Public policy is what public officials within government, and, by extension, the citizens  represented by those officials, choose to do (or not do) about public problems. Public  decisions touch virtually every aspect of human life: the cost of the cereal you ate for  breakfast this morning, the kinds of educational options available in your hometown,  the quality of the roads in Nashville, what you and I are allowed and not allowed to say  to one another in a classroom setting, the quality of the air we are breathing right this  minute. The processes whereby public officials make policies are as complex as they  are far-reaching. Understanding how those processes work is important for any citizen  but particularly for one who hopes to have a positive impact on the world around them.  This course is an introduction to the practice of public policymaking and the theories  that explain the processes of public policy and administration.