Common-pool resources (CPRs) include pastures, forests, watersheds, ocean fisheries, traffic, the Internet, and the Earth’s climate. CPRs present a variety of social dilemmas because it is difficult to exclude and prevent resources users from accessing, using, and polluting a resource. Individual self-interest may put CPRs at risk of overuse, overconsumption, and exploitation to result in a “tragedy of the commons” scenario. However resource users across the world, have devised rules and strategies to avoid such tragedies to sustain CPRs over centuries. In this course, through playing games in the classroom, we will learn whether and how theories of collective action, cooperation, and institutions provide insight into achieving conservation of CPRs that delivers on the twin goals of social and environmental justice.