ECONOMICS OF THE ENVIRONMENT (ECON 433)
COURSE INFORMATION
Time:
TR 2:10-3:30 PM
Place:
Social Science 344
Office Hours: TR 10:30 – 11:30
and by appointment.
PROFESSOR INFORMATION
Helen Naughton, Ph.D.
Office: Liberal Arts 412
Phone: 243-4586
helen.naughton@umontana.edu
COURSE GOALS:
1. Gain awareness about environmental problems,
2. Understand how to model environmental problems using economics,
3. Understand how different policies can correct environmental problems, and
4. Be able to analyze cost-effectiveness of different policies.
PREREQUISITES:
Prerequisites for this class are Introductory Micro and Macro (what used to be ECON 111
and 112). It is your responsibility to brush up on relevant material covered in those classes,
as well as algebra and basic use of graphs.
REQUIRED TEXTBOOK AND BLACKBOARD:
Tom Tietenberg. (2006) Environmental Economics and Policy, 5th Ed., Addison-Wesley.
Older editions are fine but you are responsible for reading the correct material.
One copy of the textbook is on reserve in the library.
Additional course materials and announcements will be posted on Blackboard:
http://courseware.umt.edu. Please check Blackboard for updates daily.
GRADING POLICY:
5%
Participation
40% Research Paper
10% Best 5 Short Writing Assignments
30% Best 3 Quizzes (10% each)
15% Group assignment (short paper and presentation)
A=100%-90%, B=89%-80%, C=79%-70%, D=69%-60% and F=59% and below.
I will not use +/- grading.
PARTICIPATION:
Active participation in the classroom is highly recommended. You can contribute by asking
and answering questions. We will have experiments and in-class exercises that rely on your
participation. It is your responsibility to sign the attendance sheet before leaving the class.
Everyone is allowed two missed class periods during the term to accommodate personal
emergencies, collegiate athletic travel, and other important life events. Every missed class
beyond the first two will reduce your participation grade by one percent of the course
grade.
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RESEARCH PAPER:
This course is an upper-division writing course. Thus, writing a research paper (about 10
pages) will be central to the class. You can write on your choice of an environmental issue
subject to my approval. You will have to submit three versions of the paper: Draft 1, Draft
2, and Final Paper. See calendar for due dates. More information will be handed out soon.
SHORT WRITING ASSIGNMENTS:
There will be six short writing assignments (half a page to a page long). These assignments
have two goals: first, to help think of research topics and second, to help learn the material
covered in class. Five of the best paper scores will count toward your grade. These
assignments will be graded on following marks: + (100%), (75%), – (50%), or 0 if it is
clear there was no effort given to do a good job with the assignment.
QUIZZES:
There will be four quizzes. Quiz 4 is optional. If you are happy with the scores of the first
three quizzes, you can miss quiz 4. If you take all four quizzes the three highest scores will
count toward your final grade. Taking quiz 4 cannot lower your final grade. No early or
makeup quizzes will be given.
BRING TO QUIZZES:
Students should bring the following to each quiz: (1) #2 lead pencils, (2) a good eraser, and
(3) a NON-PROGRAMMABLE CALCULATOR. All cell phones must be turned off.
GROUP ASSIGNMENT:
The last two weeks of class groups of about 3 students will present on one of eight topics in
the textbook. In week 4 I will assign you into eight groups. Each group will then get to
choose one topic from a list. As a group you will write a two-page summary of the topic
focusing on three or four most important issues to be shared with the rest of class. You will
also present for 15 minutes on the topic. Finally, based on your two-page summary and
presentation write three quiz questions. Quiz 4 will draw from these quiz questions.
UNIVERSITY GUIDELINES:
(1) Academic Dishonesty: University policy requires that I include the following
statement: “All students must practice academic honesty. Academic misconduct is subject
to an academic penalty by the course instructor and/or a disciplinary sanction by the
University. All students must be familiar with the Student Conduct Code. The Code is
available for review online at
http://ordway.umt.edu/SA/documents/fromWeb/StudentConductCode1.pdf.”
(2) Disabilities: If you have a documented disability, which requires special arrangements,
please inform me the first week of classes and contact the University of Montana Disability
Services for Students (DSS) by calling 243-2243.
LECTURES AND TENTATIVE COURSE OUTLINE/READINGS:
The very tentative outline for the course is given below. Additional readings will be either
handed out in class or posted on Blackboard.
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Week 1:
Starting Aug. 31
Week 2:
Starting Sep. 7
Week 3:
Starting Sep. 14
Week 4:
Starting Sep. 21
Week 5:
Starting Sep. 28
Week 6:
Starting Oct. 5
Week 7:
Starting Oct. 12
Week 8:
Starting Oct. 19
Week 9:
Starting Oct. 26
Week 10:
Starting Nov. 2
Week 11:
Starting Nov. 9
Week 12:
Starting Nov. 16
Week 13:
Starting Nov. 23
Week 14:
Starting Nov. 30
Week 15:
Starting Dec. 7
Finals Week:
Very Tentative Outline of Topics
Reading
Big Assignments
Our contract
Lorax
Introduction
Valuing the Environment
Syllabus
Lomborg
Ch. 1, 2
Ch. 3
Tuesday: Short 1
Property Rights, Externalities, and Environmental Problems
Friday, Sep. 21: Last day to drop and add using Cyberbear
Sustainable Development
Ch. 4
Tuesday: Short 2
Ch. 5
Tuesday: Quiz 1
Environmental Economics
Ch. 13
Tuesday: Short 3
Stationary-Source Local Air Pollution
Ch. 14
Thursday: Draft 1
Acid Rain and Atmospheric Modification
Thursday, Oct. 15th 7-8:30PM: “National Security and Climate Change” Talk
Water Pollution
Ch. 15
Ch. 17
Tuesday: Quiz 2
Thursday, 7PM: Talk
Tuesday: Short 4
Solid Waste and Recycling
Ch. 18
Tuesday: Short 5
Natural Resource Economics
Monday, Nov. 2nd: Last day to day to withdraw (W on transcript)
Energy
Ch. 7
Thursday: Draft 2
Ch. 8
Tuesday: Quiz 3
Water Availability
Ch. 9
Tuesday: 2-Page
Group Paper
Ch. 6, 10-12,
Ch. 16, 19-21
Tuesday: Short 6
Movie: TBA
Thursday, Nov. 26th: Thanksgiving, No Class!
Group Presentations
Group Presentations and Review
Friday, Dec. 11th: Last day to withdraw (WP or WF on transcript)
Monday, Dec. 14th, 5PM: Deadline for Research Paper
Drop the paper off in my office in LA 412.
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Thursday: Quiz 4
Monday: Final
Research Paper due