The PPIA Junior Summer Institute is a seven-week program structured to introduce or strengthen skills in economics, statistics, policy analysis, writing, and public speaking. At the end of the seven-week program, students will be able to present a comprehensive final report on a current policy issue that will encompass the skills acquired in their coursework, including the seminar on the intercultural dimensions of policy making, field research, policy analysis, and writing and computer workshops.

Curriculum
Required coursework will include seven weeks of classroom instruction in:

• Quantitative Methods for Policy Analysis
• Economics for Policy Analysis
• Policy Workshop
• Policy Writing and Analysis
• Intercultural Dimensions of Policy Making Seminar

A Sampling of JSI Policy Workshops
Policy Workshops address domestic and international current issues, such as:

2005

• A New Approach to Disproportionate Minority Contact: Transforming the New Jersey Juvenile Justice System

2006

• Meeting the Needs of Girls within New Jersey's Juvenile Justice System
• Making America More Secure Against Radical Islamist Terrorism

2007

• The Right to Counsel in the Juvenile Justice System
• Building a Comprehensive U.S. Policy Toward Iraq

Both the statistics and economics courses have introductory and advanced levels to fit the appropriate needs of students. Generally those students who have a background in calculus are encouraged to take the more advanced level of statistics and economics, especially when they have already completed the introductory levels in those fields. Students taking the introductory courses in statistics and economics may or may not have familiarity with these subjects. The curriculum seeks to build new skill sets in these areas or strengthen current skills for students with previous exposure to these fields. The policy workshop will examine a specific issue in domestic policy or international affairs. The policy workshop will develop students' ability to use research skills, write policy memos, effectively integrate coursework obtained in statistics and economics into a policy report, and make group presentations.

Students will also participate in a seminar series focused on the intercultural dimensions of policymaking. Topics will address a range of issues, such as: social inequalities, culture and identity in policy leadership, culture and politics, cross-cultural negotiations, intercultural communication, and gender. Students will be expected to incorporate their learning on these matters into their final policy workshop.

Transferring Course Credits
There is no credit given by Princeton University as PPIA Junior Summer Institute courses are not part of the undergraduate or graduate degree programs. However, individual students may pursue credit at their home institutions by submitting the PPIA JSI course descriptions, grades, and evaluations.

Activities Outside the Classroom
The seven-week program provides a mixture of both academic coursework and extracurricular activities. Students in previous summer programs have had the opportunity to speak with leading practitioners in the field of public affairs, several of whom attended a Junior Summer Institute and are graduates of the Woodrow Wilson School. Speakers in recent years have included:

• June Carter, Office of Humanitarian and Social Affairs, Washington, D.C.
• Professor Miguel Centeno, Professor of Sociology, Princeton University, Princeton, N.J.
• Ambassador Ruth A. Davis, U.S. Department of State, Washington D.C.
• Hon. Mickey Edwards, Former Member of Congress, Washington, D.C. Lisa Misol, M.P.A. '98, Arms Division, Human Rights Watch, New York, N.Y.
• Ambassador Thomas Pickering, U.S. Department of State, Washington, D.C.
• Dean Anne-Marie Slaughter, Woodrow Wilson School, Princeton, N.J.
• Shirley Tilghman, President of Princeton University, Princeton, N.J.
• Mark Quarterman, M.P.A. '87 Department of Political Affairs, United Nations, New York, N.Y.

  Additionally, students have participated in off-site visits to observe public policy in action. Students have visited:

  • U.S. State Department
  • The United Nations
  • Ellis Island
  • Various local community development corporations, including New Community, Inc. and Isles, Inc.

  Financial Aid
  Each student enrolled in the PPIA Junior Summer Institute is fully funded and receives financial support for the total cost of the following:

  • all courses and textbooks
  • an on-campus meal plan and a meal allowance for breakfast and weekend meals
  • access to the University libraries, athletic facilities, and health services
  • a single room in a dormitory reserved solely for JSI students domestic travel expenses required to arrive for the start of the program
  • a $1,500 stipend