Critical Social Inquiry 0267 - Economics & the Environment

How much environmental degradation is too much? How should we value intangible goods like environmental quality? Who wins and who loses from environmental degradation? In this survey course, we will examine how the theories of neoclassical, ecological and political economics have been used to answer these questions. Using these economic lenses, we will analyze a range of issues related to pollution and natural resource use, with special attention to climate change. We will also consider the policy prescriptions of these economic approaches and compare them to existing and proposed environmental policies. This theory-based survey class is appropriate for Division II students with some background in environmental and/or economic issues, though formal training in economic theory is not required. Some assignments will have a creative option and quantitative reasoning will be assessed through a student-led cost-benefit analysis of environmental goods.

Independent Work Quantitative Skills Students will be expected to spend an average of six to eight hours per week preparing outside of class.