Human Ecology

Catalog description

Foundations of human-environment interactions focusing on livelihoods, adaptation, and self-governance. We bring together theoretical perspectives from cultural ecology, self-governance, economic anthropology, human behavioral ecology, political economy, political ecology, and cultural evolution. Topics include livelihoods and subsistence, common-pool resources, cooperation, collective action, equilibrium/disequilibrium ecology, adaptation, resilience, risk, robustness, relational approaches, ways of knowing, complexity, and adaptive management. In a small seminar setting students will learn (a) to understand the basic telnets, limitations, blind spots and unexplored issues of different theoretical perspectives related to human ecology. (b) To articulate ideas, identify and formulate questions, learn how to provide critique to other colleagues in a positive, empathic manner so it can be listened to, as well as to identify excellent work and provide measured praise of it. (c) To put into conversation theory and method. This is the first course in the core sequence for the Environmental Behavioral Sciences track of the Environmental Social Sciences PhD program. Instructor permission required for non-Environmental Social Sciences PhD students.