SOCI220-14SU1 (C) Summer Jan 2014 start

Environment and Society

15 points

Details:
Start Date: Monday, 6 January 2014
End Date: Sunday, 16 February 2014
Withdrawal Dates
Last Day to withdraw from this course:
  • Without financial penalty (full fee refund): Friday, 10 January 2014
  • Without academic penalty (including no fee refund): Friday, 31 January 2014

Description

This course considers the relationship between ecology and environmental sociology, collective dilemmas, energy and society, the environment and politics and some other selected environmental issues.

The growing recognition of the reality and consequences of global environmental change poses a fundamental challenge to the ways we interact with the environment and each other, and places new demands on sociological thinking.  This course introduces conceptual tools for approaching environmental issues from the local to global level.  Case studies of human interaction with different aspects of the environment, from water quality to genetic engineering will explore contemporary issues.  Dominating our understanding of such issues and how we deal with them is the environmental movement.  Each phase of the course encourages us to consider how unequal social relationships interact with the biophysical ones in ways which may accentuate the problems of the marginalised.

Relevance
All human activities have impacts on the biophysical environment and these, in turn, interact with the social world; sociological perspectives contribute to our understanding of this interaction and developing appropriate responses

Learning Outcomes

1. Analyse seminal writing on the environment and trace its influence;
2. Critique programmes/policies for dealing with environmental issues;
3. Identify unequal access to environmental resources & use of environmental goals to promote individual/sectoral interests ;
4. Extend use of the Internet to access resources on the environment and academic analysis;
5. Develop cooperative learning relationships with others in the class;
6. Fine tune their skills in critical analysis, academic writing and referencing.

Socio220 and Sociology’s ‘Four Pillars’
A central concern of sociology is with the analysis of power, including its distribution and effects on social organisation, social institutions and people’s lived experience. The controversies and control pillar engages with a variety of debates relating to the nature of power in society.  Although the specific relationships between New Zealanders and their environment link to Time and Place, the severity of the current challenges to subsistence on the earth require prioritisation of power.  See the Sociology Dept homepage for more information about these areas of study. Pillars

Prerequisites

15 points of 100 level SOCI with a B grade or better; or 30 points of 100 level SOCI; or 30 points of 100 level FORE with B grade or better; alternatively students without 100 level SOCI but with a B average or better in 60 points in related subjects may be admitted by approval of head of department.

Restrictions

SOCI230 (2005), SOCI320, SOCI330 (2005)

Course Coordinator

Alison Loveridge

Assessment

Assessment Due Date Percentage  Description
Tutorial preparation and online participation 15% Posting on LEARN forum
Essay 24 Jan 2014 25% Short Essay - introduces an article from a reading list and indicates how it has influenced environmental practice
Presentation 20% 15 minute presentation to other students on issue of choice
Test 14 Feb 2014 40% Take home test - short essay questions selected from a list - handed out 11 February

Textbooks / Resources

Required Texts

Gould, Kenneth Alan. , Lewis, Tammy L; Twenty lessons in environmental sociology ; Oxford University Press, 2009 (Readings will also be available on the Learn site).

Notes

Essay boxes are located on the ground floor of the Geography - Psychology building (car park entrance)

Learn

Course Reader

Assignment Sheet Cover

Plagiarism Statement

Referencing for Sociology

Using EndNote for referencing

Writing guides for Sociology

http://canterbury.libguides.com/soci

Indicative Fees

Domestic fee $670.00

International fee $2,850.00

* All fees are inclusive of NZ GST or any equivalent overseas tax, and do not include any programme level discount or additional course-related expenses.

For further information see Language, Social and Political Sciences .

All SOCI220 Occurrences

  • SOCI220-14SU2 (C) Summer Nov 2014 start
  • SOCI220-14S2 (C) Semester Two 2014 - Not Offered
  • SOCI220-14SU1 (C) Summer Jan 2014 start