Environmental Studies 292 - Global History of Environmental Law

(Offered as ENST 292 and HIST 292) This class will take a historical and comparative approach to the topic of
environmental law and policy from the early modern to the present, exploring how laws and policies have developed and changed over time. Our course will be global in scope, allowing us to compare structures in the United States and Europe with those of Latin America, Africa, and Asia. In exploring environmental laws, our primary focuses will be on the motivation behind the laws and the impact they had on people and places. We will also analyze how closely the outcome of these laws matched the stated goals upon their implementation. Through an examination of this history, we will be better equipped to understand our current moment of environmental deregulation in the United States and contextualize it within global debates and legal regimes past and present.

Limited to 25 students. Offered Spring semester 2026. Professor Matthew Plishka.

How to handle overenrollment: ENST and HIST majors receive preference

Students who enroll in this course will likely encounter and be expected to engage in the following intellectual skills, modes of learning, and assessment: Students who enroll in this course will likely encounter and be expected to engage in the following intellectual skills, modes of learning, and assessment: emphasis on written work, reading, in-class discussion, and comparative analysis.