POLS 3401: Environmental Law and Policy
Fall 2014; T/TH 1:00-2:15 pm; J101
Instructor: Dr. Stacey Mitchell
Email: smitche8@spsu.edu; Phone: x7449
Office Hours: T/Th: 10:30-12:30; on-line: Thursday 6:00-7:00pm
Office: J319
Course Description
Welcome to POLS 3401—Environmental Law and Policy. This course examines the formulation,
implementation, and substance of environmental policies within the United States. Topics
covered will include air and water pollution, toxic and hazardous substances, public land
management, threatened and endangered species, energy, and climate change. Cross-listed as
ENVS 3401 Environmental Law & Policy.
Learning Objectives
Students will be able to:
1. Describe the history of and reasons for environmental regulations.
2. Discuss the impact of constant change and lack of certainty, which are inherent aspects
of the U.S. legal system.
3. Brief environmental law cases using the IFRAC (issues, facts, rule, analysis, and
conclusion) method.
Grading and Course Requirements
Course requirements are as follows:
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Participation: 10%
Quizzes: 40%
Midterm: 25%
Final: 25%
Grading scale is a follows:
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A: 90-100%
B: 80-89.9%
C: 70-79.9%
D: 60-69.9%
F: 0-59.9%
Exams and Quizzes
The mid-term exam will consist of 25 multiple choice questions and will cover material from the
first half of the semester. The final exam will also consist of 25 multiple choice questions and will
cover material from the second half of the semester. I also regularly give quizzes before class to
make sure that students do the reading. Each quiz will consist of 5 questions. NOTE: deadline to
withdraw from the class is October 2, 2014.
Required Readings
Rosenbaum, Walter A., Environmental Politics and Policy, 9th ed. (CQ Press, 2014), ISBN: 978-14522-3996-5
Ground Rules
First and most importantly, this course will require a great deal of reading and analysis, as well as
participation in class. If you are not prepared to work hard, this may not be the course for you.
Your remaining in this course will be understood to be an acceptance of the following ground
rules:
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All communication will be conducted through the D2L system. Please be sure to check it
regularly for notifications and news, particularly if we have to cancel class because of
weather, campus emergency etc.
Please turn off all cell phones before you come to class.
If you will be leaving class early, you must notify me before class. If you do not you
will not receive credit for your attendance that day.
No make-up quizzes, tests or incompletes will be given without official
documentation. I ONLY accept doctor’s notes, copies of court subpoenas, jury
subpoenas and other official court documentation, as well as funeral notices, and notices
for school-sponsored events. Any documentation you present to me must be presented
in a timely manner and must include the date or dates you missed class—otherwise
your absence will not be excused.
I do not accept as a valid excuse the following: job interviews, weddings, vacations,
birthdays, other family events including births (unless of course it is you who is giving
birth), and missing class because you have to work on something for another class or
you have to take an entrance exam for grad school, law school, med school, or
bartending school.
More than one unexcused absence will be taken by me as an indication that a student
has little interest in this class. As such, two or more unexcused absences will count
negatively against your overall grade.
I do not give extra credit. NO EXCEPTIONS.
In terms of your final grade, I DO NOT NEGOTIATE. I will explain your grade to you. I
will not change your final grade.
Disruptive Behavior and Academic Dishonesty (as excerpted from SPSU’s Undergraduate
Academic Catalogue – 2012-2013):
“A faculty member reserves the right to remove any student from his or her course if the student’s
behavior is of a disruptive nature or if there is evidence of academic dishonesty. In instances of
disruptive behavior and/or academic dishonesty, the faculty member will discuss the
circumstances with the student(s) before taking final action. In the event the student cannot be
reached, he or she will be given the grade of “Incomplete” until such time as he or she can be
reached. The student shall have the right of appeal of the faculty member’s decision
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first to the faculty member’s Department Chair
then to the appropriate School Dean,
and, if necessary, to the Vice President for Academic Affairs
Removal from a course under this provision will result in a grade of “F.” A grade of “F” issued
under these circumstances shall not be superseded by a voluntary withdrawal, and will be
included in the student’s cumulative grade point average calculated for graduation purposes.”
Please see the following link
http://www.spsu.edu/honorcode.
for
information
on
SPSU’s
new
Honor
Code:
Students with Disabilities
A student at Southern Polytechnic State University who has a disabling condition and needs
academic accommodations has a responsibility to voluntarily identify him/herself as having a
disability by scheduling an appointment with the Disability Services Coordinator as soon as
possible. Students are encouraged to contact the counselor working with disabilities at (678) 9157244 as soon as possible to better ensure that such accommodations are implemented in a
timely fashion.
Important Dates to Remember
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August 18:Last day to drop/add
September 1: Labor day holiday
September 29: Midterm grades due
October 2: Withdrawal day
November 26-28: Thanksgiving holiday
December 1: Last day of classes
Block One: Introduction
 August 14: Introduction
 August 19: Chapter 1: Fracking as an Example of the Politics of the Environment
 August 21-26: Film: Promised Land (2012)
Block Two: The Policy-Making Process
 August 28: Chapter 2, pp. 33-46; The Policy Cycle and Interest Groups
 September 2: Chapter 2, pp. 46-74; The Environmental Movement
 September 4-9: Chapter 3: The Institutions Involved
 September 11-16: Film: An Inconvenient Truth (2006)
Block Three: Factors Taken into Consideration in Environmental Policy
 September 18: Chapter 4: Risk Assessment and Environmental Justice
September 23: Review for midterm
September 25: Midterm
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September 30-October 2: Chapter 5: Cost-Benefit Analysis
Block 4: Specific Regulatory Efforts
 October 7: Chapter 6, pp. 197-219; Clean Air Act
 October 9: Chapter 6, pp. 219-237: Clean Water
 October 14-16: Film: Erin Brockovich (2000)
 October 21-23: Chapter 7: Toxic and Hazardous Chemicals
 October 28: Chapter 8, pp. 277-294; Coal, Oil and Natural Gas
 October 30: Chapter 8, pp. 294-311; Nuclear Energy
 November 4: Documentary; Frontline: Nuclear Aftershocks (2012)
Block 5: The Battle for Public Lands
 November 6: Chapter 9, pp. 317-331; Public Lands
 November 11: Chapter 9, pp. 331-358; The Actors Involved and the Fate of the Forests
 November 13: Documentary: Frontline: Hot Politics (2007)
 November 18: Chapter 10: Climate Change
November 20-25: Review for Final Exam
Final Exam will be given during exam week (date to be announced)