SOC 330 - Environmental Sociology

Units: 4 ; Breadth Area: GE-UD-D ; Sustainability
An introduction to environmental justice theory and practice. Environmental racism and other forms of ecological injustice are examined. Claims made by diverse groups are probed, and policy and civil society responses to perceived environmental injustice are explored.

Strongly Recommended Preparation: Upper division status (greater than 60 earned semester units) and completion of lower division Area D1-3 requirements.
Prerequisites: Completion of GE Areas A1, A2, A3 and B4 with grade C- (CR) or better.
Possible Instructional Methods: On-ground or Hybrid.
Grading: A-F grading only.
Breadth Area(s) Satisfied: GE-UD-D - Upper Division Social Sciences; Overlay - Sustainability
Course Typically Offered: Fall & Spring

Student Learning Outcomes - Upon successful completion of this course students will be able to:

Explain the various schools of thought within environmental sociology and understand how they are in dialogue with each other.
Understand what we mean by the “social construction of the environment.”
Understand sociological perspectives on topics such as climate change, environmental justice, natural disasters, environmental degradation, and environmental movements.
Use your sociological imagination to consider the connections between individual humans, social groups, and the natural world.

UD-D. Upper-division Social Sciences Learning Outcomes

analyze how power and social identity affect social outcomes for different cultural and economic groups using methods of social science inquiry and vocabulary appropriate to those methods;
demonstrate an understanding of and ability to apply accurately disciplinary concepts of the social or behavioral sciences; and
demonstrate an understanding of and ability to effectively plan or conduct research using an appropriate method of the social or behavioral sciences.