Society and the Natural Environment ((3))

Catalog description

This course explores the relationship of society and the natural environment from a sociological perspective. We address questions asked by environmental sociologists such as: what are systemic social causes of environmental degradation?; what social groups are most impacted by pollution?; and how can societies change to improve the natural environment? We will cover a wide range of environmental topics at local and global levels including the dust bowl, industrial agriculture and chemical pesticide use, and climate change. The course also contains a service learning component: students volunteer with a community organization that addresses one of the issues discussed in class.