Undergraduate Course: Sociology of the Environment and Risk (SCIL10024)
Course Outline
| School | School of Social and Political Science |
College | College of Humanities and Social Science |
| Course type | Standard |
Availability | Available to all students |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 10 (Year 3 Undergraduate) |
Credits | 20 |
| Home subject area | Sociology |
Other subject area | Environmental Courses |
| Course website |
None |
Taught in Gaelic? | No |
| Course description | Sociology has traditionally paid little attention to environmental issues and ecological risks. Yet in the final decade of the twentieth century environmental groups such as Greenpeace, Friends of the Earth and the rest were claiming to have won the support of something like 8 per cent of the UK population, a membership far greater than that of the political parties. Elsewhere in Europe, 'Greens' were elected to parliament and the European Commission pressed ahead with environmental reforms, affecting such issues as air quality and drinking water standards. Media interest in the issue seemed unbounded. Environmentalism had become a major social issue. And it has stayed that way, in part thanks to anxieties over issues such as climate change and GM foodstuffs.
In the course, sociological perspectives on the relationship between human societies and their natural environments are explored via:
- discussion of 'pessimistic' and 'optimistic' views of that relationship
- sociological analyses of the rise of environmentalist and animal rights movements
- discussion of the relationship between gender and the environment
- analyses of the role played by science in environmental debates
- sociological analysis of 'carbon markets'
There will also be sessions on the processes underpinning perceptions of risk, and on the light that sociological analysis can throw on the extent of the proneness of technological systems to catastrophic accidents. Other relevant topics - such as Marxist perspectives on the environment and applying sociological analysis to 'greening' technology - will not be discussed in the lectures, but nevertheless can be explored in essays.
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
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Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | None |
| Additional Costs | None |
Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | Visiting students should have at least 3 Sociology or closely related courses at grade B or above (or be predicted to obtain this). We will only consider University/College level courses.
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| Displayed in Visiting Students Prospectus? | Yes |
Course Delivery Information
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| Delivery period: 2011/12 Semester 2, Available to all students (SV1)
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WebCT enabled: Yes |
Quota: 0 |
| Location |
Activity |
Description |
Weeks |
Monday |
Tuesday |
Wednesday |
Thursday |
Friday |
| Central | Lecture | | 1-11 | | | | 11:10 - 13:00 | |
| First Class |
First class information not currently available |
| No Exam Information |
Summary of Intended Learning Outcomes
The learning outcomes being sought are that at the end of the course you will be familiar with and be able to discuss:
1. the factors affecting the development of ?green? movements, such as the movement against nuclear power, Green Parties and the animal rights movement;
2. the factors that shape public perception of risks;
3. how a sociological analysis can throw light on the extent of the proneness of technological systems to catastrophic accidents;
4. the inter-relations of population growth, development and the environment;
5. the debate with feminist theory about the relationship between gender and the environment;
6. how sociological analyses of science and of its public understanding can help us understand the role it plays in environmental matters;
7. the nature of carbon markets and the light that can be thrown on them by sociological analysis.
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Assessment Information
| A midterm short essay (25%) and a long essay (75%) |
Special Arrangements
| None |
Additional Information
| Academic description |
Not entered |
| Syllabus |
Not entered |
| Transferable skills |
Not entered |
| Reading list |
Not entered |
| Study Abroad |
Not entered |
| Study Pattern |
Not entered |
| Keywords | Not entered |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Prof Donald Mackenzie
Tel: (0131 6)50 3980
Email: D.Mackenzie@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Ms Sue Renton
Tel: (0131 6)50 6958
Email: Sue.Renton@ed.ac.uk |
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© Copyright 2011 The University of Edinburgh - 16 January 2012 6:46 am
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