In this course students will have gained an understanding of the interconnections between environment and society. Case studies from around the world highlight the ways in which people's knowledge, attitudes, social norms, and worldview influence how the perceive and interact with the environment, which includes how they respond to environmental issues (including pollution, biodiversity loss, climate change, and water scarcity) and how they engage with animals. Through lectures that cover everything from different understandings of nature, the management of freshwater and fisheries, food production and environmental justice, and responses to climate change, the lectures highlight how different forms of knowledge (scientific, local, Indigenous) mediate individuals, communities and institutions interactions with the environment and the management of resources.
The course will be interesting to anyone interested in understanding the drivers and responses to the environmental problems confronting humanity, including climate change, water pollution, global fisheries crises, soil contamination, and loss of biodiversity. It also of interest to anyone interested in sustainability, sustainable development, and Indigenous knowledge and environmental management policies and practices. The course is designed for human geography students, but is also suitable for any student who is interested in the social dimensions of environmental issues and is designed as an introductory course into environmental geography. No past study experience in either human geography or social science is necessary in order to enrol in this course. The course could lead onto third year human geography courses, most notably GEOG 352, GEOG 320, and GEOG 324.
The course adopts an innovative mixed delivery method, with a mixture of online and face-to-face deliveries methods adopted. Each week lectures will be delivered online, with tutorials delivered face-to-face (online tutorial sessions can be made available). The tutorials are designed as interactive activities to give students practical exercises that allow them to translate abstract concepts and theories discussed in the lectures into real-world applications. In addition, specific tutorials are designed to help students prepare for their assessment.