DSOC 3240 - Environmental Sociology

(crosslisted) SOC 3240, STS 3241
(SBA-AG) (CU-SBY)

Spring. 3 credits. Letter grades only.

J. Zinda.

The course examines the relationships between human populations and the environment, with an emphasis on the importance of demographic change in shaping the natural environment. We will examine a variety of theoretical perspectives used in the analysis of population- environmental relationships, and will consider how a range of forces (technology, institutions, culture) might mediate these linkages. Focus on population will expand beyond traditional emphasis on population size to also consider the role that population composition and other population processes play in driving environmental change (including climate, land-use, water, energy resources), and how this change, in turn, impacts human populations. We will also raise some of the methodological challenges that arise when studying these linkages, and students will work with secondary data to conduct their own analyses on population-environment questions. By the end of the course, students should have the theoretical and methodological tools to better connect with public debates around issues of environmental justice, sustainability, conservation, and population policy.

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