INSTRUCTIONS

Word limit: Do not exceed 600 words (2 pages, regular font, double-spaced)
Submission method: post the assignment answer on the bulletin board and e-mail copy to your local instructor.
The title of the assignment should have: all three last names of the students, university abbreviation, course number, week number.
For example: IvanovPetrovSidorovSUSU102week4.

How to submit the assignment answer on the bulletin board:

1. Click on the "discussion forum" button on the IDL website;
2. Enter the login and password to access PanFora;
3. Click on "Enter the Form" link;
4. Click on the title IDL102;
5. Click on the week number;
6. Click on the abbreviation of your university;
7. Post your assignment answer by clicking on the "P" button.

Reminder: Late weekly assignments will be deducted 10 points for EACH DAY it is late - no exceptions.
Before you submit your assignment, check if it follows our writing guidelines.

All assignments will be graded according to the following assignment grading rubric. Please familiarize yourself with this rubric

Week 1: Lecture 1 (Due Monday, February 20, 12:00 midnight Moscow time)

Please answer the following question.

•  Global climate change, water pollution, deforestation, desertification, etc., are all important global environmental problems. Identify one environmental problem that you think is internationally important and formulate its causes and possible solutions. Why is this problem important? What are the possible consequences of ignoring it?

Week 2 : Lectures 2-3 (Due Monday, February 27, 12:00 midnight Moscow time)

Please answer only ONE of the following two questions.

•  Most arguments made about international environmental politics involve causal relationships. For instance: “State institutions are effective in addressing global environmental problems because …” Formulate a causal  question about an environmental problem and give your answer. Specify cause and effect in the problem. Can there be several causes?

•  Roles that scientists play are diverse. Scientists collect information about changing environment, build theories, and test theoretical models, etc. Write your own argument about the role of scientists in environmental field. How serious is influence of science on policy decisions?

Week 3: Lecture 4-5 (Due Monday, March 6, 12:00 midnight Moscow time)

Please answer only ONE of the following two questions:

•  There are several major views within the eco-philosophical perspective in environmental politics. Among them are “shallow”, “medium” and “deep' ecology, eco-feminism, and eco-centrism. Provide a detailed description of the argument of one of the eco-philosophical views. What are the strengths of this view? What are the weaknesses?

•  Much of our world is treated as a "commons" wherein individuals have the right to freely consume its resources and return their wastes. Explain the logic of why the commons often leads to a tragedy. Come up with an example of the Tragedy of the Commons (ToC). What are possible solutions to ToC situations?

Week 4: Lecture 6-7 (Due Monday, March 13, 12:00 midnight Moscow time)

Please answer only ONE of the following two questions:

•  Give a definition of an NGO. Give an example of one of the Russian environmental NGOs. Describe its goals, resources, and tactics.

•  Restate and give a citation to the following quote from: Rosenbaum, Walter. 2002. Environmental Politics and Policy. CQ Press, Washington, DC., in order to avoid plagiarism:

“Environmental policy making is among the most complex in all government because it requires policy makers to arrange an extraordinarily diverse array of information into a coherent decision-making process. Usually policy makers must be able to obtain and interpret scientific, economic, engineering, legal and political information and to accord each its appropriate place in reaching policy decisions.”

Week 5: Lecture 8-9 (Due Monday, March 20, 12:00 midnight Moscow time)

Please answer only ONE of the following two questions:

•  There are different kinds of problems in environmental field: 1) problems that exist and we know that they exist; 2) problems that exist and we do not know about them; 3) problems that do not exist and we believe that they do; and 4) Problems that exist but have benefits that exceed their costs. For your essay choose one type of a problem, discuss the elements of this problem and provide an example.

•  There are several main elements to negotiation strategy. Among them are: 1) actors (state and non-state), 2) issues and conditions under which they are discussed (terms), 3) ambition, depth and specificity of  issues, 4) means of implementation, 5) response to compliance, and finally, 6) general strategy of the process. In your paper discuss one or two elements. Give examples. Why do you think the elements that you chose are most important?

Week 6: Lecture 10-11 (Due Monday, March 27, 12:00 midnight Moscow time)

Please answer only ONE of the following two questions:

•  What makes nations comply with an international treaty? Discuss the interests of states, sources of compliance, and types of international control. Give examples.

•  International environmental treaties are supposed to be effective? What does it mean for a treaty to be effective? What is absolute effectiveness? What is relative effectiveness of treaties? If one treaty is more effective than the other, to what can you attribute its success? Discuss and give examples.

Week 7: MIDTERM (Due Monday, April 3, 12:00 midnight Moscow time)

Week 8: Lecture 12-13 (Due Monday, April 10, 12:00 midnight Moscow time)

Please answer only ONE of the following two questions:

•  Homer-Dixon's argument is that environmental scarcity causes acute social conflict. What is environmental scarcity? Name three sources of resource scarcity. Choose one of these sources, argue and try to prove that this particular source of scarcity is the most important.

•  There are different points of view about sustainable development (SD). Some believe that sustainable development is desirable and feasible; others think that SD is desirable but not possible; still others think that SD is neither desirable nor feasible. Develop your argument about one of these views. Give an example.

Week 9: Lecture 14-15 (Due Monday, April 17, 12:00 midnight Moscow time)

Please answer only ONE of the following two questions:

•  There are positive and negative consequences to free trade. Name several positive and several negative effects of free trade to environment. Choose your position in the debate about free trade effects on environment. Defend your point by developing an argument about one or two positive (negative) consequences of free trade.

•  Does structural adjustment simply expose developing countries' natural resources to exploitation by developed countries and multinational corporations? Or, does it encourage more effective and efficient use of those resources? Give an example.

Week 10: Lecture 16-17 (Due Monday, April 24, 12:00 midnight Moscow time)

Please answer only ONE of the following two questions:

•  What are the factors that make families have more children? Can we control population growth? Should we control population growth? Give examples.

•  An assignment for the first week asked you about one of the most important environmental problem in the world. Now, almost by the end of the course, your perception might have changed. Discuss shortly an environmental problem based on your knowledge gained in the course. How feasible is it to solve the problem?

Week 11: Lecture 18-19 (Due Tuesday, May 2, 12:00 midnight Moscow time)

Please answer only ONE of the following two questions:

• What are the observable and perceived impacts of global climate change? List those impacts. Which countries developed or developing will suffer most? Why? Example.

• There different possible global environmental governance options. Among them are international regimes, world environmental organization, introduction of the environment in all areas of activity, etc. What is the most efficient way to protect environment globally?

  FINAL EXAM (Exam due Friday, May 5th, 12:00 midnight Moscow time)