DOUBLE BOTTOM LINE COURSE LIST 2001-2002

Forestry and Environmental Studies Classes

F&ES 565a, Human Dimensions in the Conservation of Biological Diversity. 3 credits. An examination of socioeconomic, cultural, and political issues in the management and conservation of biological diversity. Topics include biodiversity loss, endangered species, human/wildlife conflicts, utilization, parks and protected areas, attitudes and values, and legal and organizational structures. Issues involving the conservation of biological diversity in the United States and internationally are covered. Three hours. Lecture. Stephen R. Kellert.

F&ES 727a, Forest Finance and Management. 3 credits. This course introduces students to methods of addressing the financial and quantitative management aspects of forestry. This course is important for those who might prepare, or need to evaluate, forest management plans. Major topics include financial analysis of management alternatives; economic and management implications of silviculture, management assumptions and constraints, and taxation; and techniques of forest planning, including sustainable management and handling spatial requirements. Prerequisites/corequisites: F&ES 734a and F&ES 700b,or permission of instructor. Three hours lecture. Biweekly problem sets. Greg J. Arthaud.

F&ES 877b, Current Issues in Commercial Forestry. This seminar focuses on commercial forestry as practiced in the private sector as we enter the twenty-first century. It touches upon the changes now occurring in public expectations, technology, and regulation. Although the focus is on private lands in the United States, to establish a reasonable understanding of supply and demand, it is set against the background of international supply and the changes occurring in the management of public lands. There is a premium on class participation, discussion of current issues and trends.

F&ES 713b, Statistics for Environmental Sciences. 3 credits. This course in applied statistics assists scientific researchers in the analysis and interpretation of both experimental and observational data. After considering statistical and graphical summaries of data, the notion of a random variable, distributional properties, parameter estimation, and testing are reviewed. Frequently encountered discrete and continuous distributions are examined in greater detail, with specific emphasis on the Gaussian distribution and the role of the central limit theorem. The major topics of the course are estimation and inference with linear and nonlinear regression models. Prerequisite: introductory statistics. Three hours lecture. Statistical computing, weekly problem exercises. Timothy G. Gregoire.

F&ES 733b, Economics of Pollution. 3 credits. This course is designed to teach students how to think about managing pollution. It explains why market economies produce pollution and why regulations are needed. Social solutions to the problem are explored, and students learn how to analyze the effectiveness of control alternatives and policies. Specific examples are discussed, including air and water pollution, acid rain, global warming, hazardous waste, and human waste. Three hours lecture. Robert Mendelsohn.

F&ES 734a, Natural Resource Economics. 3 credits. This course is designed to teach students how to think about managing natural resources. Both renewable and nonrenewable resources are discussed. Distinctions are made between outputs traded in markets such as oil, timber, and commercial fish versus outputs not traded in markets such as recreation, genetic diversity, and preservation. The roles of markets and government are discussed in each case. Three hours lecture. Robert Mendelsohn.

F&ES 737b,Valuing the Environment. 3 credits. This quantitative course demonstrates alternative methods used to value environmental services. The course covers valuing pollution, ecosystems, and other natural resources. The focus of the course is on determining the "shadow price " of nonmarket resources that have no prices but yet are considered valuable by society. Taught every other year. Three hours lecture. Robert Mendelsohn.

F&ES 725b, Science and Politics of Environmental Regulation. 3 credits. This course explores the interplay among science, values, and power within diverse environmental decision contexts. Scientific uncertainty is examined as the focus of political conflict over appropriate levels of regulation. Regulation is used in its broadest sense, i.e., attempts to control human uses of natural systems. The course focuses on the underlying behavior of key actors as a foundation for evaluating the historical effectiveness of diverse regulatory regimes, domestic and international. The course includes case studies of many toxic substance and land-use issues. Three-hour seminar. John P.Wargo.

F&ES 766b, Public-Private Partnerships for the Urban Environment. 3 credits. Governments around the world are finding that they cannot meet pressing urban environmental needs acting alone. Nor can they compel the private sector to take all the actions that are necessary. Increasingly, they are turning to partnerships with businesses, NGOs, and communities to improve the delivery of urban environmental services-water, waste, and energy. Such efforts are extremely controversial, raising fundamental questions as to the roles of governments, businesses, and communities in meeting basic human and environmental needs. In collaboration with the United Nations Development program and universities around the world, this course explores the use of public-private partnerships to address urban environmental issues, particularly in the developing world and economies in transition. An "analytical backbone "provides structure to the core readings, local class discussions, and research on local partnerships. Internet-based exchanges are used to help students compare and draw lessons learned from the partnership experience in different countries. For the spring term 2002,collaborating universities are expected to include those from Africa, Asia, the former Soviet Union, and Latin America. Class size limited. Bradford S. Gentry.

F&ES 8o5b, Current Issues in Natural Resource Policy. 3 credits. During the past decade, a number of factors have played an increasingly important role in affecting natural resource policy. Through case studies, lectures, and contributions by guest speakers the course explores the following factors as they affect the development and implementation of policy: organizational culture and change, science and scientists, the influence of advocacy groups, Congressional dynamics, influence of the courts and litigation, public participation and local decision making, urbanization and the views of urban society, and the role of the media. Students should develop an appreciation for the complex and dynamic nature of policy and, through this understanding, enhance their capacity to influence its formulation and implementation. (Students are also afforded the opportunity to participate in a one-week field trip to Washington, D. C. , during the spring break. ) James R. Lyons.

F&ES 842a, The Economics of Sustainable Development. 3 credits. Exploration of interpretations and definitions of sustainable development with attention to indicators and measures of progress. The course emphasizes the principal economic obstacles to sustainable development, the policy options available with which to overcome such obstacles, and recent experience -largely in developing countries -in attempting to apply such policies. Among these obstacles are institutional, market, and government policy failures. Each is studied across several resource sectors, such as agriculture, forestry, and fisheries. The course also examines issues surrounding the role of international development institutions in overcoming these obstacles. It is assumed that students in the course will have varying levels of prior preparation in economics. Robert Repetto.

F&ES 851b, Local Environmental Law and Land-Use Practices. 3 credits. This course explores the regulation by local governments of land uses in watershed areas. It introduces students to federal, state, and regional laws and programs that affect watershed protection and that delegate to local governments primary responsibility for decision making in the land-use field. Theories of federalism, regionalism, states 'rights, and localism are studied. The history of the delegation of planning and land-use authority to local governments is traced, leading to an examination of local land-use practices particularly as they relate to controlling development in and around watershed areas. Nearby watersheds are visited, their functions assessed, and the local governmental structure affecting them discovered and discussed. These watersheds are used as a context for the students 'understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of local planning and regulation. John R. Nolon, James G. MacBroom.

F&ES 853a/LAW 2o174, Private Investment and the Environment. 3 credits. This seminar examines the impact of private capital as a force that is reshaping environmental protection strategies. It begins by examining fundamental questions of environmental policy in light of the shifts away from "command and control "regulations toward market-based instruments, and from foreign aid to private investment as the driver of "sustainable development. "The seminar then considers the motivations of private investors, as well as some of the new approaches being used to increase the incentives for improved environmental performance. Examples from around the world are used to illustrate the main themes. Students are expected to produce significant research papers. Enrollment limited. Bradford S. Gentry.

[F&ES 859b, Seminar on the Global Change Agenda. 3 credits. This course examines a set of global-scale environmental challenges as they have been identified by intergovernmental bodies, e. g., ozone depletion, climate change, deforestation, biodiversity loss, desertification, persistent organic pollutants, etc. In each case the class examines the seriousness of the environmental risks involved and the values underlying that assessment, the process through which these challenges became public issues meriting international attention, and the nature of the policy responses to date. Students are asked to examine questions such as the following: How adequate is the available information on conditions and trends that characterize each challenge? What are the underlying forces or processes giving rise to these challenges, and are there common elements among them? Likewise, are there common elements or interactions among the responsive actions being considered? What are the constraints within which the policy process operates? Are there other, better ways to define the global change agenda? Participating students are expected to produce significant research papers. James Gustave Speth.

[F&ES 86oa, Transportation and the Environment. 3 credits. This course explores the range of environmental tensions created by an American society defined by motor vehicles. Since the end of WWII, automobiles and trucks have shaped the values, politics, and quality of our lives. In this course we engage in the process of comparative institutional analysis. Working across policy issues to enable optimal institutional outcomes, we try to understand better how to make transportation policies environmentally sound and how to unravel the environmental impacts of transportation. Next offered fall 2002. Emil H. Frankel, Karyl Lee Hall. ]

F&ES 861b, Environmental Law and Policy. 3 credits. Introduction to the legal requirements and policy underpinnings of the basic U. S. environmental laws, including The Clean Water Act, Clean Air Act, and various statutes governing waste, food safety, and toxic substances. This course examines and evaluates current approaches to pollution control and resource management as well as the "next generation "of regulatory strategies, including economic incentives and other market mechanisms, voluntary emissions reductions, regulatory negotiation, and public disclosure requirements. Mechanisms for addressing environmental issues at the local, regional, and global levels are also considered. Daniel C. Esty.

F&ES 891b, Foundations of Natural Resource Policy and Management. 3 credits. This research seminar focuses on the foundations of natural resource policy and management and is designed for students in any sub-field of forestry and environmental studies, or in other disciplines. Comprehensive and integrated methods for thinking about and proposing solutions to problems in natural resource policy and management are explored. Students gain familiarity with the core methods of problem identification, clarification, and resolution and then apply these methods to particular issues in natural resource policy and management. Each student, alone or in collaboration, is responsible for researching a particular problem. Students circulate drafts of their papers to other seminar participants and lecture on and lead discussions of their topics in class sessions. Papers of sufficient quality may be collected in a volume for publication. The seminar is intended to complement, not duplicate, material in other courses in the School and at the University. Enrollment limited to sixteen; application required. Timothy W. Clark, Andrew R. Willard (Law).

[F&ES 721b/PLSC 855b, Environmental Health Policy. 3 credits. This course focuses on five types of environmental health problems. The first case is malaria, concentrating on the resurgence of drug-resistant strains in Southeast Asia, Latin America, and Western Africa. The second case explores age-related health risks from air pollution, especially small diameter particulate matter in urban centers, with cases considered in both the industrial and the developing world. The third case surrounds age-related risks from lead, especially the relative contribution of different contaminated media -air, water, food, and soil. The fourth case explores farm worker and childhood exposure to pesticides in the United States and abroad. The fifth case examines age and spatial distribution of breast and prostate cancer in Connecticut, considering variance in probable exposure to such different estrogenic environmental contaminants as DDT and PCBs. In each instance, the temporal, spatial, and demographic variances in the distribution of the problem are characterized to provide a basis for considering the effect of past policies - public and private -in promoting or diminishing the problem while providing a basis for considering policy reforms. John P. Wargo. ]

F&ES 5o1b, Industrial Ecology. 3 credits. Industrial ecology is an organizing concept that is increasingly applied to define the interactions of today 's technological society with natural and altered environments. Technology and its potential for change are central to this subject, as are implications for government policy and corporate response. The course discusses how industrial ecology is being applied in corporations to minimize the environmental impacts of products, processes, and services, and shows how industrial ecology serves as a framework for technology, policy, and resource management in government and society. Thomas E. Graedel, Marian R. Chertow.

F&ES 5o3a, Environmental Leadership. 3 credits. This course explores the qualities, characteristics, and behaviors of leadership in the fields of natural resources and environmental science and management. Through lectures, contributions by guest speakers, and individual and team projects, students analyze pathways to leadership, leadership skills, the role of scientists in leadership and management decision-making, and the attributes of leadership in individuals and organizations. Students have the opportunity to assess their own leadership skills and, through various exercises, work to overcome deficiencies. James R. Lyons.

F&ES 81ob, Business Concepts for Environmental Managers. 3 credits. The objectives of this course are to offer environmental managers a basic understanding of accounting systems to enable them to interpret financial data in corporate and governmental settings, to integrate traditional business concepts with those of sustainable environmental management, and to recognize the role of environmental management among the multiple interests within business negotiations. The first part of the course develops skill in financial accounting, and this knowledge is then applied to areas in environmental financial management, including budgeting, project finance, and business development and strategy. Marian R. Chertow, William Ellis, Larry Schiffres.

F&ES 8o4a, Theory and Practice of Urban Ecology. 3 credits. Urban ecology has recently developed from a scientific branch of biology toward a problem-oriented, inter- disciplinary research field with applications in urban planning and urban environmental management. Many cities in Asia now recognize the urban ecological approach to be an effective means to cope with many urban problems and have begun to adopt it in practice. This course introduces the basic principles of urban ecology, and their applications in urban planning and urban environmental management in Asian cities. Students are exposed to background issues such as urban development and urban environmental issues in Asia, basic theories in urban ecology such as structure, material flow, energy flow, measurement of the outer extent of urban ecological systems, etc. The course also introduces the practice of urban ecology in Asia, including a review of the urban ecological concept in ancient China and its reflection in town planning, and examples of current experiences and lessons. Introduction of these practices is followed by discussions intended to analyze these activities employing urban ecological principles. Xuemei Bai.

[F&ES 23ob/EVST 23ob, Environmental Economics and Policy. Basic economic analysis of environmental problems. Weighing the costs and benefits of major environmental issues. Problems include global warming, toxic waste, air pollution, wilderness protection, deforestation, and preserving biodiversity. Taught every other year. Next offered spring 2003. For non-Economics majors. Robert Mendelsohn. ]

F&ES 245b, International Environmental Policy and Governance. An examination of the emergence of global-scale environmental challenges, environmental diplomacy, and global environmental governance. Particular attention is given to the linked issues of climate change, deforestation, biodiversity loss, and desertification, and to the interplay of science and politics in framing policy responses to these issues. James Gustave Speth, Benjamin Cashore.

F&ES 255b/EVST 255b, Environmental Politics, Policy, and Law. This course explores the politics, policy, and law associated with attempts to manage environmental quality and natural resources. Themes of democracy, liberty, power, property, equality, causation, and risk are examined. Case histories include air quality, water quality and quantity, pesticides and toxic substances, land use, agriculture and food, parks and protected area, and energy. John P. Wargo.

F&ES 3oob, Technology and Environment. Industrial environmental managers need to be familiar with the technological processes by which modern society accomplishes its purposes, their potential to cause environmental damage, prospects for improvement, and anticipated change, and to do so in local, regional, and global perspectives. Thomas E. Graedel.

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