POL 398 - Global Environmental Politics

Environmental issues often span national boundaries and thus can only be effectively solved through international cooperation. Insights from the study of international relations are essential to understanding the nature of both these transboundary challenges and their solutions. This course will provide students with the relevant theoretical and empirical knowledge from these political science sub-fields to engage deeply with three particularly “wicked” environmental issues - climate change, biodiversity loss, and air pollution. Students will learn about the strengths and limitations of efforts by international organizations, national governments, and non-governmental actors across a range of different countries and scales to tackle these challenges. They will also participate in an interactive and collaborative civic engagement project that will share what they have learned about these issues with the Davidson community. 

Satisfies Political Science major requirement.
Satisfies a major requirement in Environmental Studies.
Satisfies Communication Studies minor requirement.
Satisfies the Social-Scientific Thought requirement

Prerequisites & Notes
Offered every other year, in rotation with POL 228.