Environmental Politics and Policy

PUAD 3329: Environmental Politics and Policy

Spring 2026

Class: Tuesdays and Thursdays 9:30 – 10:50, Holden Hall 109

Instructor: Dr./Professor Wesley Wehde

Office: Holden Hall 115 (Online Video link is available upon request)

Office Hours: Tuesday 11:00 am – 12:00 pm and 3:30 pm to 5:30 pm

Email: wwehde@ttu.edu

Course content pending review and approval by the Texas Tech University System Board of Regents.

Feel free to contact the regents or chancellor if you have any questions.

Course Description:

Examines American environmental policy from the perspective of political science and the influence of theory, history, and politics on domestic environmental policymaking processes.

Course Goals and Learning Outcomes:

Students will leave this course with a deeper understanding of environmental policy, with a primary focus on the American case.

            Assessed by exams.

Students will develop writing abilities and critical thinking skills necessary to evaluate political and policy arguments related to environmental policy.

            Assessed by reflection papers.

Course Materials:

There is one required book for the course which is available via the TTU library website but can also be purchased, if desired:

Conceptual Innovation in Environmental Policy, edited by James Meadowcroft, and Daniel J. Fiorino, MIT Press, 2017. ProQuest Ebook Central, https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/ttu/detail.action?docID=5065396

Assignments and Grading:

A rubric for each major assignment will be posted to the course site detailing the grading and structure of the assignments in further detail.

Grading Policy

A    =   93-100            B+ = 87-89                 C+ =         77-79               D+ =   67-69       

A-  =  90-92               B  = 84-86                  C    =         74-76               D   =  60-66

                                    B- = 80-83                  C-   =         70-73              F    =  0-59

Grades will be calculated to the second decimal point and then rounded twice (all 5s will be rounded up), i.e. 93.35 rounds to 93.4 rounds to 93. Another example to be clear 93.44 rounds to 93.4 which rounds to 93.

Assignment	Grade
Weekly reflection papers	25
Attendance	15
Exam 1	20
Exam 2	20
Exam 3	20
Total:	100

Course Schedule:

Attendance and Participation:

Students will be evaluated on their attendance and participation in the class. Each week of the 15 weeks of content is worth 1 point. You will have two unexcused absences. All other absences will require documentation such as a doctor’s note, obituary, etc. The rubric is below:

Attendance/participation per week	Point value
Attends both classes, participates at least once	1
Attends both classes, does not participate	0.5
Attends one class, participates	0.5
Attends one class, does not participate	0.3
Does not attend or any less participation	0.0

Reflection Papers Rubric (at least 1-page double spaced):

Condition	All assignments start at 0 points.
References assigned chapter	+1
References film	+0.5
Summarizes and analyzes	+1
Only summarizes	-0.5
Analyzes but does not summarize	+0.5
Has even a hint of AI generation	-1
Well-written (human!) – varied sentence structure and length, active voice	+0.5
Run-ons – even 1	-0.5
Obvious other grammatical or spelling error	-0.5
Strong insight! Makes an uncommon point, connection, synthesis, or analysis.	+0.5
Brings in, correctly and insightfully, current event (with citation) or another academic article	+0.75

Late Work Policy for Assignments:

Work for the assignments for this class will be accepted up to three days after the due date. For each day late, the assignment will be docked ten points. So if an assignment is due 9/10 and is turned in on 9/13 then the maximum grade a student can receive is a 70. After the third day, the student will receive a zero for that assignment.

College Policies

The use of generative AI tools (such as ChatGPT) is strictly prohibited in this course for any purpose. Information gathered from AI cannot be used even with appropriate citation. Submission of AI-generated content (i.e., information, text, or images) as your own work is a violation of academic integrity and may result in referral to the Office of Student Conduct. Please contact your instructor if you have questions regarding this course policy.

Please see all at this link: Required Syllabus Statements | TLPDC Home | TTU Once you have read these required syllabus statements you can send an e-mail to my ttu.edu address with a picture of your favorite animal, can be your own or any random picture, and I will give you 0.3 percent of extra credit on your final grade – i.e. if you have a 93.2 (A) you would end up with a 93.5 from rounding (A+).

Notes for Students:

Texas Senate Bill 17, which took effect on January 1, 2024, outlaws diversity, equity, and inclusion programs at public colleges and universities in Texas, but does not in any way affect content, instruction or discussion in an academic course at a public college or university in Texas. Expectations and academic freedom for teaching and class discussion have not been altered post-SB 17, and students should not feel the need to censor their speech pertaining to topics including race and racism, structural inequality, LGBTQ+ issues, or diversity, equity, and inclusion.  [Source]

Texas Senate Bill 37, the 2025 law reshaping the governance of public colleges and universities, does not prohibit the teaching of any particular content in academic courses at public colleges and universities in Texas.  Although earlier versions of the bill included censorship of specific course content, these provisions were removed in the final version.  Expectations and academic freedom for teaching and class discussion have not been altered due to prohibitions in SB 37, and students should not feel the need to censor their speech pertaining to topics including race, gender, gender identity, ethnicity, politics, society, and religion.

For more information on Texas SB 37, please see Texas AAUP-AFT’s blog “SB 37 Implementation Concerns & Recommendations”.