Born and raised in the Rio Grande Valley, Apolonia Calderon earned both her Bachelors degree (2013) and Ph.D. (2018) in Political Science from Texas A&M University. After working as an undergraduate research assistant with the Project for Equity, Representation and Governance and an internship with the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanics, Apolonia was encouraged to get a Ph.D. in public administration and public policy with an emphasis on race and ethnic politics. Growing up along the U.S.-Mexico border, her life experiences helped shape her current research agenda that focuses on the intersections of immigration policy, the philanthropic community, and public administration. She hopes her work will provide insights into how to address systematic barriers affecting the life outcomes of minority and marginalized communities. As a first-generation college student, Apolonia loves to work and help students be successful during their educational journeys.
- Public administration; public policy immigration; policy & enforcement; nonprofit & philanthropy; race & ethnic politics
A survey course, focusing on public policy institutions and analytical issues as well as on overview of key public policy problems. Students will be introduced to public policy as a discipline, with a brief overview of the actors and institutions involved in the process, and familiarize themselves with the kinds of problems typically requiring public action. The course will examine these problems from a multijurisdictional and multisectoral perspective. Specific policy areas examined include education policy, health policy, economic and budgetary policy, criminal justice policy, environmental policy, and national and homeland security policy. The course should permit students to have broad foundational exposure to the field that will give them a solid base for more advanced courses.
Schedule of Classes
Students will focus on studying the major eras of US immigration policy and will dive into understanding the various actors, reforms, policy tools and enforcement methods that have been implemented. The course consists of two modules. Module 1 dives into readings about immigration, immigrant policies, policy actors, and enforcement tools. Module 2 integrates social science methods for collecting and evaluating quantitative data to study the local implementation of immigration enforcement operations by learning the nuts and bolts of data collection, documentation, management and analysis.
Schedule of Classes
An integrative course that allows policy students to explore the complexities of the policy-making process from the perspective of specific policy topics. They will learn about and discuss subject- based issues in a seminar format led by faculty and policy experts. Site visits to federal agencies, guest speakers, and round table sessions ensure that students receive a variety of real-world perspectives on their chosen policy area. Restricted to students who have earned a minimum of 90 credits.
Schedule of Classes
