Environment and Society

This course introduces students to the study of relationships between people and the environment from a social science perspective, and provides a context for thinking about the social causes and consequences of environmental changes in different parts of the world. It focuses on how and why the human use of the environment has varied over time and space; analyzes different approaches to decision-making about environment issues and examines the relative roles of population growth, energy consumption, technology, culture and institutions in causing and resolving contemporary environmental problems around the world.