Interplay of science, technology, the environment, and society. Approaches from across the social sciences will cover how science and technology can create new environmental pressures as well as policy challenges in a range of spheres from climate change to systems of intellectual property and international development.

Exploration of the conceptual and ethical dimensions of science, technology, and environmental policy. Discussion-based course with rotating topics.

Introduction to economic principles and methods as they apply to environmental issues such as climate change, biodiversity conservation, and water quality. Course will cover benefit-cost analysis, methods of environmental valuation, as well as critiques of market-based solutions to environmental challenges.

Interplay between risk analysis, decision making, and policy in the context of new and emerging technologies, environmental and human well-being, risk and resilience. Assessment methods; risk management processes, issues and methods; role/treatment of uncertainty; factors in decision making; risk-based rule making; public values; risk communication and perception. Scientific, technical, social, political, and ethical issues. prereq: Grad student or instr consent

This course covers the economic effects of science and technology policies, such as intellectual property rights. The course considers the effects of policies on: (1) the economic growth and development levels of countries; (2) the international technology transfers that occur between countries through trade, foreign direct investment, and licensing arrangements; and (3) differences in the economic welfare of developed and developing countries. prereq: APEC 3001 or ECON 3101 or instr consent

Impact of energy production/consumption choices on environmental quality, sustainable development, and other economic/social goals. Emphasizes public policy choices for energy/environment, linkages between them.

Socio-cultural, legal, and economic forces that affect water resource use. Water quality, Clean Water Act contrasted with international laws, roles of State and Local agencies. Water supply, drought, flooding, drainage, irrigation, storage. Sulfide mining, Line 3, hypoxia, wildfire, climate, snowpack, extreme events, China south-to-north transfer, CEC?s, AIS, Aral Sea, CAFOs, and more.

Existing and proposed approaches to mitigate and adapt to climate change through policies that cross scales of governance (from local to global) and impact a wide range of sectors. Exploration of climate change policy from a variety of disciplinary approaches and perspectives, emphasizing economic logic, ethical principles, and institutional feasibility. How policy can be shaped in the face of a variety of competing interests to achieve commonly desired outcomes. Students develop a deep knowledge of climate change in particular countries through a team final project. prereq: Intro microecon (such as Econ 1101 or equiv)

This interdisciplinary course will examine issues at the nexus of public policy, ethics, law, and emerging sciences and technologies (ES&T) including nanotechnology, genetic and biomedical engineering, synthetic biology, and artificial intelligence. Topics we will explore include the role of science and technology as both a tool for and the subject of policy and law; the policy, ethical, economic, and legal implications of ES&T research and development; environmental and human health risk analysis and regulation (e.g., EPA, FDA, OSHA, and state and local regulatory mechanisms); intellectual property issues; liability issues; and global impacts. Topics will be approached from the perspective of different stakeholders (e.g., federal agencies, industry, academic researchers, the environment, international organizations, and the public) and in the context of different application areas (e.g., drugs, devices, food, agriculture, energy, environmental remediation) using a variety of interdisciplinary approaches. Students with a broad range of interests are encouraged to enroll.

Examine energy and climate innovations at local and community scales. Understand how to implement local policies, projects, and programs with a diverse set of perspectives on energy issues. Develop professional and analytical skills that support solutions to energy and climate challenges.