SOCIOLOGY 360

Environment/Resources

• Instructor: Sherry Cable Office Phone: 974-7031
  
• Office: 919 McClung Tower E-mail: scable@utk.edu
  
• Office Hours: TR 11:00-12:00 & by appt.
  


Course Description

Environment/Resources is a required course for the Environment & Society concentration in the Sociology major and for the Environmental Studies major. This course presents a sociological slant on environmental issues, analyzing the social causes and consequences of resource scarcity and environmental degradation and examining societal responses to those problems. From this perspective, environmental problems are viewed as social problems, requiring an understanding of the social structural conditions that produce environmental problems and affect the extent and nature of resolutions to them. Topics include economic production practices, the environmental movement, the global nature of environmental problems, environmental policy, a history of human modes of subsistence, the role of culture in environmental problems, and sustainability.

The primary objective of the course is for you to develop an understanding of environmental issues from a sociological perspective. To aid that development, we address questions such as the following: What are environmental problems and who defines them? What social groups suffer the most from environmental problems? What are the social causes of environmental degradation? What is the role of government in resolving environmental problems? What role has the environmental movement played in the raising of environmental consciousness? Is a sustainable future a possibility?

The format of the class is primarily lecture with occasional small group discussions on assigned topics. It may be helpful to you to have quick and easy access to an introductory sociology textbook. Regular class attendance is highly recommended - in my experience, attendance has been very closely correlated with final grade.

Course Objectives

We aim for the following course objectives. Please note your progress on each one throughout the semester: it will make you feel good to realize that you're learning.


• 1. to lay a basic foundation of sociological knowledge in the area of the environment;
  
• 2. to grapple with some fundamental sociological issues such as inequalities and conflict through the medium of environmental problems;
  
• 3. to apply basic skills in sociological theory and research to the field of environmental sociology;
  
• 4. to sharpen analytical skills through reading, writing, and class discussion; and
  
• 5. to emerge in May with a significantly greater understanding of the human/environment interaction than you had upon entering the class.


Required Materials

1. Environmental Problems/Grassroots Solutions by Sherry Cable and Charles Cable. NY: St. Martin's Press, 1995.

2. Environment and Society: The Enduring Conflict by Allan Schnaiberg and Kenneth Gould. NY: St. Martin's Press, 1994.

3. Silent Spring, any edition, by Rachel Carson. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company. First published in 1962.

Course Requirements

Final course grades will be determined on the basis of your performances on two examinations and seven essays. The two examinations consist of multiple-choice questions which require you to integrate course materials. Each exam is worth 50 points. The final exam is not comprehensive.

The seven essays are due on alternate Thursdays and are each worth 10 points. There are two parts to each essay assignment which is to be completed in two-week cycles:


• You must keep a log in which, on 10 of the 14 days in the cycle, you write one strong, coherent, 150-word paragraph on an environmental topic. The topic may be chosen, for example, from television news, newspapers, periodicals, a book, or your own interests. The paragraph must contain a brief description of the topic and your view of its relevance to our class. The purpose of this log is to demonstrate that the environment is everywhere, that humans engage in no activities that do not involve the environment in some way. In the beginning, you'll have some difficulty finding topics but it will get progressively easier. If your handwriting is legible, you may handwrite your dated log entries. Please attach them as an appendix to your essay.



• Every other Thursday, you must submit a typed, 750-800 word essay, about three double-spaced pages at about 250 words per page. You may write on any environmental topic but most likely you will expand on one of your log entries. The assignment should be an organized essay in which you identify a topic and state your sociological position on it in the first paragraph or two, present your sociological analysis of the topic with substantiation of your position in the next three or four paragraphs, and offer a summary and conclusions on your analysis in a final paragraph or two. Consult with the Writing Center if you feel you need help in writing: clear writing is highly correlated with clear thinking and clear thinking is a basic requirement if we are to protect the environment. The essays must contain a sociological slant. I expect the sociological sophistication of your essays to increase with time, as you learn more and gain more experience in thinking of the environment sociologically.



The point of the log and the essays is to give you cause to think often and seriously, for one tiny semester of your life, about this beautiful little blue planet that we all call "home." The material is complex, even when you have been exposed to it previously. Illumination occurs through reflection, rather than memorization. The log and the essays offer the incentive for you to take the time to reflect. By the end of the semester, if you have kept your log and written your essays faithfully and sincerely, I believe you'll find yourself with a new awareness of the environment and your personal place in it.

Total possible points for the course sum to 170. Final grades will be assigned according to the usual scale in which 90% of the total possible points is an A, 80% is a B, etc. I do not "grade on a curve" and I do not offer extra-credit opportunities. If at any point in the semester you feel you're in trouble, please re-read "Big Orange Study Tips," attached to the end of this syllabus. If you're already following those directions (which represent the culmination of my wisdom from 16 years of teaching experience at UT), come and talk with me. If you cannot meet during my scheduled office hours, see me in class to arrange an appointment.

Please note: if you need course adaptations or accommodations because of a disability or if you have emergency information to share, please contact the Office of Disability Services at 191 Hoskins Library at 974-6087. This will ensure that you are properly registered for services.

Websites on careers in environmental areas:

<www.ecojobs.com>

<www.eco.org>

and the UT website Career Services link.

Schedule of Course Activities

PART I: THE BASICS

T Jan 14 Introduction to course.

R Jan 16 Lecture: "The Butterfly Effect and Basic Sociology."

Read for class: Cable and Cable Chapters 1 and 2.

T Jan 21 Lecture: "An Environmental Science Primer."

Read for class: Cable and Cable Chapter 3.

R Jan 23 Lecture continued.

T Jan 28 Lecture continued.

ESSAY #1 DUE 10 points.

PART II: THE PROBLEM

R Jan 30 Lecture: "The Enduring Conflict Between the Environment and Society."

Read for class: Schnaiberg and Gould Chapters 1-5; Cable and Cable Chapter 4.

T Feb 4 Lecture continued.

R Feb 6 Lecture continued

T Feb 11 Lecture: "War on the Environment."

ESSAY #2 DUE 10 points.

R Feb 13 Lecture continued.

T Feb 18 Lecture continued.

R Feb 21 Lecture: "Global Dimensions of the Problem."

Read for class: Schnaiberg and Gould Chapters 8-10.

T Feb 25 Lecture continued.

ESSAY #3 DUE 10 points.

R Feb 27 Catch-up/Review

T Mar 4 EXAM #1 (50 points)

PART III: RESPONSES TO THE PROBLEM

R Mar 6 Lecture: "Environmental Policy."

T Mar 11 Lecture: "Introduction to the US Environmental Movement."

Lecture and discussion: "Rachel Carson's Silent Spring."

Read for class: Cable and Cable Chapters 5-9; Carson's Silent Spring; Schnaiberg and Gould Chapter 7.

ESSAY #4 DUE 10 points.

R Mar 13 Continuation of Silent Spring

*************************SPRING BREAK*****************************

T Mar 25 Lecture: "US Environmental Movement."

R Mar 27 Lecture continued.

T Apr 1 Lecture continued.

ESSAY #5 DUE 10 points.

R Apr 3 Lecture: "Animal Rights."

PART IV: DIGGING DEEPER: FACTORS UNDERLYING THE PROBLEM

T Apr 8 Lecture: "The Real Problem."

R Apr 10 Lecture continued.

T Apr 15 Lecture continued.

ESSAY #6 DUE 10 points

R Apr 17 Lecture: "Our Cultural Blinders."

T Apr 22 Lecture continued.

R Apr 24 Lecture continued.

T Apr 29 Catch-up/Review

ESSAY #7 DUE 10 points.

Thursday May 8, 8:00-10:00 EXAM #2 (50 points)

BIG ORANGE STUDY TIPS

FOR CABLE-READY EXAMS


• Read all assigned materials before class.
I know that every teacher says this and I'm sure you know you ought to do this, but reading the materials before class is one of the single best things you can do to improve your grade. Even if you don't have time to read the material slowly and thoroughly and take notes, you'll benefit if you only skim the material. The point is that you get two somewhat different pathways to the same subject and learning is enhanced.


• Take copious notes in class.
I'll provide you with outlines of my lectures. Keep the outline in front of you and use the same organizational structure as you take notes so you can keep track of the context for my discussions. If you have trouble writing notes, you may want to use a tape recorder. Be sure to ask questions in class if you don't understand something - you can safely bet that you are not the only person in the room who doesn't understand. As you write notes, leave plenty of room in the margins and/or elsewhere or leave a blank page now and then to allow you to write-in additional information later.


• Read over your class notes as soon as possible after class.
Naturally, your memory is freshest immediately after class. If you read over your notes at that time, other information that you didn't have time to write down in class will come back to you and you can add it to your notes. Even if you cannot read over your notes until evening, you will benefit from the exercise.


• Arrange with a classmate to exchange copies of class notes.
It is inevitable that you'll miss hearing some information because you are writing notes. Frequently, your gaps are in different places than someone else's gaps. Consequently, both of you will benefit from exchanging copies of class notes, particularly if you can arrange to do so right after class. Use your classmate's notes to write additional material in your notes - it's important that you write the material yourself to better commit it to memory.


• Compare your class notes with the assigned reading materials.
Write down information from the readings that was not presented in lectures. Examining the assigned materials again offers the added benefit of reinforcing your memory.


• For exam preparation, start 3-4 days before the scheduled exam.
By exam time, you should have a comprehensive set of class notes that will allow you to integrate lectures and assigned reading materials. Carefully re-read all class notes with the lecture outlines in front of you; write responses to all study guide items; and look up any items that baffle you. You may construct and bring to class a "cheat sheet" consisting of a 4X6 index card with anything written on it that you choose.

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