CMNS 4541 - Policy Writing

Course Description

Students examine and develop applied skills in the core genres and principles for policy writing with an emphasis on theories of stakeholder engagement. Students explore the role and process of policy development and communication in a variety of professional contexts, including workplace regulation, industry, government, and the non-profit environment. Working with specific scenarios and the principles of storytelling, document design, and revision, students apply best practice approaches to the collaborative creation of policy documents with subject matter experts and other stakeholders and then to communication plans for their dissemination.

Learning outcomes

• Explain the key principles for effective policy writing with an emphasis on skills in stakeholder engagement to inform both content development and dissemination strategies.
• Explain and apply best practices for the production of a variety of policy-writing genres.
• Demonstrate ability to write effectively for a professional audience responsive to the issues and language of unique contexts and industries.
• Analyze examples of policy writing and dissemination strategies to identify best practices.
• Interpret stakeholder needs and gather relevant information from key stakeholders to inform policy writing.

Course topics

• Module 1: Introduction to Policy Writing
• Module 2: Understanding and Mapping Stakeholders and Rightsholders
• Module 3: Crafting Persuasive Policy Recommendations
• Module 4: Writing Effective Policy Memos
• Module 5: Applied Policy Writing Through Case Studies
• Module 6: Synthesizing Policy Writing for Impact

Required text and materials

Students are responsible for purchasing the required materials on their own.

• Chrisinger, D. (2022). Public Policy Writing That Matters (2nd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press. 
  Type: E-Textbook. ISBN: 9781421442327 / 9781421442334

Note: This item can be purchased directly from the following link. 

Assessments

To successfully complete this course, students must achieve a passing grade of 50% or higher on the overall course, and 50% or higher on the final mandatory project.

Recommended requisite(s)

Completion of 45 upper-level post-secondary credits.

Exclusions

CMNS 4540