PSYC 380 - Science and Policy: Legislating Smell

Credits: 4
When Offered: Spring

Prerequisite: Permission of instructor.Students in this course adopt the role of consultants for a hypothetical legislator who must make a decision on a matter of public policy. A clear understanding of the scientific background and consequences of the policy must inform the legislator’s decision. Each student works as a part of the consulting team and creates a document on a narrow aspect of the science related to the public policy. The policy being evaluated changes each term. Examples include: funding for mental health care, enactment or suspension of motorcycle helmet laws, establishing or abolishing court awards for mental suffering, and similar topics. Owing to increasing public demand, legislation is being introduced to control nuisance odors. This new legislation seeks to identify troublesome odors, measure them in order to identify the degree to which they impact others and introduce penalties to control their misuse.Lorig.