The goal of the course is to develop a theoretical and operational understanding of these techniques through a combination of lectures, exercises, and the examination of a diverse set of real-world case studies. The student should leave the course with an increased understanding of how technical information can be used to inform policy decisions and the confidence to do so. Students should be comfortable with mathematics and statistics at the level of WWS 507. In addition, some exposure to basic chemistry would be useful. Students should have some familiarity with microcomputer tools, including spreadsheets and graphical packages.
Familiarity is all that is required, however.
The tools necessary for policy analysis of the technical issues covered in the course will be taught as needed in a tutorial fashion. The homework assignments will consist of short, quantitative, sometimes microcomputer based, applications of course methods to specific case studies. In 1997 the class project, to explore the health, ecological, and economic impacts of a waste incinerator proposed for Mercer County, New Jersey, was presented to the New Jersey legislature. Weekly problem sets will be due the week after assigned. Simple models will be constructed and analyzed in order to understand the flow and transformation of materials while risks due to exposure to various pollutants in a variety of media will be evaluated.