How does public policy affect the outcomes of marginalised and vulnerable individuals and communities? What social processes influence public policy design and what role does evidence play? How are critical social issues understood to inform public policy responses and how does that reflect social power? In this course we will explore these questions, covering topics such as whole of government approaches, enabling environments, healthy public policy, community empowerment, partnerships for health, policy and program implementation and evaluation, and ethical aspects of policy and research. In this course you will critically examine major public policy controversies in a range of crosscutting domains, including education, health promotion, harm reduction, sexuality, gender diversity and age. You will learn the theories and concepts proposed in various disciplines to analyse contemporary public policy controversies, including differences in understandings of social issues and appropriate policy responses. You will apply theoretical knowledge to case studies of particularly vexed contemporary controversies in public policy that affect the health and wellbeing of individuals and communities in Australia, in particular of marginalized social groups.