A number of interdisciplinary courses are
offered in the area of sustainable development covering
contending perspectives on national and global sustainability,
and exploring the relationship between human society and
the natural environment. Students in all four degrees
sponsored by CEEP may develop specializations in this topic.
RESOURCES, DEVELOPMENT & THE
ENVIRONMENT
The seminar addresses food, resource, energy and population
issues in relationship to economic development and the
earth's energy/resource base and "carrying capacity."
The focus is on the feasibility of sustainable development
under conditions of rapid population growth, industrialization
and capitalism. The globalization of the economic system
and its impact on the environment, and the North-South
debate over environment and development are given detailed
attention.
Topics in Sustainable
Development
A tutorial surveying different conceptual and policy definitions
of sustainable development. Readings of historical and
contemporary discussions of the concept of sustainable
development are used in conjunction with student-initiated
research to develop an in-depth study of a specific topic
such as sustainable cities, sustainable agriculture, or
sustainable energy systems.
Readings in Sustainable
Development
This tutorial provides a comprehensive survey of the debate
over the concept of sustainable development and its adequacy
to address global and regional issues. Readings include
historical and contemporary discussions of the concept,
proposals for a theory and policy of sustainable development,
and critiques of certain globalization tendencies resident
in the idea.
Environmental Ethics
The seminar examines a range of ethics and environmental
perspectives and challenges students to develop critiques
of each perspective. The format, after the introduction,
is student seminars in which students present publications for
challenge by fellow students and the professor.
Political Economy
of the Environment
Relations between societies and nature are, and have always
been, complex. But contemporary relations and their manifestations,
such as acid rain, urban air pollution, deforestation,
thinning of the upper atmospheric ozone layer, endangered
species, threats to biodiversity, and the prospect of
global warming, are raising concerns that fundamental
problems in society-nature relations exist. This course
reviews several theories and policy orientations ranging
from Neo-Malthusianism to ecological economics and eco-Marxism.
Policy case studies covering such issues as Environmental
Justice, Environment and Public Health, Trade and the
Environment, Global Climate Change, and Sustainable Development
are used to evaluate the current range of political-economic
explanations of nature-society relations.
Topics in the
Political Economy of Energy and Environment
A tutorial surveying the literatures of political economy
and political ecology as approaches for the analysis of
interlocking energy-environment issues, including climate
change, urban pollution, acid rain, and catastrophic environmental
risk (e.g., accompanying the reliance on nuclear power
and large-scale fossil fuel and hydropower facilities).
Readings in Political Economy
of Energy and Environment
Advanced readings in political economy and political ecology
are used in this tutorial to examine key theoretical and
conceptual problems in current energy-environment-society
relationships. These include: the prospect of climate
change, the “normal” pollution/ “normal”
accident issue, growth-oriented versus democratic economies,
the over- consumption and over-production theses, and
environmental commodification.
