Course Description
The social causes and consequences of resource scarcity and environmental depletion. Topics include world population growth, pollution, depletion of energy sources, species extinction, and environmental movements.
Athena Title
Environmental Sociology
Prerequisite
SOCI 1101 or SOCI 1101H or SOCI 2600 or permission of department
Semester Course Offered
Offered every year.
Grading System
A - F (Traditional)
Course Objectives
This course involves an broad overview of our current environmental dilemmas and the factors and theories that help explain their derivation including processes of production, consumption, and urban expansion ( 'material' factors) and the basic logics that surround many of our current problems of resource scarcity environmental extractions) and excess wastes (environmental additions). The course covers how current economic systems of production and consumption are mirrored in global development patterns and population growth. Along with material factors, the course also delves into beliefs that characterize society and its self conceived relationship to the environment. The course concludes with a look at the ways that society can change and re-organize itself to become more ecologically conscious and hence sustainable.
Topical Outline
Topics will include: Environmental Predicament What Is Environmental Sociology? Consumption Production Global Development and Environmental Inequality Population Social Construction Of Nature Ideology of Environmental Domination Ideology of Environmental Concern Risk Society The Future
Syllabus