NR 104, Social Processes and the Environment, is a part of the core curriculum of the Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources. In NR 104, we study theories and frameworks regarding the processes of government, economics, and civil society as they apply to environmental governance. These social theories help us to analyze and understand how humans define and respond to environmental issues. We examine how dealing with conflict, collaboration and equity issues are central to defining and addressing environmental challenges. We will apply the course concepts to contemporary environment governance issues. We will use the same textbook as NR 104 did last semester: Vig, Kraft and Rabe. 2022. Environmental Policy: New Directions for the 21st Century. 11th Edition. Sage. ISBN 978-1-5443-7801-5. (Used and short-term e-book rentals are available). Please make sure you get the 11th edition as some chapters are quite different in earlier versions.

This summer version of NR 104 condenses a full semester into 6 weeks. As such, you will be required to put in a substantial amount of time outside of our twice weekly, 75 min. synchronous classes on Teams. The course will be "flipped" in the sense that students will be asked to prepare, present, discuss course material each week.

There will be 3 exams, one at the end of each of three units, the third exam being the final exam. Students will also be asked to research a contemporary environmental issue of their choosing and write an Op Ed suitable for publication. Attendance and presentations in remote class sessions will also compose a significant part of your grade.