Environmental Concerns in Perspective (Skidmore College)

Environmental Concerns in Perspective
(Course no longer taught)
Skidmore College
Saratoga Springs, New York
Instructor: Goodstein, Eban
Subject area: Economics
Department: Economics
Year taught: 1996
Level: Undergraduate
Instructor's email: eban@lclark.edu
Please note that the copyright for this syllabus is retained by the instructor.

(This is an introductory "survey" course for the environmental studies minor at Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs, NY-- no prerequisite)

Texts: The principle text for this course is "Taking Sides: Clashing Views on Controversial Environmental Issues", edited by Theodore D. Goldfarb. (Designated below by (CV#)). In addition, we will also rely on photocopied readings, available on reserve at the library in a notebook entitled LSIV 024 Readings. I strongly recommend that you make a personal copy of the readings on reserve. Alternatively, you might buy or borrow a copy of Economics and the Environment, the text from which many of the supplemental readings are drawn.

Week Topic (Readings)

1 ENVIRONMENTAL ETHICS
Schumacher, E.F., Buddhist Economics
Blinder, Alan, Cleaning up the Environment, pp. 136-140.
Leopold, Aldo, The Land Ethic
CV#2

2 SUSTAINABILITY
Miller, G. Tyler, Environmental Science, Chapter 1.
Pezzey, John, Sustainability: An Interdisciplinary Guide! Parts 1,2,3,5.
Goodstein, Eban, Economics and the Environment,
Intro to Chapter 5, Sections 5.5-5.8.
CV#17

3 POPULATION AND CONSUMPTION
Goodstein, Eban Economics and the Environment, Chapter 20.
CV#4

4 RISK ANALYSIS AND PERCEPTIONS
Goodstein, Eban Economics and the Environment, Section 6.3.
Schraeder-Frechette, K.S."Five Dilemmas of Risk Evaluation"
CV#5

5 ENERGY
Goodstein, Eban Economics and the Environment,
Chapter 18.
CV#7

6 URBAN AIR POLLUTION
Goodstein, Eban Economics and the Environment, Section 12.1.
Miller, G. Tyler, Environmental Science. pp. 283-294.
CV#8

7 ACID RAIN AND OZONE DEPLETION
Goodstein, Eban Economics and the Environment, Sections 15.3 and 22.3.
Miller, G. Tyler, Environmental Science, pp. 294-296.
CV#9, CV#15

8 MID-TERM

9 GLOBAL WARMING
Goodstein, Eban Economics and the Environment, Chapter 1.
CV#16

10 DEFORESTATION
Goodstein, Eban Economics and the Environment, Sections 19.1-19.3, 21.5, and 22.3.
Jacobson, Jodi, Out of the Woods
CV#14

11 EXTINCTION
Huyghe, Patrick, New Species Fever
Klinkenborg, Verlyn !Barnyard Biodiversity!
CV#3

12 PESTICIDES AND CHEMICALS
Goodstein, Eban Economics and the Environment,
Sections 12.4 and 17.2.
CV#10

13 HAZARDOUS AND NUCLEAR WASTE
Goodstein, Eban Economics and the Environment,
Sections 12.3 and 18.2.
CV#11, CV#13

14 SUMMARY AND REVIEW

Grades:
CLASS PARTICIPATION 5%
ISSUE DEBATES 10%
QUIZZES 10%
MID-TERM 20%
GROUP PROJECT 15%
RESEARCH PAPER 20%
FINAL 20%

Attendance: EACH STUDENT IS ALLOWED THREE ABSENCES OVER THE TERM.

Required All College Lecture: FEBRUARY 9 AND APRIL 27th: On 2/9 Adirondack Mountain Club Executive Director Al Manville will speak on the Exxon Valdez oil spill. On 4/27 Harvard economist Juliet Schor will speak on over-consumption and overwork in America. There will be no class on April 26th.

Issue Debates: The class will be divided into teams of three. Each team will be responsible for presenting one side of the debate on a Clashing View. At debate time, each team will have five minutes to present their case; after that, each team will be given three minutes to attack the other sides' arguments. I will strictly uphold these time limits, so the groups should practice their presentations, and develop a well thought out critique of their opponents views. All three members of the team must participate actively in the presentation.

This exercise gives you an opportunity to practice your oral communication and group organization skills, and also introduces the class to the issues for the week.

Quizzes, Midterm and Final: There will be two quizzes, one midterm and one final exam for the course.

Group Project: The class will again be divided into groups of three. Each group is expected to recommend a realistic way in which Skidmore students, faculty and staff, by changing their behavior, could improve environmental quality on campus or in our region. The result of your project should be a poster display, in which you highlight the environmental benefits of the proposed measure, as well as explaining its practicality. Your grade will depend on the quality of your research, and both the content and presentation of your poster. Much of the work in environmental studies depends on effective communication!

You may wish to refer to the book 50 Simple Things You Can do to Save the Earth (Earthworks Press: Berkeley) available in the Saratoga Public Library, for ideas.

Term Paper: The term paper requirement may focus on any topic of your choice which is relevant to society's interaction with the environment (e.g. hazardous waste disposal, acid rain, nuclear reactor safety, the disposal of household garbage). I expect you to base your work on 5-10 journal, newspaper or magazine articles.