Course Syllabus
PLS 492 International Relations Seminar: Global
Environmental Governance
Spring 2012 Dr. Aspin 426E Bradley Hall, Office Hours : MWF 10-12; TTh 9:00-12:00
Course Content
A slowly increasing number of global environmental conferences illustrate the rise of environmental issues on the world agenda. This development was not without controversy and unknown outcomes. For example, are the consequences of the ecological problems as great a threat to the planet and human society as some analysts contend (e.g., "The importance of ecological issues is indicted by the fact that the survival of the human species is contingent upon the world's ability to summon the political will to devise policies that can preserve the earth's carrying capacity, on which life itself is dependent.")? The din of contradictory answers to such questions stemmed from many sources including fundamental disagreements not only about the nature and importance of the ecological problems, but also over preferred policies and structures to address them. Over the space of a few decades a system of global environmental governance has slowly developed. Thus far there have been varying degrees of progress on the major problems? Why did this particular system develop? Is the current system capable of making more progress or must it be reformed? If reform is necessary, what are the needed reforms and are the attainable?
Understanding the rise of environmental issues on the world agenda and assessing the effectiveness of current structures and policies to resolve them requires a basic understanding of the major problems. Thus, we will begin with a brief examination of selected major ecological problems examining both their nature and efforts to address them. Then we will systematically look at the components of the current system including key concepts, mechanisms, and the principal international actors. When we are finished you will be able to articulate why the existing system has come into being, how effective it is, and what are the likely future developments. One of your six essay questions will be "The year is 2042 and you are starting your 6th decade on planet earth, you and the other 10 billion inhabitants of this over crowded world. Describe the existing state of global environmental problems, and the global governance system. Have either changed since 2012 and if so, how? What accounts for the changes that have taken place. Explain."
Course Materials
The following text is available in the bookstore:
[AVD] Regina Axelrod,
, Stacy D. Vandever, & David Downie (eds)
The Global Environment: Institutions, Law,
and Policy,
3rd ed., CQ Press, 2010.
[O'Neill] Kate O'Neill, The Environment and International Relations, Cambridge University Press, 2009.
Other reading materials will be online or in the library. Library material will be at the reserve desk unless they are reference materials or periodicals. Those currently on reserve are:
[CD] Ken Conca, &
Geoffrey Dabelko, Green
Planet Blues: Four Decades of Global Environmental Politics,
4th ed, Westview Press, 2010.
[CDB]
Pamela Chasek, David Downie, & Janet Welsh Brown, Global
Environmental Politics,
5th edition, Westview Press, 2010
[Easton] Thomas Easton, Taking Sides: Clashing View on Environmental Issues, 12th edition< McGraw-Hill, 2007
Course Requirements
Exam [40%] There will be one exam to be given April. This exam grade will constitute 40% of your course grade.
Participation [20%] This is a seminar and there will be no lectures. Each student will have read the material and be prepared to contribute to the discussion. On more than one occasion each student will have formal responsibility for leading the discussion. Your participation grade, computed daily, will constitute 20% of your course grade.
Research Paper [40%] The grade on your paper will constitute 40% of your total course grade. This is an original research paper on an appropriate aspect of the course. The paper may range from objectively testing hypotheses to policy prescription; HOWEVER, in no case is simple description sufficient.
Important paper dates to be announced in class:
Topic proposal to be approved—March 5
Detailed outline of the paper—April 16
Class presentation (April 30) and final submission— May 1
You must submit two copies of the final paper: (1) a printed copy, which will be returned, and (2) a soft copy (emailed, floppy disk, CD, etc.). The soft copy is for (1) archiving and (2) to check for plagiarism (e.g., send to http://plagiarism.org/ ) if I have any questions about authorship of the paper.
Course Policies
There will be no make-up exam given. While the date for the exam cannot be set at the beginning of the semester, you will have at least a one-week notice as to the exact date of the exam.
While class attendance is not mandatory, you obviously receive a zero for discussion on days you fail to appear.
Plagiarism, passing off the words and ideas of another as one's own, will result in a grade of zero for that assignment.
No late papers will be accepted.
Course Outline
and
I Introduction (1)
AVD Ch 1 "Introduction: Governing the International Environment,"
O'Neill Ch 1 "The Environment and International Relations" and Ch 2 "International Environmental Problems"
CD "Introduction: Four Decades of Global Environmental Politics"
CDB Ch 1 "The Emergence of Global Environmental Politics"
II Selected Problems: What is the Problem? Actions to Date? By Whom? Effect?
A. Population
(2)
Readings:
Current World Population http://www.census.gov/main/www/popclock.html
Population Reference Bureau, Population Handbook 6th http://www.prb.org/pdf11/prb-population-handbook-2011.pdf http://www.prb.org/pdf/PopHandbook_Eng.pdf 5th (especially Chs 12 & 13)
Population Reference Bureau, World Population: More than Just Numbers http://www.prb.org/pdf/WorldPopMoreThanNos_Eng.pdf
Easton Part 4 Issue 13 "Do Falling Birth Rates Pose a Threat to Human Welfare?"
B. Degradation of the Biosphere