Please join us for a presentation about the program and our week in Seoul.

2024 program participants:

Letong (Judy) He, student in the Master of Public Policy program
Jonathan B. Justice, professor
Milan Katuwal, student in the Master of Public Policy program
Solbee Kim, student in the Master of Public Policy program
Shaleen Munuhe, student in the Master of Energy and Environmental Policy program
Tani Salma, student in the Master of Energy and Environmental Policy program
Matthew Van, student in the Disaster Science and Management doctoral program

About the program:

If you are interested in urban policy, city management, and comparative public policy and public administration, this is for you. Previous participants have described it as a "life-changing experience" in which they learned (more) about all of those topics while experiencing the deep historical roots and vibrant cultural life of one of the world's great cities, including K-Pop and other facets of Hallyu, the Korean Wave as well as traditional Korean arts, science, and cuisine.

The associated UD course, usually listed as UAPP730-070 (1-3 credits), is a case study of Seoul, the capital city of the Republic of Korea (ROK), both as an intriguing megacity in itself and as an example of contemporary urban governance, policy, and management. We examine the motivation, design, and management of urban policies and services in Seoul and in a comparative context. Topics include the global and national context for Seoul's policy, management, and service-delivery efforts; the design, implementation, and evaluation of governance reforms and policy innovations generally; and specific policy subareas of urban governance including but not limited to urban planning and design, transportation, public health, health care delivery, education, infrastructure planning and management, social services, housing, public finance, e-governance, and economic development.