ClassInfo - Summer 2023 Sociology Classes

Summer 2023 | SOC 4305 Section 001: Environment & Society: An Enduring Conflict (87317)

Instructor(s): Mark Pharris
Class Component:: Lecture
Credits:: 3 Credits
Grading Basis:: A-F or Audit
Instructor Consent:: No Special Consent Required
Instruction Mode:: Completely Online
Class Attributes:: UMNTC Liberal Education Requirement
Times and Locations:: Summer Session 14 wk

05/15/2023 - 08/18/2023

Off Campus

Virtual Rooms ONLINEONLY
Enrollment Status:: Open (21 of 35 seats filled)
Also Offered:: Summer 2023

Course Catalog Description:: Examines the interaction between human society and the natural environment, focusing on the contemporary and global situation. Takes the perspective of environmental sociology concerning the short-range profit-driven and ideological causes of ecological destruction. Investigates how society is reacting to that increasing destruction prereq: 1001 recommended or a course on the environment, soc majors/minors must register A-F
Class Notes:: This course is completely online in an asynchronous format. There are no scheduled meeting times. Click this link for more detailed information: http://classinfo.umn.edu/?pharr004+SOC4305+Summer2023
Class Description:: We have entered the anthropocene--the age in which the impact of human activity on the environment cannot be ignored. From resource extraction, to pollution, to climate change, to potential mass extinctions and ecological collapse, the continued expansion of human society has come at the expense of its natural surroundings. In the process, humanity has become one of the single greatest threats to its own survival. Environmental sociology attempts to understand the origins of this conflict between "nature" and "society." How have various sociological factors, such as social organization, political conflict, labor and resource exploitation, and the rise of consumer culture combined to shape our relationship with the environmental? Why have we been so willing to ignore the risks and consequences of anthropogenic climate change and why has it proven so difficult to build social movements around environmental justice? Collective problems require collective solutions--what broadscale changes must societies adopt in order to mitigate these risks and, ideally, ensure an environmentally sustainable future? This course will tackle all these questions and more.
Learning Objectives:: 1) To understand how human activity shapes and has been shaped by its environment.
2) To map out the sociological dimensions of why "nature" and "society" are in conflict.
3) To explore potential collective solutions to collective problems and how societies might achieve a balance between social progress and ecological sustainability.
Grading:: General participation in online discussion - 20%
5 discussion posts - 50%
1 Final exam (including essay question) - 30%
Exam Format:: Multiple choice and essay
Class Format:: This class is online and asynchronous. It will include recorded lectures, online discussion, and films.
Workload:: - approximately 30-40 pages of reading per week
- weekly participation in online discussion
- 5 500-word discussion posts
- final exam, including multiple choice questions and one essay question
Textbooks:: https://bookstores.umn.edu/course-lookup/87317/1235
Instructor Supplied Information Last Updated:: 14 February 2023

ClassInfo Links - Summer 2023 Sociology Classes

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