Syllabus
Environmental Economics
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Dr. Terrel Gallaway |
Phone: 836-5629 |
This class will introduce students, with varying levels of economic expertise, to the economic approaches to environmental and resource issues. It will also introduce students to some classic works on the subject as well as highlight different perspectives among economists. In addition to examining wise use of the environment, this class will look at balancing economics, the environment, and personal liberty. It will explore the role of government in protecting the environment while at the same time examining how government failures can cause environmental problems, hinder potential solutions, unduly restrict personal liberty, and funnel billions of dollars into corporate welfare.
Economists are engaged in a wide variety of areas including environmental policy, education, sports, and high finance.
Required:
Tietenberg, Tom & Lynne Lewis. Environmental and Natural Resource Economics, 8th ed. Addison Wesley, 2010
Heilbroner, Robert: An Inquiry into the Human Prospect, Updated and Reconsidered for the Nineteen Nineties R.S. Means Company; 2nd Rev ed. 1991.
Abbey, Edward: Desert Solitaire: A Season in the Wilderness.
Barcott,
Bruce “As a Matter of Fact, Money Does Grow on Trees,” Outside Magazine. March 2005. http://outside.away.com/outside/features/200503/money-and-the-environment_1.html
Daly, Herman Valuing the Earth. The MIT Press, 1993.
·
Chapter 3: Nicholas Georgescu-Roegen “The Entropy Law and the Economic
Problem”
·
Chapter 9: E.F.
Schumacher “Buddhist Economics.”
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Chapter 10: Gerald
Alonzo Smith “The Purpose of Wealth”
·
Chapter 16: Kenneth
E. Boulding “The Economics of the Coming Spaceship Earth”
·
Chapter 19: Herman
Daly: “The Steady State Economy”
Finkel, Michael. “Bedlam in the Blood: Malaria” National Geographic. July 2007. http://www7.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/0707/feature1/
Galbraith, John. The Affluent Society. Chapters 9-11;17.
Hardin, Garrett “The Tragedy of the Commons,” Science, 1968. http://www.garretthardinsociety.org/articles/art_tragedy_of_the_commons.html
Higgs, Robert “In the Name of Emergency” Reason October 17, 2001
Higgs, Robert “Fear The Foundation of Every Government’s
Power” The Independent Review. V 10,
no 3, winter, 2005.
Keynes, John Maynard “Economic Possibilities for Our Grandchildren” 1930.
Moore, Stephen “Julian Simon Remembered: It's A Wonderful Life” Cato Policy Report, March/April 1998. http://www.cato.org/pubs/policy_report/cpr-20n2-1.html
Regis, Ed “The Doomslayer” Wired Issue 5.02 - Feb 1997 http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/5.02/ffsimon_pr.html
Rolston, Homes.
Environmental Ethics. Chapter 1
“Humans Valuing the Natural Environment.”
Simon, Julian L. “The State of Humanity: Steadily Improving” Cato Policy Report, September/October 1995 http://www.cato.org/pubs/policy_report/pr-so-js.html
United Nations Environment Programme. “Planet’s Tougher Problems Persist, UN Report Warns” global press release for Global Environment Outlook-Four (GEO-4.) http://www.unep.org/geo/geo4/media/media_briefs/Media_Briefs_GEO-4%20Global.pdf
Walker, H. Thayer. “Killer Abs” Outside Magazine. April 2006. http://outside.away.com/outside/features/200604/northern-california-great-white-sharks-1.html
Learning is an active process. As students, you must take primary responsibility for your education. If you hope for a passing grade in this class, you should start by living up to these minimum expectations:
Final grades will reflect student performance on quizzes, two midterm exams, two book reviews, class participation, and a final exam. In addition, students taking the 640 option will be responsible for 3 extra chapters and 3 journal articles. Exams will be given on the days indicated in the class schedule. Scores will be weighed on the following basis:
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First Exam:
100 points Book Reviews & Discussion 125 points total Additional Chapters/Journal Articles 100 points total Readings & Class Participation 75 points Total 700 points |
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Final grades will be awarded based on the following scale:
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630 - 700
points = A |
In the case of borderline situations, the instructor may raise a student's grade by a "half" grade.
Graduate students will be responsible for one extra chapter each unit. They will turn in a 5-10 page outline of “lecture notes” for each chapter. In addition, their tests will include material from those chapters. Students may choose between chapters 6, 9, 11, 20, 22, & 23. Students must do at least one chapter from chapters 6, 9, &11. They must also do at least one chapter from 20, 22, & 23.
Graduate students will be expected to read at least one journal article for each unit. These articles will be assigned by the instructor based on discussion with the student. Students will write a 3-4 page reaction paper for each article. Questions about the article may also show up on their exams.
The class period before an exam, graduate student will be given a take-home portion for the exam. That part of the exam may cover any material covered in that unit, including the extra chapter and the journal article. Graduates will also take the in-class exam with the rest of class. The grades from the two parts of the exam will be averaged together with the take home portion counting for roughly 30% and the in-class portion counting for roughly 70% of their test score.
The final exam will primarily cover material from the third unit. Additionally, part of the exam will be comprehensive and cover topics from throughout the semester that are particularly important or that students failed to learn for earlier exams.
Students will be given one or two quizzes each unit. These quizzes may be announced or unannounced and will cover the non-text readings.
Technology: All cell phones should be turned off when
entering class. For tests, only simple calculators will be allowed.
Graphing calculators, programmable calculators, and cell phones will not be
allowed. Permission must be obtained from the instructor before using any
recording device in class. Violation of this policy may be considered an
act of cheating or plagiarism (see below).
Absentee Policy: Attendance will be taken throughout the course.
Although attendance and grades tend to be positively correlated, I will not
directly deduct any points for absenteeism.
Plagiarism and Cheating
Policy: All members of
the University community share the responsibility and authority to challenge and
make known acts of apparent academic dishonesty. Any student detected
participating in any form of academic dishonesty will be subject to sanctions
as described in the Student Academic Integrity Policies and Procedures, http://www.missouristate.edu/acadaff/AcademicIntegrity.html,
also available at the Reserves Desk in Meyer Library, and in abbreviated form
in the Missouri State Undergraduate Catalog. Possible sanctions include issuing
an "XF" for a semester grade. It is your responsibility to read
and fully understand
At a minimum, anyone caught
plagiarizing or cheating will automatically receive a zero for
the assignment. This zero will automatically be averaged into the semester's
final score without any possibility of it being dropped, made-up, or weighted
less. Students caught cheating on a quiz will have their semester grade
lowered one letter in addition to receiving a zero on the quiz. Cheating and
plagiarism include a variety of activities. If in doubt, ask me.
Makeup Policy: There will be NO make-up or early exams
without an official, WRITTEN excuse. With a valid excuse, students will
be allowed to take the exam on or before the day for which it was scheduled.
After that day, the exam can be made-up only by taking an exam different than
the one given in class. Students hoping to take a makeup exam should
contact me immediately. The exam will be scheduled for the earliest time
that is mutually workable. Students who do not make up their exam promptly will
not be allowed to take it at all.
Appeals Policy: All appeals must be WRITTEN. If you believe
that you deserve partial credit, or want me to re-grade in any other way, give
me a written request within two weeks after the assignment or test has
been handed back in class. The appeal should explain why you think your
answer was "correct" and deserves partial or full credit.
Please
note there are additional
policies which are common to all MSU classes. These policies,
regarding Nondiscrimination, Disability Accommodation, Emergency Response,
Academic Integrity, Dropping a Class and Cell Phone Usage, may be found on the
Economics Department’s website: http://www.missouristate.edu/econ/63185.htm
Terrel's Homepage Department of Economics Missouri State Homepage