Course Description
Applications of economics to natural resource and environmental decision making. Topics include water, wildlife, forests, fisheries, land-use, sustainability, development, and uncertainty. Emphasis is on practical applications and case studies, stressing the value of interdisciplinary research and decision making.
Additional Requirements for Graduate Students:
Graduate students are expected to complete additional readings,
assignments, and exam questions, and be leaders in class
discussions and group activities. In addition, graduate credit
for the course requires that the quality of the written
assignments and term paper will be of a higher quality than at
the undergraduate level. Accordingly, written material will
receive more rigorous grading than at the undergraduate level.
Athena Title
ECON PERSP NATL RES
Equivalent Courses
Not open to students with credit in FORS 5680/7680
Non-Traditional Format
Designed for non-economics majors.
Semester Course Offered
Not offered on a regular basis.
Grading System
A - F (Traditional)
Course Objectives
The goal in this course is to teach students in water, wildlife, forestry, fisheries, ecology, and other natural resource and environmental fields, with little or no background in economics, how economic concepts are applied to natural resource issues. The course material is organized around key questions related to environmental and natural resource problems. In exploring the answers to these questions, students will be introduced to the underlying economic principles associated with the problem. Classic and recent case studies gleaned from both scholarly journals and the popular press will be used to illustrate the complexities of the issues. Classroom time will be a mix of lectures, discussions, group activities, and student presentations. By actively engaging in this course, students will • Understand how economics can be used in conjunction with the natural sciences to address resource related questions. • Be better able to distinguish well-developed, solid economic arguments from weaker arguments. • Understand the capabilities and limitations of different standard economic approaches to natural resource problems. • Be able to communicate and collaborate with economists and other social scientists.
Topical Outline
1. Are we running out of resources? 2. How much pollution/damage/extraction should we allow? 3. What is the environment worth? 4. Why is there too much pollution/damage/fishing/harvesting? 5. How do we control pollution? 6. How do we conserve natural resources? 7. Does trade harm the environment? 8. Are development and conservation mutually exclusive goals? 9. Is sustainability feasible? 10. Case Studies