12/21/2024 5:03:42 PM	SOCS 12 Course Outline as of Summer 2012	Changed Course
CATALOG INFORMATION
Discipline and Nbr:  SOCS 12	Title:  ENV POLICY & POLITICS
Full Title:  Environmental Policy and Politics
Last Reviewed:2/7/2022

Units		Course Hours per Week			Nbr of Weeks	Course Hours Total
Maximum	3.00	Lecture Scheduled	3.00		17.5 max.	Lecture Scheduled	52.50
Minimum	3.00	Lab Scheduled	0		17.5 min.	Lab Scheduled	0
		Contact DHR	0			Contact DHR	0
		Contact Total	3.00			Contact Total	52.50
		Non-contact DHR	0			Non-contact DHR Total	0

Total Out of Class Hours:  105.00

Total Student Learning Hours: 157.50

Title 5 Category:  AA Degree Applicable
Grading:  Grade or P/NP
Repeatability:  00 - Two Repeats if Grade was D, F, NC, or NP
Also Listed As: 
Formerly: 

Catalog Description:

Introduction to environmental studies, examining the political processes and institutions involved in implementing public policy to address environmental problems with emphasis on national and international issues.

Prerequisites/Corequisites:

Recommended Preparation:
Eligibility for ENGL 1A or equivalent

Limits on Enrollment:

Schedule of Classes Information
Description:

Introduction to environmental studies, examining the political processes and institutions involved in implementing public policy to address environmental problems with emphasis on national and international issues.

(Grade or P/NP)
Prerequisites:
Recommended:Eligibility for ENGL 1A or equivalent
Limits on Enrollment:
Transfer Credit:CSU;UC.
Repeatability:00 - Two Repeats if Grade was D, F, NC, or NP

ARTICULATION, MAJOR, and CERTIFICATION INFORMATION

Associate Degree:		Effective:	Fall 1981	Inactive:
Area:	D	Social and Behavioral Sciences
CSU GE:	Transfer Area			Effective:	Inactive:
	D	Social Science		Fall 1981
	D1	Anthropology and Archeology
	D2	Economics
	D3	Ethnic Studies
	D4	Gender Studies
IGETC:	Transfer Area			Effective:	Inactive:
	4	Social and Behavioral Science		Fall 1981
	4J	Sociology and Criminology
CSU Transfer:	Transferable	Effective:	Fall 1981	Inactive:
UC Transfer:	Transferable	Effective:	Fall 1981	Inactive:
C-ID:

Certificate/Major Applicable: Major Applicable Course

COURSE CONTENT

Outcomes and Objectives:
At the conclusion of this course, the student should be able to:

Upon completion of this course, students will be able to:

1. Identify and assess contemporary environmental problems

   (air, water, land, toxics, endangered species, biodiversity, climate

    change and the like).

2. Describe major U.S. environmental policies, their origins, key policy actors, and alternative

    proposals for policy change.

3. Apply the analytical framework of public policy-making to connect environmental policy

   to the  political process.

4. Identify and evaluate the role of environmental groups and public opinion in

   environmental politics.

5. Research both domestic and international issues and trends drawing on diverse sources.

6. Identify the principles, methodologies, value systems and ethics employed

    in social scientific inquiry.

Topics and Scope

I.  Environmental Problems and Politics

     A. Perspectives on Environmental Problems

         1.  Scientific Knowledge and Its Use

         2. Economics and Incentives

         3. Environmental Values and Ethics

     B. The Role of Government and Politics

         1. Defining Environmental Policy

         2. Policy Typologies

         3. Public Policy Responses

     C. Historical Framework for Environmental Protection

         1. From the Colonial Period to 1900

         2. Progressive Reforms and Conservationism: 1900 - 1945

         3. Recreation and the Age of Ecology: Post World War II to 1969

         4. Earth Days and Deregulation: 1970 - present

         5. Global Awareness and Gridlock: 1993 to the present

     D.  Principles, methodologies, value systems and ethics employed in social scientific

           inquiry related to environmental research.

II.  Participants in the Environmental Debate

     A. U.S. environmental organizations

     B. The Environmental Justice Movement

     C. Radical environmentalism

     D. Environmental opposition in the United States

     E. The Role of the media and public opinion

     F. Global Green political parties

      G. International governmental organizations

     H. Transnational advocacy networks

III.  Environmental Policy-Making

     A. The Policy Process Model

          1. Agenda Setting

          2. Policy Formulation

          3. Policy Adoption

           4. Policy Implementation

          5. Policy Evaluation

          6. Policy Change

     B. The Role of the Executive Branch

     C. Congressional Policy-Making

     D. Courts and Environmental Policy

     E. State and Local Policy Making

     F. The EPA's Organization, Budget and Jurisdiction

IV.  Public Lands Debate

     A. Bureau of Land Management's (BLM) Management of Public Lands

     B. U.S. Forest Policy

     C. Battles over Wilderness

     D. Grazing Rights

     E. Mining Law and Public Lands

     F. Private Property and Public Lands

     G. The Endangered Species Act

V.  Waste and Toxics Issues

     A. The Nature of Waste: Generation and Disposal

     B. Hazardous Waste

     C. Toxic Chemicals and Health Effects

     D. The Resource Conservation and Recovery Act and Superfund

     E. The Toxic Substances Control Act

     F. Nuclear Waste

VI.  Energy Policies

     A. The Energy Pie

     B. Corporate Average Fuel Economay (CAFÉ) Standards

     C. Energy Policy Cycles

         1. Carter's National Energy Plan

         2. Reagan's Deregulation of Energy

         3. The Bush's Administration National Energy Strategy

         4. Energy Policy under the Clinton Administration

         5. Energy Policy Under George Bush and Barack Obama

         6. State and Local Energy Initiatives

     D. Energy Use and Climate Change

VII.  The Politics of Water

     A. Trends in Water Use

     B. Water Resource Management in the United States

     C. Wetlands Protection

     D. Water Quality

          1. Pollution of Surface Waters

          2. Drinking Water Quality

          3. Toxic Contamination

     E. The Clean Water Act

     F.  The Safe Drinking Water Act

VIII.  Air Quality: Pollution and Solutions

     A. Sources of Air Pollution

     B. Indoor Air Quality

      C. Acid Precipitation

     D. The Clean Air Act

     E. The Clear Skies Initiative

     F. Transboundary Air Pollution

     G. Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and Stratospheric Ozone Layer

IX.  Endangered Species and Biodiversity

     A. Endangered Species

     B. The Endangered Species Act

     C. Wildlife Policy

     D. Biodiversity Loss and Implications

     E. International Biodiversity Agreements and Policies

X. The Global Commons

     A. The Atmosphere

     B. Global Climate Change

     C. Stratospheric Ozone Depletion

     D. U.S. Oceans Policy

     E. Global Oceans Policy

     F. United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea

XI. Population and Sustainability

     A. Trends in Growth Rates and Projected Population Increases

     B. Population and Sustainable Development

     C. The Role of the United States

     D. Global Population and Sustainability Efforts

XII. Emerging Environmental Issues for the Twenty-First Century

     A. Climate Justice

     B. Environmental Disasters

     C. E-Waste

     D. Environmental Policy Toward Sustainable Development

          1. President's Council on Sustainable Development

          2. Sustainable Development at State and Local Levels

          3. Business and the Environment

          4. Citizens and the Environment

     E. International Environmental Institutions and Policies

     F. Global Environmental Policy Issues

         1. Climate Change

         2. Protection of Biological Diversity

         3. Population Growth and Economic Development

Assignments:

1. Read and study about 40 - 50 pages of texts and anthologies weekly.

2. Two to four multiple-choice and essay examinations including a final.

3. Six to ten pages of writing. These will be either reaction papers, analytical

     essays or research papers.

4. Optional assignments may include written summaries of current events, oral presentations,

     debates or group work.

Methods of Evaluation/Basis of Grade.

Writing: Assessment tools that demonstrate writing skill and/or require students to select, organize and explain ideas in writing.		Writing 30 - 50%
Analytical essays, reaction papers, and research papers
Problem solving: Assessment tools, other than exams, that demonstrate competence in computational or non-computational problem solving skills.		Problem Solving 0 - 0%
None
Skill Demonstrations: All skill-based and physical demonstrations used for assessment purposes including skill performance exams.		Skill Demonstrations 0 - 0%
None
Exams: All forms of formal testing, other than skill performance exams.		Exams 40 - 60%
Two to four exams, including a final that incorporates a writing component
Other: Includes any assessment tools that do not logically fit into the above categories.		Other Category 0 - 30%
Class participation, oral presentations, and debates

Representative Textbooks and Materials:

Environmental Politics: Domestic and Global Dimensions, (6th). Vaughn. Wadsworth Publishing Company: 2011

 

Environmental Policy and Politics, (5th). Kraft. Longman: 2011

 

Environmental Politics and Policy: A Comparative Approach, (1st). Steel, Clinton, & Lovrich. McGraw-Hill: 2003 (Classic)

 

Plan B 4.0: Mobilizing to Save Civilization, (1st). Brown, Lester R. W.W. Norton & Company: 2010

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