Syllabus

Course Meeting Times

Lectures: 1 session / week, 3 hours / session

Course Description

This course investigates current legal, scientific, and policy issues surrounding the issues important to the working environment. These include the regulation of toxic substances and processes that affect the health and safety of workers, the economics of health and safety, labor and anti-discrimination law, worker right-to-know, and workers' compensation.

Class Format

You should read the materials for each topic before class. We encourage discussion initiated by the class, will ask questions of you, and will grade you—in part—on your preparation and participation.

Requirements

In addition to class preparation, there will be a relatively short (around 5 pages) writing assignment, a midterm, and a (non-cumulative) second exam. (Note: The writing assignment will not be a "paper" in the traditional sense of the term. Everyone will be asked to respond to the same question.)

Grading will be approximately as follows:

There are two sources of materials for the course:

1. Chapters in a published textbook, referred to as 'text' which is Ashford, Nicholas A., and Charles C. Caldart. Technology, Law and the Working Environment. Revised ed. Washington, DC: Island Press, 1996. ISBN: 9781559634465.
2. 'Galleys' from chapters in a soon-to-be-published textbook by Ashford, Nicholas A., and Charles C. Caldart. Environmental Law, Policy, and Economics. (Forthcoming 2007)