University Bulletin
Undergraduate Degree Programs
GEOG 030
(GS)
Geographic Perspectives on Sustainability and Human-Environment Systems (3) Introduction to theory, methods, history and contemporary issues in global and regional relationships between human activity and the physical environment.
GEOG 030
GEOG 030 Geographic Perspectives on Sustainability and Human-Environment Systems (3)
(GS)
(BA) This course meets the Bachelor of Arts degree requirements.
One of the major themes in the discipline of geography is the study of the relationships between humans and the natural environment. GEOG 030 introduces students to the ways in which people have viewed and used the natural environment in different times and places and to the theories and methods that geographers have used to study human-environment relations. The course begins with an overview of theories and tools used to understand and predict the impact of humans on the environment and vice versa. The course then explores the co-evolution of the biosphere and humanity, first tracing the history of the biosphere before humans and then examining the increasing influence of humans on the biosphere through hunting and agriculture. Next, an environmental history of the United States begins with the initial European contact with the indigenous people and native fauna and flora, then considers important environmental movements, and culminates in the modern environmentalist movement. A small set of contemporary American natural resource management issues, including common property resources and water supply and quality, illustrates place-based conflicts among competing social goals and preferences. The driving forces of pollution, including air and water pollution, are examined along with potential solutions. Finally, a triumvirate of global environmental change problems-feeding a global population, tropical deforestation, global warming-introduce notions of sustainable development. The course will provide students with the opportunity to read and learn about the ways in which humans think about, use, and are affected by the natural environment. It will provide them with skills for analyzing and evaluating the ways in which humans have transformed the environment in different parts of the world and will integrate knowledge from the natural and social sciences. One goal of the course will be to help students make informed decisions about the ways in which humanity relates to the natural environment, and to increase their sensitivity to the global and international context of human interactions with nature. Lectures will be supported with reading from a basic text such as G. T. Miller's Living in the Environment and by projects and discussions around course themes within a discussion format. A recitation section is crucial because it allows students to explore controversial issues such as biotechnology, valuing nature, and global warming, and to develop critical positions on such issues. Those issues are presented in a reading of books like T. Goldfarg's Taking Sides: Clashing Views on Controversial Environmental Issues.
Note : Class size, frequency of offering, and evaluation methods will vary by location and instructor. For these details check the specific course syllabus.