121-017 Society and Environments

Note

Credit Points

HECS Band

Coordinator

Prerequisites

Completion of 100 points of first and/or second year subjects including at least 50 points at first year level from approved subjects in your home faculty.

Semester

Contact

Subject Description

This subject tackles the question of the relationship between society and environments. Students will be introduced to important conceptual tools for thinking about the ways in which capitalism structures social/environmental relations; the notion of the social construction of the natural world; the role of the state in environmental management and regulation; and the relationship between cultural values and the use and meaning of the environment. The subject will ask students to think about some of the following questions: How 'wild' is 'wilderness'? What do zoos tell us about social organisation? How can we conceive of environmental justice? Why is there a renewed interest in traditional ecological knowledges? Has the state a meaningful role in sustainable development? Who owns nature? Students should complete the subject with an understanding of the complex connections between certain cultural, political and economic formations and the natural world.

Assessment

Written work totalling 4000 words.