Politics and the Environment (Revised 12 February 2004)

Course Objectives:
This class will introduce students to the conceptual interrelationships between politics and the degradation and management of the planetary biosphere. This is a relatively new subject in the social sciences, even newer than the growing field of environmentalism itself. This course begins with the assumption that students are already aware that the biological environment of the planet is rapidly deteriorating, and proceeds to answer the more difficult questions relating to why human societies, regardless of governmental form, have not been able to arrest this environmental decline. The course will address potential solutions as well, but students should be aware that we currently know more about the problems than about workable solutions.

Class Requirements:
There will be two in-class tests and one take-home test, the latter of which will be graded as a paper and will be assigned two weeks prior to the last day of class. There is also an additional optional paper, the topic of which will be available on this web site early in the term. The three tests (the two in-class and one take-home) will all be weighted equally. The last take-home test and the optional paper are both due in class on the last day of regular class. Class attendance is taken and is mandatory. The dates of the in-class tests are February 26 and March 25, and the final day of class is April 22. (Be sure to purchase your airline tickets after you mark these dates on your calendar.) You will be reading various articles and opinion pieces found in The New York Times and elsewhere throughout the course. These materials are considered required reading.

Attendance is weighted equally with a normal test. Signature conformity software is used to scan and evaluate attendance records, so be sure to sign the attendance sheet the same way each time and in your correct spot! The following attendance scale is applied:
Number of absences: Grade
0: A+
1-4: A
5: B
6: C
7: D
=>8: F
=>10: Course Grade Maximum is C regardless of test grades.

For students taking the course pass/fail, minimum satisfactory performance requires (1) receiving a passing attendance grade, (2) taking all three examinations, and (3) receiving a minimum of a D average or better for all three tests.

The Honor Code is strictly enforced in this course. No papers can be used or submitted for in-class exams other than those given out by the professor. Any "extra" papers submitted with an exam or found on a desk during an exam are considered an honor code violation. Signature forgeries on attendance are an honor code violation. Plagiarism is an honor code violation.

Disabilities Statement:
It is the policy of Emory University to make reasonable accommodations for qualified students with disabilities. All students with special requests or need for accommodations should make this request in person as soon as possible.

Required Texts:
The Future of Life, by Edward O. Wilson
Taking Sides: Clashing Views on Controversial Environmental Issues, by Theodore D. Goldfarb (Ed.)
Resource Wars, by Michael T. Klare

Weekly Topical Outline

Weeks 1, 2, & 3: An overview of the planetary problem
Readings:
Resource Wars, Chapter 1-3
Taking Sides, Issues 1, 3, 5, 6

Week 4: Politics, waste, and population
Readings:
Resource Wars, Chapter 4
Taking Sides, Issues 4, 7
Transcript of The Global Brain video, by Peter Russell

Week 5: The politics of land
Readings:
Resource Wars, Chapter 5

Week 6: Politics and water
Readings:
Resource Wars, Chapter 6

Week 7: Politics and energy
Readings:
Taking Sides, Issue 15
Resource Wars, Chapters 7

Week 8: Politics and pollution: A nonlinear model of environmental democracy
Readings:
Taking Sides, Issue 17, 18
Resource Wars, Chapter 8
The Future of Life, Chapter 1

Week 9: The politics of biodoversity
Readings:
Resource Wars, Chapter 9
Taking Sides, Issue 2
The Future of Life, Chapter 2

Week 10: The politics of air: global warming, ozone destruction, and acid rain
Readings:
Taking Sides, Issues 12
The Future of Life, Chapter 3

Week 11: Environmental Policy 1: Who Makes the Policies?
Readings:
Taking Sides, Issues 9, 10, 11
The Future of Life, Chapter 4

Week 12: Environmental Policy 2: Policies of Air and Water
Readings:
Environmentalism, Chapter 8
The Future of Life, Chapter 5

Week 13: Environmental Policy 3: Policies of Waste
Readings:
Taking Sides, Issues 13, 14
The Future of Life, Chapter 6

Week 14: Environmental Policy 4: International Policies
Readings:
Taking Sides, Issues 8, 16, 19
The Future of Life, Chapter 7