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EnvironmentalSociologyENVI294-01/SOCI294-02
Professor:MarlaD.PérezLugo
MTWRF9:30-10:45AM
Oct28,2020- Dec18,2020
OlinRice243
DearStudent:
WelcometotheEnvironmentalSociologycourse.IamMarlaPerezLugo,aHubertHumphreyVisitingProfessorfromtheUniversityofPuertoRico-Mayaguezandyourinstructorforthisclass. Duringthismodule,wewillbeexploringthedifferentwaysinwhichhumansocietiesinteractwiththeirenvironments. Fromthesocialcausesforenvironmentaldegradationtothecharacteristicsoftheenvironmentalmovement,thisisasurveycoursethatwillallowustolearninanintroductorywayabouthowthedisciplineapproachessomeofthemostimportantproblemsandissuesofourtime. Someofthoseareclimatechange,environmentaljustice,energytransitions,communityresilience,etc. ThecourseisbasedonthepremisethatenvironmentalproblemsandissuesARESOCIALintheircausesandintheirconsequences.Thissocial-scientificapproachisparticularlyimportantduetotheemphasisthatweasasocietyputonthenaturalsciencesintheunderstandingofenvironmentalproblemsandonnewtechnologiesfortheirsolution.Imean,thenaturalsciencesandtechnologiesarerelevant,butnottheonlypartsofthepuzzle.
GivenournewnormalinlivingwithCOVID-19,ourcoursewillbemostlyonlinebutwecouldchangetohybridifthecircumstancesallowit.Thestructureofthecourseisthefollowing:wewillmeetonzoom(orinperson)everyTuesday,WednesdayandThursdayforlectures,classdiscussionandguestspeakers. OnMonday,youwillbeworkingonaweeklyforum,reactingtothereadingsandotherassignments.Fridaysare"reading/workingonyourown"day,gettingreadyforthenextweek.Thismeansthatwewillmeetinpersonthreetimesaweekandtherestofthecoursewillbecoveredthroughindependentwork.PleasebeadvisethatthiscoursehasaMoodlepagethatyoumustsearchandenrollin.InthisMoodlepage,youwillseeandhaveaccesstoallthematerials,readingsandassignmentsthatwewillbeusing.Moodleismeanttoprovidethestructureforthein-persondimensionandtheplatformforouronlineinteractions. However,Iamsurethatweallunderstandthatweneedtobeflexibleinourapproachtotheclass,justincasethestate'sandtheschool'sguidelineschange. Inthemeantime,Iwouldliketoadaptthestructureofthecoursetotheneedsofthemajorityofthestudents.PleasestartbyansweringtotheshortsurveyinMoodlecalled"housekeeping",availableinthefirstblock. Youranswerswillhelpmetodesignthecoursemoreeffectively. Also,ifyouallagree,wecanstartagroupchatinWhatsApptofacilitatecommunicationamongus.
Irecognize that you may have concerns about many things that arelikely toaffect your learning this semester:your own health andwell-being andthat ofyour loved ones,pervasive andcontinual racismandanti-Blackness,money,housing,food,etc.Please know thatmany ofus atMacalester areworking tosupport all students inrelation tothese andother concerns.If you have financial concernsthat may not bemet by Financial Aid,please access Macalester’sEmergencyAidProgram(https://www.macalester.edu/financialaid/emergencyaid/). TheEmergencyAidProgram is also the placetogo if you donot haveaccess toareliable computer or internet;someone will connect youwith the appropriate people inside Information Technology Services.
Thank you again for enrolling andIamlooking forwardtomeet youall,
Marla
CourseDescription
Thiscourseprovidesanintroductorysurveytothevarioussociologicalapproachestounderstandingtherelationshipsbetweenhumansandtheirenvironments.Usingacomparativeapproach,thecourseexploresthesocial,culturalandstructuralfactorsthatimpactthoserelationshipsatdifferentlevelsofanalysis(individual,group/organizational,institutionalandsocietal).Someoftheconceptsthatwillbediscussedare:TheNewEnvironmentalParadigmandotherfunctionalistapproachessuchasecologicalmodernization,politicalecology,andsocialconstructionism.Wewillalsoincludesomemorepracticalapproachessuchasenvironmentaljustice,perceptionofrisk,environmentalgovernanceanddecision-making,naturalresourcesmanagementandthesustainablemanagementofcriticalinfrastructure.
Inthis course we will be…
Unseating myths such as:¨ Humaninterventionisthecauseforall
environmentalproblems
¨ Cienceisneutralandobjective.Therefore,cientificendeavorsdonothavepoliticalcausesorconsequences.
¨ Environmentaleducationandconciousnessarethesolutiontoenvironmentalproblemsnotonlyattheindividuallevelbutatthegovernmentlevelaswell.
¨ Citizensparticipationinenvironmentaldesicionmakingshouldbelimitedtothosewithcientificknowledge.
Withevidencebasedargumentssuchas:ü Humans areintegralpart ofecosystems.
ü Scienceisinfluencedandsometimesdeterminedbycultural,politicalandeconomicprocesses.
ü Environmentaldesicionmakingisnotalwaysbasedonscientificdataandisbiasagainstminoritiesandcommunitieswithlowsocio-economiccharacteristics.
ü Eventhoughthereisplentyofenvironmentaleducation,theenvironmentcontinuestodeteriorate.
LearningObjetives:
Attheendofthiscourse,thestudentwillbeableto1. Identifysociologicalexplanationsforthedefinition
ofenvironmentalproblems,theircausesandconsequences.
2. Distinguishbetweennormativestatementsandexplanationsthatarebasedonempiricalevidence.
3. Distinguishbetweenenvironmentalproblemsandenvironmentalissues.
4. ApplythemainperspectivesinenvironmentalsociologytotheunderstandingandanalysisofcontemporaryenvironmentalissuesintheUnitedStatesandtheworld.
Topics&Schedule
DATES TOPIC ASSIGNMENTS GUESTSPEAKERS
Oct 28-Nov6 TheSociologicalImagination • Write inthediscussion forum• Watch“Pleasantville”• Watch“TheRiseofthePlanetof theApes”• Watch“TheOthers”• Read“TheSociologicalImagination”• OPTIONAL- ReadChapter1&2IntroductiontoSociologytextbook
• FernandoTormos,PhD(WednesdayNovermber 4th)
Nov9-13 ApplicabilityofSociologicalandtheemergence ofenvironmentalsociology
• Write inthediscussion forum• Watch“PuertoRico:ThePerfect Storm”• WatchDr.RileyDunlap’sLectureonthebirthofenvironmentalsociology• ReadEnvironmentalSociology:ANewParadigm• ReadTheoriesinEnvironmentalSociology
• SandySmithNonini,PhD(WednesdayNovember11th)
Nov16-27 HumanEcologyandEcologicalModernization
• Write inthediscussion forum• ReadHardin,Garrett(1968)"TheTragedyoftheCommons."Science,13,December1968,Vol162,pp1243-48.• ReadBerkes,F.D.Feeny,BJMcCay andJMAcheson(1989)"TheBenefitsoftheCommons."Nature,Vol340,No.6229,pp91-
93.• ReadMol,ArthurP.J.(2010)"Ecologicalmodernizationasasocialtheoryofenvironmentalreform"intheInternational
HandbookofEnvironmentalSociology.• ReadEmissionsandCOVID-19• Watch“ProjectDrawdown”
• JoanAsencio,MBA(WednesdayNovember18th)
Nov30- Dec4 PoliticalEcologicalperspectives
• Write inthediscussion forum• WatchInequalityinAmerica• ReadGould,PellowandSchnaiberg (2004)InterrogatingtheTreadmillofProduction.Organization&Environment,Vol.17No.
3,September2004296-316• ReadMascarenhas,Michael(2015)"EnvironmentalInequalityandEnvironmentalJustice"inTwentyLessonsinEnvironmental
Sociology• ReadGarcia(2017)“TheMultipleLayersofEnvironmentalInjustice
• IbrahimLopez,MUP(Tuesday,November 24th)
• AnaisRoque,MA(ThursdayNovember26th)
Dec7-11 Thesocialconstructionofenvironmentalissues
• Write inthediscussion forum• Read"USEnvironmentalMovement"inTwentyLessonsinEnvironmentalSociology• Read"SocialConstructionofEnvironmentalIssuesandProblems"inEnvironmentalSociology.• Read"EnvironmentalmovementintheglobalSouth"inTwentyLessonsinEnvironmentalSociology• Read“PullingDownOurMonuments”• Read“TheDirtySecretsOf‘Clean’ElectricVehicles”• Read“Americanenvironmentalism’sracistrootshaveshapedglobalthinkingaboutconservation”
• AndreaParker,PhD(Wednesday,December2nd)
• JonathanCastillo,MPH(Wednesday,December9th)
References• Berkes,F.D.Feeny,BJMcCay andJMAcheson(1989)"TheBenefitsofthe
Commons."Nature,Vol340,No.6229,pp91-93.
• Brune,M (July22,2020)“PullingDownOurMonuments.”https://www.sierraclub.org/michael-brune/2020/07/john-muir-early-history-sierra-club
• Catton,WilliamRandRileyDunlap(1978)"EnvironmentalSociology:ANewParadigm." TheAmericanSociologist,Vol13(February):41-49.
• Garcia-Lopez,G.A.(2018).Themultiplelayersofenvironmentalinjusticeincontextsof(un)naturaldisasters:thecaseofPuertoRicoPost-HurricaneMaria. EnvironmentalJustice, 11(3),101-108.
• Gould,K.A.,&Lewis,T.L.(2009). Twentylessonsinenvironmentalsociology.York:OxfordUniversityPress.
• GOULD,K,DAVIDN.PELLOWandALLANSCHNAIBERG(2004)“INTERROGATINGTHETREADMILLOFPRODUCTIONEverythingYouWantedtoKnowAbouttheTreadmillbutWereAfraidtoAsk.”Organization&Environment,Vol.17No.3,September.Pp296-316
• Hannigan,J.(2014). Environmentalsociology.Routledge.
• Hardin,Garrett(1968)"TheTragedyoftheCommons."Science,13,December1968,Vol162,pp1243-48.
• Lackey,R.T.(2007).Science,scientists,andpolicyadvocacy. ConservationBiology, 21(1),12-17.
• Macionis (2015)Sociology.16thEdition.Pearson.
• MacKendrick,N.(2017,December).Outofthelabsandintothestreets:scientistsgetpolitical.In SociologicalForum (Vol.32,No.4,pp.896-902).
• Mills,C.W.(2000). Thesociologicalimagination.OxfordUniversityPress.
• Mol, ArthurP.J.(2010) "Ecologicalmodernizationasasocialtheoryofenvironmentalreform"intheInternationalHandbookofEnvironmentalSociology. Redclift,M.R.,&Woodgate,G.(Eds).EdwardElgarPublishing.
• PrakashKashwan “Americanenvironmentalism’sracistrootshaveshapedglobalthinkingaboutconservation”.TheConversation.https://theconversation.com/american-environmentalisms-racist-roots-have-shaped-global-thinking-about-conservation-143783
• Reilly, Sean(2020)StudyofemissionsandvirusdeathsimplicatesEPApolicy.E&ENews.Published:Friday,July17,2020.https://www.eenews.net/stories/1063580943?utm_source=Energy+News+Network+daily+email+digests&utm_campaign=c8d4ee5beb-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2020_05_11_11_46_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_724b1f01f5-c8d4ee5beb-89252643
Assignments/Grading
ParticipationinForumdiscussions(70%)
FinalalternativeRepresentation(30%)
Policies
Macalester’s academicintegritypolicy(https://www.macalester.edu/academicprograms/academicpolicies/academicintegrity/
• Studentsareexpectedtomaintainthehigheststandardsofhonestyintheircollegework;violationsofacademicintegrityareseriousoffenses.Studentsfoundguiltyofanyformofacademicdishonesty-- including,forinstance,forgery,cheating,andplagiarism-- aresubjecttodisciplinaryaction.
• Forgery includesthealterationofcollegeforms,documentsorrecords,aswellasthesigningofsuchformsordocumentsbysomeoneotherthantheproperdesignee.
• Cheating isthedishonestorunauthorizeduseofmaterialsforacademicwork.Examplesofcheatinginclude:
• *Copyinganother’spapersornotesduringanexam*Talkingaboutatestorlookingatanother’spaperduringanexam*Alteringagradedexamorpaperwithoutinformingtheinstructorandresubmittingitforre-grading*Gainingunauthorizedaccesstopastexamsfromacourse*Removingtestsfromaclassroomorofficewithoutpriorconsent*Discussinganexamyouhavetakenwithotherstudents,eitherfromyourclassorfromanothersectionofthesamecourse,whohaveyettotakethatexam*Providingfalseorexaggeratedexcusestopostponeduedates*Lyingtoaninstructororcollegeofficialtoimproveyourgradeortogetspecialprivileges*Submittingworkdoneinanotherclasswithoutpriorpermissionofbothinstructors*Havinganotherpersondoyourworkforacourse(includingunauthorizedcollaboration)
• Plagiarism istheunacknowledgeduseofanotherperson’swork(words,ideas,data,etc.)inagradedorpublishedpieceorinaspeech.The following areexamples ofplagiarism:• copyingallorpartsofanotherperson’spaper,article,ornotesandrepresentingitasyourown• submittingapapercopiedinfullorinpartfromonepurchasedfromapaperwritingserviceorobtainedelectronically• failingtofullycite(author,articletitle,bookorjournal,pagenumber,dateofpublication)eachinstancewhereyouhaveincorporated
another'sideasorquotedwordsintoyourownwrittenororalwork.
• Whileinstancesofforgeryandcheatingareoftenclearcut,casesofplagiarismcanbemorecomplicated.Plagiarismcanbeintentional,aswhenastudentknowinglysubmitsasone’sownworkapurchasedpaper,orapaperthatwaswrittenentirelyorinpartbyanotherstudent.Butplagiarismmayalsobetheresultofmisuseofsources,whichoccurswhenwritersciteinformationincorrectlyorincompletely.Inthiscase,theauthormaymakeagoodfaithefforttoacknowledgethesources,butbecausethisisalearningprocess,astudentauthormaymakeerrorsindocumentationandintegratingquotesandparaphrasesintotheirownwork.Whileunintentional,themisuseofsourcesisstillplagiarism.Itisveryimportant,therefore,forstudentstomakesuretheyunderstandhowtoproperlycitesources,totakeadvantageoftheresearchandwritingassistanceprovidedbystaffinthelibraryandtheMAXCenter,andtoconferwiththeirinstructorswhentheyareunsureiftheyareusingsourcesappropriately.
DisabilityStatementandAccommodations:
InaccordancewiththeAmericanswithDisabilitiesActandSection504oftheRehabilitationAct,MacalesterCollegeworkshardtoensurethatallfacilitiesandprogramsareaccessibletoallstudents.Accommodationsarebasedonindividualneedsubstantiatedbytheappropriateprocess. Whatisreasonableisalsodeterminedbywhatisessentialtothiscourse.AnystudentswhobelievethattheymayneedaccommodationsduetodisabilityimpactsshouldcontacttheDisabilityServicesofficebyemailing [email protected],orbycalling651-696-6974toscheduleanappointmenttodiscussyourindividualneeds. Studentsshouldthenfollowupwithmedirectlytodiscussaccommodationsforthiscourse.
Macalester’spolicies andpractices related to community healthandwell-being during the COVID-19pandemic(https://www.macalester.edu/covid-19/return-to-campus/community-commitment/).• “Our individualandcommunity health depends on our choices andactions.Our ability tostay safer is only asstrong asour shared
commitment toeach other.We areasking each ofyou—students,staff,andfaculty—tobeflexibleandadopt newbehaviors tosupportthe well-being ofour community andkeep each other ashealthy andprotected aspossible.The elements ofour communitycommitment comefrom the MinnesotaDepartment ofHealth andother public health guidance.We each have aroletoplay inourcultureofmutualcare,accountability,andsafety.
• The coronavirusdoes not differentiate an individual’s particularidentities,characteristics,or roles.Inequitable societal structures,however,have ledtodisparateimpacts,resulting inhigher burdens ofillness among members ofBIPOCcommunities andotherhistorically marginalized groups.Macalester College reaffirms its commitment tocreating acommunity freeofany form ofbias,harassment,or discrimination.
• Aspart ofthis community’s cultureofmutualcare andaccountability,we all will:• Always wear aface covering that covers both nose andmouth when indoors,andoutdoors when six-foot physical distancing cannot bemaintained;
Maintain aphysical distance ofsix feet with people outside ofmy pod;• Wash hands regularly throughout the day or usehand sanitizer when soap andwater aren’t readily available;• Cover coughs andsneezes with sleeve or elbow;• Comply with signage andmove through spaces asdirected;• Clean shared items andsurfaces;Usethe appprovided by the college toconduct adaily health self-check;• Stay homeif ill or experiencing COVIDsymptoms;Seek testing when experiencing COVIDsymptoms;• Follow guidelines toisolate,if tested positive,or quarantine,if considered aclose contact or awaiting testresults;• Participate inpublic health measures such ascontact tracing;• Completethe MacStays Safer trainingbefore arriving on campus;• Follow posted guidance or specific instructions provided by department or programs (e.g.lab spaces,athletic teams)
