HSE Moscow, Sociological Faculty

Master Program “Complex Social Analysis”

Course “Environmental sociology” 2013/2014 (Elective Course)

 

Teacher: Karl BruckmeierLanguage: English

Time: January – March 2014

I invite you to learn environmental sociology …… in a course of 2 months (6 weeks teaching and training to work in English language + 2 weeks for writing a sociological essay as exam essay)

English is the language for working in the course, but you are not supposed to speak English perfectly: for the beginning it is sufficient to read English texts. How to present and discuss texts orally (in small wor-king groups), how to formulate a research question and problem, how to write a short sociological essay in English - this is trained in the course 2

Environmental Sociology - a new sub-discipline of sociology …

1. Learning to answer the principal questions of environmental sociology from the scientific literature we read and discuss, but connecting this knowledge with your own thoughts and ideas

2. To enable you to work with a master thesis on a theme from environmental sociology or other sociological fields (environmental sociology touches many other sociological sub-disciplines and themes: e.g. political and economic sociology, socio-logy of social movements, sociology of risk, a series of sociological theories, and more interdisciplinary themes studied in sociology and other disciplines: lifestyles and consumption, urbanization, technology 3

Two main aims of the course

… each part with 6 sessions (lectures, discussions and workshops/seminars)

Part 1 – introduction: Environmental sociology – history and development

(origins, approaches, methods, authors, neighbour disciplines)

Part 2 – deepening: Environmental sociology - themes and problems

(pollution, resource scarcity, energy systems, global environmental change – climate change; sustainable development - a solution?) 4

This course has 2 parts …

1. History and development of environmental sociology since the 1970s (USA, Western Europe, Russia)

2. Scientific context – approaches, methods, theories

3. Main authors and contributions – Catton, Dunlap, Buttel, Mol, Beck, Giddens, Schnaiberg, Foster, Rice, Yanitsky

4. Neighbour disciplines – human/cultural/social ecology, environmental economics, environmental history

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Part 1 - Introduction

1. Basic themes awareness/attitudes, value changes; new social and environmental movements; environmental policy; ecological modernization of economy

2. Interdisciplinary themesnatural resource use and its effects; poverty, population growth, development – “Malthusian questions”

3. Environmental problems and risksenvironmental problems in history and in modern societies - agricultural and industrial pollution, deforestation, desertification

4. Global environmental problems in 21st century and potential solutions changes in climate, land use, biodiversity; ecological distribution conflicts North/South; renewable energy sources, sustainable development - “our common future”

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Part 2 – Themes and problems

Basic training of scientific work in English language:

1. Reading and analysing scientific texts2. Oral presentation and discussion of scientific literature (in working groups)3. Basic academic writing – sociological essays 7

What else to learn in this course?

How to work with the main questions of environmental sociology and finding answers to them:

1. Why should environmental themes and problems be studied in sociology?2. What can sociology say about the interaction between man/individual,

nature and society?3. What does it mean that nature and environmental problems are socially

constructed?4. How did modern societies change nature, especially in 20th century?5. What can sociology say about climate change, energy and resource use

problems and their solution?6. What is specific with environmental problems in Russia? 8

What you should have learned when you have finished the course

1. Lectures – all with power point slides which you receive after the lecture, guided discussions of course literature

2. Individual reading and analyzing of scientific texts (all course literature - 3 books and about 30 articles - is handed out to you in electronic copies, you do not need to buy course literature)

3. Small working groups to discuss the course literature and to present selected texts from the course literature in the workshops

5. The examination includes (a) active participation in all lectures and sessions, (b) short oral presentation (by working groups) of texts in the workshops, (c) short individual essay

A detailed course plan with all information about sessions, course literature, working methods, criteria for examination and grading will be available for all participants at the beginning of the course

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How to work?

Environmental Sustainability Index: Russia not so bad?