Time Schedule:
Craig W. Thomas
ENVIR 501
Seattle Campus
Addresses a contemporary interdisciplinary issue in environmental management by integrating the perspectives and theories of science/technology, public policy, and business. Format emphasizes interactive, hands-on approaches to problem solving, with visiting lectures by academic and/or external practitioners.
Class description
Environmental policies are crafted and implemented today through a wide variety of governance processes in the public, private and nonprofit sectors. This great diversity of policy-making processes in all three sectors is a relatively new phenomenon, which requires a broad understanding of policy tools and multi-sector governance systems. This course examines a wide variety of policy tools in the public, private, and nonprofit sectors – including agenda setting, bureaucratic planning, regulation, market-based mechanisms, transparency, collaboration, supply-chain certification, and adaptive management. We will use several criteria to evaluate how well these policy tools and processes work in practice, such as the role of science in decision making, the participation of external stakeholders, and impacts on environmental change. The course also covers a wide range of environmental issues to provide context for each of these policy tools and processes.
Student learning goals
General method of instruction
Recommended preparation
Class assignments and grading
