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Environmental Politics & Activism |
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American anthropologist Margaret Mead once said,
“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change
the world. Indeed, it’s the only thing
that ever has.” This course will not
solve the world’s problems in a single semester by any means, but it will
take such advice to heart by analyzing the political landscape within a
series of environmental issues.
Targeting case studies such as air pollution, endangered species
protection, energy consumption, garbage disposal, national parks policy, and
suburban sprawl, to name a few, this course will ask both why environmental
problems develop and how they might be solved. We look at the various governmental and
non-governmental actors involved in this often very political process. And we look at the institutions in place
that foster and frustrate environmental activism. Several class field trips will complement
these objectives. |