CORE 193S - Climate Change in Cultural Context

Human-induced climate change is a defining issue of our time. That people are dramatically altering the climate is now the consensus in the global scientific community. Potential short- and long-term impacts include biodiversity loss, sea-level rise and coastal flooding, more intense storms, threats to human health, and disruptions of freshwater supplies and food security. But while the global community increasingly understands the basic processes driving climate change, and is starting to appreciate the consequences of a warmer world, the cultures (different societies, scientists, policymakers, to name a few) grappling with the dynamics of global warming are complex and the issue remains controversial and less well addressed, globally, than needed to stem dramatic climate change over the next century. Understanding climate-society relationships requires examining both the climatic effects of human activity as well as the cultural responses to addressing climate throughout history. Students examine climate change in cultural context in order to create engaged global citizens who grapple with the science and scientific uncertainty of climate change alongside the social, political, ethical, and economic matrix of society’s responses.

Credits: 1.0
Prerequisites: None
Major/Minor Restrictions: None
Class Restriction: No Junior, Senior
Area of Inquiry: None
Liberal Arts CORE: Scientific Perspectives

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