Contact Information:
by office phone: 719/255-4043
by FAX: 719/255-4558
by electronic mail: pkeilbach@uccs.edu
by regular mail:
Dr. Patricia M. Keilbach
University of Colorado at Colorado Springs
1420 Austin Bluffs Parkway
Colorado Springs, CO 80933-7150
Research and Teaching Interests: Global Environmental Politics, International Political Economy, European Politics, Comparative Environmental Politics, Public Policy, International Law, Model United Nations, Gender in International Politics, Political Ideologies, Film and Politics, Art and the State
Professional Expertise: Professor of Political Science and International Studies; Academic and Policy Consultant
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RECENT NEWS, EVENTS and PUBLICATIONS:
World Politics: The Menu for Choice, 9th Edition
Harvey Russett, Bruce Starr, David Kinsella
ISBN-10: 0495410683 ISBN-13: 9780495410683
576 Pages Paperbound.
© 2010 Published.
Instructor's Manual by Patricia M. Keilbach, University of Colorado at Colorado Springs.
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March 2009.
Ashgate Press
Edited by Miranda Schreurs, Free University of Berlin, Germany, Henrik Selin, Boston University, USA, and Stacy D. Van Deveer, University of New Hampshire, USA
Transatlantic Environment and Energy Politics: International and Comparative Perspectives (2009) Ashgate Press.
Patricia M. Keilbach, University of Colorado at Colorado Springs
Chapter 7. Transatlantic food fights in an era of globalization: when menus, rules and choices collide.
Environmental and energy policies have become increasingly significant in European and North American politics. This fascinating book uses a wide range of case studies that embrace climate change, product standards, chemical regulations, renewable energy policies, food safety and genetically-modified organisms to examine areas of conflict and cooperation in the transatlantic relationship.
While there are many areas where the European Union and the United States are following divergent policy paths, there are also many signs that a more cooperative transatlantic relationship could emerge in the future. Transatlantic Environment and Energy Politics is highly relevant to understanding how the European Union and North America can cooperate more effectively in meeting today's many global environmental and energy policy challenges. It is essential reading for all advanced students and scholars.
Reviews: ' …offers an outstanding collection of cutting-edge research on environment and energy politics. Due to its both international and comparative focus, it is of great interest for academics as well as professionals and policy analysts. The book includes valuable insights not only for those interested in these policy areas, but also for readers interested in global governance more generally.'
Christoph Knill, University of Konstanz, Germany
'A valuable and much needed contribution to the comparative study of European and American regulatory policies. Its comprehensive and exhaustively researched essays present a fascinating and informative portrait of the distinctive ways policy-makers on both sides of the Altantic have addressed – or failed to address – a wide range of contemporary regulatory issues and problems.'
David Vogel, University of California, Berkeley, USA
'There is an assumption amongst environmental policy analysts that European laws and policies are much stronger than those in North America. This comprehensive, coherent and thought provoking volume brings together a strong team of scholars from both sides of the Atlantic to assess whether this widely shared view has any basis in reality.'
Andrew Jordan, University of East Anglia, UK
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Volume 9, Number 3, August 2009.
Keilbach, Patricia M., University of Colorado at Colorado Springs
The Power of Words in International Relations: Birth of an Anti-Whaling Discourse (review)
Global Environmental Politics - Volume 9, Number 3, August 2009.
Reviewed: Charlotte Epstein. 2008. The Power of Words in International Relations: Birth of an Anti-Whaling Discourse. Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press
Reviewed by Patricia M. Keilbach
University of Colorado at Colorado Springs
Charlotte Epstein’s book will find its way on to the required reading lists of students, scholars and practitioners interested in understanding how ideational and normative forces shape outcomes in international relations. While this is not the first time the shift from whaling to anti-whaling has been analyzed, this is the first contribution to the literature to uncover the social powers creating a change in understanding of the relationship between humans and whales. Epstein’s book stands out not only because it provides a very rich analysis of the historical trends in whaling. Rather, what makes this book exceptional is that this lens on whaling gives us significant insight into the power of words, ideas, and normative interests and how they work to reshape international relations. Epstein’s book uncovers the real story about whaling, successfully explaining why worldwide attitudes toward whaling shifted in the second half of the twentieth century from acceptance to moral censure. Material forces do not explain this shift: whales had been known to be endangered because of whaling and yet humans had failed to act on those material interests, even in face of near collapse of the industry. The new anti-whaling ethics emerged because states reconstructed their interests, and Epstein shows us how and why.
Throughout the ages humans have been virtually spellbound by whales. These massive and majestic creatures conjure images of both danger and intrigue. One simultaneously imagines the challenges of Moby Dick in his quest for revenge against the giant whale Ahab, and the courage of Paikea the Whale Rider who traveled the vast distance on a back of whale to found a civilization. These mammals are resource-rich, providing an abundance of materials for human consumption and economic gain. They are also highly intelligent and social creatures, traveling vast distances, living long lives, communicating and developing organized social structures and connections. For these and other reasons, the interaction between humans and whales has a mixed history. [...] (August 2009, GEP).
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April 22, 2009
"The Role of the United Nations in the Challenge of Global Environmental Governance"
Guest Lecture by Dr. Patricia Keilbch, Department of Political Science at UCCS, to the Pikes Peak Chapter of the United Nations Association-USA
Lecture Abstract: From the early stages of its formation, the United Nations has sought to establish mechanisms for the governance of the environment. Beginning with the first declaration at the Stockholm Conference in 1972 and continuing to this day, the UN has served as the forum for the negotiation of over 1,000 international environmental treaties ranging from the protection of specific species to the global atmosphere. The United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) provides leadership and encourages partnerships in caring for the environment. UNEP inspires, informs and enables nations, citizens and business to improve the quality of life without compromising future generations. It is in this forum that states work to resolve pressing transboundary environmental problems requiring the coordination of many actors within the global system. What explains why the UN has been successful in some environmental issue areas, and less successful in others? How can the UNEP improve upon its record of success? What efforts can leaders and citizens make to foster increased awareness and encourage further action to address these pressing problems?
PIKES PEAK CHAPTER—UNA-USA CELEBRATES EARTH DAY
The Spring 2009 Dinner Meeting was held on Wednesday, April 22, 2009. The location was Giuseppe’s Old Depot Restaurant, and the dinner buffet included a pasta bar, salad, fruit, pizza, chicken cordon bleu and focaccia bread.
Our Chapter President, Joan Mikow, first introduced our Education Chair, Bill Berry, who in turn introduced the winner of our high school essay contest, Sarah Curley, a senior at Rye High School in Pueblo. Sarah then read her essay and was presented with her prize, a check for $100.
Our Membership Chair, Pat Richard-Amato, then presented a plaque of appreciation on behalf of the chapter to Ruth Khan. Ruth served as our first newsletter editor and her efforts helped get our chapter off to a good start.
Claire Drozd, our Social Chair, then introduced our featured speaker, Dr. Patricia Keilbach, Assistant Professor of Political Science at the University of Colorado-Colorado Springs. Dr. Keilbach is the author of many articles and conference papers on environmental politics and related subjects and has received many grants and awards to support her research; she is a contributing member of several organizations that serve her university, her community, and her discipline, including being the founding faculty member and Program Director of the award-winning UCCS Model United Nations.
Dr. Keilbach’s topic was The Role of the United Nations in the Challenge of Global Environmental Governance. She covered the mission, structure and history of the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), as well as some of its successes and failures. Her talk provided all of us a great deal of insight into the way the U.N. is going about the implementation of the seventh Millennium Development Goal, ensuring environmental sustainability.
PowerPoint Presentation on the UCCS Model UN Program
Model United Nations Course at UCCS
Read about the Pikes Peak UNA-USA Spring Dinner Meeting
Visit the UCCS Model UN Program Website
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