Environmental Studies: Capitalism and the Wild

Advanced courses of current areas of interest which may vary each semester. Topics have included environmental health, energy, regional planning, international studies, literature, ethics, and natural area management. Prerequisite: Junior standing.

Prereq: ENVS 1500; ENVS majors only with Junior or Senior standing; Special Topics courses cannot carry CC designations. PACE students by permission and override

This course will creatively experiment with possibilities for environmentalism in a world increasingly driven by capitalist exploitation. To build effective and sustainable environmental actions, we must first seek a critical understanding of capitalist economies and how these economies direct, cajole, and influence forms of life and expressions of the social. In doing so, we will seek to understand the wild as a socially constructed concept and practical methodology from which alternatives to capitalist exploitation can emerge.

We will read theoretical texts from that engage with a critical examination of capitalist economy, eco-criticism, anthropology, cultural theory, and case studies on environmental action. This is a seminar-styled course, and class participation, discourse, and steady engagement with the materials are expected.

Students will be graded on several career and academic development oriented assignments, including an annotated bibliography, a research project, and a class leadership project.