Download Sociology and Sustainability - u.arizona.edu


Core Component of Class
› How sociology and sustainability are related
› How sustainability effects, challenges and
brings opportunities to Sociology

Lesson Plan Drawn Out by Units

Why should this discipline address
sustainability?
› The University of Arizona defines the study of
sociology as “the study of social lives of
people, groups, and societies; the study of
our behavior from short contact to global
social process”
› Sustainability and environmental studies
have become a part of society which by
default makes them a part of sociological
study.

What does our discipline bring to
sustainability?
› Statistics
› Surveys
› Theories
 Weber
 Motivation
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Logical decisions
emotional decisions
traditional
value based

Challenges
› Broad data
› In between: Science vs the people

Opportunities
› Starting off point
› Theories
› “Relying on information from physical scientists
and economists, without the type of information
that sociologists could provide, leaves society ill
prepared to deal with the social dynamics of
environmental discourse and action”
(Passerini,64)

Theories
› Constructionist Approach
› Realist Approach
› Weber Theory of Motivation
› Durkheim
 Functionalism

Key Environmental Sociologists
› Manuel Castells
› Ulrich Beck
› Adrian Franklin

Personal Life Impact
 Students at the University of Arizona
 Environmental and sustainability portal
› Student project
 Outreach
 Arizona cooperative Extension
 Arizona Rivers
 Marine discovery

Communities Impact
› Sustainability
 Gaviotas
 Civano Community School
› Student project
 Write a short research paper about
sustainability in one community.

National Impact
› Green Fad /Green Illusion
 The inconvenient truth
 Watermelons: The Green Movements True
Colors
› Student Project
 Class Debate

Unit 6- Global Impact
› 1st world vs 3rd world
 Population control and sustain ability
› Student Project
 10 page research paper on global
eviromental problems
 Ex: air pollution water pollution, deforestation, soil
erosion, waste, desertification