Environmental Sociology Comparative Historical Perspectives

This seminar surveys classical and contemporary foundations of Environmental Sociology. Designed to complement other graduate offerings in Sociology at WSU, this course aims to give graduate students a solid foundation from which to conduct further studies, research, and teaching in Environmental Sociology. It critically examines contributions from a variety of theoretical perspectives, including Marxian, Weberian, social constructivist, eco-feminist, social network, and ecological modernization; and utilizes historical and contemporary case studies from around the globe, including Africa, the Americas, Asia, and Europe. Participants will examine theoretical antecedents to Environmental Sociology, study the application of sociological approaches to pressing environmental issues, examine the intersection between social inequalities and the environment, look at environment-related social movements, and analyze the response of social, political and cultural institutions to environmental change. The course is designed as a reading seminar, with short (1-2 pp.) essays on weekly readings and a longer, integrative final paper.