Science and Environmental Policy OpenCourseWare: A Free Undergraduate Environmental Policy Class by MIT

Published Feb 03, 2009

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Learn how various methods and arguments and scientific knowledge play a role in the development of environmental policy in 'Strange Bedfellows: Science and Environmental Policy,' an OpenCourseWare from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Students interested in studying policy from an idealistic and realistic perspective while pursuing a degree in Geoscience will find this course useful.

Strange Bedfellows: Science and Environmental Policy: Course Specifics

Degree Level Free Audio Video Downloads
Undergraduate Yes No No Yes

Lectures/Notes Study Materials Tests/Quizzes
No Yes No

Strange Bedfellows: Science and Environmental Policy: Course Description

'Strange Bedfellows: Science and Environmental Policy' explores the policymaking process and case studies regarding global warming, nuclear waste disposal and biodiversity. Students examine case studies to determine how scientific findings can be used and abused to formulate policy. The course also examines the controversy surrounding dichlorodipheyltrichloroethane (DDT), the 1977 ban on its use and the subsequent rise in the occurrence of West Nile virus. Readings cover science and politics, ocean preserves, climate change, socioeconomics, environmental radiation, treaties, laws and regulations. Professors Kip Hodges and Steve Meyer of MIT's Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences teach the course.

Course materials include free downloadable lectures and a reading list. If you'd like to learn more about the factors that shape environmental policy, visit the Strange Bedfellows: Science and Environmental Policy course page.

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