PUBPOL 1530

FWS: Health Policy Across the Life Span

Course Description

Course information provided by the 2025-2026 Catalog.

This Freshman Writing Seminar (FWS) will discuss the logic behind seemingly puzzling features of health policy, such as: why are large scale health policies so complex and strangely designed? Why are there so many separate siloes in health care and what are the implications for access to care? The course will leverage these key questions in the study of health policy to help students develop effective writing skills. Toward this goal, readings will focus on how people experience health care across ages and health needs, using examples from health insurance policy. We will discuss two primary purposes for policy writing: to inform and to persuade. Writing assignments will involve multiple styles of policy writing suitable for different kinds of policy jobs and purposes.

Enrollment Information Enrollment limited to: First-year undergraduate students participating in the Cornell in Washington, Brooks DC Start program.

Last 4 Terms Offered 2025FA

Learning Outcomes

• Recognize, understand, and implement different styles of writing.
• Produce well-reasoned written analyses using structured approaches.
• Identify and use evidence effectively for the writing style.

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