems through observation and other methods of data collection, analyzing and summarizing findings using both qualitative and quantitative methods. Crosslisted as: URSP 623/PADM 623/CRJS 623.

GVPA 625. Public Policy Analysis. 3 Hours.

Semester course; 3 lecture hours (delivered online, face-to-face or hybrid). 3 credits. The examination of various methods for identifying and structuring public policy problems and issues, formulating and analyzing alternative responses, recommending policy actions for decision-making, and designing and evaluating implementation plans and the means to monitor and evaluate the resulting policy outcomes. Crosslisted as: PADM 625.

GVPA 632. Planning Theory and Processes. 3 Hours.

Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. Examines major traditions in the theory of planning in the context of actual planning processes and outcomes. Explores in depth the political, economic, and institutional constraints to effective planning and plan implementation. Discusses the planners' ethical dilemmas. Crosslisted as: URSP 632.

GVPA 635. Theorizing Gender Violence. 3 Hours.

Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. Teaches students to think structurally about gender and violence. Familiarizes students with social science and feminist scholarship and explanatory theories related to preventing and responding to gender violence. Students will learn about the experiences of and responses to sexual and domestic violence in specific social contexts, with a focus on less visible and underserved populations. Guest lectures provided by community experts in these areas. Also examines social policy and research implications of various approaches.

GVPA 640. River Policy. 3 Hours.

Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. Examines public policy related to rivers and watersheds. Uses the James River for exploring and illustrating generic river policy issues. Crosslisted as: ENVS 640.

GVPA 672. Social Equity and Public Policy Analysis. 3 Hours.

Semester course; 3 lecture hours (delivered online, face-to-face or hybrid). 3 credits. Designed to provide an overview of the concept of social equity and its relationship to public policy, this course will introduce students to an array of public policy areas along the core dimensions of race, ethnicity, gender and class. More specifically, this interdisciplinary survey course is designed to introduce graduate students to the concept of social equity and its relationship to public policy from theoretical and applied perspectives. The primary social equity focus of the course is racial inequities in the United States. Crosslisted as: PADM 672.

GVPA 683. Administrative Ethics. 2,3 Hours.

Semester course; 2 or 3 lecture hours. 2 or 3 credits. A philosophical investigation into the problems of making ethical decisions, focusing on issues likely to confront the public administrator. Examples of such issues are equity in social services delivery, affirmative action, loyalty to the bureaucracy vs. "whistle blowing," and conflicts of interest between personal and public interest. Crosslisted as: PADM 683/PHIL 683.

GVPA 691. Special Topics. 3 Hours.

Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. An intensive focus on a specialized subject area relevant to graduate programs in the L. Douglas Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs. Also open to graduate students in programs outside of the Wilder School, with permission of the instructor. See the Schedule of Classes for specific topics to be offered each semester.

GVPA 693. Internship. 1-9 Hours.

Semester course; 1-9 hours. 1-9 credits. Permission of instructor required. A graduate-level internship that allows students to explore professional opportunities that relate to one or more of the graduate programs in the Wilder School. See graduate coordinator for specific hour requirements.