First Year: Courses

The first-year courses link natural ecosystems and their functioning to the impact of socioeconomic activities, and to the political, institutional, and legislative responses that address environmental problems. Emphasizing analytical frameworks and basic principles through examples and case studies, the courses are designed to focus on the topic specified in each of the subject themes.

Joint class sessions, field trips, and attendance at conferences further expose students to the critical issues and contemporary practices of environmental policy.

Because environmental policy professionals need to be able to communicate their knowledge clearly and effectively through the spoken and written word, as well as with images, data, and figures, BCEP emphasizes various modes of communication and persuasion through written exercises and both individual and group presentations. In addition to projects assigned within each course, students work with a professional writing instructor throughout the first year, and during the second year as needed, to hone their writing skills. Students have the opportunity to develop these skills further during their internships and in the Communication Strategies course during the second semester of the second year.

Environmental Science of Natural Environments (4 credits)

Environmental Science of Built Environments (4 credits)

These courses explore environmental issues and debates, with particular reference to sustainability, systems analysis, and mass and energy transfer. Local, regional, and international settings serve to illustrate scientific principles, and attention is paid to the cultural and ecoregional forces that overlie the physical world. Students examine the role of uncertainty and learn to critically interpret scientific research, then discuss the problem of translating scientific knowledge into workable policies under conditions of incomplete information. Topics range from broad themes such as biogeochemical cycling, toxicology and risk assessments, and life-cycle analysis to detailed examinations of carbon cycling and sequestration, species- and genetic-level loss of biodiversity, and the role of simulation models in policy formulation. Students are expected to be familiar with basic chemical concepts and equations.

Natural Resource Economics (4 credits)

Environmental Economics (4 credits)

These courses describe the conceptual framework and common tools used by economists for environmental policy making; discussion focuses on issues such as air pollution, climate change, water quality, fisheries management, land use, and biodiversity loss. The goal is to understand how economists view environmental issues, and understand insights into the kinds of solutions they propose to correct environmental problems. In particular, these classes demonstrate why the market fails in the case of environmental issues, and show what economic instruments can be used to correct market failures. These methods are applied to real-world situations and also critiqued to gain a fuller understanding of the diverse ways of viewing and solving environmental issues. All explorations are carried out rigorously, using well-established scientific and statistical tools.

Environmental Law and Policy I (4 credits)

Environmental Law and Policy II (4 credits)

These courses bring out the dynamic and complex relationship among various factors-legal, political, cultural, and ethical-that influence the environmental policy-making process. The courses introduce students to the core concepts of environmental law, policy making, and environmental policy cycles that include defining the environmental problem, setting the environmental agenda, presenting policy solutions, and implementation. The making of environmental law and policy is shaped by the interplay of politics, interest groups, elected leaders, appointed judges, public opinion, and governmental institutions. Students examine responses to environmental changes that rely on legal and regulatory instruments, the courts, public hearings, and voluntary agreements. They also take into account the nature of state-federal relationships in developing and applying the law, as well as the role of technology, tension between private and public interests, and equity considerations. The courses explore international environmental regime development, conflict resolution, and transboundary citizen networks that influence global environmental decision making.

Statistics and Econometrics (2 credits)

A solid understanding of the concepts in this course enables BCEP graduates to be intelligent and discerning consumers and analysts of quantitative information they may come across in their professional careers. Before students arrive in August, they should have a firm grasp of descriptive statistics (concepts such as mean, mode, median, range, standard deviation, and variance), as well as the rules of probability and probability distributions. The course builds upon these basic skills to cover in depth the concept of hypothesis testing, which allows credible conclusions to be drawn from given data. The forms of hypothesis tests covered are the z-test, t test, F-test, and chi-squared test. Other topics include research design, sampling, correlation, and regression analysis.

Geographic Information Systems (2 credits)

In the spring semester of the first year, students explore the various spatial analysis methods used by scientists, planners, and public policy makers to improve the understanding and management of our world. Students learn the fundamentals of modeling, data analysis, mapping, and conducting an environmental impact assessment using geospatial technologies. Practical exercises relate to themes studied throughout the year.