In School

So class has finally begun for me and I'm glad it did.  It is extremely time consuming and difficult, but I'm sure I made the right decision.  The amount of learning I have already done in 1 week is pretty surprising to me.  I made a small change once I went through the course work with the department head and my masters will now be in sustainable environmental management.

Aside from stating the obvious, the structure of the political system is dramatically different in the UK and Europe.  Then even further when you look at how environmental laws have evolved and are adopted is much different. Most environmental laws for the UK are from the EU.  England and Wales do some other policy, but most is directed by the EU.  A big deal in the news currently is the change in planning rules and the definition of sustainable development that local councils need to meet.  One of the major issues is the protection of heritage sites and the prevention of demolishing old homes to build new flat complexes.

Public input into policy changes is drastically different as well.  I don't know much about it at the moment, but we are starting to scratch the surface on how policy is passed.  In short, there is much less upfront citizen involvement and more once the legislation has been passed and goes into the rule making process.  I have asked a couple of my professors what a good introductory on UK politics might be just to grab some more background.  I don't feel too lost on the issue currently and it doesn't seem as if my lack of knowledge in that area will be a hindrance at all.

My current schedule is going to classes on Tuesdays and Wednesdays with the other days spent doing research.  Everything is leading into writing my dissertation that is due on Oct 12 of next year.  Of the topics that are lectured on I will need to chose one in which to write a research proposal and then a final dissertation on.  While researching this I will be writing at least one paper every 2 weeks on the material covered and critiquing policy or issue papers.  I am also required for each of my classes to lead a seminar on a particular topic covered in the lectures.  This will also most likely be the same subject as my research proposal and my dissertation.  It is a little overwhelming in week 1.

The school itself is a mixture of old buildings and new.  The local town hall resides on the campus and is partially used by the University.  I haven't had a chance to look at the corner stone yet, but it is a few hundred years old.  The campus is currently expanding with the closure of the Trent Park Campus, there are about 20,000 students attending classes on the Hendon Campus.  With the influx of new students the university has built 3 new building in the last 2 years or so, all green certified. The campus itself is situated about 2.5 miles from where I live and atop a small hill, so there are some good views of the city on a nice day.

I'll have more to say about school in the next couple of weeks.