Students will write two two-page memos during the course of the semester. The topic can be a current event or a systemic issue related to the use of a specific tool or relationship between key actors. One could also choose a key historical policy dilemma, writing the memo in the context of that era.
Students should write to a head of organization, corporation, ministry, or government to recommend a specific course of action to address the issue at hand. Students are encouraged to review their topic with the professor before writing. Students will be graded on their knowledge of the situation, complexity and comprehensiveness of response, and creativity and appropriateness of response. Late memos will be marked down one letter grade for each day they are late.
Suggested Policy Memo Topics:
-Why or Why not NATO should intervene in Ukraine
-Why or Why Not the U.S. should boycott the China Winter Olympics
-The Ethical Dimensions that Should Compel U.S. Policy Toward Ukraine
-What Action and Why the U.S. Should Take on China’s Uighur Policy
– What Action and Why the U.S. Should Take on Religious Freedom Violations and Ethno-Religious Violence in Nigeria
– What Action and Why the U.S. Should Take on Pakistan’s Blasphemy Laws
– U.S. Policy Toward Afghanistan and the Taliban
– U.S. Policy Toward Ethiopia
– U.S. Policy Toward Egypt
– U.S. Policy Toward Venezuela, Cuba, or Nicaragua
Sample Policy Memo
From: (Your Name)
To: (Recipient, e.g. President Biden, Secretary of State Blinken, etc.)
Date:
Subject: (Clear yet brief recommendation statement)
Text of Memorandum (no more than 2 single-spaced pages)
Notes: You may document references using Endnotes on page 3 (Chicago Manual of Style).
Sample policy memo structure:
-Executive Summary of the Issue
-Background
-2-4 Policy Alternatives with pros & cons
-Brief wrap-up and final recommendation
