Peqod :: Classes - Columbia University Catalog of Classes

New York City has positioned itself as a global leader in the fight against climate change, often serving as a model for other jurisdictions to follow. This course explores the development and implementation of environmental legislation and policy in New York City during the past two decades. It includes discussions about historical context, environmental policymaking considerations, political processes, outcomes, and the role of stakeholders such as advocates, business, industry, labor, government actors, and community. Students will gain broad knowledge of key legislation and policies related to sustainability, resiliency, energy, emissions, waste and the circular economy, transportation, water and air quality, and green space. Furthermore, students will consider how environmental justice and equity play a role in the development of legislation and policy, and assess best practices for providing equitable treatment and engaging all communities. While the focus of the class will be on New York City, students will also learn about environmental policies implemented in other jurisdictions.

Introduction to Environmental Law and Policy in New York City is available to students in the Graduate Program for Sustainability Management. It is designed to provide future sustainability practitioners and others with a fundamental understanding of how legislation and policy is made, what influences this development, and how legislation and policy seek to address climate change in New York City in urban environments like New York City. Students will be able to use this knowledge to help government and public and private organizations achieve more sustainable solutions.

This is a semester-long elective class that will be taught on campus. Specific competencies or prerequisites are not required. This course will be interactive and discussion-intensive, engaging students to utilize and reflect critical and analytical thinking about how environmental legislation and policy is developed and how they can create innovative environmental legislation and policy in the future. Students will participate in class discussions, think critically about policy development and assigned readings, write a reaction essay on environmental justice and equity, and present their analysis to classroom colleagues. For the final project, students will write a research report and present their report to the class, focusing on a particular environmental policy topic, identifying areas where policymaking can be improved upon and/or expande

Department: Sustainability Management
W 6:10 p.m.-8 p.m.
Instructor: Laura Popa
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3 points

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SUMA PS6115

Environmental Law and Policy in New York

Department: Auditing
W 6:10 p.m.-8 p.m.
Instructor: Laura Popa
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0 points

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SUMA PS6115

PROPERTY (FOUNDATION)

Department: Law
Instructor: Michael A Heller
Wikipedia h-index: 20 Info
Instructor: Maeve H Glass
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4 points

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LAW_ L6116

PROPERTY (FOUNDATION)

Department: Law
4 points

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LAW_ L6116

OPERATING SYSTEMS, II

Department: Computer Science
R 2:10 p.m.-4 p.m.
Instructor: Jason Nieh
CULPA: 23 Wikipedia h-index: 50 Info
3 points

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COMS E6118

TORTS

Department: Law
Instructor: Madhav Khosla
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Instructor: Mala Chatterjee
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4 points

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LAW_ L6118

INTRO TO EPID FOR NUTRITIONIST

Department: Human Nutrition, Institute of
Instructor: Debbie Malden
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3 points

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NUTR M6120

Theory and Practice of American Politics

Department: International and Public Affairs
M 1:10 p.m.-3 p.m.
W 3:10 p.m.-5 p.m.
R 10 a.m.-11:50 a.m.
R 1:10 p.m.-3 p.m.
R 3:10 p.m.-5 p.m.
Instructor: Patricia A Kirkland
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1.5 points

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SIPA IA6120

SUMA PS6120 Equity, Policy, and Sustaina

Public policy shapes how our environment, both natural and built, is managed and regulated. Policy not only creates the infrastructure and regulatory frameworks needed to support sustainability goals, but is also critical in establishing an equitable foundation that supports individual and collective change in pursuit of those goals.

This course will serve as an introduction to equity in sustainability policy: We will survey federal, state, and local policies and proposals to understand how we use policy to enhance urban resilience, mitigate environmental impacts, and also promote social and economic justice. Using an interdisciplinary approach that draws from economics, sociology, urban studies, critical theory, and more, students will develop their capacities to read and interpret policy, enhance their understanding of current policy frameworks, and strengthen their ability to engage with emerging policy developments.

Building on contemporary efforts in public policy, we will use an equity lens to focus on the human dimension of sustainability. We will explore policy frameworks and dialogues that foster more equitable outcomes, increase engagement of people most impacted, and contribute to sustainability goals. As an entry point, the course will focus on policies related to climate adaptation and urban sustainability transitions, setting the stage for students to explore equity in urban resilience efforts and to examine intersections of race, class, and other social factors with access to resources.

The course will be discussion-based and center participatory activities (e.g., student-led discussions, paired analyses, team exercises) designed to encourage students to consider policy issues from multiple perspectives—including identifying disparities and assessing opportunities for increasing equity in the sustainability policy sector. The course will also invite scholars and practitioners to share expertise and experience from the field. Students are not expected or required to have any previous experience with policy or law.

Department: Sustainability Management
R 6:10 p.m.-8 p.m.
Instructor: Skyller Walkes
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3 points

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SUMA K6120

SUMA PS6120 Equity, Policy, and Sustaina

Department: Auditing
R 6:10 p.m.-8 p.m.
Instructor: Skyller Walkes
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0 points

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SUMA K6120

VOICE II

Department: Theatre Arts
M 9 a.m.-10:55 a.m.
M 11 a.m.-12:55 p.m.
Instructor: Corinna May
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2 points

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THEA AT6120

PRACTICUM: RES PLANNING

Department: Architecture, Planning and Preservation
M 3 p.m.-5 p.m.
Instructor: Kate Dunham
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1.5 points

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PLAN A6121

FASHION POLICY AND THE POLITICS OF GOVER

The fashion industry is an ideal case study on how governments, citizens and international institutions attempt to limit the environmental and social impacts of complex consumer industries with global supply chains. Historically, apparel and textiles have been at the center of some of the most consequential government actions under liberal Western democracy, including the abolition of slavery and the passage of the first workplace safety and labor laws in the United States. In recent years, fashion has returned to the center of dynamic policy debates within the sustainability and social impact space.

The $2.5 trillion global fashion industry’s social and environmental impacts often evade regulation. Major brands leverage long and opaque supply chains for raw materials and cheap manufacturing costs with very little accountability. Private regulation and voluntary commitments have policed fashion for the better part of four decades, an approach that arguably has ended in failures to protect human and environmental rights. The industry’s lack of accountability has cost lives, including the notorious Rana Plaza building collapse in 2013 where 1,132 garment makers died, and now contributes to a sizable percentage of annual climate change. Profits have been pushed to the top of the supply chain while garment makers consistently toil for poverty wages, and the pollution and environmental degradation of fashion is a burden almost exclusively carried by low-and-middle income nations and communities of color that manufacture clothing and produce raw materials.

But the tide is turning. Governments are being asked to step in and regulate the fashion industry. Can effective fashion policies police international supply chains and achieve their intended aims? Might they unleash unintended consequences and in what ways? This course is an introduction to the fast-evolving space of modern environmental and labor policy as it intersects with fashion, and which seeks to incentivize more responsible business behavior in the realm of social, environmental and governance impacts. The class will use recently passed and proposed fashion social and sustainability policies as our case studies, including the New York State Fashion Sustainability and Social Accountability Act; mandatory human rights due diligence in Europe; California’s Garment Worker Protection Act and Congress’s FABRIC Act; the FTC Green Guides and the UK CMA’s Green Claims Code; and Europe&rsquo

Department: Sustainability Management
R 6:10 p.m.-8 p.m.
3 points

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SUMA PS6125

FASHION POLICY AND THE POLITICS OF GOVER

Department: Auditing
R 6:10 p.m.-8 p.m.
Instructor: Elizabeth Cline
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0 points

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SUMA PS6125

Management of SEC Climate Disclosure Com

This course takes a dual-pronged approach to the importance of sustainability reporting: examining both the corporate perspective on preparing sustainability disclosures and the investor perspective on how these disclosures are used to inform capital allocation, risk assessment, and stewardship decisions. At a time when the sustainability reporting landscape—both voluntary and mandatory—is rapidly evolving, focusing on the investor perspective provides clarity. This approach helps students anchor their learning in what matters most for capital markets, enabling them to organize and lead sustainability reporting processes within their own organizations. The goal of this two-sided lens is to equip students with the skills to deliver decision-useful, transparent, and consistent sustainability information that aligns with the demands of today’s regulatory and investment environments.

In the first half of the course, students will explore the evolving landscape of sustainability frameworks and regulations. Key regulatory regimes—such as California’s SB 253 and SB 261, the EU’s CSRD, and the CSDDD and GRI, Sustainability Reports, ISSB —will serve as anchors for case discussions. These discussions will play a crucial role in helping students understand how to administer sustainability reporting as a strategic organizational function, and in emphasizing the organizational capacity and management practices needed to comply with these frameworks. By the end of the course, students will be able to design, manage, and implement the internal processes required to respond to mandatory and evolving ESG disclosure expectations.

The second half of the course will adopt the lens of the investor, exploring how ESG disclosures are integrated into decision-making across three asset classes: public equity, private equity/alternatives, and fixed income. Students will engage in structured modules for each asset class, assuming the role of institutional investors tasked with interpreting disclosures, engaging with companies, and making recommendations. Each module will feature live engagements with real-world investors, offering students direct insight into market practices and expectations.

Department: Sustainability Management
W 4:10 p.m.-6 p.m.
Instructor: Carolyn Allwin
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3 points

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SUMA PS6130