2003 Ted Mills Award for Outstanding Environmental Teaching

Dr. James J. Lawler, professor political science, teaches five courses relating to environmental science. He has chaired the thesis committees for 10 ES students, and has served as a member of the ES Steering Council since 1985. Lawler’s courses stand at the cultural divide between the realm of environmental science and the realm of public policy , law and administration. His paramount goal is to help students on each side of the divide to understand the other’s perspectives. He keeps his courses up to date by choosing the most recent textbooks, using supplements from Cowboy Copy Center and directing students to websites maintained by government agencies, international organizations and various private groups on environmental matters. Lawler also uses teaching techniques from American legal education that are designed to teach students basic skills of research, analysis and issue spotting that are applicable to new situations: the case method, Socratic method, and practice in preparing briefs, abstracts and position papers. Because his classes attract a diversified group of students from many disciplines, he encourages cross-pollination by discussion in class.