ENV

• This lecture is the course conclusion for Environment and Society
• Environment and society


  The study of the reciprocal relationships between people/societies and various environments (physical, built, socio-economic)
• Environment and society is a multidisciplinary approach, drawing on perspectives from sociology, political science, economics, human geography, environmental studies, and more
• Human geographic perspective


  Involves describing the spatial distributions of phenomena, explaining the processes that produce those distributions, and interpreting the significance of those patterns
• Key thematic areas covered in the course

  • Uneven social and economic development
  • Population, migration, and health
  • Cities, urbanization, and urban planning
  • Globalization and the economy
• The course was organized into 5 modules, with the first focused on developing geographic literacy, and the remaining 4 covering the key thematic areas
• The course aimed to explore local and global issues related to the key thematic areas, such as inequality, hunger, refugees, informal settlements, population growth, health disparities, urban challenges, and the impacts of globalization
• part of that discussion there
• we wrapped up our last module of the course, which is the globalization and the economy or globalization and economic activity
• the world's economies are interconnected and how societies and politics are also interconnected
• shifting production from the more developed to the less developed and now heading towards the least developed parts of the world through industrialization
• the pros and cons of industrialization in the less developed world and the more developed world
• there are local and there are global issues and they vary spatially
• having a spatial understanding or what we call a geographical perspective is really important for helping us to understand these issues
• the objectives of this course were to introduce you to the theories and methods, the concepts, issues, patterns, and understandings of environmental and social interactions
• this course is to give you an overview of what environment and society is all about
• utilizing that sort of human geographical perspective as a way to understand human and environmental interactions, which then creates a foundation for being able to take subsequent environment and society courses
• even if you don't want to take any more environment and society courses or don't want to do a program, you can walk away from this course with a better understanding of issues like gentrification, uneven urban economic and social development, globalization, industrialization, colonialism, and educate friends and family about these topics
• in lectures, I've been providing you with an overview of key theories and concepts, and you had an opportunity to explore some of these issues and challenges in various assignments
• you've developed the ability to consider the spatial dimensions of issues and the tools to understand and possibly solve some critical challenges
• some logical pathway courses after this level 1 course include Environment and Society 2, Urban Experience, Geography of Capitalism, Geographies of Health and Place, Environment and Society Challenges and Solutions, and Traditional Indigenous Ecological Knowledge
• there are also courses on GIS, Food, Society and Space, and Regional Geography courses
• the World Regional Geography course looks at a different area of the world each week, covering both physical and human geographic dimensions
• the academic and career advising lectures provide information on choosing an academic program and future course options
• concurrent certificates are different from minors, and the School of Earth, Environment & Society offers certificates in areas like Earth Science, Environmental Science, and Environment & Society
• Concurrent certificate


  A credential that shows up on your transcript and degree, providing a second degree or certificate when you graduate
• Concurrent certificates offered by the School of Earth, Environment and Society


  • Urban studies and planning
  • GIS (Geographic Information Systems)
  • Environmental sustainability
• The environmental sustainability concurrent certificate is a new offering, recently approved by the Senate
• Final exam


  60 minute online exam worth 30% of final grade, covering all lectures and readings from the semester, multiple choice format
• The final exam date and time was scheduled by the Registrar's office, not the instructor
• The final exam is an open book exam, but students need to know the answers before starting as there is a tight 60 minute timeline
• Collaboration or sharing answers during the final exam is strictly prohibited and will be prosecuted through the academic integrity office
• The instructor designs courses based on student feedback, such as offering both an online and in-person version of this course
• The instructor will receive the anonymous student feedback after submitting final grades, and will use it to redesign the course
• This class marks the beginning of the final substantive section or module of the course, which will encompass six lectures, three textbook chapters and three weeks of learning pathway activities
• The module can be made up of two interrelated components: the first deals with exploring and understanding the dimensions of an interconnected world, and the second deals with the various dimensions of economic activity at different spatial scales
• Outline of the 'Globalisation and Economic Activity' section of the course

  • Lecture 1: Globalisation and interconnected world
  • Lecture 2: Economic, political, cultural and environmental dimensions of globalisation
  • Lectures 3-6: Primary, secondary and tertiary economic activities at different spatial scales
• The section includes three textbook chapters: Chapter 11 on the geography of globalisation, Chapter 9 on primary economic activities, and a chapter on the geography of energy, industry and services
• There are also several opportunities for learning in the chosen learning pathway for the last three weeks of the course
• Globalisation


  The increasing interconnectedness of people and societies and their economies around the world