Environmental Policy

Course Description

This introductory environmental policy course reviews major developments in environmental regulation in the United States, considered in a global context. Readings examine the evolution of U.S. environmental policy, the form and function of social institutions used to govern human-environment interactions, including markets, state and civil society, and conventions, norms, and morals. U.S. and U.N. legal structures, agencies, and NGOs are addressed, with attention to comparative regulatory frameworks. The "new institutional approach," "resource regimes," and various incremental and transformative institutional reforms are discussed. The impact of economic and cultural factors - including class, race, gender, and location - on resource use and other policy decisions affecting the physical and built environments will be explored. Evolving institutional approaches to energy use, such as sustainability, "wise use," adaptive management, and resilience are examined. NEW 365 and PSC 365 are cross-listed.

Code

PSC 365

Credits

3

Subject

PSC

Programs That Include This Course

• Bachelor's Bachelor of Arts in Political Science
• Minor Minor in Interdisciplinary Environmental Studies
• Minor Minor in Political Science
• Minor Minor in Public Policy