Time Schedule:
Megan Styles
ANTH 210
Seattle Campus
Introduction to human/environment interactions from various anthropological perspectives. Intellectual history of anthropological approaches to environment, emphasizing the mutual interconnectedness of people and nature. Survey of evolutionary models; cultural ecology; systems approaches; indigenous knowledge; ethnoecology; nature and the state; political ecology; ecofeminism; and environmentalism.
Class description
This course provides an introduction to anthropological perspectives on human interaction with the environment and emphasizes the mutual interconnectedness of people and nature. How have humans shaped the environment over time and how has the environment shaped human societies? How do we define “nature� and “environment� and how do understandings of the human relationship with the natural world vary cross-culturally? What is environmental degradation and what roles do humans seem to play in it? What happens when groups clash over the control of natural resources, definitions of the value of nature, and ways of preserving or conserving the environment? How do social categories like race, ethnicity, gender, and class shape the way that humans interact with the natural environment and experience the effects of environmental degradation? Under what conditions do humans act to conserve resources? What is “environmentalism� and who participates in environmental movements? This course will examine the ways that anthropologists approach these questions and will highlight perspectives from the subfields of ecological anthropology, ethnoecology, political ecology, and environmental justice.
Student learning goals
General method of instruction
Recommended preparation
Class assignments and grading
