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2020/2021

Environmental Sociology

Code: 101129 ECTS Credits: 6
Degree Type Year Semester
2500262 Sociology OB 3 2
The proposed teaching and assessment methodology that appear in the guide may be subject to changes as a result of the restrictions to face-to-face class attendance imposed by the health authorities.

Contact

Name:
Josep Espluga Trenc
Email:
JosepLluis.Espluga@uab.cat

Use of Languages

Principal working language:
catalan (cat)
Some groups entirely in English:
No
Some groups entirely in Catalan:
No
Some groups entirely in Spanish:
No

Teachers

Guillem Sala Lorda

Prerequisites

None

Objectives and Contextualisation

The objective of the course is double. On the one hand, the aim is to understand the relationships between nature and society through the different theoretical contributions of the social sciences, particularly from the already long tradition of environmental sociology. On the other hand, it is intended to reflect on environmental risks, their social and political implications and the main theoretical and practical debates related to their social perception, management and governance. In both objectives, emphasis will be placed on the issue of power and inequalities, on the role of scientific knowledge in the definition and management of environmental problems, in the different types of social and political responses implemented to address these issues.

Competences

  • Analysing the problems arising from the implementation of public policies and conflict situations by recognising the complexity of the social phenomena and political decisions affecting democracy, human rights, social justice and sustainable development.
  • Applying the concepts and approaches of the sociological theory, specially the explanations of social inequalities between classes, between genders and between ethnic groups, to the implementation of public policies and to the resolution of conflict situations.
  • Assessing the contributions of sociological approaches to the study of culture, education, interaction between society and environment, social policy, and work.
  • Demonstrating a comprehension of the analysis of social phenomena presented in English, as well as observing their strengths and weaknesses.
  • Demonstrating a comprehension of the approaches of the sociological theory in its different aspects, interpretations and historical context.
  • Describing social phenomena in a theoretically relevant way, bearing in mind the complexity of the involved factors, its causes and its effects.
  • Developing critical thinking and reasoning and communicating them effectively both in your own and other languages.
  • Developing self-learning strategies.
  • Respecting the diversity and plurality of ideas, people and situations.
  • Students must be capable of managing their own time, planning their own study, managing the relationship with their tutor or adviser, as well as setting and meeting deadlines for a work project.

Learning Outcomes

  1. Applying the same social and environmental analysis to another country.
  2. Comparing the theoretical approaches concerning interaction between society and the environment.
  3. Defining the interaction society-environment from these approaches.
  4. Defining the sociological concepts that interpret the interaction between society and the environment.
  5. Demonstrating a comprehension of the analysis of social phenomena presented in English, as well as observing their strengths and weaknesses.
  6. Developing critical thinking and reasoning and communicating them effectively both in your own and other languages.
  7. Developing self-learning strategies.
  8. Differentiating the concepts adopted by actors involved in these policies and conflicts (productivist, environmentalist, sustainabilist, etc.).
  9. Distinguishing sociological concepts, as well as the methods and techniques of social investigation commonly used by environmental sociology.
  10. Distinguishing the vision of society that these actors take for granted.
  11. Expressing the epistemological assumptions that led to this interaction.
  12. Identifying the social phenomena by which the society and the environment interact.
  13. Relating the approaches of the sociological theory in its different aspects with the global ecological dimension.
  14. Relating the concepts methods and techniques of environmental sociology with general theoretical and methodological debates.
  15. Relating them with the debates about order, social change and capitalism.
  16. Respecting the diversity and plurality of ideas, people and situations.
  17. Students must be capable of managing their own time, planning their own study, managing the relationship with their tutor or adviser, as well as setting and meeting deadlines for a work project.
  18. Using their analysis to reflect the social and environmental reality of Spain and Catalonia.

Content

Contents:

1. Relationships nature / society:
Different theoretical interpretations
Human activity and environmental vectors: water, energy, waste, food, biodiversity, territory and urban planning, air quality and climate change (these vectors will also appear in the rest of the sections of the program)

2. Contemporary environmental concerns:
Origins and evolution. Different theoretical interpretations (causes based on technology, economics, politics, institutions, social constructionism, etc.).
Ecological explanations: Chicago School (Park, Burgess, etc.); Model POET (Duncan); Model HEP-NEP (Catton & Dunlap), etc.
Explanations from the political economy: Wheel of production model (Schnaiberg); Second contradiction of capitalism (O'Connor); Popular Ecology (Martínez-Alier); Risk Society (Beck), Ecological Modernization (Mol and Spargaaren), etc.

3. Environmental and technological risks:
Concept of risk and its social and political implications. The social dimensions of risk.
Social perception of environmental and technological risks: Different perspectives (psychometric, cultural, institutional, etc.).
Environmental conflicts: Models of analysis of the structure of conflicts.

4. Social movements and the environment:
The origins of socio-environmental mobilization: Conservationism and environmentalism.
The increase (of perception) of environmental risks and the new ecologism (or political ecologism).
Other social movements (naturism, etc.) and contemporary evolution (platforms, etc.)

5. Environmental policies:
Ecological modernization and sustainable development
Environmental governance and the precautionary principle
Degrowth and transitions towards sustainability

6. Transversal issues

Sociology of health

Urban sociology

Sociology of energy

Sociology of agrifood system

Methodology

The teaching methodology includes the following activities:

1- Master classes

2- Seminars: Conferences, work in small groups in the classroom and debates.

3- Realization of group work

4- Group tutorials

5- Preparation of the written test. Analysis and study of readings and materials.

6- Written test (exam).

At the beginning of the course, the specific instructions and the calendar to be followed will be detailed.

Activities

Title Hours ECTS Learning Outcomes
Type: Directed      
Seminars 23 0.92 1, 2, 4, 3, 5, 10, 8, 9, 11, 12, 14, 13, 15, 18
Theoretical classes 15 0.6 1, 2, 5, 6, 10, 8, 9, 17, 12, 14, 13, 15, 18
Type: Supervised      
Tutorials 15 0.6 4, 5, 17
Type: Autonomous      
Self-organized student's work 90 3.6 1, 2, 4, 3, 5, 10, 8, 9, 11, 17, 12, 14, 13, 15, 18

Assessment

The assessment of the subject consists of:
a) Attendance at two seminars, which will require a subsequent individual written reflection (20% of the final mark, 10% each one).
b) A team work to analyze an environmental conflict (30% of the final mark).
c) An exam (50% of the final mark).
 
Criteria:
• Both the exam and the team work must be approved separately.
• The final mark results from the average of all partial notes (seminars, exam and team work), in accordance with the indicated proportionality.
• Those who, for any justified reason, can not carry out these activities, may agree to other methods of individual assessment (provided they do so before the date indicated by the teachers at the beginning of the course).
• In the event that someone is not present in the exam or does not do the group work, it will be considered 'Not Applicable'.
• The recovery will consist of an examination of the failed parts. To participate in the recovery exam one's must have been previously evaluated of the exam and team work, at least. No minimum mark is required to be able to do the recovery exam.

Assessment Activities

Title Weighting Hours ECTS Learning Outcomes
Exam 50% 5 0.2 1, 2, 4, 3, 5, 7, 10, 8, 9, 11, 17, 12, 14, 13, 15, 16, 18
Seminars 20% 1 0.04 1, 2, 4, 3, 5, 7, 6, 10, 8, 9, 11, 17, 12, 14, 13, 15, 16, 18
Team work 30% 1 0.04 1, 2, 4, 3, 5, 7, 10, 8, 9, 11, 17, 12, 14, 13, 15, 16, 18

Bibliography

Basics:

1- Pardo, M. (1998) “Sociología y Medioambiente: Estado de la cuestión”. Revista Internacional de Sociología, (RIS), nº 19-20:329-367.

http://socioilogico.com/PARDO_sociologia_ambiental.pdf

2- Lemkow, L. & Espluga, J. (2017)  “La Modernización Ecológica y las políticas de Sostenibilidad: críticas y alternativas”. Cap VIII de: Sociología Ambiental. Barcelona: Icària. Págs. 125-140.

3- Espluga, J. (2007) “Per una sociología dels riscos tecnològics”. Àmbits de Política i Societat, núm. 36, p. 34-38. http://blogs.uab.cat/josepesplugatrenc/files/2011/08/Consultar-aqu%C3%AD.pdf

4- Prades, A.; Espluga, J.; Horlick-Jones, T. (2015) “Riesgos tecnológicos, conflictos sociales y políticas ambientales. Del estudio de las percepciones a la implicación pública”. Papers, Revista de Sociologia, núm. 100 (4): 395-423. http://papers.uab.cat/article/view/v100-n4-prades-espluga-horlick-jones

 5- Commoner, B. (1992) “En guerra con el planeta” + “El fracaso ambiental”. En paz con el planeta. Barcelona: Crítica. Pàgs. 11-44.

6- Riechmann, J. (2016) “Barry Commoner y la oportunidad perdida”. Encrucijadas, 11. [u] http://www.encrucijadas.org/index.php/ojs/article/view/255/212 ].

7- Schnaiberg, A. (1998) "Politizando la rueda de producción: Los programas de reciclaje de residuos sólidos en Estados Unidos”.Revista Internacional de Sociología, 19-20: 181-222. [u]

[Versió en anglès: “Politicizing the treadmill of production: reshaping social outcomes of ‘efficient’ recycling”. Working paper, Institute for Policy Research, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL USA. (Disponible a: http://www.ipr.northwestern.edu/publications/papers/urban-policy-and-community-development/docs/schnaiberg/politicizing-the-treadmill.pdf )

8- Beck, U. (2002) “De la sociedad industrial a la sociedad del riesgo: cuestiones de supervivencia, estructura social e ilustración ecológica”. Cap. 3 de: La sociedad del riesgo global. Madrid: Siglo XXI. Pàgs. 75-112

9- Riechmann, J. & Fernández Buey, F. (1994) “Ecologismo, proteccionismo, ambientalismo: una aproximación histórica”  Caps. 3 de: Redes que dan libertad. Introducción a los nuevos movimientos sociales. Barcelona: Paidós. Pàgs. 103-116.

10- Espluga, J. (2013) “Riscos ambientals i moviments socials a Catalunya”. A: Societat Catalana 2012. Barcelona: Associació Catalana de Sociologia – Institut d’Estudis Catalans. Pàgs. 135-156. http://publicacions.iec.cat/repository/pdf/00000190%255C00000045.pdf

[Note: at the beggining of the course some of these references can be modified]

Complementary references:

 

Handbooks:

 

Aledo, A.; Domínguez, J.A. (2001) Sociología ambiental. Granada: Grupo Editorial Universitario.

 

Garcia, E. (2004), Medio Ambiente y Sociedad. Madrid: Alianza.

 

Lemkow, L.; Espluga, J. (2017), Sociología Ambiental. Barcelona: Icària.

 

Sempere, J.; Riechmann, J. (2000), Sociología y Medio Ambiente. Madrid: Síntesis.

 

Pardo, M. (1998) “Sociología Y Medio Ambiente: Estado de la cuestión”. Revista Internacional de Sociología, 19-20: 329-367.

 

Tábara, J.D. (2003) “Teoría socioambiental y Sociología Ecológica”. En: S. Giner (coord.), Teoría Sociológica Moderna (págs. 431-457). Barcelona: Editorial Ariel.

 

 

 

On nature-society relationships:

 

Barley, N. (1998) El antropólogo inocente. Barcelona: Anagrama.

 

Carson, R. (2002) Silent Spring, New York, Mariner Books (Houghton).

 

Diamond, J. (1998) Armas, gérmenes y acero. Barcelona: Random House Mondadori.

 

Harari, Y.N. (2014) Sàpiens. Una breu història de la humanitat. Barcelona: Edicions 62.

 

Masjuan Codina, J.M. (2016) Materials per repensar la sociologia a partir de Darwin. Barcelona: Octaedro.

 

Naredo, J.M. (2006) Raíces económicas del deterioro ecológico y social. Madrid: Siglo XXI.

 

Riechmann, J.; González-Reyes, L.; Herrero, Y.; Madorrán, C. (2012) Qué Hacemos Hoy Cuando Nos Encontramos Frente A La Amenaza DeUna Crisis Mayor Que La Econòmica: La Ecològica. Madrid: Akal.

 

Sapolsky, R.M. (2007) El mono enamorado. Y otros ensayos sobre nuestra vida animal. Barcelona: Paidós.

 

Tello, E. (2005) La historia cuenta. Del crecimiento económico al desarrollo humano sostenible. Barcelona: El Viejo Topo.

 

 

 

Social theories and environment:

 

Arriaga Legarda, A.; Pardo Buendía, M. (2011) “Justicia ambiental. Estado de la cuestión”. Revista Internacional de Sociología, Vol 69 (3): 627-648. http://revintsociologia.revistas.csic.es/index.php/revintsociologia/article/view/406

 

Beck, U. (1992) Risk Society; Towards a New Modernity, London, Sage. [La Sociedad del riesgo. Barcelona: Paidós, 1998]

 

Beck, U. (1999) World Risk Society. Cambridge. Polity Press. [La Sociedad del riesgo global. Madrid: Siglo XXI, 2002]

 

Beck, U. (2009) The World at Risk, Cambridge, Polity Press.

 

Commoner, B. (1992) En paz con el planeta. Barcelona: Crítica.

 

Dunlap, R.E.; Buttel, F.H.; Dickens, P.; Gijswitj, A. (2002) Sociological Theory and the Environment. Classical Foundations, Contemporary Insights. Lanhan: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers.

 

Foster, J.B. (2012) “The Planetary Rift and the New Human Exemptionalism: A Political-Economic Critique of Ecological Modernization Theory”. Organization Environment, 25: 211-237.

 

Giddens, Anthony (1993): Las consecuencias de la modernidad, Madrid: Alianza.

 

Giddens, Anthony (2000): Un mundo desbocado, Madrid: Taurus.

 

Irwin, A. (2001) Sociology and the Environment. Oxford. Polity Press.

 

Lash, S.; Szerszynski, B.; Wynne, B. (1996), Risk, Environment and Modernity. London: Sage.

 

Ramos Torre, Ramón y Fernando García Selgas (eds.) (1999). Globalización, riesgo y reflexividad. Madrid: CIS.

 

Redclift, M And Benton, T. (1994) Social Theory And The Global Environment. London. Routledge.

 

Riechmann, J. (2016) “Barrry Commoner y la oportunidad perdida”. Encrucijadas, 11. http://www.encrucijadas.org/index.php/ojs/article/view/255/212

 

Schnaiberg, A. And Gould, K. A. (1994) Environment and Society. The Enduring Conflict. Caldwell: The Blackburn Press.

 

Spaargaren, G.; Mol, A.P.J.; Buttel, F. (2000), Environment and Global Modernity. London: Sage.

 

 

 

Environmental and technological risk:

 

Douglas, M. (1996). La aceptabilidad del riesgo según las ciencias sociales. Barcelona: Paidós. [1985].

 

Douglas, M.; Wildavsky, A. (1982). Risk and Culture. Berkeley, Los Angeles, London: University of California Press.

 

Espluga, J. (2004) “Conflictes socioambientals i estudi de la percepció social del risc”. Papers. Revista de Sociologia., núm. 72, p. 145-162.

 

Espluga, J. (2012) “Riscos ambientals, plans d’emergència i desigualtats de gènere”. A: M. Freixanet (coord.) Sostenibilitats. Polítiques públiques des del feminisme i l’ecologisme. Barcelona: Institut de Ciències Polítiques i Socials. Pàgs. 189-226.

 

Espluga, J.; Prades, A.; Gamero, N.; Solà, R. (2009) “El papel de la confianza en los conflictos socioambientales“. Política y Sociedad, Vol. 46, núm. 1 y 2: 255-273. http://revistas.ucm.es/index.php/POSO/article/view/POSO0909130255A

 

Espluga, J.; Farré, J.; Gonzalo, J.; Horlick-Jones, T.; Prades, A.; Oltra, J.; Navajas, J. (2009) “Do the people exposed to a technological risk always want more information about it? Some observations on cases of rejection“. In: S. Martorell, C. Guedes & J. Barnett (eds.) Safety, Reliability and Risk Analysis, London: CRC Press – Taylor & Francis, p. 1301-1308.

 

Espluga, J.; Farré, J.; Gonzalo, J. Prades, A. (2014) “Factores que inhiben la movilización social: el caso del área petroquímica de Tarragona”. Revista Española de Investigaciones Sociológicas, núm. 146: 191-216. http://www.reis.cis.es/REIS/jsp/REIS.jsp?opcion=articulo&ktitulo=2435&autor=JOSEP+ESPLUGA+TRENC%2C+JORDI+FARR%C9+COMA%2C+JAN+GONZALO+IGLESIAS%2C+ANA+PRADES+L%D3PEZ

 

Fischhoff, B.; Slovic, P.; Lichtenstein, S.; Read, S.; Coombs, B. (1978). “How Safe is Safe Enough: A Psychometric Study of Attitudes towards Technological Risk and Benefits”. Policy Sciences, núm. 8: 127-152.

 

Krimsky, S.; Golding, D. (eds.)(1992)  Social Theories of Risk, London: Praeger.

 

López Cerezo, J.A.; Luján, J.L. (2000) Ciencia y Política del Riesgo. Madrid: Alianza.

 

Luján, J.L;  Echeverría, J. (eds.) (2004). Gobernar los riesgos. Ciencia y valores en la sociedad del riesgo. Madrid: Biblioteca Nueva

 

Horlick-Jones, T.; Prades, A. (2009). “On interpretative risk perception research: Some reflections on its origins; its nature; and its possible applications in risk communication practice”. Health, Risk & Society, 11 (5): 409-430.

 

Otway, Harry y Detlof Von Winterfeldt (1982): “Beyond Acceptable Risk: On the Social Acceptability of Technologies”, Policy Sciences, 14: 247-256.

 

Renn, Ortwin (1992): “Concepts of risk: A Classification”, pp. 53-81, en S. Krimsky y D. Golding (eds.) Social Theories of Risk, Westport: Praeger.

 

Renn, Ortwin (2008): Risk Governance. Coping with Uncertainty in a Complex World, London: Earthscan.

 

Slovic, Paul (2000): The perception of risk, London: Earthscan.

 

Starr, Chauncey (1969): “Social Benefit versus Techonological Risck”, Science, 165: 1.232-1.238.

 

Taylor-Gooby, Peter y Jenns O. Zinn (2006): “Current Directions in Risk Research: New Developments in Psychology and Sociology”, Risk Analysis, 26 (2): 397-411.

 

Wynne, Brian (1996): “May the Sheep Safely Graze? A Reflexive View of the Expert-Lay Knowledge Divide”, pp. 44-83, en S. Lash; B. Szerszynski; y B. Wynne (eds.) Risk, Environment and Modernity. London: Sage.

 

 

 

Social movements and the environment:

 

Dobson, A. (1997) Pensamiento político verde. Barcelona: Paidós.

 

Espluga, J. (2013) “Riscos ambientals i moviments socials a Catalunya”. A: Societat Catalana 2012. Barcelona: Associació Catalana de Sociologia – Institut d’Estudis Catalans. Pàgs. 135-156. http://publicacions.iec.cat/repository/pdf/00000190%255C00000045.pdf

 

Jiménez Sánchez, M.l (2005). El impacto político de los movimientos sociales: un estudio de la protesta ambiental en España. Madrid: CIS.

 

Laraña, E. (1999) La construcción de los movimientos sociales. Madrid: Alianza.

 

Lemkow, L. (1984). La protesta antinuclear. Madrid: Mezquita.

 

Mora i Ticó, P. (2004) “El moviment ecologista: història i procés d’institucionalització”. A: E. Prat (coord.) Els moviments socials a la Catalunya contemporània. Barcelona: Publicacions i Edicions de la Universitat de Barcelona.

 

Riechmann, J. & Fernández Buey, F. (1994) Redes que dan libertad. Introducción a los nuevos movimientos sociales. Barcelona: Paidós.

 

Villasante, T.R.; Martín, P. (2006) “Redes y conjuntos de acción: para aplicaciones estratégicas en los tiempos de la complejidad social.” REDES- Revista hispana para el análisis de redes sociales, Vol.11,#2, URL: http://revista-redes.rediris.es/html-vol11/Vol11_2.htm

 

 

 

Public policies and the environment:

 

Bulkeley, H.; Jordan, A.; Perkins, R.; Selin, H. (2013) “Governing sustainability: Rio+20 and the road beyond”, Environment and Planning C: Government and Policy, 31: 958 – 970.

 

Brundtland, G.H. (1989) Nuestro Futuro Común, Madrid, Alianza Editorial (Comisión Mundial Del Medio Ambiente Y Del Desarrollo).

 

D’Alisa, G.; Demaria, F.; Kallis, G. (eds.) (2015) "Decreixement. Vocabulari per a una nova era". Barcelona: Icària.

 

European Environment Agency (2013) Late Lessons from Early Warnings: Science, Precaution and Innovation. Luxembourg: Publications Office of the European Union.

 

Fernández, D. M., & López, A. G. (2010). “Del desarrollo sostenible al decrecimiento: por una re-estructuración del sistema económico”. Actas del XV Coloquio de Geografía Rural: Territorio, paisaje y patrimonio rural: Cáceres, 28 a 30 de abril de 2010 (p. 22). Servicio de Publicaciones. http://age.ieg.csic.es/geografia_rural/Actividades%20de%20grupo/Documentos/XVColoquio_Caceres%202010/Comunicaciones/contenido/1%C2%AA%20ponencia%20pdf/1.22.pdf

 

Garcia, E. (2011) “Sociology and degrowth: Visions of social change, entropy and evolution in a waydown era". Sociology Study 1(3), 212-220. http://www.davidpublisher.org/Public/uploads/Contribute/5514f8889d9d9.pdf

 

Garcia, E. (2012) "Degrowth, the past, the future, and the human nature". Futures 44(6), 546-552. http://www.uv.es/egarciag/index/degrowth2012.pdf

 

Jackson, T. (2011) Prosperidad sin crecimiento. Economía para un planeta finito. Barcelona: Icària.

 

Latouche, S. (2008), La Apuesta por el Decrecimiento. ¿Cómo Salir del Imaginario Dominante?, Barcelona, Icaria.

 

Martínez Alier, J.; Oliveres, A. (2005), ¿Quién Debe A Quién? Deuda Ecológica y Deuda Externa, Barcelona, Icaria.

 

Meadows, D. (coord.) (1972) Los límites del crecimiento. México: FCE.

 

OCDE (2008) Desarrollo sostenible: vincular la economía, la sociedad, el medio ambiente. (Resumen). París: OECD.

 

Sempere, J. (2009) Mejor con menos. Necesidades, explosión consumista y crisis ecològica. Barcelona:  Crítica.