Aimed especially at Environmental Studies and Political Science majors, but open to all students. The course integrates the excellent and growing literature by
Christian writers on the environment into a public policy framework and integrates the work being done by Christian environmental organizations.
Course Overview
According to Dryzek and Schlosberg (1998), "environmental politics is about how humanity organizes itself to relate to the nature that sustains it." As such,
environmental politics draws on various disciplinary studies, and impinges on issues such as poverty, race, the economy, international relations, and human rights.
This course will examine the main issues that have come to be debated in the field of environmental politics by assessing different viewpoints from which people
approach environmental politics.
The secondary emphasis of this course will be environmental policy which can be defined as the study of how specific environmental policies are made. This will
include a look at the main elements of the environmental policy process, including interest groups, institutions, power and so on. Our study of how environmental
policy is made will be undertaken through a case study of a specific environmental issue.
The fulcrum of this course is the belief that Christians are called to tend, keep, and steward the glorious creation with which our Creator has blessed us.
Course Objectives
By completion of the course students will:





understand our calling as stewards of creation and what this implies for our positions on particular environmental issues
understand the various factors which affect the making of environmental policy in liberal democracies, including the roles of interest groups, parties,
and other political actors
understand and appreciate how Christian environmental organizations influence the environmental policy process
understand the tension between the implementation of economic development and environmental policies
be able to apply knowledge of the environmental policy process to a particular environmental issue
Required Reading
Dryzek, John S. and David Schlosberg. Debating the Earth: The Environmental Politics Reader. New York: Oxford University Press, 1998.
Selected articles assigned by the instructor.
Recommended Reading
If you are unfamiliar with any writing on the Biblical basis for creation stewardship and what it implies for public policy, you are strongly encouraged to read one or
more of the following:
"An Evangelical Declaration on the Care of Creation", The Evangelical Environmental Network.
Basney, Lionel. An Earth-Careful Way of Life: Christian Stewardship and the Environmental Crisis. Intervarsity Press, 1994.
DeWitt, Calvin B. Earth-Wise: A Biblical Response to Environmental Issues. Grand Rapids, Michigan: CRC Publications, 1994.
DeWitt, Calvin, B. Caring for Creation: A Responsible Stewardship of God's Handiwork. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Books and the Center for Public Justice,
1998.
DeWitt, Calvin B. ed. The Environment & the Christian: What Can We Learn from the New Testament? Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Bookhouse, 1991.
Gelderloos, Orin. Eco-Theologoy: The Judeo-Christian Tradition and the Politics of Ecological Decision Making. Edinburgh: Falcon Press, 1992.
Grandberg-Michaelson, Wesley, ed. Tending the Garden: Essays On the Gospel and the Earth. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Eerdmans, 1987.
Paauw, Glenn. The Garden of God: Selections from the Bible's Teaching About the Creation. The International Bible Society, 1992.
Van Dyke, Fred, David C. Mahan, Joseph K. Sheldon, and Raymond H. Brand. Redeeming Creation: The Biblical Basis for Environmental Stewardship. Downers
Grove, Illinois: Intervarsity Press, 1996
Wilkenson, Loren, ed. Earthkeeping in the '90s: Stewardship of Creation. Grand Rapids, Michigan: William B. Eerdmans, 1991.
If you are interested in reading more about the environmental policy process, you are encouraged to consult the following sources:
Anderson, Terry L. ed. Breaking the Environmental Policy Gridlock. Stanford California: Hoover Institution Press, 1997.
Fiorino, Daniel J. Making Environmental Policy. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1995.
Garner, Robert. Environmental Politics. Prentice Hall, Harvester Wheatsheaf, 1996.
Kraft, Michael. Environmental Policy and Politics: Toward the Twenty-First Century. HarperCollins College Publishers, 1996.
Lester, James P. ed. Environmental Politics and Policy: Theories and Evidence. Second Edition. Durham, North Carolina: Duke University Press, 1995.
Vig, Norman J. And Michael Kraft, Environmental Policy in the 1990s. Washington D.C.: Congressional Quarterly Inc., 1997.
Course Outline and Reading Schedule
I. Limits and Survivalism
Dryzek, chaps. 1,2 and 3
II. The Promethean Response
Dryzek, chaps. 4,5 and 6
III. The Environmental Policy Process
Kraft, Michael. Environmental Policy and Politics: Toward the Twenty-First Century. HarperCollins College Publishers, 1996, chapter thre
IV. Administrative Rationalism
Dryzek, chaps. 7,8, and 9
V. Liberal Democracy
Dryzek, chaps. 10,11,12, and 13
VI. Market Liberalism
Dryzek, chaps. 14,15, and 16
VII. Sustainable Development
Dryzek, chaps. 7, 18, 19, and 20
VIII. Mining policy
Klyza, Christopher McGrory, "Reform at a Geological Pace: Mining Policy on the Federal Lands, 1964-1994", in Western Public Lands an
Environmental Politics, ed. Charles Davis, Boulder, Colorado: Westview Press, 1997, p.95-121.
IX. Ecological Modernization
Dryzek, chaps. 21, 22, and 23
X. Deep Ecology and Bioregionalism
Dryzek, chaps. 24, 25, 26, 27, and 28
XI. Social and Socialist Ecology
Dryzek, chaps. 29, 30, 31, and 32,
XII. Environmental Justice
Dryzek, chaps. 33, 34, and 35
XIII. The Green Movement
Dryzek, chaps. 36, 37, and 38,
XIV. Ecological Democracy
Dryzek, chaps. 39 and 40
Evaluation
In evaluating the performance of the student in this course a premium will be placed on the student's reading in preparation for class and participation in class
discussion. The student's ability to integrate ideas discussed in class within the context of mining policy will also be an important component of the final grade. The
following grading scheme is designed with these goals in mind:
Class Participation
25%
Post class writing
assignments
35%
Washington D.C. journal
0% or 25%
Essay on mining
5% (for D.C. trippers) or 30% (for non-trippers)
Final integrative essay
10%
100%
Class participation
It is imperative that students come to class having read and thoughtfully considered the assigned readings. Students should expect that at the beginning of class
the instructor will ask for a brief summary of the main argument in each article and three or four key supporting points. It is recommended that students write down
an outline of each article in order to come to class prepared for discussion. The instructor reserves the right to establish a policy requiring that article outlines be
officially submitted at the beginning of class. Class participation may also include some follow up activities on mining policy. The class participation grade will be
arrived at by consideration of the following criteria:






attendance,
courtesy to instructor and other students,
the extent to which the student seeks help outside of class when necessary,
participation in class discussion,
the extent to which the student takes responsibility for his/her own learning
insightful and sensitive contributions to class
Post class writing assignments
After each unit in the course (approximately two class periods) each student will submit a written response to the readings and class discussion. You are to
respond to the following items. Responses should be submitted by email (or preferably in a Wordperfect attached file) and must be received by the instructor within
twenty four hours.
How compelling the main arguments are in light of other readings in the text and other knowledge




Brief assessment of the adequacy of the evidence given to support main premises
Ideas which challenge you in terms of how you apply your Christian faith
Implications for public policy
Unanswered questions/problems/unresolved issues
Post class writing assignments will be graded subject to the following criteria:





the student demonstrates understanding of the assigned reading
the student is able to measure the value of main arguments in light of evidence
thought has been given to the relevance of the reading to Christian life
the assignment is written in good form with clarity and complete and coherent sentences
the submitted assignment has substantial depth and should be around 400 words
Washington D.C. Journal
Upon return, each student who chooses to travel to Washington D.C. to participate in the "Rescue God's Creation" weekend must submit a journal detailing the
events of each day. Specifically, your journal entries must consider the following:




a description of what you did each day
what you have learned about how mining policy is made
what you have learned about how to effect policy change
how your experiences accord with what you have read in class about environmental politics and the policy process
Mining Policy essay
For those students traveling to Washington D.C., you must submit a short essay on March 30, 1999 explaining how the trip to W ashington D.C. has affected the
way you view the relationship between politics, economics and environmental policy making. Conclude your essay by making some specific suggestions for how
the Christian community can respond. This essay is worth 5% of your final grade.
Those students not traveling to Washington D.C., will write a research essay of about 2500 words on mining policy. It is expected that the student will regularly
consult with the professor in the writing of this paper. At a minimum the student should consult the professor at the beginning of the process, submit an outline and
a draft before the final copy is due on March 30, 1999.
Final Integrative essay
The final essay is due on the last day of class. It should be about 6-8 pages long and must be submitted electronically. In this essay each student will discuss and
explain the main ways in which environmental problems are fundamentally political problems and what this implies for Christians who are concerned about
creation stewardship. Reference should be made to readings and other class material to support your argument.