Synopses & Reviews
The most student-oriented book available for environmental sociology courses,
Twenty Lessons in Environmental Sociology introduces undergraduates to the subject in a groundbreaking new way. Instead of compiling articles from professional journals, this innovative reader presents twenty classroom-tested "lessons" from dedicated, experienced teachers. These diverse readings examine key topics in the field, from the social construction of nature to the growing influence of global media on our understanding of the environment.
Building this collection on the model of a successful undergraduate classroom experience, coeditors Kenneth A. Gould and Tammy L. Lewis asked the contributors to choose a topic, match it with their favorite class lecture, and construct a lesson to reflect the way they teach it in the classroom. The result is an engaging, innovative, and versatile volume that presents the core ideas of environmental sociology in concise, accessible chapters. Each brief lesson is designed as a stand-alone piece and can be easily adapted into an existing course syllabus.
Ideal for any course that looks at the environment from a sociological perspective, Twenty Lessons in Environmental Sociology offers an insightful introduction to this dynamic subject.
Review
"This text is impressively comprehensive, and the treatment of the Global South is especially good. The material is sociological, engaging, and at an appropriate level for undergraduates. If I teach the course again, I would use this book."--Craig Humphrey, Pennsylvania State University
"This reader is completely situated in the discipline, which is a huge plus. Despite my course's intermediate-level status, my students are hungry to read materials that are not only descriptive and analytical, but theory based as well, and this text fits that description perfectly. I plan to adopt this book upon publication--from what I've read, it's the best environmental sociology reader out there."--Rik Scarce, Skidmore College
"I very much like the organization and contents of this reader. The balance struck in each reading makes the book appropriate for multiple levels of students. It can stand as its own text, as a supplement to another text, or as the base material from which students explore actual studies."--Wade Roberts, Colorado College
About the Author
Kenneth A. Gould is Professor and Chair of Sociology at Brooklyn College and Professor of Sociology at the CUNY Graduate Center. He is coauthor of
Environment and Society: The Enduring Conflict (1994).
Tammy L. Lewis is Associate Professor of Sociology at Muhlenberg College. She is coauthor of Environment, Energy, and Society: A New Synthesis (2002).
Table of Contents
1. An Introduction to Environmental Sociology, Kenneth Gould and Tammy Lewis
PART 1: Theory
2. The Social Construction of Nature: Of Computers, Butterflies, Dog and Trucks, Stella Capek
3. Theories in Environmental Sociology, Luiz Barbosa
PART 2: Systemic Causes of Environmental Disruption
4. The State and Policy: Imperialism, Exclusion, and Ecological Violence as State Policy, David Pellow
5. Labor Productivity, Allan Schnaiberg
6. Corporate Power: The Role of the Global Media in Shaping What We Know About the Environment, Elizabeth Campbell
7. The Science of Nature and the Nature of Science, Richard York
8. Technological Change and the Environment, Kenneth Gould
9. Population, Demography, and the Environment, Diane Bates
PART 3: Some Social Consequences of Environmental Disruption
10. Environmental Inequality and Environmental Justice, Michael Mascarenhas
11. Environmental Health, Sabrina McCormick
12. From Farms to Factories: The Environmental Consequences of Swine Industrialization, Bob Edwards and Adam Driscoll
13. Understanding Disaster Vulnerability: Floods and Hurricanes, Nicole Youngman
14. Climate Change: Why the Old Approaches Aren't Working, Timmons Roberts
PART 4: Some Social Responses to Environmental Disruption
15. U.S. Environmental Movements, Robert Brulle
16. Labor and the Environment, Brian Obach
17. Environmental Movements and The Global South, Tammy Lewis
18. Indigenous Cultures: Environmental Knowledge, Practice, and Rights, Bahram Tavakolian
19. Sustainable Development, Kenneth Gould and Tammy Lewis
20. Conclusion: Unanswered Questions and the Future of Environmental Sociology, Kenneth Gould and Tammy Lewis