This course introduces students to the topic of cultural policy research. Students will be introduced to key cultural policy themes - including funding, preservation, access, and participation- and to the range of methods that have been used to study their creation and impact. Through a comparison of policy in Washington State to Illinois, we will examine how variations in state government structure, state resources, and demographic composition might result in variations in cultural policy. Students will draft reports designed to propose, improve, or evaluate policy using both quantitative and qualitative evidence in their argument. Among the kinds of research activities covered by the course are downloading and crunching data from public access databases; interviewing policy-makers and citizens; analyzing legislative and organizational documents; and, producing field notes from a series of site specific observations. This course will be valuable to students who plan to pursue careers in the cultural sector including government agencies, private foundations, nonprofit organizations, or in community development. It will also provide useful tools to students interested policy innovation. The topics are broad enough in scope to provide a useful introduction to students interested in drawing connections between cultural and other forms of policy.
