Best Practices in Nonprofit Public Policy Advocacy: Welfare and Workforce Development

Fall 2012

Instructor: Shelley Davis, MUPP

Davis’s career mission is to advocate for marginalized communities, particularly low-income people of color and women. Her professional background includes over twenty years of experience in the philanthropic and nonprofit sectors. Davis’s work ranges from direct service to policy advocacy. The majority of her career has been in philanthropic institutions including The Ford Foundation, Joyce Foundation and Chicago Foundation for Women. As foundation staff, she has supported community organizing and advocacy groups working for public policy change.

Currently, Davis serves as national advisor to the Women’s Initiative for Self Employment, an organization that provides entrepreneurship training and support for low-income women. Additionally, Davis is a lecturer at The Harris School of Public Policy University of Chicago, where she focuses on nonprofit and philanthropic organizations’ impacts on public policy.

Shelley Davis is married and the mother of two children. She is a native of Chicago, holds a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Lawrence University in Wisconsin and a Master of Urban Planning and Policy from University of Illinois at Chicago.

Course Details

Dates: October 11, 18, 25, November 1
Time: 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Location: 289A

Syllabus

Course Overview

This year many public policies that impact low-income families were due to be reauthorized, including Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) and the Workforce Investment Act (WIA). However, due to the economy and the political cycle these reauthorizations continue to be deferred. Still, policy advocates continue to make proposals and seek solutions to help these populations. In this course, students will examine historical and contemporary literatures regarding the evolution and status of TANF and WIA policies.

Students will also engage guest speakers from local advocacy organizations. Speakers will discuss how they analyze the problem that a specific policy decision presents, develop advocacy strategies, measure the impact of their actions, and reflect on the deliberate and unintended consequences of those actions. Our speakers will also share their perspectives on opportunities and challenges in the realm of public policy advocacy. Class discussion will focus on current events relevant to poverty and low-income communities, including the challenges of this historic recession, the tenuous political moment and the chronic budget crisis in Illinois.

Students are encouraged to use our Chalk-site as an additional forum for discussion, and as a way to share articles, websites, and other useful information. Speaker bios and their organizations’ websites will also be posted on this site.

All students are required to summit brief reading reactions (3-4 paragraphs) by email the evening before every class meeting (by 9 pm). These reactions should briefly summarize the argument, offer reflections on the text and pose any questions or points of unclarity that may arise. Please note there are two books required for this class. Students are encouraged to order their books upon registration, as delays in shipping will inhibit course participation.

Students will receive either a “P” or “F” for the course. Since this is a non-credit course, the “P” or “F” does not count against the number of pass/fails allowed for the degree program.