SOCI2305

Meets MN Transfer Goals 5 and 10 - History/Social, Behavioral Sciences and People and the Environment. Students will examine environmental issues from a sociological perspective. The focus will be on social, political, and economic factors which encourage or discourage protection of the natural life support systems of earth. What steps are going to be required to restore our damaged resources and create a sustainable society for future generations? Considering the implications of what we have studied, students will be encouraged to develop a personal philosophy.Student Learning Outcomes

• analyze the connections between bio-physical and socio-cultural systems
• explain research methods social and natural scientists use to investigate the relationship between bio-physical and socio-cultural systems
• describe basic social, political, and economic institutional arrangements that are associated with environmental issues
• place environmental issues within a social, cultural, and historical context
• understand the social and cultural causes of environmental problems
• evaluate current challenges and alternative solutions to environmental problems
• integrate what they have studied into their own personal philosophy