There are three objectives for the course.  First, the course 
gives students a background to and an appreciation of the 
policy process under which the broad range of renewable 
natural resources are managed in the U.S.  This includes not 
only defining the methods by which policy is created but also 
the actors involved in the process: the executive branch, the 
legislature, the courts, the press, interest groups, and the 
broad public.  

Second, through the evaluation of case studies and the 
presentation of guest lectures, students will learn how 
policies have evolved to meet changing concerns and the issues 
that arise during policy implementation.  Policies and issues 
that arise will vary depending on the case.  Federal policies 
will include the evolution and implementation of public lands' 
fire policy, the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969; 
changing perspectives on wildlife and the development of the 
Endangered Species Act of 1973; and how national forest policy 
has evolved through the development of the National Forest 
Management Act of 1976.  We also examine such local concerns 
as urban sprawl, Georgia’s changing water quality and quantity 
goals; and specific environmental and tax legislation 
affecting public and private property in Georgia.  

Third, students will learn techniques and criteria that have 
been used to evaluate the impact and effectiveness of 
policies.  These techniques can range from economic to 
biological to social to ethical approaches.

Finally, this class is being sponsored in part by the Writing 
Intensive Program at UGA and, therefore, one of the principal 
goals of the class will be to improve one’s writing skills. 
The course is designed to interweave the study of natural 
resource policy with the enhancement of each student’s 
ability to analyze, write, review, edit, and revise. This will 
be achieved through a series of writing exercises that range 
from short, low-stakes assignments to longer integrative 
assignments that entail multiple drafts and feedback. In 
addition to our teaching assistant, we will also have the 
benefit of writing support from Warnell’s dedicated writing 
instructor.

Understanding Policy 
  What is Policy?
  Delineation of a Policy Issue:  Fire in the West
  Justification for Intervention
  Forest Certification as a case study
The Policy Process  
  Development of the Policy Process model
  NEPA Case Study & Discussion of the EIS Process
Policy Issues
  Property Rights
  Regulation of Private Land and Regulatory Takings
  Land Use Policy in the U.S 
  NFMA and the Development of Ecosystem Management
  U.S. Wildlife Policy
  The Endangered Species Act of 1973
  International Case Study -- Forest Policy in Colombia
  Water Policy in the United States – BMPs, etc. 
  Property Tax Issues in Georgia
  Marketing of resource issues
Negotiations