This course examines the politics of environmentalism and environmental activism in the United States. It focuses on the development and transformation of environmentalism as a social movement from its roots in the preservationists of the late 19thcentury, through the emergence of the modern environmental movement in the mid-twentieth century, up to through the challenges environmentalism has faced from across the political spectrum in the past thirty years. It also examines the principal debates that have divided the environmental movement itself, including the debate between conservationism and preservationism, the relationship between wilderness protection and environmental justice, and debates about the efficacy of the movement’s traditional focus on state regulation. Finally, the course investigates the successes and failures of the environmental movement and the challenges and opportunities that mark environmental politics today. (Not offered 2021-22).

Prerequisite: Political Science 200 or Environmental Program 271 recommended.

1 unit