POLS 346
Spring 2016 Environmental
Politics and Policy
M, W
1:45-3:30, in Ramstad 203 |
Sid Olufs Xavier
153, olufs@plu.edu Office
Hours: M 12:30-1:30, T 9:30-12:30, W 3:30-4:30,
plus by appointment. . |
Catalog Description. The course examines
environmental problems from political perspectives, including international and
domestic political contexts, and methods of evaluating policies.
Course Readings
·
Christopher McGrory Klyza and David J. Sousa,
American Environmental Policy: Beyond
Gridlock, revised edition, MIT Press, 2013, ISBN-13: 978-0262525046
·
Sandra Steingraber, Living Downstream: An
Ecologist's Personal Investigation of Cancer and the Environment, Da Capo Press, 2010, ISBN-13: 978-0306818691
·
The class will make
extensive use of online material and resources posted in Sakai as part of the required reading. We
will make extensive use of the course website, at
http://community.plu.edu/~olufsdw/346.htm
Coursework. These assignments, along with the
readings, support two goals for the course. First, you should know a lot about
course content. The things we study have real consequences for human affairs.
Second, college graduates should have highly developed skills--reading,
writing, speaking, critical and logical thinking require practice.
·
Case Study. Each student will
write a study of the political activities of an environmental interest
group. (20%)
·
Policy Paper. Each student will write an analysis of a
policy or policy proposal related to course content. The policy paper will follow a particular
approach. (20%)
·
Response papers &
Activities. In-class activities and
out-of-class assignments occur regularly, usually as a response to assigned
readings. This can include content analysis of documents, review or abstracts
of articles, answering questions about reading, leading the class in a
discussion of this week's environmental news, analysis of graphs and tables,
and so on. (50%)
·
Final examination, Tuesday,
May 24, 11-12:50. (10%).
Schedule. [Klyza & Sousa =
KS, Steingraber
= S ]
Monday |
Wednesday |
Feb.
8—Introduction, the bees. S Chapter Two. Rachel
Carson. |
Feb.
10— Cancer, Nuclear Weapons, Infectious Diseases. S, Forward and Chapter One, and
Sakai readings. |
Feb.
15— Presidents' Day Holiday, No Class |
Feb.
17— KS, prefaces and chs. 1 & 2.
The policy process; Institutions, groups and politics. |
Feb.
22— Climate policy. Sakai
readings. Select interest group for paper assignment. |
Feb.
24— Climate policy, continued.
Sakai readings. Note: PLU Food Symposium Assignment |
Feb.
29— Meet in SCAN, screening of PLU students' film, Waste Not |
Mar.
2— KS, ch.
3. Congress. Critical
perspectives on your papers. |
Mar.
7— KS, ch.
4. Presidents. |
Mar.
9— KS, ch.
5. Courts in environmental policy. |
Mar. 14—
Courts in environmental policy, continued.
Sakai readings. |
Mar.
16— Class Panels on Groups in
the Policy Process. |
Mar.
21— Can we escape Gridlock? (1).
KS, ch.
6. |
Mar.
23— Federalism, the States. KS, ch. 7. Policy
paper topics. |
Mar. 28— PLU Spring Break |
Mar. 30— PLU Spring Break |
Apr.
4— KS, ch.
8. Expectations for the policy
process. |
Apr.
6— Politics of Food Safety, and the chemicals connection. S, Chapters three, four, and five,
Sakai readings. |
Apr.
11— More on Food and chemicals. S, chapters six and seven. Also, Reports
of findings on groups are due, and will be discussed. |
Apr.
13— workshop on policy paper
approach |
Apr.
18— Air and Water. S, chapters eight and nine. Also, Bring to class the first two pages of your case study paper. |
Apr.
20— Economic analysis. Sakai
readings, S chapter ten and eleven.
We will also have a review of
the policy paper approach |
Apr.
25— What about Justice? S,
chapter eleven and afterward, Sakai readings. |
Apr.
27— Security Issues. Sakai
readings. |
May
2— China, a special case. Sakai
readings. Case study papers are due. |
May
4— Reasons for hope. Sakai
readings. |
May
9— What Students Have Done. (1) |
May
11— What Students Have Done. (2) |
May
16—Conclusions. Policy papers are due. |
May
18— Discussion of exam. |
Final Examination: Tuesday, May 24, 11-12:50 pm.