Teaching

PA5722: Economics of Environmental Policy

3 Credits

Typically offered in Fall Semester

This course will introduce students to core concepts in economics that underlie policy and decision-making related to environmental policy, conservation, and natural resource management. These include cost-benefit assessment, valuation of non-market goods and services, the role of the market and the state in addressing externalities, and decision tools commonly used in negotiating the tradeoffs that are inevitable in managing scarce resources. The course will explore and debate real-world applications of economic principles, as well as critiques of key assumptions in economic models and frontiers in behavioral economics, ecological economics, and issues of power, justice, and equity.

PA5761: Environmental Systems at the Food, Water, Energy Nexus

3 credits

Typically offered in Spring Semester

Agricultural lands, water resources, and energy production and transport are interconnected systems with implications for policy and management at local to global scales. This course will explore contemporary issues at the nexus of food, energy, and water with a focus on Midwestern landscapes. Specific topics include farm policy, permitting of pipelines and energy production, mitigation of air and water pollution, and strategies to incentivize the conservation and restoration of landscapes. In addition to lecture and discussion, the course emphasizes professional skill development. Each week students will learn and apply a methodological skill (e.g. life cycle analysis, system dynamics modeling), communications skill (e.g. media relations, science communication), or professional skill (e.g. facilitation, leadership).

PA5920-01: Advocacy Lab: Skills for Social Change


1.5 credits

Typically offered Spring Semester

Advocacy is both a process for enacting change and a theory of how change happens. This class will focus on the practical skills and applications of creating effective advocacy campaigns. The course will cover essential steps in designing and planning a campaign, including articulating a theory of change, creating a strong value proposition, targeting key audiences, mobilizing members, identifying tactics, raising funds, and evaluating success. Students will apply their knowledge to contemporary policy contexts and explore their own identity as an advocate.