POSC 117 - Environmental Politics

Units: 3
The history and present status of the ideologies, interests, movements and understandings that form modern environmental policy and politics.

Equivalent Quarter Course: POSC 1171.
Possible Instructional Methods: Entirely On-ground.
Grading: A-F or CR/NC (student choice).
Student Learning Outcomes - Upon successful completion of this course students will be able to:

The causes and impacts of the most serious environmental problems facing society today, including: air and water pollution, toxic waste, loss of biodiversity, ozone depletion and global climate disruption.
The different philosophies that inform and shape efforts to protect the environment and build sustainable societies.
The economic and political forces and institutions that undermine, constrain and shape efforts to regulate environmentally destructive practices.
The environmental policymaking process, including: a) the creation of environmental laws by Congress; b) the transformation of laws into specific regulations (as well as their enforcement and adjudication) by executive agencies; and c) the effectiveness of these laws and agencies to meet their stated goals.
The specific legal and regulatory structure of the nation’s major environmental laws (The Clean Air Act, The Clean Water Act, Superfund, The Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, The Toxic Substances Control Act and The Endangered Species Act) including a critical assessment of their application and transformation through the process of judicial review.
The contending theories of international relations and how they answer the question: can the international community cooperatively address threats to the global environment. The major international efforts to address global environmental threats–ozone depletion and global climate change–including a critical assessment of their effectiveness.