Over the past generation, environmental policy has emerged as a new and important aspect of the governance of the natural world and private property in the U.S. This course introduces the study of public policy and its politics from the perspective of the constellation of professionals, managers, and activists involved in the implementation and formulation of policies. We will take up the organizational forms and politics that underlie governing in a "post-industrial" political economy, and survey the array of policies that has transformed that governance for natural resources, property, and ecosystem services. Environmental policy is a response to the complexities of the contemporary economy, and its technical and social challenges strain long-accepted notions of democratic representation and rationality. Work required: Each student completes, in stages, a 20-page research paper on an environmental policy or controversy. Initial proposal, bibliography, and graphic materials are assembled, culminating in a 12-page background paper describing the issues and actors. The research paper should incorporate the background paper, with revisions, into a 20-page analysis of the case and its governmental dynamics, including policy recommendations. There is also a 90-minute exam on the course readings. Format: tutorial. Prerequisites: Environmental Studies 101; Political Science 201 is recommended. This is a companion course to Environmental Studies 307/Political Science 317 (Environmental Law). Enrollment: 12 (expected: 12). Preference to seniors and juniors. This course is writing intensive.

Hour: K. LEE