POL/SOC470: ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY, SPRING 2011

 

Instructor:                            Rick Welsh

Office:                                    Bertrand H. Snell Hall, Room 270

Telephone:                             x3988

e-mail:                                    welshjr@clarkson.edu

Office Hours:                         Mondays & Wednesdays: 11-12:30 & 2:30-4

                                                (or by appointment)

Web page:                               www.clarkson.edu/~welshjr

 

INTRODUCTION

 

Public policy is developed in response to problems or issues in society that are presumed, for whatever reasons, not to be resolvable by the private sector.   In theory, public policy as it relates to environmental issues is used to intervene to alleviate problems, such as industrial pollution, that threaten the integrity of the natural resource base and the natural and built environments on which our lives and livelihoods depend.

 

However, public policy development and implementation in general, and environmental policy in particular, are not immune to political forces and influences.  Even scientific institutions that often provide the empirical basis for environmental policy are potentially influenced and shaped by the political process and political and economic interests.

 

This course introduces students to the distinctive features or characteristics of environmental policy development and implementation.  The course focuses primarily on the United States but includes international environmental and global issues and policies.  The course will help students understand how environmental policy fits within the large-scale social and economic changes in the U.S. and elsewhere that have resulted in greater environmental awareness.  We will also consider how scientific evidence is created and marshaled in support of competing interpretations of environmental problems, and the appropriate policies to address such problems.

 

COURSE OBJECTIVES

 

1) To expose students to environmental policy issues

2) To enhance students’ understanding of national, international and global environmental policy issues

3) To prepare students to engage in informed debate and discussion of environmental issues in general, but especially those with policy implications

 

REQUIRED TEXTS

Author                                                                 Title

Freudenburg, W.R. and R. Gramling                 Blowout in the Gulf

Kline, B.                                                              First Along the River (3rd)

Rosenbaum, W.A    .                                           Environmental Politics and Policy (8th)

 

 

COURSE REQUIREMENTS

 

Attendance.  You are permitted three absences without receiving a penalty.  After three absences you will have points deducted from your final grade for each additional absence. Leaving class early without prior arrangements counts as an absence. After five absences, you fail the course.  I do not differentiate between excused and non-excused absences.  If you miss a class, you are responsible for the material we covered during that class.  This is the case no matter the reason for the absence. Tardiness will also count against your attendance grade.  Arriving late to class twice, counts as one absence.

 

Class Participation.  Participating in class discussions is extremely important.  Class is largely composed of discussion of the assigned readings. Class discussions will be conducted with professional demeanor and courtesy for the students and professor. Discussion must originate from the assigned material. Therefore, in order to participate well, and receive a high grade in this area, you must complete the reading assignments before you come to class and conduct yourself professionally. Texting in class or talking on the cell phone counts as an absence.

 

To receive an A in class participation, you must attend class regularly and make thoughtful, intelligent and relevant comments about the assigned readings in just about every class.  If you miss class more than three times, arrive late or leave early often and say little or nothing during class, or are disruptive, you will receive a low grade for participation.

 

Exams. There will be 3 exams.  The exams will consist primarily of essay questions, and will generally require one class period to complete.   I will provide a list of review essay questions before each exam.  The essay questions on the exams will be a subset of the essay questions provided for review.

 

Quizzes. Most Mondays we will have a brief quiz at the beginning of class. The quiz will cover the current and previous (usually Wednesday’s) reading assignment.  The two lowest quiz grades will be dropped when calculating your average.

 

Assignments. I will introduce you to a useful data base developed by the EPA: the Toxic Release Inventory.  You will answer a series of questions using this data base.   Additional information will be provided for you on this assignment.  To get started go to the following web sites: www.epa.gov/tri/ .

 

Summaries (News and Guest Lectures). News: I will split the class into three groups: A, B and C. 3 times during the semester, you and the other members in your group are responsible for preparing a written summary of an article taken from the New York Times or Wall Street Journal or another credible newspaper or news magazine. Attach the article to your summary.  We will spend about 20 minutes of the class discussing these articles. Guest Lectures. Several times during the semester invited experts will provide lectures. You are responsible for summarizing the lectures. All summaries should be at least 500 words in length (see reading schedule for summary due dates).

 

 

GRADING

 

In order to pass the class you must earn at least a 60% average in every grading category.  Failure to do so results in failing the class. Once the 60% threshold has been achieved, the grading scale is as follows.

 

Assignments                                                                                                                  10%

Class participation                                                                                                        10%

News summaries                                                                                                           15%

Quizzes                                                                                                                          25%

Exams                                                                                                                            40%

 

READING SCHEDULE (subject to change)

 

January

10 Monday           Introductions

12 Wednesday     Kline, Chaps 1-4

 

17 Monday           Kline, Chaps 5-7- Quiz 1

19 Wednesday     Kline, Chaps 8-10- NEWS SUMMARY GROUP A

 

24 Monday           Rosenbaum, Chaps 1-2- Quiz 2

26 Wednesday     Rosenbaum, Chapter 3- NEWS SUMMARY GROUP B

 

31 Monday           Rosenbaum, Chapter 4- Quiz 3

 February

02 Wednesday     Rosenbaum, Chapter 5- NEWS SUMMARY GROUP C

 

07 Monday           Rosenbaum, Chapter 6- Quiz 4

09 Wednesday     EXAM 1 IN-CLASS

FEBRUARY BREAK

14 Monday           Guest lecture on Cost-Benefit Analysis

                16 Wednesday     Rosenbaum, Chapter 7 and TRI Exercise & Guest Lecture summary due

NEWS SUMMARY GROUP A

 

21   Monday         Rosenbaum Chapter 8- Quiz 5

23   Wednesday   Rosenbaum, Chap. 7 and TRI exercise- NEWS SUMMARY GROUP B

                                    

28 Monday           Rosenbaum, Chap 8- Quiz 6

March

02 Wednesday     Rosenbaum, Chap 9-/ NEWS SUMMARY GROUP C

   

07 Monday           Guest Lecture on wetlands and conservation biology

09 Wednesday     Guest Lecture on the science of climate change

SPRING BREAK

21  Monday          Rosenbaum, Chap 10- Quiz 7  Guest Lecture summaries due

23 Wednesday     EXAM 2 IN CLASS

 

28 Monday           Freudenburg and Gramling Chapters 1&2- Quiz 8

30 Wednesday     Freudenburg and Gramling Chapters 3&4- NEWS SUMMARY GROUP A

 

April       04 Monday           Freudenburg and Gramling Chapters 5&6- Quiz 9

                06 Wednesday     Freudenburg and Gramling Chapters 7&8- NEWS SUMMARY GROUP B

11 Monday           Freudenburg and Gramling Chapters 9&10 - Quiz 10

13 Wednesday     EXAM 3 IN CLASS

 

18 Monday           Guest Lecture on BP Oil Spill

                20 Wednesday     NEWS SUMMARY GROUP C- Summary and Wrap-Up

 

Final Assignment (summary of Final Guest Lecture) due by 4pm on April 25