Environment, Society, Sustainability in Latin America

Catalog description

This course focuses on the changing relationship between social systems and the environment and contemporary challenges to sustainability in developing countries. Grounded in the interdisciplinary study of the relationships between nature and society, the course draws on fundamental concepts and theories from sociology and allied social sciences, as well as interdisciplinary research in the areas of environmental justice, gender studies, development studies, environmental history, and action-based research. Using a place-based understanding of development and sustainability in Asia, sub-Saharan Africa, and Latin America, the course evaluates different possibilities for improving livelihoods and promoting more just and sustainable societies. Topics include access to land and natural resources; ethno-ecological practices, traditional knowledge and local food production; urbanization, power and environmental politics; modernization and resource depletion; environmental racism and social justice; climate change and social movements; social institutions and resource governance; and global efforts to promote conservation of biodiversity.?