The Colorado Internet Center for Environmental Problem Solving

University Environmental Course Listings

Policy Responses to Global Environmental Change

This course will address global environmental change as both a source of conflict and a source of cooperation. It will explore both natural problems such as the effects of El Nino, and anthropogenic problems such as ozone depletion The linkages between local environmental change and global concern will be highlighted. using comparative approaches and case-specific examples from developing as well as industrialized regions, the seminar will investigate the contributions of various social and economic factors to environmental change. Particular attention will be paid to the changing institutional environment in which global change occurs. Various frameworks for analysis will also be evaluated.

Race, Class, and Pollution Politics

Examines communities affected by major toxic contamination threats in the U. S., evaluating race and class factors in levels of governmental and private-sector responses and actions. Investigative research methods utilized at case study sites provide skills necessary for assessment of any environmental threat for protective action.

Global Issues and International Affairs

Introduces students to the international affairs program. Examines political and economic development in several countries in many different world regions; historical trends and development; and current political and economic issues. Approved for arts and sciences core curriculum: contemporary societies. International Affairs Program, University of Colorado, CB 333, Boulder, CO 80309-0333

Global Perspectives and Political Philosophy

Preparation and discussion of selected political philosophies from various regions around the world including Islamic fundamentalism, Confucianism, traditional African ideologies, and Enlightenism. A critical review of these approaches will form the basis for a comparison of the corresponding political system.

Environmental Justice

Traditional and contemporary theories of justice are employed in order to critically analyze social and political issues that have important environmental dimensions. Assesses the relationship of justice and equity to the presuppositions of national and global environmental issues and policies.

Nature of Law

Examines basic principles and values embodied in the United States legal system. Approved for arts and sciences core curriculum: United States context.

Revolution and Political Violence

Study, discussion, and evaluation of alternative theoretical frameworks for the analysis of revolution and political violence. Theoretical material is firmly couched in case situations such as ethnic class, colonial, urban, racial and religious conflicts.

War, Peace and Strategic Defense

Analysis of the employment, or the threat to employ force, in securing American interests in the post Cold War World. Special attention is paid to the utilities claimed for nuclear weapons, and, alternatively, to their control and disarmament.

International Relations

Readings and discussion of the actors, international interaction, and the international system. Emphasizes assessment of relationships between concepts, approaches, goals, methods, and substance of relations among states and on trends that transcend sovereignty. Approved for arts and sciences core curriculum: contemporary societies.

American Foreign Policy

Examines foundations, assumptions, objectives, dynamics and methods of U.S. foreign policy since WWII. Special attention to domestic and externalproblems of adapting U. S. policy to the changing world environment. Approved for arts and sciences core curriculum: United States context;

The Environment and Public Policy

Considers constitutional, political, and geographic factors in developmentof public policy affecting use of natural resources and management of theenvironment; organization, procedures; administration of environmentalpolicies.

Political Ethics in Policy Analysis

Explores alternative ways of understanding public problems and theirsolutions, and exposes underlying ethical principles to critical examination.

Soviet and Russian Diplomacy

Foreign policy of the Soviet Union, including the international communistmovement, its ideological bases, its impact on international politics, and itsrelations to domestic developments in the U. S. S. R.. Approved for arts andsciences core curriculum: contemporary society.

The Middle East in World Affairs

Discusses evolution and revolution in the Middle East and the character ofnationalism in the area. Analysis of intraregional and international problemsaffecting the Middle East with special emphasis on the Arab-Israeli imbroglio.

Seminar: American Foreign Relations

Critical review of select conceptual, prescriptive, and methodological literature; examination of select foreign policy problems; discussion of seminar papers. Emphasizes student contribution and participation.

Seminar: Conflict Behavior

Surveys historical, theoretical, and empirical analyses of violent conflict behavior, including causes and consequences of riots, terrorism, revolution, international war, and intervention.

Seminar: Natural Resources Policy and Administration

Examines resources in the American economy; constitutional, political. and geographic factors in development of resources policy; organization procedures and programs for administration and development of natural resources; and selected topics.

International Violence and Political Psychology

Seeks to explore the relationship between knowledge and action in international violence. Considers the contributions and perspectives of science, engineering, and ethics.

Argument, Persuasion, and Public Policy

The audiences for policy arguments are typically a number of somewhat autonomous policy communities. An inability to persuade relevant audiences invites failure and frustration. Consequently, the course examines a number of types of policies in terms of what seems to persuade and why.

Subordinate Protest and Democratization

Considers traditional studies of democratic development and democratization. Topics covered include the definition of democracy, characteristics, dilemmas, and limitations; the classical European view of democratization; democratic and non-democratic characteristics of different social classes; contributions to democracy made by the popular classes; and transitions to democracy and subordinate groups and protest in the democratization process.

Soviet Foreign Policy

Covers foreign policy of the Soviet Union, its relation to Marxism-Leninism and/or Russian nationalism, and the international communist movement. Special attention to the impact of domestic and foreign factors and science and technology on policy formation.

Introduction to the Policy Sciences: The Decision Process

Provides policy sciences frameworks for analyzing policy problems and evaluating policy alternative, and for analyzing policy processes and designing political strategies to influence those processes in the directions of the preferred alternative. Emphasizes applications to problems selected by students for term projects.

Policy Analysis/Applications: The Decision Process

This course provides an introduction to the decision process of public policy: the set of activities that together define the continuum of public policy decision- making. For the student, the course has two primary goals: 1) to gain a basic conceptual understanding of the public policy decision process; and 2)to become adept at analyzing the various dimensions of the decision process for the purpose of strategizing and making recommendation about how to realize a set of preferred policy outcomes in applied policy settings. To these ends, the course plan alternates between the intensive consideration of a set of readings about the different phases of the policy decision process, and the analysis and application of decision process concepts to cases selected by students.

The Colorado Internet Center for Environmental Problem Solving Main Home Page -- Main Conflict Research Consortium Home Page

For more information contact: Guy Burgess, Co-Director, Conflict Research Consortium, Campus Box 327, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80309-0327 Phone: (303)492-1635; Fax: (303)492-2154; E-Mail: crc@colorado.eduCopyright 1997 by Conflict Research Consortium