FYSM 1108 – Sustainable Environments
Offered by Geography and Environmental Studies. Counts as a degree requirement for Environmental Studies majors only.
What is sustainability? And what does it mean to pursue sustainability as a social and environmental goal? This course critically examines different and at times competing notions of sustainability and analyzes varied efforts to put the concept into practice. It draws on interdisciplinary social science scholarship to explore debates involving natural resource use and development; changing forms of consumerism; and the emergence of new environmental politics in the face of global environmental change. Through case studies that track how sustainability is conceptualized, deployed, and contested today, the course aims to sharpen understanding of environmental problems and improve strategies to address them.
The seminar is organized to cultivate rigorous academic exchange in a setting that is comfortable, collegial, and dynamic. In-class discussions of course texts will be combined with lectures, small group work, film and other media screenings, and the occasional field trip. The course places a strong emphasis on the acquisition of basic skills for success at the college level. Students will hone critical thinking, analysis, argumentation, writing, and communication skills through close readings of scholarly texts, regular essay assignments, original research projects, and oral presentations. Students will leave the course better equipped to engage in debates about the environment and society in academic settings and beyond.
Precludes additional credit for ENST 1001.
Prerequisite(s): normally restricted to students entering the first year of a B.A., B.Cog.Sc., B.G.In.S. or B.CoMS program.
Seminar three hours a week.