Environment & Society

SOCI180C - Environment & Society Society and the natural environment are vitally linked in a number of ways. In this course, we will explore these connections at various levels from the local to the global, but with a focus upon your life and your local community as important case studies. What social forces drive environmental degradation and our responses to environmental issues? How do the distribution of environmental resources and vulnerability to environmental risk intersect with patterns of institutional power and structured inequality? This course will address these questions by focusing on the social causes of environmental problems, the social consequences of environmental degradation, and social responses to environmental issues. The course is designed to provide you with the sociological tools and hands-on experiences that will help gain a better understanding of local and global earth systems related to food, energy transportation housing, waste and water, as well as the qualities of ecological integrity, social and racial justice, resilient communities, and economic well-being.