The PPIA Junior Summer Institute is a seven-week program structured to introduce or strengthen skills in economics, statistics, policy analysis, writing, public speaking and organization/time management. At the end of the seven-week program, students will prepare and present a comprehensive group report on a current policy issue that will encompass the skills acquired in their coursework, including the seminar on the intercultural dimensions of policy making, field research, policy analysis, and writing and computer workshops.

Curriculum
Required coursework will include seven weeks of classroom instruction in:

• Quantitative Methods for Policy Analysis
• Economics for Policy Analysis
• Policy Workshop (International and Domestic)
• Policy Writing and Analysis
• Intercultural Dimensions of Policy Making

A Sampling of JSI Policy Workshops

Policy Workshops address domestic and international current issues, such as:

2009

• Should Foundation Academy Charter School Expand?
• U.S.-EU Economic Relations and National Security:  Formulating a Comprehensive U.S. Policy Towards the European Union

2008

• Juvenile Justice: An Analysis and Reconsideration of Waiver of Children's Cases to Adult Criminal Court in New Jersey
• Formulating a Comprehensive U.S. Policy Toward the European Union

2007

• The Right to Counsel in the Juvenile Justice System
• Building a Comprehensive U.S. Policy Toward Iraq

Both the statistics and economics courses have introductory and advanced levels to fit the appropriate needs of students; economic courses are also offered at the intermediate level. Generally those students who have a background in calculus are encouraged to take the more advanced level of statistics and economics, especially when they have already completed the introductory levels in those fields. Students taking the introductory courses in statistics and economics may or may not have familiarity with these subjects. The intermediate microeconomics course will introduce students to the tools which economists use to consider a variety of economic problems. The curriculum seeks to build new skill sets in these areas or strengthen current skills for students with previous exposure to these fields. The policy workshop will examine a specific issue in domestic policy or international affairs. The policy workshop will develop students' ability to use research skills, write policy memos, effectively integrate skills obtained in statistics and economics into a policy report, and make group presentations.

Students will also participate in a seminar series focused on the intercultural dimensions of policymaking. Topics will address a range of issues, such as: social inequalities, culture and identity in policy leadership, culture and politics, cross-cultural negotiations, intercultural communication, and gender. Students will be expected to incorporate their learning on these matters into their final policy workshop report.

Transferring Course Credits
There is no credit given by Princeton University as PPIA Junior Summer Institute courses are not part of the undergraduate or graduate degree programs. However, individual students may pursue credit at their home institutions by submitting the PPIA JSI course descriptions, grades, and evaluations.

Activities Outside the Classroom
The seven-week program provides a mixture of both academic coursework and extracurricular activities. Students in previous summer programs have had the opportunity to speak with leading practitioners in the field of public affairs. Speakers in recent years have included:

• Miguel Centeno, Professor of Sociology, and International Affairs, Woodrow Wilson School 
• Ambassador Ruth A. Davis, U.S. Department of State, Washington D.C.
• Melissa V. Harris-Lacewell, Associate Professor of Politics and The Center for African American Studies, Princeton University
• Paul Krugman, Professor of Economics and International Affairs, Woodrow Wilson School
• James Leach, Former Congressman (R-IA); Weinberg/Goldman Sachs & Co. Visiting Professor, Woodrow Wilson School
• Ambassador Thomas Pickering, U.S. Department of State, Washington, D.C.
• Hugh Price, Brookings Institute, Former President and CEO of the National Urban League
• Marta Tienda, Maurice P. During '22 Professor in Demographic Studies, Woodrow Wilson School 
• Shirley Tilghman, President of Princeton University, Princeton, N.J.

Additionally, students have participated in off-site visits to observe public policy in action. Students have visited:

• U.S. State Department
• The United Nations
• Various local community development corporations, including New Community, Inc. and Isles, Inc.

Financial Aid
Each student enrolled in the PPIA Junior Summer Institute is fully funded and receives financial support for the total cost of the following:

• all courses and textbooks
• an on-campus meal plan and a meal allowance for breakfast and weekend meals
• access to the University libraries and athletic facilities
• a single room in a dormitory reserved solely for JSI students
• domestic travel expenses for arrival to the program and departure at the end of the program
• a $1,500 stipend