专业描述

The study of environmental issues from the perspectives of the social sciences and humanities. This course includes a brief overview of environmental history, ethics, politics and economics. The primary goals are to learn critical thinking and some basic social science methods from sociology, psychology and anthropology. We use these to critique environmental policy. Issues we discuss include energy & climate change, endangered species & biodiversity, water & air pollution, water scarcity, sustainability & resiliency, agriculture, and environmental justice. Students complete weekly reading assignments, take-home research assignments, in-class group problem-solving exercises, and independent research projects. There are also weekly quizzes and two comprehensive exams.