ENSn4622 Environmental sociology

Faculty of Social Studies
Autumn 2024
Extent and Intensity
2/0/0. 5 credit(s). Type of Completion: zk (examination).
In-person direct teaching
Teacher(s)
Mgr. Lucie Galčanová Batista, Ph.D. (lecturer)
doc. Mgr. Bohuslav Binka, Ph.D. (lecturer)
Guaranteed by
doc. Mgr. Bohuslav Binka, Ph.D.
Department of Environmental Studies – Faculty of Social Studies
Contact Person: Mgr. Kateřina Hendrychová
Supplier department: Department of Environmental Studies – Faculty of Social Studies
Timetable
Thu 26. 9. 10:00–13:40 P22, Thu 10. 10. 10:00–13:40 P22, Thu 24. 10. 10:00–13:40 P22, Thu 7. 11. 10:00–13:40 P22, Thu 21. 11. 10:00–13:40 P22, Thu 5. 12. 10:00–13:40 P22, Thu 19. 12. 10:00–13:40 P22
Prerequisites (in Czech)
! HEN622 Environmental sociology &&!NOW( HEN622 Environmental sociology )&&TYP_STUDIA(N)
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is also offered to the students of the fields other than those the course is directly associated with.
The capacity limit for the course is 20 student(s).
Current registration and enrolment status: enrolled: 15/20, only registered: 0/20, only registered with preference (fields directly associated with the programme): 0/20
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
Course objectives
The course is an introduction to the field of environmental sociology, its history, basic terminology, trends and issues up to the discipline's current state, including its most prominent proponents. It introduces students to selected sociological approaches to the relationship between nature, the environment, and society and the basic sociological concepts and theories of environmental sociology. The course aims to cultivate the ability to analyze and critically view current topics of environmental debate in the context of sociological theories.
Learning outcomes
After completing the course, students are able to understand the development of environmental sociology as a field in the international and domestic context, to orient themselves in the core approaches, theories and concepts of environmental sociology. Through this knowledge, they can interpret issues related to the relationship between humans, society and nature. The course will contribute to the development of their sociological imagination, critical reading of academic texts and presentation of their own analysis of a selected phenomenon. In the seminar work, learners choose between an analysis of media content and a theoretical paper applying a particular concept of classical sociological theory to environmental studies.
Syllabus
  • Block 1) Historical context of the emergence of environmental sociology. Ecological and sociological imagination. Unit 2) Tensions between structures and actors: The example of the sociology of consumption. Block 3) Social inequality and environmental (in)justice: The example of climate gerontology. Unit 4) Non-human actors as a sociological problem. Unit 5) Climate change through the lens of cultural sociology. Block 6) Mini-conference - student presentations of drafts of term papers.
Literature
    required literature
  • HANNIGAN, John. Environmental sociology. 1st edition. London: Routledge, 1995. ISBN 0-415-11255-9.
  • Norgaard, K. M. (2018). The sociological imagination in a time of climate change. Global and Planetary Change, 163, 171–176. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gloplacha.2017.09.018
  • Smith, P., & Howe, N. (2015). Climate Change as Social Drama: Global Warming in the Public Sphere. Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9781316217269
    recommended literature
  • Kari Marie Norgaard. (2011). Living in Denial: Climate Change, Emotions, and Everyday Life. The MIT Press.
  • MACNAGHTEN, PHILL.; URRY, John. Contested Natures; 1998 London: SAGE Publications, s. 1-31. ISBN 978-0761953135
  • BELL, Michael and Michael S. CAROLAN. An invitation to environmental sociology. 4th ed. Thousand Oaks, Calif.: Pine Forge Press, 2012, xiii, 384. ISBN 9781412990530. info
  • KELLER, Jan. Sociologie a ekologie. Vyd. 1. Praha: Sociologické nakladatelství, 1997, 232 s. ISBN 80-85850-42-7. info
Teaching methods
Teaching methods include lectures and discussions, individual work of students (reading, analytical work on a selected topic) and oral presentation of the results of seminar work.
Assessment methods
Reading of the required literature (handing in notes before class), 4 short analytical assignments, preparation of a seminar paper and its oral presentation, structured feedback on the work of other students.
Language of instruction
Czech
Further comments (probably available only in Czech)
The course is taught annually.
The course is also listed under the following terms Autumn 2020, Autumn 2021, Autumn 2023.
  • Enrolment Statistics (recent)
  • Permalink: https://is.muni.cz/course/fss/autumn2024/ENSn4622