This course explores environmental sustainability through the lens of the social sciences, with a focus on transnational environmental justice in a globalized world shaped by constant transformations and ecological degradation. Students will engage with the social, political, economic, spatial, and cultural dimensions of sustainability by analyzing theoretical frameworks and case studies from both centers and peripheries – covering regions across the Global North, South, and East. Through individual essays, video materials, and interactive group formats (such as the ‘World Café’ method and scenario-based debates), students will critically assess sustainability challenges and examine transformative solutions. The course has an interdisciplinary character and draws on knowledge production including from Environmental Anthropology, Environmental Sociology, Political Ecology, Human & Environmental Geography, Critical Sustainability Sciences, Ecological Economics, Environmental Politics, Urban Environmental Studies, and Human-Animal Studies.
