As a foundation for understanding past, present, and future policies students will learn how natural resource policies are created and the parties involved including the legislative, judicial, and executive branches of government. Students will learn about how public land was acquired and disposed of, as well as past and current grazing, forestry, mining, recreation, wildlife, wilderness, water, and fisheries policies. Considerable time is devoted to having students develop an appreciation for the difficulties that natural resource managers face because ultimately, science and public desires about how to use natural resources may conflict. Furthermore, individual choices can affect how and why natural resources are used or conserved. Students critically analyze policy decisions to determine who makes the decisions, factors that influence their choices, and what their ultimate decision is.
Assignments focus on written policy analyses of diverse natural resource issues.
Students are expected to use an interdisciplinary approach when writing these papers.