SOCI 245 Environmental Sociology 3 hours credit – This course addresses the relationship between human beings, their social organization, and the environment, both “natural” and “built.” In this course we will examine how society and the economy have developed its relationship to the environment; the sociology of the environmental movement; the environmental racism/environmental justice movement; motivations and actions of radical environmental movements; utopian proposals for becoming a sustainable society. Of special concern in this course will be issues related to social stratification, power, and environmental/ecological issues
LEARNING OUTCOMES
As a result of taking this course, students will have gained:
- A social science understanding of environmental issues.
- Students will be able to: (1) demonstrate critical thinking through oral and written formats, (2) compare and contrast environmental issues from a historical and global context, and (3) interpret and illustrate through discussion and writing the complexity of environmental issues from multiple interdisciplinary perspectives.
- An interest to develop a deeper understanding of the relationship between society and the natural environment and be able to describe the major theoretical concepts in environmental sociology.
- An ability to identify several major environmental concerns facing society and the strengths and shortcomings of proposed solutions.