California Policy Podcast Project

Part 1: Assignment Prompt

Background: California Policy on the Ground

California is the world's fifth-largest economy and one of the most dynamic policy environments in the world. Policy is not made in an abstract vacuum in Sacramento—it is contested, advocated for, implemented, and reshaped on the ground by policy advocacy organizations, think tanks, community coalitions, and public agencies. Understanding how policy actually moves requires stepping beyond textbook descriptions and talking directly to the practitioners doing the work.

Your Task

For this project, you will step into the shoes of a policy journalist. You will identify a practitioner working at a policy advocacy organization, think tank, or community group in California, research their recent work, and conduct a 45-minute interview with them. This interview will be recorded and submitted as a podcast episode.

Steps to Complete the Project:

Select an Issue Area and Organization: Choose a California policy advocacy organization, think tank, or community coalition that aligns with your policy interests (e.g., housing affordability, water rights, agricultural labor, environmental justice, criminal legal reform, tech regulation, healthcare equity).
Identify a Target Practitioner: Find a researcher, policy analyst, community organizer, legislative advocate, or program director at that organization to interview.
Conduct Policy Research: (See Part 2 below). You must read a recent policy report or brief from this organization to prepare.
Secure the Interview: Use the provided email template to invite your practitioner to a 45-minute Friday Zoom session.
Record the Podcast: Conduct the interview. You must explore the real-world tensions of their work by asking how policy mandates confront ground-level implementation challenges and institutional hurdles.

Part 2: Research & Interview Preparation

A good podcast interview is built on great research. Practitioners are much more likely to agree to an interview—and give you robust, interesting answers—if they know you have actually engaged with their work.

Research Requirements:

Before you reach out to your target practitioner, you must:

Navigate to your chosen organization's website.
Locate their "Publications," "Reports," or "Research" section.
Identify one recent policy report, brief, or white paper (published within the last 2-3 years) that is relevant to the practitioner you want to interview.
Read the executive summary and key findings.

Developing Your Questions:

Based on your research, draft 5-7 interview questions.

The Hook: Start with a question specifically referencing the report you read (e.g., "In your recent 2024 report on groundwater sustainability, you noted [X]... how has the community responded to that finding?").
The Career Path & Strategy: Ask about their role, how they navigate Sacramento and regional politics, and what coalition-building strategies they rely on.
Policy Implementation & Tension (Required): You must include at least one question that explores the real-world implementation challenges, institutional resistance, or practical friction their policy proposals encounter.

Part 3: Outreach Email Template

Use this template as a starting point. Personalize the bracketed [ ] sections before sending.

Subject: Interview Request: Cal Lutheran Politics Class / [Topic of their report] Dear [Practitioner's Name], My name is [Your Name] and I am a junior undergraduate student at [Your University] taking a course on California Politics and Public Policy. As part of our coursework, we are studying how California public policy is crafted, advocated for, and implemented on the ground. I have been following the work of [Organization Name], and I recently read your report on [Name of the Report/Topic]. I was particularly struck by your finding that [insert one brief, specific detail you found interesting]. For my midterm project, I am recording a 45-minute podcast-style interview with a policy practitioner to help my classmates and me understand how policy actually moves on the ground in [Their Issue Area / Domain, e.g., Water Infrastructure, Housing Policy, Environmental Justice]. Would you be open to doing a brief, 45-minute Zoom interview with me on a Friday of your choosing in the coming weeks? The stakes are low, and the audience will be a highly engaged class of undergraduates who are eager to learn from your localized expertise. Thank you so much for your time and for the work you do. I look forward to hearing from you. Best regards, [Your Name] [Your Major], Class of 202X [Your University] [Link to your LinkedIn profile, optional]

Part 4: Grading Rubric

Category	Excellent (A)	Proficient (B)	Developing (C)	Needs Work (D/F)
Research & Preparation (25%)	Questions are deeply rooted in a specific, recent policy report. Student demonstrates clear understanding of the organization's mission and the practitioner's role.	Questions reference the organization's work generally, but lack specific ties to a recent report. Good foundational understanding.	Questions are generic and could apply to almost any policy professional. Minimal evidence of prior research.	No evidence of preparation. Questions are entirely improvised or off-topic.
Interview Execution (25%)	Student actively listens, asks thoughtful follow-up questions, and guides the conversation smoothly. The pacing feels like a professional podcast.	Student asks all prepared questions but misses opportunities for organic follow-ups. The conversation flows reasonably well.	Student strictly reads off a list of questions regardless of the guest's answers. Awkward pacing or interruptions.	Student is unprepared, unprofessional, or fails to guide the conversation effectively.
Policy Context & Implementation Tension (30%)	Expertly analyzes the California policy landscape surrounding the guest's work. Successfully and thoughtfully investigates how policy mandates confront ground-level implementation and institutional challenges.	Discusses the policy area well. Makes a clear connection to broader implementation issues.	Fails to clearly define the California policy context OR overlooks the required examination of implementation tensions.	Interview ignores the California policy context altogether.
Audio Quality & Format (20%)	Audio is clear, balanced, and free of distracting background noise. Includes a brief, recorded intro/outro framing the interview for the class.	Audio is mostly clear with minor issues. Includes a basic intro/outro.	Audio is difficult to hear in places. Missing intro/outro framing.	Audio is largely inaudible or the file format is incorrect/inaccessible.

The California Policy Podcast Project