Wicked problems are those that have no clear “right” or “wrong” solutions, or technical fixes. Rather, finding the single best solution to these dilemmas is a matter of perspective and the interconnectedness among scientific and social elements means that any resolution carries advantages and disadvantages for stakeholders. As a consequence, wicked problems often include intractable forces that make “solving” these problems all but impossible. Therefore, “management” becomes the default objective for stakeholders involved in environmental governance of wicked problems. This course explores the environmental governance of wicked problems in environmental policy and politics. We will use the lenses of systems theory, policy networks, and adaptive governance and management among others to explore the emergence of wicked problems as well as the current management approaches used by governance institutions to cope with these challenges. Credit: 1 Unit (3 semester-hours).

Schedule
9:00am-11:00am on Tuesday at MBH 319 (Jun 22, 2015 to Jul 31, 2015)
1:00pm-5:00pm on Thursday at MBH 319 (Jun 22, 2015 to Jul 31, 2015)
Location
McCardell Bicentennial Hall 319
Instructors