PSCI 3201: Environmental Public Policy

PSCI 3201: Course Syllabus
Download a copy of the course syllabus: PSCI 3201 Syllabus, Fall 2007.pdf

Course Requirements
Class Schedule and Reading Assignments
Reading Materials
Expectations
Class and Campus Policies

This course examines the definition, formulation and implementation of public policy concerning the environment. Starting with models of the policy process and policy design, we examine competing perspectives on the nature and causes of environmental problems that inform the definition and formulation of environmental policy goals. Both traditional and emerging policy options or solutions are considered. The institutions through which environmental policies are designed, promoted, legitimated, implemented and adjudicated in the United States are also reviewed. By studying specific cases of environmental problems and policies, we will have opportunity to consider both policy successes as well as shortcomings in the political system in terms of achieving public ends.

COURSE REQUIREMENTS

Tue, 11 Sept: Short paper #1 (5 percent)
Tue, 25 Sept: Short paper #2 (5 percent)
Tue, 9 Oct: Short paper #3 (5 percent)
Tue, 23 Oct: Midterm exam (20 percent)
Tue, 6 Nov: Short paper #4 (5 percent)
Thu, 29 Nov: Research paper (30 percent)
Mon, 17 Dec: FINAL, 4:30 – 7:00 pm (30 percent)

CLASS SCHEDULE AND READING ASSIGNMENTS

Aug 28 Course overview

Aug 30 Introducing the environmental policy process (August 30, 2007 Power Point)

Layzer, Chapter 1

Sept 4 The environmental policy process, cont’d (September 4, 2007 Power Point)

Vig & Kraft, Chapter 1

Sept 6 Agenda setting and the environment (Septermber 6, 2007 Power Point)

Sept 11 Policy formulation and design (Short paper #1 due, beginning of class) (September 11, 2007 Power Point)

Anne Schneider and Helen Ingram, “Systematically Pinching Ideas: A Comparative Approach to Policy Design,” Journal of Public Policy 8 (Spring 1988): 61-80. Available on the class website

Sept 13 Policy design and the Clean Air Act of 1970 (September 13, 2007 Power Point)

Layzer, Chapter 2
Vig & Kraft: Use index listing for “Clean Air Act 1970” for references to important terms and policy elements
Review the EPA’s documents on the Clean Air Act, available at: http://www.epa.gov/air/oaq_caa.html

Sept 18 Clean Air Act (CAA) of 1970, cont’d (September 18, 2007 Power Point)

Sept 20 Competing perspectives on the environment: the lens of environmental ethics (September 20, 2007 Power Point)

J. Baird Callicott, “Environmental Ethics: An Overview,” Forum on Religion and Ecology, Harvard University Center for the Environment (2000), available at http://www.environment.harvard.edu/religion/disciplines/ethics/index.html.
Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, “Environmental Ethics,” first published Mon 3 Jun, 2002, available at http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/ethics-environmental/

Sept 25 Environmental ethics, cont’d (Short paper #2 due, beginning of class) (September 25, 2007 Power Point)

Sept 27 Ethics and the environment: the case of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) (September 27, 2007 Power Point)

Layzer, Chapter 6

Oct 2 Ethics and the environment: water resources in the west. We will be watching a video entitled “ Cadillac Desert: An American Nile,” produced as one in a series of PBS films based on the book Cadillac Desert : Water and the Transformation of Nature , by Marc Reisner.

Oct 4 The tragedy of the commons and sustainability (October 4, 2007 Power Point)

Garrett Hardin, “Tragedy of the Commons,” Science, Vol. 162 (December 13, 1968), available at http://www.dieoff.org/page95.htm.

Oct 9 The commons and the case of fisheries (Short paper #3 due, beginning of class) (October 9, 2007 Power Point)

Layzer, Chapter 10

Oct 11 Economics and the environment (October 11, 2007 Power Point)

Vig & Kraft, Chapter 9
Layzer, Chapter 14

Oct 16 Environmental regulation: command and control vs. marketplace incentives (October 16, 2007 Power Point)

Winston Harrington and Richard D. Morgenstern, “Economic Incentives versus Command and Control: What’s the Best Approach for Solving Environmental Problems?” Resources (Fall/Winter 2004), a publication of Resources for the Future, available at http://www.rff.org/Documents/RFF_Resources_152_ecoincentives.pdf.

Oct 18 Science and environmental policy

Helen Ingram, “Science and Environmental Policy,” an address to a Plenary Session of the Annual Meeting of the Pacific Division of the Association for the Advancement of Science, June 19, 2001, available at http://www.iec.uci.edu/S&EPpdf.pdf.

Oct 23 Midterm exam

Oct 25 Hazardous waste policy (October 25, 2007 Power Point)

Layzer, Chapter 3

Oct 30 Sustainability, population growth and the environment: Guest speaker Dr. Albert Bartlett, Emeritus Professor of Physics, University of Colorado, Boulder. NOTE: Class attendance will be taken on this day.

Albert Bartlett, “Reflections on Sustainability, Population Growth and the Environment,” originally published in Population & Environment 16, No. 1 (September 1994), 5-35; revised January 1998, available at http://dieoff.org/page146.htm.

Nov 1 Hazardous waste policy, cont’d (November 1, 2007 Power Point)

Nov 6 National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and environmental risk assessment (Short paper #4 due, beginning of class) (November 6, 2007 Power Point)

National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, available at http://ceq.eh.doe.gov/nepa/regs/nepa/nepaeqia.htm
Vig & Kraft, Chapter 10

Nov 8 Environmental risk assessment versus the precautionary principle (November 8, 2007 Power Point)

Nancy J. Myers, “Precautionary Tools for Reshaping Environmental Policy,” Chapter 1 ( Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 2005), available at http://mitpress.mit.edu/books/chapters/026263323Xchap1.pdf

Nov 13 Environmental justice: the case of Chester, Pennsylvania (November 13, 2007 Power Point)

Vig & Kraft, Chapter 10

Nov 15 Environmental justice, cont’d (November 15, 2007 Power Point)

Layzer, Chapter 5
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, “Environmental Justice: Frequently Asked Questions,” available at http://www.epa.gov/compliance/resources/faqs/ej/index.html

THANKSGIVING BREAK

Nov 27 Congress and environmental policy (November 27, 2007 Power Point)

Vig & Kraft, Chapter 6

Nov 29 The President and environmental policy (November 29, 2007 Power Point)

Vig & Kraft, Chapter 5

Dec 4 Environmental laws and regulations (Research paper due, begininning of class) (December 4, 2007 Power Point)

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, “Introduction to Laws and Regulations,” available at http://www.epa.gov/epapages/epahome/lawintro.htm
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, “Laws and Regulations.” Be sure to look at “Current Legislation,” available at http://www.epa.gov/epapages/epahome/rules.html
Vig & Kraft, Chapter 8

Dec 6 The courts and environmental law (December 6, 2007 Power Point)

Vig & Kraft, Chapter 7

Dec 11 The challenge of global climate change

Layzer, Chapter 11

Dec 13 The challenge of global climate change, cont’d

FINAL EXAM: Mon, 17 Dec, 4:30 – 7:00 pm

READING MATERIALS

Required readings come from several sources. Two books have been ordered and should be available in the campus bookstore:

Judith A. Layzer, The Environmental Case: Translating Values Into Policy, 2 nd ed. ( Washington, DC: CQ Press, 2006)

Norman J. Vig and Michael E. Kraft, editors, Environmental Policy: New Directions for the Twenty-First Century, 6 th ed. ( Washington, DC: CQ Press, 2006)

Where indicated on the reading assignment list, several items are available either on the internet or directly from the course website. Students should expect additional readings to be assigned as the semester progresses.

EXPECTATIONS

Attend class and be prepared. This means reading each assignment prior to that class.
Contact me early and often. Individual meetings are valuable to both of us. If you cannot meet during my office hours, I am easily reached via e-mail or telephone. You should especially talk with me as soon as possible when particular questions or concerns arise.
Academic honesty. Any cheating is grounds for an automatic F, expulsion from the class, and referral to the College Committee on Academic Dishonesty. Cheating specifically includes use of unauthorized materials or others’ work during exams, plagiarism (which also covers the use of materials made available on the internet), and misrepresentation of someone else’s work or work from another course as your own. If you have questions about what is or is not permissible, ask first.

STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES

Any student eligible for and needing academic adjustments or accommodations because of a disability should let me know early in the semester so that your learning needs may be appropriately met. You may be required to provide documentation of your special needs to the Disability Services Office. Contact: 303-492-8671, Willard 322, and www.Colorado.edu/disabilityservices.

RELIGIOUS OBSERVANCES

Campus policy regarding religious observances requires that faculty make every effort to reasonably and fairly deal with all students who, because of religious obligations, have conflicts with scheduled exams, assignments or required attendance. Let me know as soon as possible any schedule conflicts due to religious observances. See full details at http://www.colorado.edu/policies/fac_relig.html.

BEHAVIORAL STANDARDS

Students and faculty each have responsibility for maintaining an appropriate learning environment. Students who fail to adhere to such behavioral standards may be subject to discipline. Faculty members have the professional responsibility to treat all students with understanding, dignity and respect, to guide classroom discussion and to set reasonable limits on the manner in which they and their students express opinions. Professional courtesy and sensitivity are especially important with respect to individuals and topics dealing with differences of race, culture, religion, politics, sexual orientation, gender variance, and nationalities. Class rosters are provided to the instructor with the student's legal name. I will gladly honor your request to address you by an alternate name or gender pronoun. Please advise me of this preference early in the semester so that I may make appropriate changes to my records. See polices at http://www.colorado.edu/policies/classbehavior.html and at http://www.colorado.edu/studentaffairs/judicialaffairs/code.html#student_code.

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY

All students of the University of Colorado at Boulder are responsible for knowing and adhering to the academic integrity policy of this institution. Violations of this policy may include: cheating, plagiarism, aid of academic dishonesty, fabrication, lying, bribery, and threatening behavior. All incidents of academic misconduct shall be reported to the Honor Code Council (honor@colorado.edu; 303-725-2273). Students who are found to be in violation of the academic integrity policy will be subject to both academic sanctions from the faculty member and non-academic sanctions (including but not limited to university probation, suspension, or expulsion). Other information on the Honor Code can be found at http://www.colorado.edu/policies/honor.html and at http://www.colorado.edu/academics/honorcode/.

DISCRIMINATION AND HARASSMENT

The University of Colorado at Boulder policies on Discrimination and Harassment, Sexual Harassment, and Amorous Relationships (found at http://www.colorado.edu/policies/discrimination.html) apply to all students, staff and faculty. Any student, staff or faculty member who elieves s/he has been the subject of discrimination or harassment based upon race, color, national origin, sex, age, disability, religion, sexual orientation, or veteran status should contact the Office of Discrimination and Harassment (ODH) at 303-492-2127 or the Office of Judicial Affairs at 303-492-5550. Information about the ODH and the campus resources available to assist individuals regarding discrimination or harassment can be obtained at http://www.colorado.edu/odh.

webmaster: scott_minkoff@colorado.edu