NTRES 4320 - Human Dimensions of Coupled Social - Ecological Systems

(SBA-AG)

Spring. 3 credits. Student option grading.

Prerequisite: at least one course that applies a social science perspective to the study of natural resources/environment (examples include: NTRES 2201, NTRES 2320, NTRES 3311, NTRES 3320, NTRES 4300, AEM 2500, GDEV 3240, COMM 2850), or permission of instructor. Enrollment limited to: seniors.

Staff.

Most environmental problems are complex, multi-scalar (in time and space), and bring together social-economic and ecological systems. Responding to these problems requires both disciplinary expertise and the ability to collaborate across disciplinary boundaries. This course is taught as a ‘senior seminar’ with strong emphasis on application of theory/method to current cases that integrate ecological and social sciences. Students (1) become familiar with the language and theory of coupled social-ecological systems thinking; (2) gain exposure to social science methods, including hypothesis development, research evaluation, and causal inference; (3) apply the above to the analysis of multiple environmental issues; and (4) as a result, become familiar with the process of integrative research.