Environmental Law & Policy

ENvst 310 - online - May session

Analysis of the policy making process at local, national, and international scales with examination of environmental policy challenges including climate change, pollution management, resource management and energy development. Students will interact with policy experts and practitioners to consider how science, political opinion, and private institutions inform the policy-making process. Environmental ethics, environmental justice, and environmental advocacy will also be considered. (3 credits; 75 instruction hrs.)

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this course, students will:

1. Demonstrate substantive knowledge of the major environmental laws and policies currently in place at the U.S. national and international levels.

2. Understand the process for environmental policy development, including the roles of the various decision makers in creating, reviewing, and evaluating environmental policy.

3. Evaluate environmental policy responses to policy questions by considering multiple viewpoints, conflicting data, uncertainty, and risk.

4. Develop knowledge and understanding about the ways that science and economics inform environmental policy through tools such as risk assessment and cost-benefit analysis.

5. Explore the effects that environmental problems and resulting environmental policies can have on minority and low-income populations, and how the policy process can be used to address distributional and equity issues in environmental policy.

6. Understand the role that history and politics have played in policy shifts from preservation and conservation of land,to the protection of human health, to a current focus on sustainability and sustainable development.

7. Recognize the range of political theologies present within the Christian community and explore the role of Christians in informing and transforming environmental law and policy.

Professor: Dr. Brian Webb

Expectations for Online Courses

Au Sable online courses are an extension of our traditional campus-based field experiences that have brought over 4,000 students into the Au Sable Community to learn together with exceptional faculty to serve, protect and restore God’s earth.

Key components and expectations for students in these online courses include:

• Short-term but intensive learning with student commitment of approximately 30 hours per week (May, 3-week session) or 20 hours per week (Summer, 5-week sessions) required.

• Primarily asynchronous content with 10-20% of course time devoted to live sessions and discussions with the professor, students, and outside speakers. Live times vary and require some flexibility in student schedules.

• Planned live sessions and more detailed scheduling will be provided to enrolled students prior to April 15. For students with limited flexibility in their summer work/life schedules, please contact Dr. Heath Garris, Director of College Programs, to further discuss your ability to complete summer online courses: heath.garris@ausable.org or telephone 231-587-8686.