Course Name: Environmental Studies 4009 (Government and Corporate Effects on the Environment)
Course Description: This lecture based course will focus on the unethical and ethical decisions of governments and corporations around the world that are in relation with climate change. We will study their decisions as well as an important phenomena which is their recent shift of blaming consumers for climate change. Students will pick certain corporations to focus on and study their decisions, as well as local or national governments. Students will interview locals and see how responsible they feel for climate change, and if it’s an excessive amount (which the government and corporations want).
Each student will be assessed on their research as well as what they bring to the table in our lively debates. This valuable course will bring each student different insights about who is really to blame for climate change, and why it’s important to take the first step to actually recognize who it is. So then we can continue to the next step of really fixing the issue.
Readings:
–Mother Earth and Uncle Sam How Pollution and Hollow Government Hurt Our Kids by
Steinzor, Rena
– “Corporate Honesty and Climate Change: Time to Own Up and Act” by Joshua Axelrod
Films:
“David Attenborough: A Life on Our Planet”
Course Breakdown:
Projects- 40%
Homework-15%
Participation-25%
Final- 20%
I’d take this course! Good description. I like the way you explain the methodology of how the students are taught about climate change, and how much it has to do with the responses of different corporations and governments.
thanks judah!
I love this idea of a course because the work is very flexible. Students choose which organizations they want to research and this will make them more excited to learn about a huge issue. Its is a very informative class that can change peoples lives.
thanks leon! I tried to make a really flexible course
This idea that you have turned into a course is brilliant and seems to build off a little bit what my anthropology class has. Its shows that the positivity of these big business must not shadow the wrongs that they are doing on the world. This issue is becoming more and more relevant due to the pandemic which is why it would be a great choice. Big business is on the rise and it’s crucial that we are informed about its potential downside.
I completely agree with you, I’ve been seeing similar themes in my ethics and anthropology class as well. and this is an issue becoming more and more relevant due to the urgency. thank u!
I think this is a very cool idea. Normally, we are the ones being told by large corporations how we should protect the planet, when in reality, their environmental impact is so much greater than what most of us can do as a whole. We will be able to essentially inspect how or if these corporations are combating global warming and possibly strike change in how these companies treat the planet.
thanks Daniel! you explained it perfectly, we shouldn’t be told how to fix the issues these companies an governments created.