New This Week . Ecological Issues provides students with a general knowledge of natural resource and environmental problems. Emphasis is placed on ecological principles and interdisciplinary approaches to matters concerning the allocation of natural resources and environmental quality within the context of a democratic society. Attention will be given not only to ecological aspects, but to economic, legal, political, sociological, and psychological ramifications of environmental problems.
Material is presented through lectures, recitation, and readings and films.
Lectures and readings in the early part of the course deal with ecology. Once the basic ecological framework has been established, case studies illustrating the multifaceted nature of environmental problems will be examined. The recitation sections will be used for discussion and to supplement the lectures with debates, film and slide presentations, and group projects.