Weidensall Hall
Room 102
300 North Washington St.
Gettysburg, PA 17325-1400
Academic Focus
Judicial Policy, Justice Policy, and Law
Anne S. Douds, JD, PhD is Chair and Associate Professor of Public Policy at Gettysburg College. She earned her BA in political science from Duke University, her JD from Emory University School of Law, and her PhD from George Mason University. She is a retired trial attorney with 20 years of litigation experience. She is the faculty mentor for the Public Policy Department's internship program and runs the Department's speaker series. Her recent research and consulting work include program evaluations in justice systems, legal aid organizations, and specialized courts; victims’ rights research; and systems analysis of social support programs.
Courses Taught
This course examines Supreme Court rulings on sex and sexual conduct in the United States. Each week, students study Supreme Court cases and related literature on a different topic concerning sexual behavior, sexual misbehavior, sexual orientation, and sexual expression. The class considers the historical context in which the issues developed, modern laws on the issues, and policies that may emerge with respect to each of the issues. Students visit courts, interact with policymakers who work in sex-related fields, and interview people who have been impacted by Supreme Court decisions on sex-related matters.
This course examines public policy and the policy process in the United States. Beginning with an exploration of the processes and institutions through which public policy is developed in the United States, we will pay special attention to how ideas get turned into policies and the central players in those processes. The course will then take an introductory tour of policy analysis: the assessment of policy alternatives to solve public policy problems. Finally, the balance of the course will be spent applying what we have learned to several policy areas. Although the course primarily explores policymaking in the American setting, we will make some cross-national comparisons when doing so helps to illuminate the American case. Prerequisite: POL 101, 102, 103, or 104.
Interactive course combining study of fundamental texts with student-led research projects. Students learn how public policy problems are defined and policy responses are developed, evaluated, and implemented. Students work intensively with the professor to apply these principles to an issue that interests them. The final output is a comprehensive white paper on the issue and recommended policy response. Prerequisite: PP 221
Topics differ each year. Students read a common core of literature in the field of Public Policy as well as specific readings on the seminar topic. Students also produce a major research project. Prerequisite: POL 221
Internship counting toward the minimum requirements in a major or minor, graded A-F
Summer Internship graded A-F, counting in the minimum requirements for a major or minor only with permission filed in the Registrar's Office.