Environments and Society
one-way Exclusions
Two 1.5-hour lectures per week
Required readings will be made available online at no cost through your Queen鈥檚 Library account.
Please note that course information listed in the Arts and Science Course Calendar supersedes any information listed on the Geography and Planning website.
For the most current course offerings, registered Queen鈥檚 students should consult .
Course Description
A critical evaluation of the changing relationships between nature and society.
Course Overview
This course explores relationships between societies and their environments. We will use 鈥渘ature鈥 as our key concept and pay special attention to 鈥減lace鈥. Drawing from several contemporary streams of human and historical geography, this course invites you to think critically and creatively about some very deeply ingrained assumptions concerning the 鈥渢aken-for-granted-ness鈥 of nature and the environment as it appears in social, political, cultural and ethical debate. Students will have the opportunity to assess and contribute to local progress on the UN鈥檚 Sustainable Development Goals.
Course Topics
- Anthropocene
- Historical Geographies of Nature
- The Trouble with Wilderness
- Environmental Justice
- Conservation of Biodiversity
- United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and UNESCO Biosphere Reserves
Learning Outcomes
- Exercise a critical and historical understanding of key concepts related to nature and environment.
- Apply analytical skills to evaluate the social and political relationships that structure these concepts.
- Explore and challenge the ways that 鈥檛aken for granted鈥 understandings of nature shape our world.
- Practice research and presentation skills and learn more about the 鈥榥ature鈥 of Kingston and places beyond.
Assessments
Subject to Change
- Attendance/Participation: 25%
- Active Journal: 30%
- Major Assignment: 45%