At a Glance
This course is about our complex relationships to natural resources and the environment. We will use a combination of lectures, readings, reflective writings and projects to develop our awareness of interactions between ecological, socio-economic and political forces and how those interactions affect ecosystems, human well-being and the long-term sustainability of life-support systems on earth. Our discussions will emphasize how natural resources and environments affect people - economically, socially, and politically, and conversely, how people affect the environment and natural resources through economic, social and political decisions. We will examine the core values that shape our relationships to natural resources and how those values affect the decisions we make, individually and as a society, to allocate, use, and/or conserve resources.
Lectures, films and readings from current books and journal articles will provide a platform for discussions. News stories from the popular press and case studies provide real-life examples of resource issues facing society today. The scope of topics may be local (e.g conversion of farmland to housing), regional (e.g. the allocation of water rights in the western United States), national (e.g. the effectiveness of the Endangered Species Act), or global (e.g. the impacts of population growth and poverty on the loss of tropical forests).
During the Monday and Wednesday class periods, Dr. Krumpe and guest lecturers will review the topic of the day, leaving ample time for questions and discussion. In most weeks, we will use the third class session to meet in small groups (you will be assigned a time and room) where we will have an opportunity for more detailed discussion of the ideas presented in class and/or reading assignments, analyze and respond to readings, and explore and brainstorm potential solutions to resource problems. Writing assignments, in which you will be asked to examine your own values and beliefs and respond to others' values and ideas, will help you deepen your knowledge about and understanding of natural resource issues. These assignments also emphasize critical thinking skills, technical and professional writing skills, and development of persuasive and convincing arguments.
Society and Natural Resources is a core sophomore level course in the College of Natural Resources and is an approved social science course in the University of Idaho Core Curriculum.
Instructor: Professor
Ed Krumpe
Conservation Social Sciences Department