• Understand the role of
markets and prices in the allocation of resources over time.
• Identify market failure, causes of resource misallocation, and the
economic effects of policy instruments that can be used to correct for
these failures
• Understand economic value
and societal benefits of natural resource use which occurs outside of the marketplace.
• Extend your understanding to current issues.
• Learn basic analytical
tools used by economists.
Required Text
Callan, Scott J. and Janet
M. Thomas, Environmental Economics and Management: theory, Policy and
Applications, Thomson Southwestern, 2004.
Additional Readings: At times, required readings will be placed on reserve, and/or be
available through links from this webpage.
You will be responsible for accessing web-based materials. If you do not have access in your residence,
the library provides all students with resources necessary for accessing
materials used in this course. Click here for links to selected readings.
Click here for the Journal of Environmental
Economics and Management.
Check out this link for a tutorial on
the use of graphical methods in economics.
Check out the web site for Resources for the
Future. This organization is a nonprofit and nonpartisan think
tank located in Washington, DC that conducts independent research – rooted
primarily in economics – on environmental and natural resource issues.
Their newsletter and articles are excellent examples of environmental policy
analysis, using tools that we develop in this course. Many of their
bulletins are written for policy makers and should be understandable to you.
As your experience with economic analysis grows in this course, you will find
that regular perusals of the RFF website will reinforce what you are
learning. And better yet, you will see real world examples of how
economic analysis is done and the purposes it serves.
Links to
find out more about Environmental Policy
Late Assignment Policy: For each day that an
assignment is late, 10 points, or one letter grade, will be deducted. After 5 days, a grade of zero will be
entered. I will drop the lowest grade
of the assignments, so if you do miss one assignment, the zero will be dropped
from your average.
Hint: This is not a class in which you can simply memorize the material
and expect to do well – it is about analytical thinking, about applying
concepts to circumstances and problems that are all around you. Actively using your mind in lecture, as
opposed to simply copying down notes to study later, will greatly enhance your
ability to do well on exams. I encourage in-class discussion. The course material is cumulative. Assignments, lectures and exams will
typically combine the most current material with concepts that you have already
covered earlier in the course. So
stay on top of the readings and assignments. Use this link
to view a good strategy for doing well in economics courses.
Students with Special Needs: It is the student’s responsibility to self-identify that he/she
has special needs and to provide the University with specific information
regarding those needs (contact the Disabled Students Services Office in the
Academic Skills Center, 784-6801). I
will make every effort to make reasonable accommodations to meet any special
needs identified through this office, provided that I am informed in a timely
manner.
My responsibility to you: I will provide you with interesting and rigorous material, return
your exams and assignments in a timely fashion, be responsive to your questions
about course material and respect your time by holding my office hours and
appointments at designated times. I
will make every attempt to be fair and impartial in grading and in classroom
discussions. I love this area of
research and I will try to impart to you why I find it exciting.
Your responsibility to me,
your classmates and to yourself: You will
get out of this course what you put into it …. How many times have you heard
THAT before? Millions. Because it is true. If you have an appropriate constructive
idea, I welcome your input. E-mail me,
talk with me during my office hours, write a note and send it to me or attach
it to an assignment. Tell me how I am
doing and give me your ideas on how to make the course better. But do not talk with your neighbors during
class time unless it is during structured discussions. If you have a question or comment, raise
your hand and share it with the class.
You are responsible for all
material in lectures, whether or not it is covered in the textbook. If you miss lecture, it is your
responsibility to get notes from someone else OTHER THAN MYSELF! Do not call, e-mail or otherwise find a way
to ask me if “there was anything important” that you missed in
lecture. All lectures are prepared to be important.
I welcome questions and
lively discussion during the lecture and during office hours. But your classmates and I will not be amused
by comments or questions that indicate that you have not read the assigned
readings. You are responsible for
maintaining a courteous atmosphere in the classroom. This is your space, a course for your benefit.
If you absolutely must
arrive late to class, enter quietly and move quickly to find the nearest seat
that you can. If you absolutely must
leave class early, then seat yourself close to a doorway. Take your belongs out quietly, and organize
yourself once outside the classroom. I
appreciate it when students let me know prior to class that they will be
leaving early.