EP Courses

Course # and Title

ES 401:  Philosophical-Policy and Environmental Legal Design

A basic class for graduate students on the idea of policy design, as opposed to standard economic analysis of public policy and its application to various domestic and international environmental dilemmas. The course will also introduce the idea of Philosophical-Policy, or the use of integrated philosophical systems to justify specific policy design arguments, through the use of two distinct theoretical paradigms that focus on, specifically, the integrity of the natural environment and the capabilities of humans in relation to ecosystems.

ES 405:  Residential Segregation

This course is an introductory planning course, with an emphasis on housing and community development policy. It will examine historical and contemporary aspects of urban politics; the economic, demographic, and spatial evolution of American cities; and various urban problems, such as the spatial mismatch between people and jobs, housing quality and affordability, and residential segregation. Finally, the course will review how planners have addressed conditions in cities and regions over time.

ES 406:  Food Justice in Urban Environments

This course will review how urban agriculture and city greening programs and policies are part of a growing movement working to strengthen neighborhoods, promote healthier living, and create more localized and sustainable food economies. This class will explore research and readings from multiple disciplines on these programs and policies, and will also delve into individual case studies that illustrate how efforts to improve food access, beautify vacant land, and reduce farm-to-table distances get creatively and successfully combined. 

ES 410:  Foundations Sustainable Development

The broad goal of this course is to introduce students to the foundations of key sectoral and thematic knowledge for important challenges to sustainable development: food and nutritional security, social service delivery, energy policy, water resource management, urbanization, infrastructure, human rights, biodiversity, adaption to climate change, mitigating GHGs, sustainable business, good governance, and more. Through the Global Classroom, an approach pioneered by Columbia University and the Global Masters of Development Practice Association (http://globalmdp.org/), we will do this together virtually with.

ES 455:  Environmental Justice & The Law

This course is an in-depth exploration of the various ways in which environmental law and policy can have discriminatory effects. It examines the rise and evolution of the environmental justice movement, and the impact of environmental justice claims on administrative rulemaking at both the state and federal level. Reviewing the history of case law concerning environmental justice suits filed under the 1964 Civil Rights Act, it also examines the future of environmental justice in environmental law and policy.

ES 480:  Internship in Environmental Policy
ES 483:  Independent Study
ES 490:  Thesis
CEE/EES 379:  Environmental Case Studies

Case studies will be used to explore the impact of politics, economics, society, technology, and ethics on environmental projects and preferences. Environmental issues in both affluent and developing countries will be analyzed. Multidisciplinary student teams will investigate site characterization; environmental remediation design; environmental policy; and political, financial, social, and ethical implications of environmental projects.