Special Topics in Political Science (390-0-36)

Instructors

Lauren Marie Baker

Meeting Info

Locy Hall 110: Tues, Thurs 2:00PM - 3:20PM

Overview of class

Course Title: Environmental Issues in the Middle East and North

Extreme weather events, polluted air and waterways, dwindling biodiversity - environmental issues make up the most pressing existential threats to our global future. How do states respond to environmental challenges, including those that cross borders? How do people living in precarious environmental conditions make sense of their world and organize for change? Focusing on states in the Middle East and North Africa, this course will offer an introduction to key concepts in environmental politics, including common but differentiated responsibility, globalization, and environmental justice. We will begin by interrogating what is meant by the terms "environmental" and "Middle East" and who has the power to make and challenge these definitions. Each subsequent week will focus on one environmental issue in the region, such as water, waste, informality, climate change, war, biodiversity, and environmental justice - as cases through which to explore different facets of environmental politics. The course aims to provide students both a strong empirical foundation in the historical background and sociopolitical reality of several main environmental challenges as well as analytical and methodological tools to critically assess contemporary environmental policies and proposed solutions.