ATMS 311 / ESE 311 Special Topics in Environmental Studies

COURSE FORMAT

Class Attendance and Participation: Students are expected to attend all classes and come prepared to participate in discussion and/or ask questions to clarify or expand on the material assigned. Students will also be assigned to host and introduce guest speakers and their topics, contacting them in advance to arrange for biographical information and preparing a verbal abstract of the material to be covered. If you are unable to attend a class due to illness or other unavoidable factors, please notify the instructor in advance and provide one page summary and assessment of the reading for the day.

Class Format: Most of the classes will have a visiting expert. The classes will be conducted in a lecture/discussion format. The visiting expert will normally give formal remarks of up to 25 minutes, and then lead the class through a discussion.

Assigned Readings: For each of the issues, selected background reading material as well as key questions for the class discussion will be assigned. Most of the readings will be made available to the students through the class website. Additional readings may be assigned or recommended. Additions will be posted on the website. There are no required texts.

Writing Assignments: Three short synthesis papers (4-5 pages) are required, each integrating the material covered in one of the topical sections of the course with an emphasis on public policies addressing the topic. In addition, a final 15-20 page policy/research proposal on one of the three topics, as selected by the student, will be required as the final project.

Presentation: Each student will present a short talk (approximately 10 minutes long) and answer questions (for about 5 minutes) on the final policy/research proposal. The talk should be prepared on overhead transparencies and/or PowerPoint and follow guidelines given out later in the semester.