Over time, environmental problems have taken center stage in social consciousness and public discourse and generated action. This course will address the following questions: What are some environmental problems that we face? What features of society contribute to these problems? How do these problems impact society and who is most affected by them? How can we address these problems at both the local and global levels?

Throughout this course, we will explore society’s changing relationship to the natural world. We will delineate different models of “nature” and explore their institutional roots, the social responses they have generated, and their implications for social inequality.