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Courses Taught
UNDERGRADUATE COURSES
ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES (ENVR 260) This course examines
several major global ecological issues through a multi-disciplinary
perspective that combines the physical, natural, and social sciences.
The aim of this course is to provide an introduction to the development and
nature of environmental problems. The course starts with an overview of
the driving social forces that create ecological degradation. The course then
focuses on five broad areas of ecological degradation: air, land, and water
pollution, loss of biodiversity, and global climate disruption. In each
of these areas, the proximate causes, and their impacts on both human society
and the ecosystem are examined. The course concludes with an examination
of the social responses to these processes of ecological degradation through
an examination of strategies for creating an ecologically sustainable society.
SOCIAL MOVEMENTS (SOC 344) This course provides an introduction to the
key sociological concepts involved in the study of social movements.
The aim of this course is to provide an understanding of the historical and
social processes by which social movements arise, set in motion a process of
social change, and what the outcomes of these efforts are. Among the
major questions examined are: 1) How do social
movement groups arise, and become formal organizations?, 2) What is the
role of cultural beliefs and ideology in creating and sustaining social
movements? 3) How do social movements interact with the larger society,
including corporations and the government?, and
4) What strategies and tactics are effective in promoting social
change? These factors are examined through a series of readings and
class discussions on these questions, and then illustrated by examination of
several key social movements. The movements discussed in the course
include the labor and civil rights movements, the rise of the religious
right, feminism, the anti-war and student movements of the late 1960s, the
environmental movement, and the welfare rights movement.
ENVIRONMENTAL
MOVEMENTS IN THE U.S. (ENVR 360) This
undergraduate course provides an introduction to the key collective actors
and institutions that are involved in the creation of U.S. environmental
policies. The aim of this course is to provide an understanding of the
historical and social processes by which environmental policy is created and
changed through a political process among a number of different
coalitions. Through the use of a historical and cultural perspective,
the course examines the development of the various worldviews, organizations,
and practices that define U.S. environmental
politics, including environmental advocacy organizations, foundations, and
the media. The course provides an overview of the range of U.S. environmental
movements, including the perspectives of Conservation and Preservation which
emerged prior to 1900, the development of Environmentalism in the 1960's, and
the recent emergence of new discursive practices, in the movements of Deep
Ecology, Environmental Justice, Ecotheology and Ecofeminism. In addition, the environmental
countermovement, in the form of the "Wise Use" movement is
examined.
INTRODUCTION
TO ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY ANALYSIS (ENVR 365)
This undergraduate
course provides an introduction to the development and implementation of
environmental policy in the United States. The aim of this course is to
provide an understanding of how environmental policies are created,
evaluated, and implemented. The course starts by examining the politics
of the policy process, including the historical development of U.S. environmental
policies, the key decision making arenas, and the participants in the
development of environmental policy in the U.S. The second part of the
course examines the theoretical approaches and
practice of environmental policy analysis, including economic, social, and
environmental impact assessment. The course concludes with an
examination of how environmental policies are developed, implemented, and
enforced through the development of environmental laws, regulations, and the
federal budget process.
THE AMERICAN EXPERIENCE OF WILDERNESS (HNRS 201) Undergraduate Honors
Course: The
focus of this course is the concept of wilderness, and its role in American
life. The concept of wilderness is an important and enduring topic of
concern. This idea has played and continue to
play an important historic and political role in American
culture. These concerns cross many academic disciplines.
The objective of this course is to provide the students with knowledge of the
role of wilderness in American life in the following areas: a)
Ecological Systems – how these systems function to maintain biodiversity, and
the historical record of our treatment of nature in the U.S., b) The
Idea of Wilderness – the various social constructions and ideological belief
systems that inform our practices toward the natural world, and c) The
Politics of Wilderness – the historical development of wilderness protection
efforts in the U.S., the resultant legal and institutional arrangements, and
current political struggles. The course covers the conceptual
development and the politics of wilderness in chronological sequence to show
the interplay between ideas, history, and politics, and to make the
multidisciplinary approach more understandable.
A SUSTAINABLE
EARTH (UNIV 241) – Honors
Symposium - Drexel University Great Works Series: This course
examines the topic of global sustainability from a variety of disciplinary
perspectives, including those of anthropology, biology, economics,
environmental science, ethics, history, literature, politics, public health,
and sociology. The student is challenged to pull together all of these
diverse topics and disciplinary points of view in order to construct his or
her own view of global sustainability. The objectives of this course are
to enable each student to: identify and describe the important persons,
events, historical developments, social developments and ideas related to the
achievement of a sustainable Earth, place the important persons, authors,
events and ideas related to global sustainability in their relationships in
historical time and to discuss and write about the economic, historical,
literary, philosophical, political, social, and technical dimensions of
global sustainability.
YOSEMITE NATIONAL
PARK (UNIV
380)
Honors Symposium - Drexel University Great Works Series: This
course focuses on the "Great Work" of Yosemite
National Park. This uniquely American idea has served as an example for
worldwide efforts to preserve natural ecosystems. Yosemite National Park was
selected as an exemplar of the idea of the National Park due to its unique
history, extraordinary scenic beauty, range of ecosystems, and its role in
inspiring literary and artistic works on nature. The course encompasses a range
of disciplines, including geology, ecology, wildlife biology, art history,
literature, history, and politics. It will start with an examination of the
geology, climate, and ecosystems of Yosemite. It will then review the
aesthetics of nature through a review of the paintings and photographic works
of several artists, including Albert Bierstadt and Ansel
Adams, and the writings of John Muir. The history of the development of the
park, including its initial settlement by the Ahwahneechee
Indians, the events leading up to its development of first U.S. wilderness
park in 1864, and the struggle over the Hetch Hetchy Dam will be covered. The course will conclude with
a survey of current issues regarding the park's management, including the
problems of air pollution, overuse and traffic congestion, and human/animal
conflicts within the park.
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GRADUATE COURSES
THEORY AND PRACTICE OF ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY ANALYSIS (ENVR 771) This course examines the theoretical models of
policy analysis and their practical applications. The aim of this
course is to develop an understanding of the social, political and ethical
context of policy research, and how this understanding can be translated into
an applied practice of policy analysis. To accomplish this, the
students conduct an analysis of the epistemological and methodological
assumptions of the major approaches of the policy sciences, and how each of
these approaches translates into specific practices of environmental policy
analysis. The class concludes with a review of the state-of-the-art
developments in the creation of a policy process that is both competent and
just.
ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY RESEARCH METHODS (ENVR 772) This course focuses
on the methods used in carrying out policy analyses. The aim of this
course is to develop the student's capacity to conceptualize, design and
conduct policy research. The course starts with a general overview of
the logic from which policy research is conducted and the process by which a
research design is developed. Both experimental and quasi-experimental
research designs are examined. The course then focuses on the quantitative
and qualitative methods that are used in carrying out policy research.
Specific methods covered include secondary data analysis, survey research,
content analysis, unobtrusive measures, network analysis, interviews,
participant observation, and discourse analysis. The course concludes
with a consideration of the preparation of the
final report and presentation of research results.
PRACTICUM IN ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY ANALYSIS (ENVR 773) This course involves
the application of research skills to conduct independent research. The
aim of this course is to provide the student an opportunity to conduct
research on a specific topic of interest. This class builds on the
development of a research design in the prerequisite course “Environmental
Policy Research Methods”. In this class, the student is provided an
opportunity to begin carrying out this research. This includes the
gathering of data, conducting analyses, and preparation of a final
report. The final session of the seminar is devoted to a presentation
of the research.
SOCIAL
CHANGE AND ENVIRONMENTAL MOVEMENTS (ENVR 760)
This graduate
course provides an introduction to the processes of social change, and the
key collective actors and institutions that are involved in the creation of
U.S. environmental policies. The aim of this course is to provide an
understanding of the historical and social processes by which environmental
policy is created and changed through a political process among a number of
different coalitions. The course starts with an examination of theories of social change. Then, using these
perspectives, the course examines the development
of the various worldviews, organizations, and practices that define
U.S. environmental politics, including environmental advocacy organizations,
foundations, and the media. The course provides an overview of the range of
U.S. environmental movements.
ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE (ENVR 480/865) This seminar course
provides an introduction to the concept of Environmental Justice. The
course begins with an overview of the theoretical approach and empirical
literature on this concept. The course then focuses on the historical
development of social movements based on this concept. It concludes
with an examination of the legal structure used to enforce environmental
justice, methods to determine incidents of environmental injustice, and the
international component of environmental justice concerns.
ENVIRONMENT
AND SOCIETY (ENVR 880) This course examines the relationships between human society,
including economic and political institutions, cultural beliefs, and
individual behaviors, and the natural environment. Through a
historical perspective, the role that social organizations play in either
fostering an ecologically sustainable society, or in
accelerating ecological destruction will be examined. The course will
start with a consideration of the transition from hunter‑gatherer
societies to agricultural societies, and then to industrial societies, and
how these transitions effected the impact of human
society on the natural environment. After this introduction, the course
will focus on the dynamics of the current global industrial society and the
social processes that impact on the process of ecological degradation. The
course will conclude with a consideration of the possibilities for developing
an ecologically sustainable society.
HUMAN
DIMENSIONS OF GLOBAL WARMING (ENVP 865) This course examines the human dimensions of global
warming. It focuses on three core
questions: 1) What are the social
factors driving the ever increasing levels of CO2 emissions? 2)
What are the major impacts that global warming will have on human
society? and 3) What can we do to either mitigate
the extent or adapt to the process of global warming? The course starts with a brief overview of
the scientific evidence for global warming.
Following this overview, we will examine the social origins of global
warming in the dynamics of human society.
Specifically, we will critically examine the existing models of the
driving forces of global warming, including the core models used in the
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) assessments. We will then consider what impacts that
global warming is projected to have on natural systems, biodiversity, and
human health. One key are of focus will be on the possibility of “dangerous
anthropogenic climate change” leading to significant disruptions of economic
and political institutions. The third
portion of the course will explore policy options regarding both the mitigation
of CO2 emissions and adaptation of societal practices and
infrastructure to a continually warming globe. The course will conclude with a
consideration of the political and cultural dynamics of society’s response to
global warming. Included will be examinations
of the role of media in creating societal awareness of global warming, the
social, psychological and cultural barriers to the formulation of an adequate
response to global warming, and the political actions now underway by to
mobilize global society to address this issue.
CRITICAL
THEORY
(COMM 690) This
course examines critical theory, which is one of the major approaches to
understanding society. The aim of
critical theory is to create theoretical and empirical models of society that
can server as a guide to emanicipatory
political action. We will start with
an overview of the work of the creators of critical theory by focusing on the
Frankfurt School. Uniting the concerns
of Freud and Marx, they created a unique theory that focuses on the use of
power and language to create and maintain oppressive social structures. In doing this, they defined a number of
terms that are core concepts of social thought, including the ideas of mass
culture, reification, and ideology. Key thinkers in this area that we will cover
are Gramsci, Lukas, Adorno,
Horkheimer and Marcuse. We will then focus on the development of
critical theory as developed by Jürgen Habermas. Specifically, we will focus on his Theory of
Communicative Action, and how this defines an emancipatory
political project for our current world. The course concludes with a review of
current thinkers to expand this perspective, and to develop a political
practice that this perspective defines.
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