POLS 380: Environmental Law & Politics

POLS 380: Environmental Law & Politics

Professor Sarah Marie Wiebe

Course Meeting Times: T/Th 3:00 – 4:15 Location: TBD

Office Hours: Wednesdays 2:00-4:00 and by appointment

Contact: (p) 808-956-3688 (e)

Calender Course Description

Focuses on theories, laws, policies, and sustainable futures of Hawaii, U.S. and global environmental politics from a comparative lens. Sophomore standing or higher. Pre: any 100 or 200 level POLS course, or consent. (Alt. years) DS

Course Overview

Our current environmental crisis is a political one. As many public officials sidestep the responsibility of dealing with the environmental problems humans have created, they avoid developing additional regulation that would amend the status quo. Developing the political will to change is at the heart of solving the environmental issues today. This change comes primarily from citizens who work tirelessly outside the formal institutional legal and policy process. In this course, connecting past, present and future strategies for environmental change, we will first (Part I) examine the ideological and theoretical foundations that have enabled our current environmental crisis, second (Part II) discuss current environmental laws, policies and practices and finally (Part III) engages with both the voices of those mobilizing for social and environmental justice while simultaneously finding our own voices in the collective process of creatively imagining alternative sustainable futures.

With an emphasis on environmental justice, in theory, policy and practice, by design this course aims to provide students with an overview of the key environmental issues and concerns in a comparative multilayered context. This includes all levels of government, i.e. Hawai‘i, U.S. and global environmental law and politics. Scaling from the intimate to the international, we will discuss environmental issues and concerns in the Pacific, domestic (county, state, federal) and global issues. Throughout the course, we will discuss theoretical approaches and orientations to environmentalism including anarchist, ecofeminist, Marxist, neoliberal and Indigenous epistemologies. We will apply these diverse perspectives to practical policy concerns.

Course content includes past ideologies, laws, institutions and policies that brought us to this moment of “crisis”, engages with present geopolitical circumstances and movements for social and environmental change, and imagines future possibilities about how we might envision alternative sustainable futures. Despite the possibility of being overwhelmed by environmental problems, the class will develop future-oriented solutions to solve the problems that emerge from our current way of living on the planet. Overall, this course will introduce important contexts and tools for analyzing and responding to environmental problems.

Student Learning Outcomes

·  Promote critical thinking regarding human relations to the environment, and the synthesis of environmentalism, social justice and sustainability (POLS SLO #1) (ILO #2a)

·  Examine basics elements of the legislative and policy processes surrounding environmental issues in a comparative, multilayered context, including relevant components of U.S. environmental legislation (ILO #1)

·  Enhance students’ awareness of environmental issues affecting Hawai‘i, the Pacific, United States, Canada and the world (ILO #1)

·  Develop an ability to conduct research and communicate effectively (POLS SLO #3) (ILO #2b & 2c)

·  Enhance students’ ability to strategically and creatively envision sustainable futures that connect to environmental policy and practice (ILO #3c & 3d)

·  Explain one’s positionality, including the historical, economic, political, and cultural particularities of their own place and situation in Hawai‘i and the Pacific (POLS SLO #4) (ILO #3a)

·  Encourage personal reflection on core ideas in the course (ILO #3a)

Focus Designations

Ethics: This course has a Contemporary Ethical Issues (E) Focus designation. Contemporary ethical issues are fully integrated into the main course material and will constitute at least 30% of the content. At least 8 hours of class time will be spent discussing ethical issues. Through the use of lectures, discussions and assignments, students will develop basic competency in recognizing and analyzing ethical issues; responsibly deliberating on ethical issues; and making ethically determined judgments.

Oral Communication: This course also has an Oral Communication (O) Focus Designation. Each student will conduct or participate in a minimum of three oral communication assignments or a comparable amount of oral communication activity during the class. In addition, at least 40% of the final grade will be a function of the student’s oral communication activities. Each student will receive explicit training, in the context of the class, in oral communication concerns relevant to the assignment or activity. Students will receive feedback of the oral communication assignments or activities from the instructor.

Required Books

Naomi Klein, This Changes Everything: Capitalism vs. the Climate. New York: Simon and Schuster, 2015.

Judith Layzer, The Environmental Case: Translating Values into Policy 4th ed. Thousand Oaks: Sage, 2016.

Assignment Schedule

Participation (Ongoing): 15%

Oral Briefings (Weeks 4 & 7): 20%

Midterm (Week 9): 20%

Digital Story and Presentation (Week 16): 15%

Research Paper (Proposal due Week 13, Final paper May 8): 30%

Grade Breakdown and Point Allocation System:

900-873 = A+ (97%-100%)

872-846 = A (93%-96%)

845-810 = A- (90%-92%)

809-783 = B+ (87%-89%)

782-765 = B (83%-86%)

764-720 = B- (80%-82%)

Assignment #1: Participation

There are a variety of ways to participate in the course and engage with the subject matter. This includes attendance, small and large group discussion, peer feedback and community-engagement. Attending classes and contributing to the discussion will count as participation. Asking questions after presentations counts as participation. Participation is evaluated quantitatively (attendance) and qualitatively (active listening and contributing to the discussion). There will also be an online forum set up on Laulima. Thinking about topics, guest speakers, or other materials to contribute to the course will count. Volunteering with an environmental group, doing a community service project, or other related activity will count. For this last option, a write up documenting your hours and contributions will be required.

Assignment #2: Oral Briefings

During the course, you will have several opportunities to provide oral briefings to your classmates based on the formal legislative process as well as your knowledge about local environmental associations. Each student must complete at least 2 in-class briefings on environmental topics approved by the instructor. A one-page written briefing report will be submitted to accompany each presentation. These briefings will be modeled after TED talks, be at least 10 minutes but no longer than 15, use a multi-media format such as Prezi, and inform the class on a relevant issue. Students will also provide discussions questions and facilitate discussion with peers.

Briefing #1: Official Environmental Law and Policy: The Hawaii legislative session will begin in January and coincide with the course. We will identify key pieces of legislation and each student must complete the following tasks:

1.  Prepare testimony for at least two bills.

2.  Attend at least one scheduled hearing at the statehouse.

3.  Deliver oral testimony in-class.

Briefing #2: Local Environmental Activism: To get a sense the environment policy landscape in Hawai‘i specifically and the Pacific broadly, each student will identify and present to the class information about a local environmental group and their efforts for social and environmental action. The goal of this assignment is to better understand and map the landscape of environmental activities and issues in Hawai‘i and across the Pacific. The presentation should include a brief overview of the group, a tour of their website and key activities, including any legislative activity.

Assignment #3: Midterm

The midterm exam is not traditional as you will get a study guide and a selection of questions at least one week prior to the exam. The exams are opportunities to practice your critical reading and writing, and to bring together course concepts and readings in new ways. They are also opportunities to work through course themes with your classmates. Collective studying is strongly encouraged.

Assignment #4: Digital Story

Produce a digital story in which one character has a conversation with the other character regarding an environmental issue. Your movie must be 3-5 minutes in length, address an environmental issue and offer a substantive dialogue that conveys information regarding that issue. The goal is that by the end of the short story, one of your characters will have informed the other character about a key environmental issue that requires action. It can be funny or dramatic or silly and your characters can speak however they wish to convey their message. Students will be evaluated based on the research informing the video, narrative structure, clear and compelling production of visual material and communication of ideas. All stories will be screened during the final weeks of the course.

Assignment #5: Research Paper

A 13-15 page policy paper on a topic relevant to environmental law, policy and practice will be due at the end of the semester. Students will present their papers during the final week of class and have an opportunity for instructor and peer feedback on their proposal. The proposal is worth 5% of your grade for this assignment. The paper can focus on any environmental issue, local or global but must apply a theoretical lens, present relevant background information provide a policy analysis of the issue and offer an assessment of possible solutions including the pros and cons of each and a rationale for the final recommended strategy for social change. The paper must offer a literature review of the topic area and demonstrate a thorough examination of the scholarship, legal and policy activities associated with it. The paper must identify make specific proposals for what could be done in the future.

Topics might include, but are not limited to: mountain top removal, coral bleaching, global climate change, alternative energy, the politics of sustainability, deforestation, water scarcity, environmental immigration, urban redesign, food policy, land development, local resource management, fisheries, etc. The paper should identify the key problem but also focus on possible solutions. The paper should include significant research, with at least 20 quality sources (to be discussed in class) and should comprehensively develop the literature and describe how the topic has interacted with the legislative system. A proposal for all papers will be submitted, reviewed using track changes. You will have the opportunity to revise and submit new drafts. A presentation worth 5% will take place during the final weeks of the course. The paper itself will be worth 20% (proposal: 5%, presentation: 5%, paper: 20%, total value = 30%).

Class Procedures and Policies:

Original Work: All work done in class must be verifiable as original and all writing must be in your own words. You should not allow others to copy your work. While studying together is legitimate, the written work should be your own and you should work independently on all assignments. When writing papers you should follow appropriate citation standards. If you are unclear on how to cite materials, then you should talk with me or review this material on-line. Specifically, you should include full text citations when quoting directly from a work, paraphrasing an idea, or using the idea of another author. Failure to comply with these standards may result in a failing grade for the assignment or a failing grade for the class.

Late Assignments: If you sleep through a test you will not be allowed to make it up. No test will be distributed after the first person has left the room. Tests will be rescheduled only in the case of illness or death in the family and must be accompanied by a note. No test will be rescheduled without prior notification, meaning you must make arrangements prior to the test if you will be absent. Assignment deadlines are clearly discussed in class. I will not accept late assignments. If you will be absent the day an assignment is due, it is your responsibility to turn in your work early. If, for an unforeseeable reason, you are unable to turn in an assignment at the time and date it is due and you have a legitimate excuse, you can turn in an assignment late. However, you will be discounted one letter grade for failing to turn in the assignment on time. Any assignment that is more than 24 hours late will not be accepted.

Class Schedule

Part One - Framing the Crisis and Learning from the Past: How Did We Get here?

Week One: January 9, 11: Introductions

·  Klein, Introduction, Ch 1

·  Edwards, Ch 1

Week Two: January 16, 18: Approaching Environmental Law and Policy

·  Layzer, Ch 1, 2

Week Three: January 23-27: Engaging Diverse Environmental Perspectives

·  Klein, Ch 2, 3

·  Edwards, Ch 2

·  Layzer, Ch 4

Week Four: January 23, 25: Legal Loopholes: Toxic Matter and Superfund Sites

·  Klein, Ch 8, 12

·  Layzer, Ch 3, 5

*Student Briefings

Part II - Where We Are Today: What Discourses, Institutions and Procedures Affect Movements for Justice

Week Five: January 30, February 1: Environmental Activism and Radical Democracy

·  Klein, Ch 4, 5

·  Edwards, Ch 3

·  Dryzek, Ch 11

Week Six: February 6, 8: Political Discourses and Debates

·  Klein, 9

·  Edwards, Ch 4

·  Dryzek, Ch 1, 4-6

Week Seven: February 13, 15: Environmental Activism and Organizing

·  Klein 10

·  Edwards, Ch 5

·  Layzer, Ch 6, 8

* Student Briefings

Week Eight: February 20, 22: Engaging the Law Locally: Lessons from Hawai‘i

Week Nine: February 27, March 1: Current Issues in US. Environmental Politics

·  Klein, Ch 6, 7

·  Layzer, 14, 16

* Mid-term exam

Part III - Moving Forward: Environmental Theory and the Future

Week Ten: March 6, 8: Mobilizing for Environmental Justice

·  Klein, Ch 11

·  Dryzek, Ch 9, 10

·  Schlosberg, 2017

Week Eleven: March 13, 15: Comparing Canada and the U.S.

·  Layzer, Ch 10, 11

·  Wiebe, 2016

Week Twelve: Spring Break, No Class

Week Thirteen: April 3, 5: Sustainable Futures

·  Edwards, Ch 6, 7

·  Dryzek, Ch 7

·  Layzer, Ch 12

*Paper proposals due

Week Fourteen: April 10,12: Rethinking the Planet, Reframing the Problem

·  Klein, Ch 13 and Conclusion

·  Edwards, Ch 8

·  Layzer, Ch 17

Week Fifteen: April 17, 19: Environmental Communication in Practice: and Storyboarding Workshop

Week Sixteen: April 24, 26: Peer Feedback and Presentations

*Digital Stories Due

Week Seventeen: May 1, Digital Storytelling: Screening and Sharing Circles

*Final papers due May 8

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