Syllabus

Course Meeting Times

Lectures: 1 session / week, 2 hours / session

Prerequisites

There are no prerequisites for this course.

Overview

This course examines alternative conceptions and theoretical underpinnings of the notion of "sustainable development." It focuses on the sustainability problems of industrial countries (i.e., aging of populations, sustainable consumption, institutional adjustments, etc.); and of developing states and economies in transition (i.e., managing growth, sustainability of production patterns, pressures of population change, etc.). It also explores the sociology of knowledge around sustainability, the economic and technological dimensions and institutional imperatives along with implications for political constitution of economic performance.

17.181 fulfills the undergraduate public policy requirement in the Political Science major and minor. Graduate students are expected to explore the subject in greater depth through reading and individual research (17.182).

Required Books

  Choucri, Nazli, ed. Global Accord: Environmental Challenges and International Responses. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 1995. ISBN: 9780262531344.

Stavins, Robert N. Economics of the Environment: Selected Readings. 5th ed. New York, NY: W.W. Norton and Company, 2005. ISBN: 9780393927016.

Tainter, Joseph A. The Collapse of Complex Societies. New York, NY: Cambridge University Press, 1988. ISBN: 9780521340922.

Web Site on Sustainable Development

Global System for Sustainable Development (This website will open in a new window.)

Calendar