E&S Minor Classes

Law, Technology, and Public Policy

Examines how law, economics, and technological change shape public policy, and how law can be used to influence technological change; how the legal system responds to environmental, safety, energy, social, and ethical problems; how law and markets interact to limit or encourage technological development; and how law can affect wealth distribution, employment, and social justice. Covers energy/climate change; genetic engineering; telecommunications and the role of misinformation; industrial automation; the effect of health, safety, and environmental regulation on technological innovation; the impacts of intellectual property law on innovation and equity; pharmaceuticals; nanotechnology; cost/benefit analysis as a decision tool; public participation in governmental decisions affecting science and technology; corporate influence on technology and welfare; and law and economics as competing paradigms to encourage sustainability. Permission of instructor required for freshmen and sophomores.