ANT 3460 - GLOBAL ENVIRONMENTAL CONFLICTS

credits: 3.0
Crosslisted/Same As: SUS 3460
ANT 3460-SUS 3460. This class uses the tools of anthropology and political ecology to examine environmental conflicts in an era that scholars increasingly refer to as the Anthropocene. Will consider what it means to live in a world in which the human influence on the environment is pervasive. Will also examine the institutions and forces that mediate human impacts on the environment, including the relationships between corporations and their critics, states and their legal systems, the links between production, consumption, and waste; and the role of nongovernmental organizations. Students will have the opportunity to apply their anthropological understanding of environmental conflict in the final project. Objectives: A) Define the Anthropocene and identify what this concept contributes to discussions about environmental politics and culture; B) Identify, describe, and explain the complex local and global links between environmental, political, and social health and development; C) Critically engage media from multiple, divergent viewpoints regarding sustainable development and environmental issues; D) Identify and describe the historical and cultural factors that influence different communities’ understanding of the environment and human environmental relationships; E) Identify and debate the factors involved in contemporary environmental issues including climate change, sustainable development, resource scarcity, and environmental ethics; F) Identify short- and long-term environmental problems and solutions on local, regional, and global scales and recognize the multidisciplinary scope of the problems and solutions; G) Articulate the various ways that institutions such as corporations and NGOs mediate human impacts on the environment; H) Analyze, compare, and contrast the relationship between social relations and environmental conflicts in multiple case studies; I) Analyze, compare, and contrast competing claims about environmental impacts from diverse viewpoints. Method of Instruction: Discussion, group projects, lecture, and film. Method of Evaluation: Two Mini-Presentations,10 (five points each); Three Response Papers, 30 (ten points each); Facilitate Book Discussion,15; and Final Project, 45. Meets *GLP Distribution Requirement.