This course uses case studies from different arenas of environmental policy (e.g. climate and clean air, water and waste, forests, oceans, energy) to surface normative assumptions often implicit in policy design and implementation. The course links ethics to ethos (beliefs, aspirations and the spirit of a community or culture) to suggest that policies are not only pragmatic guidelines for decision-making and action but also fundamental declarations concerning the character of human flourishing and the shape of the natural world, which is why environmental policies are often so contentious. The course seeks to help students understand this aspect of environmental policy and to negotiate these deep-seated ethical conflicts. Learn more.