Environmental Sociology

Catalog description

Human society is currently threatening the environmental resources necessary to maintain life on Earth. This course unravels the deeper roots of our environmental crises and investigates potential ethical solutions from a domestic and global perspective. Through lecture, films, and discussion we will focus on the interplay between social theories, social structure, social institutions, social inequality, social stratification, and the environment. Themes in this course will emphasize how culture shapes environmental processes and everyday life; articulate demographic theoretical perspectives of population growth; examine the social structure of society to better understand the social dynamics of sustainability; analyze environmental inequality along the bases of social class, gender, and race/ethnicity; and explore ethical, sustainability-related decision-making within a societal context. This course is an introduction to the field, suitable for both majors and non-majors with interest in sustainability and society.