Meeting Time: Tuesdays and Thursdays 10:00-11:50PM
Location: Building 53, Room S119
Instructors:
Dr. Michael Dalton Office: Bldg. 53, S313
Office Phone: 582-3024
Office Hours: 1:00-2:00PM Tues./Thurs.
Email: Michael_Dalton@csumb.edu
Dr. Judith T. Kildow Office: Bldg. 53, S307
Office Phone: 582-3223
Office Hours: 4-6PM Wed.
Email: Judith_Kildow@csumb.edu
Course Description
The course covers the principles of both economics and government and applies these to environmental valuation, policies and management of natural resources. The course emphasizes fundamentals and class discussions will place them in an environmental context. Course material emphasizes issues and policies that involve marine and coastal ecosystems.
The economics component of the course is based on principles from traditional micro and macroeconomics, and also from the developing field of ecological economics. Ecological economics is concerned with the sustainability of natural capital and other environmental resources. National income accounts are included in order to understand objectives in national and global policy. The issue of sustainability crosses local, regional, and global scales. Microeconomics is used at a local scale to show a broad suite of economic uses for ecological resources and how decisions about these often leads to overexploitation and the Tragedy of the Commons. Microeconomics is also used to show how economic decisions can be managed with regulations and other policies to implement socially preferred levels of resource use.
The Government/policy component of the course informs students about the American Government so that they can be effective citizens of a democracy. Along with fundamentals about structure, process and dynamics of the American democracy, students will learn some pointers about how to participate in this system to effect change. The politics part of the course assumes students have had only a brief introduction to American government and policies. Environmental issues, their economic implications, and the stakeholders and political interests involved are embraced in discussions of the Congress, President and Judiciary. The environment and natural resources are embedded into discussions and homework assignments related to political interests, lobbying, and social justice. Understanding the economy and its relationships to the environment in the context of policy outcomes and the political system is a core theme.
Course Prerequisites
Modern economic theory relies heavily on mathematics, and this course stresses methods that are mathematical and computational: a semester of calculus is a minimum prerequisite (e.g. MATH 150). Familiarity with derivatives of common functions (e.g. polynomials, exponentials, and logarithms), and the ability to solve linear systems with two equations and two unknowns are essential skills for completing homeworks and achieving success on exams in this course.
Students with Disabilities
Students with disabilities who may need accommodations: please meet with the instructors as soon as possible during office hours, by appointment, or by phone. For more information, please visit http://sdr.csumb.edu, email Student_Disability_Resources@csumb.edu, call 831-582-3672, or fax 831-582-4024.
Required Texts
Survey of Economics: Principles and Tools (2nd Edition) by A. O'Sullivan, S. Sheffrin, Prentice-Hall Series in Economics, 2003, ISBN: 0131439693.
Government by the People: Brief (5th Ed. with CD) by J. M. Burns, J. Peltason, T.E. Cronin, D. B. Magleby, D. O'Brien, P. Light, Prentice-Hall, 2003, ISBN: 0131842269.
Blackboard Online Resources
Your copy of Survey of Economics: Principles and Tools comes with an access code for the online resources for the text. Online resources include Powerpoint notes for each chapter, and questions for quizzes and homeworks. To access the online resources, go to http://blackboard.csumb.edu, login using your (new) OtterID, and register using the access code in your textbook.
Course Learning Outcomes
ESSP 280 is a requirement of ESSP MLO#2: Earth Systems Science & Policy Foundations, which states that students must be able to apply principles and methods to the study of:
· The major physical and life science components of the earth system, including the atmosphere, biosphere, geosphere, and hydrosphere as well as the chemical and physical processes underlying these components.
· Human components of the earth system including the social, economic, and political structures that shape our interactions with our environment.
To satisfy MLO#2, students must satisfy the learning outcomes in the two tables below.
Economics & Policy Learning Outcomes
Standards
Exemplary: Can describe and use principles, show relationships using graphs, and derive specific results using calculus and algebra
Commendable: Can describe and use principles and show relationships using graphs
Adequate: Can describe and use principles verbally
Unsatisfactory: Cannot describe or use principles
Assessment
Homeworks and quizzes will be assigned for each chapter of the economics textbook from the Blackboard online course companion. In addition, more comprehensive (i.e. mathematical) homework problems will be distributed in class to assess depth of understanding and learning outcomes not covered in the textbook. A midterm exam will cover homeworks, quizzes, readings, and lecture material through the midterm review. The final exam is cumulative and covers all lecture and reading material.
Final grades are based on a final score for the course, which is calculated as a weighted average of all scores given for homeworks, exams, the final project, and class participation. The maximum score for the course is 100%. Economics Scores for different components of the course including participation, homework, exams, and the final project are assigned the following weights:
Homeworks and Quizzes 45%
Exams 50%
Class Participation 5%
To earn a “C” or better, students must achieve the standard of adequate for each course learning outcome. An unsatisfactory assessment on one or more of the course learning outcomes will result in a “C-” or lower. To earn a “C+” or better, students must achieve the standard of commendable or higher on at least two of the course learning outcomes. To earn a “B-” or better, students must achieve a standard of commendable or higher on most of the course learning outcomes. To earn a “B” or better, students must achieve the standard of commendable or higher on all course learning outcomes. To earn a “B+”, students must achieve the standard of exemplary on at least two course learning outcomes. To earn an “A-” or better, students must achieve a standard of exemplary on most course learning outcomes. To earn an “A”, students must achieve the standard of exemplary on all course learning outcomes.