Tutorial: Climate Policy Practicum

In the Climate Policy Practicum students will carry out individual policy analysis and writing projects in conjunction with or in support of social movements, non-governmental organizations, and/or governments. Through these practical projects they will develop knowledge in climate policy and advocacy and skills in analysis and writing.  Instruction in the course will cover a range of intergovernmental climate policy or related forums, such as the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the Committee on World Food Security, the preparatory process for the UN Global Compact on Migration, or the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and its constituted bodies, with a comparative approach. Issues to be covered may include: climate change and food security, climate change and migration, climate finance, climate change assessments and the global stocktaking process under the Paris Agreement. In the tutorial, students collectively will read, analyze, and critique a wide range of climate policy briefing papers. Students will choose one or two bodies and forums and one issue for an individual project. In the project, students will produce one or more briefs relevant to their chosen issue area and intergovernmental forum(s), and attend a meeting of that forum. To the extent possible, students will be paired with an organization or government for whom they will carry out the work. Their participation at the policy forum will allow them to directly engage with partners and develop those professional relationships in person. Students will be evaluated based on their class participation, one or more presentations to the class about their chosen forum and the topic of their brief(s), a series of working drafts of a policy brief, satisfactory attention to timelines and professional communications, and a final policy brief.

Always visit the Registrar's Office for the official course catalog and schedules.