SOCS325 Environmental Sociology
Week 1 discussion
DQ1 DEFINING ENVIRONMENTAL SOCIOLOGY
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Define what Environmental Sociology means to you, and
describe what an Environmental Sociologist studies.
DQ2 ENVIRONMENTAL RACISM AND JUSTICE
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Compare and contrast, providing examples of each, the
constructs of environmental racism and environmental justice.
SOCS325 Environmental Sociology
Week 2 discussion
DQ1 EXTERNALITIES
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Define "externalities" as they relate to the price
of goods and services, and examine how they can distort market forces of supply
and demand, detailing both positive and negative effects.
DQ2 ADVANCES IN TECHNOLOGY
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Describe and explain the relationship between the advances
in technology and such goals as reduced human workloads, environmental and
resource stresses, free time, and contentment.
SOCS325 Environmental Sociology
Week 3 discussion
DQ1 MASLOW'S HIERARCHY OF NEEDS
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Given Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs and its strengths and
weaknesses, describe and explain how it relates to consumption and the
environment.
DQ2 GREEN BUSINESSES
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Evaluate and debate the promise, drawbacks, and reality of
green businesses such as organic foods and ecotourism.
SOCS325 Environmental Sociology
Week 4 discussion
DQ1 WOMEN AND ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS
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Describe the relationship between the status and educational
level of women in developing countries and the local economic and environmental
conditions.
DQ2 ENVIRONMENTAL STRESS
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Introduction and Resources
Evaluate and describe the relationship between standards of
living, fertility rates, hunger, and local environmental stress.
SOCS325 Environmental Sociology
Week 5 discussion
DQ1 ENVIRONMENTAL DISASTERS
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Introduction and Resources
Examine, debate, and explain both the social and
environmental consequences of an environmental disaster; such as the Exxon
Valdez oil spill, Bhopal chemical release, Love Canal toxic waste, or any past
or recent environmental disaster (i.e., Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill).
DQ2 ENVIRONMENT RISK: EAST VS. WEST
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Discuss and debate how Western societies address risk with
regards to the regulation of toxins in the marketplace and environment. Does
this differ from Eastern societies? Why?
SOCS325 Environmental Sociology
Week 6 discussion
DQ1 RELIGION AND THE ENVIRONMENT
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Introduction and Resources
Evaluate various religions' attitudes towards humanity's
relationship with the environment.
DQ2 ENVIRONMENTAL CONCERN AND GROUPS
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Introduction and Resources
Evaluate how the level of environmental concern varies among
different groupings (social, economic, racial, national, etc.)
SOCS325 Environmental Sociology
Week 7 discussion
DQ1 THE PRECAUTIONARY PRINCIPLE
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Examine the precautionary principle and assess the
advantages and disadvantages of applying it to environmental problems.
DQ2 CREATING AN ECOLOGICAL SOCIETY
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Compare and contrast bottom-up and top-down approaches to
creating an ecological society, examining the advantages and disadvantages of
each.
SOCS325 Environmental Sociology
Week 8 discussion
COLLABORATIVE GROUP PROJECT DISCUSSION
Week 1
The instructor will divide the class up into Collaborative
Groups of 3 (or 4); collaborative technology allows the groups to work together
on the same document at the same time. Collaborative documents are saved in
real-time, meaning a change by any of its users will be immediately visible to
everyone. Each group is required to collaborate on a Vision-Board PowerPoint
titled, Looking Ahead, which will be submitted into the Week 8 Discussion.
Week 2
Each team member is to create 3 Slides that represent his or
her thoughts and ideas about the future; and, each slide must have (1) a single
word as the heading and (2) a footnote paragraph explaining how the word
represents his or her future.
Week 3
The group is required to combine all of the individual
slides, of each group member, into one PowerPoint presentation and submit.
Weeks 3, 5, 6, and 7
Each group member is required to collaborate in creating the
final PowerPoint by including photos, embedded video links, quotes, and other
creative vision-board ideas that reflect the individual's vision of the future
(students cannot work on their own slides).
Week 7
The groups' Looking Ahead Vision-Board PowerPoint is due for
grading and is also to be submitted into the Week 8 Looking Forward Discussion
on Monday of Week 8.
Week 8
The entire class is required to respond and to give feedback
on a minimum of three group Vision-Board PowerPoints before the closing of Week
8.
SOCS325 Environmental Sociology
Week 2 ARTICLE SUMMARY
After reading the article Making Markets Work located in
Files, students are assigned to Review, Discover, and Comment on the assigned
article using the PDF accessories Hi-lighter and Add Sticky Note. Students are
required to review each paragraph, to discover the intention of the author's
message, and to summarize, agree, disagree, respond to, or reflect their
personal thoughts and observations. It is required to hi-light and to add a
sticky note for each identified area of student discovery.
Save as PDF (Last.Name.Week3.Article.Summary) and submit
your assignment.
SOCS325 Environmental Sociology
Week 2 Assignment
Choose a local example of an environmental injustice (e.g.
local sighting of a landfill, power lines, power plant). Research the
background of the case, the decision to locate the facility at the site, and
the impacts on the local environment and community and submit a paper. The
paper must be double spaced, minimum two pages in length, and in APA format.
SOCS325 Environmental Sociology
Week 3 ARTICLE SUMMARY
After reading the article The Environmental Injustice of
"Clean Coal" located in Files, students are assigned to Review,
Discover, and Comment on the assigned article using the PDF accessories
Hi-lighter and Add Sticky Note. Students are required to review each paragraph,
to discover the intention of the author's message, and to summarize, agree, disagree,
respond to, or reflect their personal thoughts and observations. It is required
to hi-light and to add a sticky note for each identified area of student
discovery.
SOCS325 Environmental Sociology
WEEK 3 ACTIVITY - APPLYING THEORIES
Apply the theory of the interlocking treadmills of
production and consumption to schoolwork and the pressure to get a degree, and
then an advanced degree, and so on. For example, consider the rising levels of
qualifications required to gain a good-paying job and the rising levels of
consumption expectations that define what a "good-paying job" is and
submit a paper. The paper must be double spaced, minimum two-pages in length,
and in APA format.
SOCS325 Environmental Sociology
WEEK 5 ACTIVITY - TOXINS IN THE BODY
Activity - Toxins in the Body: List some of the toxins that
persist in the human body, and the potential sources of those toxins in your
environment. What are the substances that your body comes into contact with
during a normal day? Make up a dialogue between your body and your environment
and submit a paper. The paper must be double spaced, minimum two-pages in
length, and in APA format.
SOCS325 Environmental Sociology
Week 5 ARTICLE SUMMARY (REVIEW,
DISCOVER, AND COMMENT)
After reading the article U.S. Childhood Obesity and Climate
Change: Moving toward Shared Environmental Health Solutions in Files, students
are assigned to Review, Discover, and Comment on the assigned article using the
PDF accessories Hi-lighter and Add Sticky Note. Students are required to review
each paragraph, to discover the intention of the author's message, and to
summarize, agree, disagree, respond to, or reflect their personal thoughts and
observations. It is required to hi-light and to add a sticky note for each
identified area of student discovery.
SOCS325 Environmental Sociology
WEEK 6 ACTIVITY – INTERVIEW
Activity – Interview: Interview a classmate (or friend or
family member) of the other gender about the way he or she most likes to enjoy
nature, or to describe his or her most memorable experience in nature, or to
describe the aspect of being "in nature" most feared or most
disliked. Then consider the extent to which the kinds of things mentioned
differ among men and women and the extent to which they are similar. Last, consider
the extent to which any differences in men's and women's experiences reflect
patriarchy or reflect gender differences that do not indicate hierarchical or
patriarchal thinking and submit a paper. The paper must be double spaced,
minimum two pages in length, and in APA format.
SOCS325 Environmental Sociology
WEEK 6 ARTICLE SUMMARY (REVIEW,
DISCOVER, AND COMMENT)
After reading the article A Tapestry of Browns and Greens
located in Files, students are assigned to Review, Discover, and Comment on the
assigned article using the PDF accessories Hi-lighter and Add Sticky Note.
Students are required to review each paragraph, to discover the intention of
the author's message, and to summarize, agree, disagree, respond to, or reflect
their personal thoughts and observations. It is required to hi-light and to add
a sticky note for each identified area of student discovery.
SOCS325 Environmental Sociology
WEEK 7 ACTIVITY - VOLUNTEER (AUDIO
POWERPOINT)
Volunteer in (or research) a local environmental campaign
for a day and create an Audio PowerPoint about the problems the campaign faces
in terms of the themes of the chapter, such as knowledge cultivation, the
dialogue of solidarities, and double politics, and submit the assignment.
Students are required to create an Audio PowerPoint, of the experience
volunteering in (or research) of a local environments campaign. The Audio
PowerPoint Requirement: introduction slide, minimum 7-8 additional slides, and
conclusions slide (total 10 slides).
Remember to submit your assignment for grading.
SOCS325 Environmental Sociology
Week 4 Midterm Exam
Question 1
(TCO 1) Climatologists continue to debate global warming.
Which of the following is NOT an argument against the global warming
hypothesis?
Climate
variations are normal, cyclical processes.
The sun
may be putting out more radiation then in the measurable past.
Sunspot
activity demonstrates cyclical patterns of activity.
Average
temperatures worldwide have actually been dropping slightly.
Question 2
(TCO 2) The realist-constructionist debate in environmental
sociology is characterized by differences in materialist versus idealist
explanations of social life. Which of the following distinguishes a
constructionist perspective on environment problems?
Environmental
problems need to be understood in terms of the threats posed by society's
current ecological relations.
There
is no difference between the realist and constructionist approaches to
environmental problems-they are in agreement.
The way
we conceptualize and define environmental problems is a key focus.
Constructionists
do not believe that we have environmental problems, rather the concerns are all
constructed by alarmists.
Question 3
(TCO 3) Environmental goods and environmental bads are:
on the
whole, evenly distributed among the peoples of the earth.
disproportionately
distributed so that the middle-class must foot the bill.
unevenly
distributed so that those with the least power get the most pollution.
distributed
in a way that those who gain the most benefit also experience the most cost.
Question 4
(TCO 4) According to the economist Fred Hirsch, a
"positional good" is a good or commodity:
that
places you in a high status position relative to those who don't possess it.
that is
desirable because of short supply or limited access.
that is
desirable because it has a high price tag.
All of
the above
Question 5
(TCO 5) Although we know that money can't buy happiness,
research in Britain and the United States suggests that:
unskilled
and partly skilled workers at the bottom of the pay scale are happier than
other workers.
skilled
manual workers from lower middle pay scale are happier than better-paid,
nonmanual professional workers.
middle-class
workers are happier than their wealthy counterparts.
the
wealthy express the least level of happiness with their standard of living.
Question 6
(TCO 6) According to your text, what percent of U.S. carbon
dioxide emissions come from automobiles?
10%
20%
27%
52%
Question 7
(TCO 7) Amartya Sen argues that famine is the result of:
drought.
pestilence.
lack of
money to buy food.
the
breakdown in food entitlement systems.
Question 8
(TCO 7) Which of the following does Sen claim will NOT
insure food availability?
Dependable
food imports
Land
reform
Steady
employment
Democracy
Question 9
(TCO 3) What, according to your text, is the most erosive
force on the planet?
Wind
and rain
Toxic
chemicals
Animal
grazing
Human
development
Question 10
(TCO 5) The story of the National City Line (NCL)
demonstrates:
the
obvious superiority of buses to electric streetcars.
the
limitations of streetcars for inter-urban transportation.
a reasonable
corporate strategy to develop a market.
the
role played by powerful lobbies to ensure the continuous flow of hidden
subsidies.
(TCO 1) What environmental threats and issues does
environmental sociology and environmental sociologists try to solve? List some.
Which are short-term and long-term issues? Pick one of these threats and or
issues and describe how you would try to solve it as an environmental
sociologist.
(TCO 2) Describe the environments impact on race, poverty,
and disempowerment. Explain how this impacts human inequality and how it
creates a community of haves and have nots. Compare and contrast some ways you
would solve some of these issues of inequality.
(TCO 4) Describe what materialism is and how someone can be
materialistic. Give a few detailed examples. Identify why environmental
sociologists are so interested in studying materialism. What are some ways our
society can be less materialistic? What are some of the positives and negatives
of materialism?
(TCO 6) Describe
green technology's impact on the global economy and environment. How is green
technology being used worldwide in our society? Compare and contrast the pros
and cons of green technology.
TCO 7) Given the relationship between population growth and
environmental impacts, assess resource utilization theories and population size
while examining the effects of this relationship on debt. How does this relate
to poverty and hunger? Also, describe how this relates to environmental racism
and global inequality.
Final exam
Question 1
(TCO 8) What term is not associated with Amartya Sen's
theory of justice?
Functionings
Capabilities
Pluralism
Utilitarianism
Question 2
(TCO 8) Which of the following is not part of the UN
Development Programme's Human Development Index?
GNP per capita
Life expectancy
Knowledge access
Level of inequality
Question 3
(TCO 8) The quality of life indicators such as literacy,
life expectancy, standard of living and purchasing power is measured by the:
NIMBY (Not In My Back Yard).
HDI (Human Development Index).
GNP (Gross National Product).
LEI (Life Expectancy Index).
Question 4
(TCO 8) Which system is tightly coupled?
Nuclear power plant
University
Mining operation
Road transport
Question 5
(TCO 8) The chapter concludes by saying that in order to
construct a dialogic rationality of risk, we need to cultivate:
trust.
truth.
theory.
trees.
Question 6
(TCO 8) What do we need more of in order to renew faith in
science?
Dialogue
Universal and permanent truths
Trust in experts
Certainty
Question 7
In the Historical Roots of our Ecological Crisis, historian
Lynn White focuses on the influence of technology on our attitudes about
nature. Which of the following technologies had the most significance in
shaping these attitudes according to White?
Windmills
The weight-driven clock
The mold board plow
The blast furnace
Question 8
Which of the following is a key characteristic of
patriarchal dualisms?
They are never gendered.
They reflect gradients on a continuum.
They always imply a hierarchy or moral judgment.
They reflect the interdependence between categories.
Question 9
The argument that Christian ideology alone has led to
environmental degradation is faulty because:
the Old Testament, upon which Christian domination of nature
is based, is revered by Jews and Muslims as well as Christians.
Christianity has often been at odds with science and
technology.
the Bible includes passages revering an ecological sense of
stewardship.
All of the above
Question 10
The poetry of the Roman Horace is used by the author to
illustrate what point?
The moral superiority of environmental attitudes of the
early Romans
The debate that raged as early as 20 BCE regarding the
ethics of human transformation of the environment
The environmental destruction of lands conquered during
Roman expansion
The power of poetry to express appreciation for the
environment
Question 11
According to Ronald Inglehart, the generations raised since
the 1970s have experienced a "postmaterialist socialization." Those
respondents with a "postmaterialist socialization" who responded to a
survey were most likely to say the country's top goals should be:
maintaining order.
reducing democratic participation.
fighting rising prices.
protecting freedom of speech.
Question 12
"Human are part of nature and need to maintain a sense
of balance and limits in an interconnected world." This statement best
describes which paradigm?
The dominant paradigm
The old paradigm
The human-exceptionalism paradigm
The ecological-social paradigm
Question 13
What percent of Americans in a 2007 poll agreed that
"there need to be stricter laws and regulations to protect the
environment"?
27%
45%
83%
97%
Question 14
Which of the following is not "nature" or
"natural" according to Aristotle?
A wooden bed
Molten lava
A breath of fresh air
A violently destructive tornado
Question 15
Stephen Jay Gould replicated the craniometry research of
Samuel G. Morton and concluded:
the smaller stature of females explained the difference in
cranial size.
cranial size does not indicate intelligence.
feet size is a better predictor of intelligence.
there is no significant difference between races in cranial
size.
Question 16
About how many hours do Americans waste sitting in traffic
each year?
1 billion hours
4 billion hours
7 billion hours
10 billion hours
Question 17
Which of the following is meant by double politics?
Grassroots organizing and top-down authority
Collective and individual action
Conflict and consensus
Conceptions and connections
Question 18
The "bottom-up" approach alone to creating an
ecological society is flawed because:
it is difficult to draw boundaries to define a grassroots
community.
a grassroots effort may not be all inclusive.
a grassroots community may lack resources and/or expertise
needed to tackle an issue effectively.
All of the above.
Question 19
Anthony Giddens has used the term dialogic democracy to
indicate:
the top down way of saving the environment.
the bottom-up way of saving the environment.
a democracy in which all, including the environment, are
taken into account.
None of the above
Question 20
The basic idea to model new developments on the kind of
traditional neighborhoods that cities routinely turn into historic districts is
called:
new ruralism.
old rualism.
old urbanism.
new urbanism.
(TCO 1) Now that you have almost completed this course in
environmental sociology, please describe what you think an environmental
sociologist does. What have you learned about what an Environmental Sociologist
does since you started this course?
(TCO 2) Give a few examples of how materialism creates inequality
in minority populations.
(TCO 3) A number of social phenomenon discussed in this
course vie as the leading cause of environmental problems: overconsumption of
products, the problem of collective action, the Western ethos, population
growth, social inequality, and uneven development, to name a few. Which do you
feel is the most important, and why? Justify your answer sociologically, using
detailed facts and figures from the course readings and any outside sources.
Compare and contrast how these environmental problems impacts socioeconomic
status and influences goods and bads.
(TCO 4) Discuss the pros and cons of using the term
invironment instead of environment. What is the difference between environment
and invironment? Be sure to provide an example of each and an example of how
they connect. Compare and contrast how this relates to consumer products and
services derived from the environment. You should focus on both human and
environmental health.
(TCO 5) The development of a natural conscience depends upon
the sense of a realm free from the pollution of social interests-a natural
other, from which we may gain a sense of a natural me. But is such a realm
possible? Can there be a moral realm that is truly free of social interests?
Explain. Compare and contrast how we can still keep a free market, Capitalistic
system without destroying our environment. How can we still have a free market
and Capitalism and still maintain a sustainable society?.
(TCO 6) Why is organic food a positional good? What other ways
do wealthy people have an advantage in avoiding pesticides? How does this
relate to global inequality? How are organic foods produced, marketed, and sold
in a capitalist society? Compare and contrast the future of green businesses,
green energy, organic foods, and ecotourism.
(TCO 7) The author of your textbook states that, "the
principle scholarly contribution of the book is the concept of ecological
dialogue." Briefly explain what is meant by ecological dialogue and give
an example or illustration. How can ecological dialogue be used to solve such
complex issues in Environmental Sociology such as exploding population growth,
degradation of our natural resources, poverty, debt, and hunger? Compare and
contrast these various ways to solve these issues and future issues in
Environmental Sociology.
