SOC 245 - Green Politics

This course examines the intersections among ecological, social/cultural, economic and political processes and practices that have produced contemporary ecological crises (climate change, deforestation, air and water pollution, urban sprawl, etc.). We will investigate the complex processes that produce environmental problems, examine how people are differently affected by these problems, and we will look at how people can act to solve these problems. The course will emphasize that environmental issues are almost always social issues: the ecological crises we face are lodged in complex relations of power; embedded in daily practices; bound up with cultural values and priorities; and are inexorably linked with what counts as a pressing issue as well as the tools selected to solve problems. Environmental problems also reflect existing social relations of power and inequality. We do not all pay the same price or pay in the same way, nor do we all have an equal hand in their promulgation.

Cross-listed with ENST 245
3 credits