ENVIRONMENTAL ECONOMICS

ECP 3302 Section 002 BSN 115 TR 2:00pm 3:15pm

USF SYLLABUS
Spring 2012 Instructor: Office: Phone: E-mail: Office Hours: Class Policies: Antoinette J. Criss, Ph.D. BSN 3433 974-9046 ajc@usf.edu See Spring 2012 schedule; drop-in as available, or by appointment See Class Policies in BlackBoard

Course Description MW (PREREQUISITE: ECO 2023 with grade of C- or better):

Environmental economics is our response to the 1st Law of Thermodynamics: matter and energy can neither be created nor destroyed. How do we wisely use resources that come from nature in economic activities? How do we reduce or delay the return of residual pollution from economic activities to the natural environment? We will examine how both markets and the government can offer alternative approaches to these concerns. Of course, we will have to work within the limits imposed by the 2nd Law of Thermodynamics: matter and energy only move from more usable to less usable forms (order to chaos the entropy law).

Course Objectives:
Upon completion of this course the student will be able to: analyze the elements of cost-benefit analysis describe the relevance of property rights to efficient solutions to environmental problems explain the implications of externalities for market-oriented solutions to environmental issues compare and contrast the allocation problems for depletable and renewable resources discuss the nature of efficient and cost-effective policies in pollution control

Academic Honesty:
From the catalog, "Broadly defined, academic honesty is the completion of all academic endeavors and claims of scholarly knowledge as representative of one's own efforts." This definition is strictly adhered to in this class, and the Undergraduate Catalog outlines the repercussions of violations of academic honesty.

Academic Accommodations:
Students in need of academic accommodations for a disability may consult with the Office of Students with Disabilities Services (SDS) to arrange appropriate accommodations. Students are required to give reasonable notice (typically 5 working days) prior to requesting an accommodation.

Course Equipment and Materials:

COMPUTER: You will need a computer that will allow you to access materials via Blackboard. If you do not have these capabilities at home, USF has this equipment in its computer labs. TEXTBOOK: Custom Text, Environmental Economics, Pearson Custom, 2011, ISBN 9781256025344 Please note this is a compilation of chapters from two different Pearson texts that complement each other and will give you more complete coverage than either text alone.

Access to Blackboard is critical for this course.

Syllabus, related documents, posted grades, and access to Web Resources are available in Blackboard. Check the Announcements on Blackboard at least twice per week. This is where we will post any schedule changes, exam tips, and other important notices.

Discussions:
We will use several classes during the semester for group discussions (see the Course Outline and Semester Schedule at the end of this Syllabus). Approximately one week before those class meetings, a related article will be posted to Blackboard and you should come to class prepared to discuss the topics in the article. You will also have writing assignments associated with some of these articles more on that will be discussed later in the semester. Your attendance IN CLASS is required on these dates to receive credit any writing assignments must also be submitted by you IN PERSON in class when required.

Exams:
There will be two non-comprehensive exams during the semester, plus a non-comprehensive final exam during final exam week. The time and date of each exam can be found in the Course Outline and Semester Schedule at the end of this Syllabus. Your grade in the course will be based on the three exams and discussions, as follows: Exam 1 25% Exam 2 25% Discussions 25% Final Exam 25% Please note that you are not graded on attendance, however, being present in class is strongly recommended. The exception to this is that you MUST be present for the discussions and the exams to receive credit.

EXAM/DISCUSSION INFORMATION:
You must attend and participate in the discussions to receive credit - each is worth 5% of your grade. The writing assignments will comprise an additional 5% of your grade. There are no "make-up" or "extra credit" assignments that will substitute for these requirements failure to attend and participate in any discussion or to submit required writing assignments will result in a score of "zero" for the missed item. Questions on all exams will be based on material in the Custom textbook, the lectures, and other readings indicated in the Semester Schedule. Each exam will cover only the chapters (and readings) indicated in the Semester Schedule. There will be no "extra-credit" opportunities and there are no "make-up" exams. Please plan your semester according to the requirements specified in the Syllabus. Please consult USF's Spring Final Exam Schedule before making travel plans. PLEASE NOTE: the exact date/time of your final exam may not match that in the Final Exam Matrix because it is set by the College of Business (I will give you the date/time information).

Grading:
A "plus-minus" grading system will be used. Grading Scale: 97-100 = A+; 93-96 = A; 90-92 = A-; 87-89 = B+; 83-86 = B; 80-82 = B-; 77-79 = C+; 73-76 = C; 70-72 = C-; 67-69 = D+; 63-66 = D; 60-62 = D-; 59 or less = F. NOTE: Rounding up to the next grade category requires an average ending in .50 or higher. All grades will be posted on Blackboard. Please note that your final grade is based on a weighted average of all graded items. If you wish to take the course pass/fail (S/U), you must contact me before the drop date. A grade of I (incomplete) will be granted only if the student meets the requirements specified in the Undergraduate Catalog. At the end of the semester, a class average will be computed by factoring in all of the exams, the discussions, and the poster sessions. Any student who has dropped the course or has a zero for any of the exams will be excluded in computing this average. If necessary, the grades will then be curved to bring the class average up to 75.

COURSE OUTLINE AND SEMESTER SCHEDULE

Topics, Reading Assignments, Discussions, Poster Sessions, and Exams **NOTE: Tentative Schedule - prior notice will be given of any changes.**

Spring Semester 2012

Tuesday
Jan. 10 review syllabus; course intro; marginal analysis, efficiency (Ch 1) Jan. 17 No Class Meeting Jan. 24 willingness to pay measures (Ch 3) Jan. 31 property rights, externalities, public goods, efficiency (Ch 4) Feb. 7 property rights, externalities, public goods, efficiency (Ch 4) Feb. 14 property rights, externalities, public goods, efficiency (Ch 4); problems Feb. 21 Exam 1 (Ch 1 - 4) Feb. 28 Benefit-Cost Analysis: Revealed Preference methods (Ch 5 & 6) Mar. 6 Benefit-Cost Analysis: Stated Preference methods (Ch 5 & 7) Mar. 13 SPRING BREAK No Class Meeting Mar. 20 Benefit-Cost Analysis: risk assessment and other issues (Ch 5 & 7) Mar. 27 Exam 2 (Ch 5 - 7) Apr. 3 pollution control policies (Ch 9 & 10); problems Apr. 10 pollution control policies (Ch 9 & 10); problems Apr. 17 efficient intertemporal allocation of depletable resources (Ch 8) Apr. 24 efficient intertemporal allocation of depletable resources (Ch 8) FINAL EXAM (Ch 8 10) Date: Tuesday May 1

Thursday
Jan. 12 marginal analysis, efficiency (Ch 1); discounting (Ch 2) Jan. 19 discounting (Ch 2); problems Jan. 26 DISCUSSION of article Feb. 2 property rights, externalities, public goods, efficiency (Ch 4) Feb. 9 property rights, externalities, public goods, efficiency (Ch 4); problems Feb. 16 DISCUSSION of article Feb. 23 Benefit-Cost Analysis: Revealed Preference methods (Ch 5 & 6) Mar. 1 Benefit-Cost Analysis: Revealed/Stated Pref. methods (Ch 5, 6 & 7) Mar. 8 Benefit-Cost Analysis: Stated Preference methods (Ch 5 & 7) Mar. 15 SPRING BREAK No Class Meeting Mar. 22 DISCUSSION of article

Other Info
Do problems for next week Prepare for discussion (see BlackBoard)

Do problems for next week Prepare for discussion (see BlackBoard) Study for exam

Mar. 29 pollution control policies (Ch 9 & 10) Apr. 5 pollution control policies (Ch 9 & 10); problems Apr. 12 DISCUSSION of article Apr. 19 efficient intertemporal allocation of depletable resources (Ch 8) Apr. 26 Evaluations; Environmental Videos

***Prepare for discussion (see BlackBoard)*** Study for exam NOTE: Mar. 24 is the last day to drop with "W" Do problems for next week Prepare for discussion (see BlackBoard)

Study for final exam

Time: 12:30 2:30 pm

Location: BSN 115