Public Policy

Sarah Lawrence College’s Public Policy program addresses the most pressing public policy issues of our time, including promoting peace, protecting the environment, providing education and health services, and safeguarding human and workers’ rights. Supported by the College’s Office of Community Partnerships, students partner with unions, community organizations, and legal groups in the New York City area as a required element of their coursework, gaining direct experience that they can relate to theoretical issues. Students also participate in international fieldwork, including a labor research exchange in Cuba, a health-care worker conference in the Dominican Republic, a community organizing project to help establish a medical clinic for residents of the impoverished community of Lebrón in the Dominican Republic, and a study trip to the US/Mexico border area of El Paso/Juarez. This combination of study and direct experience exposes students to various approaches to problems and builds an enduring commitment to activism in many forms.