semesterly policy seminars
Each semester, the Biden Institute offers three one-credit seminars on various policy topics. These include lectures and visits from senior practitioners from various backgrounds and perspectives.
Each seminar meets 5:30–8:30 p.m. on Tuesdays during spring 2026.
Any questions about upcoming seminars? Have a suggestion for a topic you would like us to consider?
Email questions and suggestions to bideninstitute@udel.edu.
spring 2026 seminars
Meeting dates: February 10, 17, 24; March 3
Description: For all the recent advances in technology, nothing rivals the power of a speech: To transform an idea into action. Chart a new and clear course. Energize employees, volunteers, or voters. Contain a crisis. Define a debate. Win a campaign. If a speech is going to accomplish any of these goals, it’s got to be good. It’s got to be well conceived, well crafted, and well received. In this course, you’ll learn the fundamentals of speechwriting – how to make a memorable introduction, craft a persuasive argument, deploy story and humor and powerful language, and put it all together in service of a cause you care about. Biden Institute Seminars include lectures and visits from senior practitioners from various backgrounds and perspectives.
Meeting dates: March 10, 17, 31; April 7
Description: The world is facing urgent environmental challenges, from climate change to resource management to questions of justice. This seminar dives into the innovations shaping the future of environmental policy. Students will explore how new technologies, market forces, and governance approaches are changing the way societies respond to these problems. The course invites students to weigh opportunities and trade-offs, imagine creative solutions, and think about what it will take to build a more sustainable world. Biden Institute Seminars include lectures and visits from senior practitioners from various backgrounds and perspectives.
Meeting dates: April 14, 21, 28; May 5
Description: Education is changing fast. How will schools, teachers, and students meet the demands of the 21st century? This seminar explores the challenges and opportunities shaping the future of learning. Students will look at how societal, technological, and economic shifts are transforming what it means to teach and to learn. They will think critically about the choices policymakers face, the trade-offs involved, and how these decisions ripple out to affect learners, communities, and society. By the end of the course, students will have a sharper understanding of the forces shaping education, and a sense of what the future might hold. Biden Institute Seminars include lectures and visits from senior practitioners from various backgrounds and perspectives.
Previous Biden Institute Seminars
Fall 2025
Campaign Management
The Role of an Ambassador in U.S. Diplomacy
Mental Health Policy
Spring 2025
Public Service Project Management
Environmental Policy: Climate Change
Criminal Justice Policy
Winter 2025
Public Service Career Workshop
Fall 2024
Technology Policy
Case Study: Crisis Management
Healthcare Policy: Solving the Pipeline Problem
Spring 2024
Title: Political Fundraising
Faculty: Christy Gleason
Title: Environmental Policy: Sustainability
Faculty: David Carter
Title: Middle Class Economics
Faculty: Troy D. Mix
Fall 2023
Title: Diplomats and Diplomacy
Faculty: Gary Locke
Title: Education Policy
Faculty: Susan Buntin
Title: Getting to Know Washington, DC
Faculty: Cathy McLaughlin
Spring 2023
Title: Political Speechwriting
Faculty: Jeff Nussbaum
Title: Environmental Justice
Faculty: Michele Roberts
Title: Social Justice Policy
Faculty: Anumira Bhargava
Fall 2022
Title: Lobbying & Influence in Public Policy
Faculty: Rhett Ruggerio
Title: Middle Class Economics
Faculty: Steph Sterling
Title: LGBTQ+ Policy and Public Discourse
Faculty: Sarah McBride
Spring 2022
Title: Gun Policy
Faculty: Dave Bentz
Title: Civil Discourse
Faculty: Tim Shaffer
Title: Protest to Policy
Faculty: Shyana Strom
Title: Immigration Policy
Faculty: Charles Kamasaki
Fall 2021
Title: Civil Discourse
Faculty: Phil Barnes
Guest Speaker: Tim Schaffer
Title: Infrastructure Policy
Faculty: Leslie Proll
Title: Climate Policy
Faculty: Collin O’Mara
Spring 2021
Title: Intro to Washington, DC
Faculty: Cathy McLaughlin
Title: Vaccine Policy
Faculty: Kim Isett
Title: Protest to Policy
Faculty: Eugene Young
Fall 2020
Title: National Security Policy
Faculty: Samantha Vinograd
Title: Environmental Policy
Faculty: Dr. Cecilia Martinez
Spring 2020
Title: Topics in Public Policy: Criminal Justice Policy
Faculty: Maryanne Donoghy
Title: Topics in Public Policy: Environmental Policy
Faculty: W. Michael McCabe, Pablo McConnie-Saad
Title: Topics in Public Policy: Education Policy
Faculty: Amanda Fuchs Miller
Fall 2019
Title: Topics in Public Policy: Modern Presidential Campaigns
Faculty: Mike Donilon
Title: Topics in Public Policy: Gun Policy
Faculty: David Bentz
Title: Topics in Public Policy: Opioid Policy
Faculty: Kayla Tormohlen & Jia Ahmed
Spring 2019
Title: Topics in Public Policy: U.S. LGBTQ Policy
Faculty: Stefanie Feldman, Sarah McBride
Fall 2018
Title: U.S. Federal Policymaking Toolkit
Faculty: Stefanie Feldman
Title: Seminar on Non-Profit Management
Faculty: Louisa Terrell, Deborah Jospin
Title: Seminar on U.S. Immigration Policy
Faculty: Ali Noorani, Jacinta Ma
Spring 2018
Title: Jobs, Economy and the Impact on the Middle Class
Faculty: Mike Donilon and Sarah Bianchi
Title: Developing and Implementing Health Care
Faculty: Bruce Reed, Sarah Bianchi
