Strategic Public Opinion and Policy Analysis
For those students who are interested in learning how public behaviour and opinion are analysed, this specialization offers a concerted stream of courses in this subject, combining academic study and practical application. Students will have direct contact with a rapidly growing and recognized professional field. This Specialization builds on three particular knowledge areas
- Quantitative and Qualitative Analytic Techniques – These are techniques that can be used for analysing patterns in consumer, public or elite opinion and behaviour. Here, the student will be introduced to, among other things, data analysis, polling, surveys and related topics.
- Structure of Major Public and Private Institutions – A knowledge of the major public and private sector organizations, including the media, together with significant actors and their roles. Specific attention will be given to the relation of media institutions to other types of organizations.
- Designing and Managing Public Affairs Strategies – Courses in this area will assist the student in understanding how the media and opinion can be analysed and used to convey information, and how the media help to form public and elite preferences. Courses in this area will also provide students with experience and knowledge relevant to the management of public affairs campaigns and strategic public affairs interventions.
Program of Study
Second Year | ||
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Third Year | ||
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Fourth Year | ||
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Career Possibilities
Public affairs experts are involved in analysing opinion for governments, corporations, unions and voluntary organizations engaged in making contributions to the formation of public policy. Others are involved in the analysis of opinions and preferences in elections, including the tracking of voters for the purposes of planning issue stances and media strategies. Still others are involved in taking the results of market and opinion analysis and using that information to plan media activity and strategy.
These are just a few of the possibilities in this field. This Specialization provides direct contact with the applied world of public affairs. Because of its emphasis on systematic and quantitative methods, it also does an especially good job in preparing students for graduate studies in many disciplines in the Social Sciences and Business.
For a complete listing of course numbers see the Public Affairs and Policy Management entry in the Carleton University Undergraduate Calendar.