This episode features the remarkable work of the UMBC doctoral program in Gerontology.

First we hear from Dr. John Schumacher, co-director of the program and Associate Professor in the Department of Sociology, Anthropology, and Public Health.

In the episode, we also hear from three current Ph.D. students working on dissertations in gerontology:

• Min-Kyoung Park
• Rachel McPherson
• Jenn Haddock Kirk

And finally, we hear from Dr. Rob Millar, Policy Analyst Advanced at the Hilltop Institute, and Dr. Sarah Holmes, Assistant Professor in the University of Maryland School of Nursing.

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About The Series

B.S. INDS: Marine Conservation Science

B.S. in Biological Sciences

Honors College Certificate

Cum Laude

Degree Mentors

• Dr. Maggie Holland, Geography and Environmental Studies
• Dr. Danielle Schwarzmann, Chief Economist at Office of National Marine Sanctuaries at NOAA
• Jennifer Hamilton, Director of Community Partnership and Strategy at the National Aquarium 
• Carrie Sauter, Individualized Study

POLI 443 Urban Policy Analysis 

Fall '22 Wednesday's 4:30pm to 7:30pm 

Dr. Eric Stokan

How should our cities and regions grapple with issues around public health, crime, economic development, housing, education, segregation, gentrification, and transportation access and equity?

POLI 443: Urban Problems and Policy Analysis asks you to join me in understanding these issues, how we got here, and where we are going.

This course will feature a mix of discussions (seminar style course), simulations (Fun activities where you get to experience first-hand how to address these issues from different perspectives), and guest lectures from those in the community grappling with these challenges.

This course is great preparation for students considering Public Policy grad programs.  It also provides great training in policy analysis. Skills that are incredibly marketable and relevant in the workforce.  

Previous guest speakers include: 

Steven M. Bieda, Former State Representative and State Senator of Michigan

John Bullock, Ph.D. Baltimore City Councilmember

Meredith Cohn, Baltimore Sun Reporter

Brett Theodos, Ph.D., Senior Fellow, Urban Institute

Jeff Finkle, President of the International Economic Development Council

Nick Hart, Ph.D. President of the DataFoundation

Marie Johns, CEO of PPC-Leftwich

Nicole Turner-Lee, Ph.D., Senior Fellow and Director Center for Technology Innovation at Brookings Institute

Bill Wells, Senior Vice President for Business Strategy at the Housing Authority of Baltimore City

POLI 469: Citizens and Democracy

What do American people think of the most contested issues facing our society today and how have those opinions changed over time? Furthermore, how do people around the democratized world think about these same issues, issues like abortion, immigration, income inequality, capital punishment, the role of science in our lives, and environmental protection? Finally, how satisfied are people with their own democracies and with their own lives?

The ambition of this special sessions course is to give students an opportunity to study publicly available public opinion data from the United States and around the world to understand how people think about important and highly controversial topics that are facing our societies. It is also an opportunity for students to learn about or apply existing skills in quantitative data analysis. But don't worry if you haven't had any formal training in statistics. No background in statistical analysis required. As such, the course is open to everyone, both those who have had a background in statistics and those who are new to statistical analysis.

There is no central text for this course. After I provide a brief introduction to the types of basic statistical analysis we will utilize, we will treat each issue area listed above as a course module. For each module, there will be short readings and/or videos to watch, a lecture (by me) about the topic, and short homework assignments, including 1-paged reaction and analysis papers and problem sets based on data. By the end of the course, it is hoped you will improve your skills in writing, critical reasoning, and data analysis and interpretation.