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Science, Politics, and Environmental Policy
The goal of this course is to gain a deeper understanding of the roles of science, public opinion, policymakers, and technological innovation in environmental policymaking. In the process, we will learn about how environmental policy decisions have been made in the United States and their relation to international decisions. We will do this through a series of case studies on topics ranging from lead to smog to climate change, and more. The set of cases is not meant to be comprehensive but will expose students to a diversity of topics. These cases will reveal both the remarkable progress we have made in addressing a variety of environmental problems and the many reasons we have struggled to address other problems in a meaningful way. Over the course of the semester, our analysis will illuminate the role science plays in environmental politics, as well as the factors that advance or impede progress on environmental policy.