Topic:  Sociology of Environment


What impact has the rise of giant corporations had on the
environment here and around the world?  Can environmental movements
stem the tide of environmental degradation?  What is environmental
racism and what can be done about it?  What are governments doing
(or not doing) about global climate change, deforestation, and
pollution?  Why do we recycle?  Is it possible to build communities
and social systems that are ecologically "sustainable?"  What are
the links between globalization and environmental protection?  What
is "nature" anyhow?

These are just a few of the questions that can be addressed by
taking a sociological perspective on the natural environment.
Often, the natural and social dimensions of human life are assumed
to be disconnected opposites.  In contrast, this course emphasizes
the links between environmental conditions and the social formations
and practices that underlay them.  It will examine the
organizational, political, and institutional conditions that produce
environmental degradation, as well as the conditions that allow for
positive environmental outcomes and ecological sustainability.

We'll tackle these issues at the local, national, and global levels
and look for ways of moving between the local and global to connect
problems and solutions.  Throughout, the course will emphasize that
positive environmental outcomes do not rest solely on individual
attitudes about the environment, but depend critically on larger
social institutions and power relations in a society.  Therefore,
the course will provide a tour not only of the natural world, but
also of the organizational and political forces that shape
contemporary societies.