Human societies and their natural environments are interdependent yet this is often ignored. This course studies society-environment relationships including a consideration of these through human history as a basis for a better understanding contemporary environment/society issues. The course covers such topics as the role of the environment in the development of different levels of societal organization ('civilisation'), sociological theories pertaining to environment-society relationships, the 'population problem', personal and household energy consumption, infectious diseases in human history and present-day society (including bioterrorism), the limits to growth debate, energy and cities, international/global dimensions of environmental problems, the environmental movement, optimistic and pessimistic predictions for the future, and so on.  There will be an opportunity for participants to examine environmentally related issues of particular interest to them.

The course aims to assist students in learning how to;

• Use modern tools to find credible information on questions of interest.
• Critically evaluate a range of protentially relevant material.
• Assemble material in a manner that provides well-supported answers to relevant questions.
• Gain an overview of society-environment relationships through history, an understanding of some contemporary environmental issues and the implications of all of this for our future.

Presentation paper (essay) 1500 words (35%); synthesis essay 1500 words (35%); presentation (outline plus visuals) (20%); tutorial participation (10%).

Any two first-year courses from Sociology, Anthropology, Archaeology, Political Science, or the Science Faculty, or permission of the lecturer.