Environment and Society in a Changing World

Catalog description

GEOG 30N "Environment and Society in a Changing World" introduces students to the relationships between humans and the natural environment, in addition to the theories and methods that geographers employ in addressing them. The course begins with an overview of theories and key concepts to examine the interactions between social and ecological systems, across settings in the United States and globally. The course will provide students with the opportunity to read and learn about the ways in which humans think about, use, and are affected by the natural environment. It will also provide skills for analyzing and evaluating the ways in which humans have transformed the environment in different parts of the world through the integration of knowledge from the natural and social sciences. This class is designed to address big questions in human-environment interactions at the present time, while drawing upon their histories and key conceptual ideas. 1. What is a human-environment system? How does the geographic discipline contribute towards understanding human-environment systems and sustainability? 2. Why do we conserve what we conserve? Is it possible to conserve natural resources and also meet human needs? 3. What are ways to manage the effects of economic development upon the natural environment? Is sustainable development possible? 4. How is climate change impacting social and ecological systems? Can we adapt to the impacts of climate change? One of the hallmarks of the discipline of geography is attention to how social and ecological processes interact and spread across spatial scales. This means that specific events, such as the consumption of particular product or the emission of greenhouse gases, connect sites within countries and across the globe. GEOG 30N meets the definition for both a US and international cultures course by emphasizing how current human-environment systems developed over time in the U.S. and internationally. GEOG 30N examines how various political, economic, and cultural factors influenced the creation of the different forms of human-environment systems that exist today. Further, it teaches students to see nations, cultures, and social identities in relation to one another, exploring how decisions made in relation to a human-environment system in one place or by one group can impact other people or places.