Christopher McGrory Klyza
Stafford Professor of Public Policy, Political Science and Environmental Studies
Email: klyza@middlebury.edu
Phone: work802.443.5309
Office Hours: Monday 12:30 - 2:30; Wednesday 10:00 - 11:00 and by appt.
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Christopher McGrory Klyza is the Robert ’35 and Helen ’38 Stafford Professor in Public Policy, Professor of Political Science and Environmental Studies. He has taught courses at Middlebury on U.S. conservation and environmental policy and American politics since 1990, and has served as the director of the Environmental Studies Program for seven years.
He is the author or editor of five books on conservation and environmental policy, most recently co-author, with David Sousa, of American Environmental Policy, 1990-2006: Beyond Gridlock (MIT Press, 2008), awarded the 2008 Lynton Keith Caldwell Award for the best book in environmental politics and policy by the American Political Science Association; editor of Wilderness Comes Home: Rewilding the Northeast (University Press of New England, 2001); co-author, with Steve Trombulak, of The Story of Vermont: A Natural and Cultural History (University Press of New England, 1999); author of Who Controls Public Lands? Mining, Forestry, and Grazing Policies, 1870-1990 (University of North Carolina Press, 1996); and co-editor, with Steve Trombulak, of The Future of the Northern Forest (University Press of New England, 1994).
He is currently at work on three book projects: (1) a second edition of American Environmental Policy, due out in 2013; (2) a second edition of The Story of Vermont, due out in 2014; and (3) a new book tracing green state building in the United States. This quixotic project involves trips to every state library in the country.
Klyza lives in Bristol, Vermont with his wife Sheila and daughters Faye and Isabel.
Courses
Courses offered in the past four years.
▲ indicates offered in the current term
▹ indicates offered in the upcoming term[s]
ENVS 0211 / PSCI 0211 - Conservation & Env Policy ▲
Topic determined by instructor - please refer to the section.
NOR SOCFall 2009, Fall 2011, Fall 2012, Fall 2013
ENVS 0401 - Environmental Studies Sr Sem
Environmental Studies Senior Seminar
A single environmental topic will be explored through reading, discussion, and individual research. Topics will vary from semester to semester, but will focus on issues with relevance to the local region and with interdisciplinary dimensions, such as temperate forests, lake ecosystems, or public lands policy. The class involves extensive reading, student-led discussions, and a collaborative research project. (Senior standing; ENVS 0112, ENVS 0211, ENVS 0215, and GEOG 0120) 3 hrs. sem./3 hrs. lab
Fall 2009
ENVS 0500 - Independent Study ▲ ▹
Independent Study
A one- or two-semester research project on a topic that relates to the relationship between humans and the environment. The project, carried out under the supervision of a faculty member with related expertise, must involve a significant amount of independent research and analysis. Students may enroll in ENVS 0500 no more than twice for a given project. (Approval only)
Spring 2009, Fall 2009, Winter 2010, Spring 2010, Spring 2012, Fall 2012, Winter 2013, Spring 2013, Fall 2013, Spring 2014
ENVS 0700 - ES Senior Honors Work ▲ ▹
Senior Honors Work
The final semester of a multi-semester research project on a topic pertinent to the relationship between humans and the environment. Students may enroll in ENVS 0700 only once. (Previous work would have been conducted as one or two semesters of an ENVS 0500 Independent Study project.) The project, carried out under the supervision of a faculty member, will result in a substantial piece of writing, and will be presented to other ENVS faculty and students in a public forum. (Senior standing; ENVS 0112, ENVS 0211, ENVS 0215, GEOG 0120, and ENVS 0500; Approval only)
Spring 2009, Fall 2009, Winter 2010, Spring 2010, Spring 2012, Fall 2012, Spring 2013, Fall 2013, Spring 2014
ENVS 1021 - Aldo Leopold: Theory/Practice
Aldo Leopold: Theory and Practice
Aldo Leopold is perhaps the foundational thinker and practitioner of modern environmentalism. In this course we will study his life, his thought, and his actions in depth. As a humanist, a policy actor, and a scientist, Leopold's life exemplifies the interconnection and overlapping that are central to a progressive approach to human-environment interactions. In terms of ideas, Leopold was well-versed in sustainability (in forestry and game management), in preservationism (as the first to call for the creation of wilderness areas), and in ecocentrism (his essay “The Land Ethic”). We will take three outdoor field trips. (ENVS 0112 or ENVS 0211 or ENVS 0215)
Winter 2012
FYSE 1400 - The Vermont Landscape ▲
PSCI 0310 - American Public Policy
American Public Policy
This course examines the functioning of the entire United States political system, with an emphasis on the policies or outcomes of this political system. The first part of the course will examine the context in which policy is made (e.g., history, capitalism, liberalism). The second part of the course will focus on the policy-making process. We will examine the major stages of the policy process: agenda setting, policy formulation, adoption, implementation, and evaluation. The third and final part of the course will focus on specific policy areas, such as education policy and health care policy. 3 hrs. lect./disc. (American Politics)/
Spring 2009, Spring 2010, Spring 2012, Spring 2013
PSCI 0320 - American Pol Development
American Political Development
This course will trace the development of the American political system from its founding through the present. We will pay special attention to the response of the governing system to crucial events in American History, such as the Civil War, the rise of industrialism, and the New Deal. Among the topics explored will be the growth in size and power of the federal executive branch and the rise in importance of interest groups in American politics. This course will be taught in a seminar format. (One course in American politics or American history) 3 hrs. lect./disc. (American Politics)/
Fall 2012
PSCI 0421 - American Environ Politics
American Environmental Politics
In this seminar we will examine various aspects of environmental politics in the United States. Topics to be covered include how society seeks to influence environmental policy (through public opinion, voting, interest groups, and political parties) and how policy is made through Congress, the executive branch, the courts, collaboration, and through the states and corporate social responsibility. Students will write a major research paper on an aspect of U.S. environmental politics. (PSCI/ENVS 0211; open to PSCI/ESEP majors, others by approval) 3 hrs. sem. (American Politics)
Spring 2009, Spring 2010, Spring 2012, Spring 2013
PSCI 0500 - Independent Project ▲ ▹
Independent Projects
A program of independent work designed to meet the individual needs of advanced students. (Approval required)
Spring 2009, Fall 2009, Winter 2010, Spring 2010, Winter 2011, Fall 2011, Winter 2012, Spring 2012, Fall 2012, Winter 2013, Spring 2013, Fall 2013, Spring 2014
PSCI 0700 - Honors Thesis ▲ ▹
Honors Thesis
(Approval required)
Spring 2009, Fall 2009, Winter 2010, Spring 2010, Winter 2011, Fall 2011, Winter 2012, Spring 2012, Fall 2012, Winter 2013, Spring 2013, Fall 2013, Spring 2014
Personal Website
http://blogs.middlebury.edu/klyzahomepage/
Activities and Organizations
Member, Environmental Studies Steering Committee
Editorial Board, Review of Policy Research
Board Member, Vermont Family Forests
Recent Publications
Co-author (with David J. Sousa), "Beyond Gridlock: Green Drift in American Environmental Policymaking," 2010, Political Science Quarterly, 125 (Fall): 443-463.
Co-author (with David J. Sousa), American Environmental Policy, 1990-2006: Beyond Gridlock, 2008, Cambridge, MA: MIT Press. Winner of the American Political Science Association's 2008 Lynton Keith Caldwell Award for best book in environmental politics and policy.
Co-author (with David J. Sousa), "New Directions in Environmental Policy Making: An Emerging Collaborative Regime or Reinventing Interest Group Liberalism?," 2007, Natural Resources Journal, 47: 377-444.
Co-author (with Andrew Savage and Jonathan Isham), "Local Environmental Groups and the Creation of Social Capital: Evidence from Vermont," 2006, Society and Natural Resources, 19: 905-919.
Co-author (with Andrew Savage and Jonathan Isham), "The Greening of Social Capital: An Examination of Land-Based Groups in Two Vermont Counties," 2005, Rural Sociology, 70: 113-131.
Research Interests
U.S. Conservation and Environmental Policy
American Political Development
American Public Policy
