Abstract:

This paper is based on the author's experience in designing and teaching the capstone course in the department of Political Science in United Arab Emirates University. The objective of the paper is two-fold: (1) to show how policy analysis as a new field in social sciences can help to rescue the fields of political science and public administration in the Arab Universities from their ongoing crises and (2) show how capstone courses can be used to integrate the two disciplines with other social sciences. Both disciplines are encountering a real crisis that is embodied in their lack of a professional focus and a problem solving approach. Capstone courses can use the interdisciplinary approach of “Policy Analysis” to integrate the knowledge acquired by the student in the program of political science and public administration to promote a professional focus and a problem-solving approach. For that purpose, capstone courses may be used to integrate the knowledge acquired by the student from other theoretical courses in political science program and other disciplines to enable him to apply them to find practical solutions for public policy problems. In this capacity, capstone courses may be designed to enable the student to provide policy makers with relevant advice on his area of specialty. It may also incorporate and concentrate on applying the concepts of “political feasibility” as well as “economic feasibility” to recommend realistic and implementable policies.

Keywords:

Capstone, policy analysis, pollitical science, public administration, problem solving.