DSOC 2130 Mother Nature Fights Back? The Promises and Paradoxes of Sustainable Development

Course description

Human health and livelihoods are closely coupled to the health of the environment – but this increasingly seems like a hopeless dilemma. How can we produce enough nutritious food for the growing population and improve the standard of living, while sustaining Earth’s diminishing natural resources, avoiding catastrophic climate change, and perhaps even leaving room for the planet’s other inhabitants? This is especially critical in developing countries where rural and urban people are experiencing rapid transformation – and stark choices. In one semester, we can’t solve all these problems, but we will seek to understand how the use and management of natural resources and the history of development and globalization are intertwined with global food security and health, culture and identity, livelihood security, and intergenerational environmental justice.

Outcome 1: Students will be able to analyze environmental changes in the context of colonialism, development, globalization, and social movements.

Outcome 2: Students will be able to describe and analyze the causes, consequences, and proposed solutions for environmental problems.

Outcome 3: Students will be able to develop an informed personal standpoint on the ethical and political dimensions of environmental problems.

Outcome 4: Students will be able to communicate more effectively through formal and informal writing and oral presentations.

Previously offered classes