ENVI 101
Nature and Society: An Introduction to Environmental Studies Fall 2023 (also offered Spring 2024)
Division II
This is not the current course catalog

Environment and society interact on scales from the local to the global. This course explores these interactions and introduces students to the interdisciplinary methods of environmental studies. We will investigate the social, political, and historical aspects of environmental problems — including environmental racism, species extinction, climate change, and more — as well as their possible solutions. We will survey policy-making and activism in a variety of contexts and will examine art, literature, film, music, maps, advertisements, and other cultural objects. Throughout the course, we will ask how unequal distributions of power affect people and environments. Case studies, readings, discussions, and field exercises will help students develop their understanding how natural systems influence and are influenced by human activities.