Honors Program: A pathway to excellence.

HON 102/302 Environment and Society

Environment and Society will examine the multiple ways in which the activities of humanity (economy, industry, imperialism) have shaped the surrounding physical environment and ecology, and in turn how ecology has shaped the human imagination socially and politically.

This course exists at the interdisciplinary nexus of history and political science in that it evaluates the evolution over time of these relationships, and is concerned with their specific manifestation as political phenomena: the devaluation and subsequent reclaiming of the natural world as a consequence of modernization; the consequences of environmental degradation for society, particularly the disadvantaged; and environmental activism as a site of critical resistance to hegemonic power structures.

We envision the course as being highly experiential, both in a local and national context. For example, students would engage in field research on the consequences of mining for environmental quality in the Butte case. Other site work in the Montana context would also be integrated. If funding and arrangements can be secured, field experience beyond Montana would be highly enriching from a comparative perspective: for example, a trip to Washington, D.C. would enable students to examine a different series of interactions of environment and society - this time in a highly urbanized environment. This experience would also allow them to interact with government officials, non-profit organizations, and academic research centers on environmental studies to better facilitate their understanding and critical analysis of the key issues raised in the course.
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HON 102/302 Environment and Society is offered as part of our continuing series on the American West.
This course is available for either lower or upper level credit.

Substitutions:
POLS 341 (Political Economy) -> (HON 302)
GEOG 202 (Regional Geography of North America) -> (HON 102)
HIST 371 (Montana and the American West) -> (HON 302)

Instructors: Dr. Sara Glasgow and Jen Brown
If you are interested in this course, please contact the instructors immediately.

Time: Spring 2007, Ribbon course: Tuesdays 6-9pm