HSE Moscow, Sociological Faculty Master Program

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HSE Moscow, Sociological FacultyMaster Program
Complex Social Analysis Course Environmental
sociology 2013/2014 (Elective Course)

•  
• Teacher Karl Bruckmeier
• Language English
• Time January March 2014

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Environmental Sociology - a new sub-discipline of
sociology

• I invite you to learn environmental sociology
• in a course of 2 months (6 weeks teaching and
  training to work in English language 2 weeks
  for writing a sociological essay as exam essay)
• English is the language for working in the
  course, but you are not supposed to speak English
  perfectly for the beginning it is sufficient to
  read English texts. How to present and discuss
  texts orally (in small wor-king groups), how to
  formulate a research question and problem, how to
  write a short sociological essay in English -
  this is trained in the course 2

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Two main aims of the course

• 1. Learning to answer the principal questions of
  environmental sociology from the scientific
  literature we read and discuss, but connecting
  this knowledge with your own thoughts and ideas
• 2. To enable you to work with a master thesis on
  a theme from environmental sociology or other
  sociological fields (environmental sociology
  touches many other sociological sub-disciplines
  and themes e.g. political and economic
  sociology, socio-logy of social movements,
  sociology of risk, a series of sociological
  theories, and more interdisciplinary themes
  studied in sociology and other disciplines
  lifestyles and consumption, urbanization,
  technology
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This course has 2 parts

• each part with 6 sessions (lectures,
  discussions and workshops/seminars)
• Part 1 introduction
• Environmental sociology history and development
• (origins, approaches, methods, authors,
  neighbour disciplines)
• Part 2 deepening
• Environmental sociology - themes and problems
• (pollution, resource scarcity, energy systems,
  global environmental change climate change
  sustainable development - a solution?)
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• 
  

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Part 1 - Introduction

• 1. History and development of environmental
  sociology since the 1970s (USA, Western Europe,
  Russia)
• 2. Scientific context approaches, methods,
  theories
• 3. Main authors and contributions Catton,
  Dunlap, Buttel, Mol, Beck, Giddens, Schnaiberg,
  Foster, Rice, Yanitsky
• 4. Neighbour disciplines human/cultural/social
  ecology, environmental economics, environmental
  history
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Part 2 Themes and problems

• 1. Basic themes
• awareness/attitudes, value changes new social
  and environmental movements environmental
  policy ecological modernization of economy
• 2. Interdisciplinary themes
• natural resource use and its effects poverty,
  population growth, development Malthusian
  questions
• 3. Environmental problems and risks
• environmental problems in history and in modern
  societies - agricultural and industrial
  pollution, deforestation, desertification
• 4. Global environmental problems in 21st century
  and potential solutions
• changes in climate, land use, biodiversity
  ecological distribution conflicts North/South
  renewable energy sources, sustainable development
  - our common future
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• 
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What else to learn in this course?

• Basic training of scientific work in English
  language
• 1. Reading and analysing scientific texts
• 2. Oral presentation and discussion of scientific
• literature (in working groups)
• 3. Basic academic writing sociological essays
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What you should have learned when you have
finished the course

• How to work with the main questions of
  environmental sociology and finding answers to
  them
• 1. Why should environmental themes and problems
  be studied in sociology?
• 2. What can sociology say about the interaction
  between man/individual, nature and society?
• 3. What does it mean that nature and
  environmental problems are socially constructed?
• 4. How did modern societies change nature,
  especially in 20th century?
• 5. What can sociology say about climate change,
  energy and resource use problems and their
  solution?
• 6. What is specific with environmental problems
  in Russia?
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How to work?

• 1. Lectures all with power point slides which
  you receive after the lecture, guided discussions
  of course literature
• 2. Individual reading and analyzing of scientific
  texts (all course literature - 3 books and about
  30 articles - is handed out to you in electronic
  copies, you do not need to buy course literature)
  
• 3. Small working groups to discuss the course
  literature and to present selected texts from the
  course literature in the workshops
• 5. The examination includes (a) active
  participation in all lectures and sessions, (b)
  short oral presentation (by working groups) of
  texts in the workshops, (c) short individual
  essay
• A detailed course plan with all information
  about sessions, course literature, working
  methods, criteria for examination and grading
  will be available for all participants at the
  beginning of the course
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Environmental Sustainability Index Russia not
so bad?