St. Cloud State University
General Education Goal Area 5
History and the Social & Behavioral Sciences
Academic Affairs Use Only:
Response Date:
Effective Date:
1.
Proposal Number:
Prepared by: Mitch Bender
Phone: 308-3891
Email: mrbender@stcloudstate.edu
2.
Requesting Unit: COSE
3.
Department, Course Number, Title: ETS 375 Society and the Environment
4.
New Course
5.
Will this course be flagged as a diversity course?
Already Designated as Diversity
6.
Will this course also satisfy another General Education Goal Area?
If “Yes” specify which goal area.
7.
Course bulletin description, including credits and semesters to be offered:
Existing Course
No
Diversity Proposal Accompanying This Form
No
Yes
Interactions between humans, technology and ecological systems. Human perceptions of the environment;
environmental impacts of technology; and political, technological and social responses to environmental issues. 3
Cr. Fall and Spring.
8.
Indicate the clientele for whom this course is designed. Is the course for general education only, or
does it fulfill general education and other program needs for this or another department? Obtain
signatures from any affected departments.
This course is also a major requirement for environmental science and environmental studies majors. It is also an
elective course for mechanical and manufacturing engineering majors, international relations majors and
community development majors.
9.
Indicate any changes that must be made in offerings or resources in your department or other
departments by offering this course.
The ETS department may offer more and larger sections of this class to fulfill increased student demand,
adjusting our other course offerings where appropriate. Additional faculty may be needed.
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10.
For new courses or courses not yet approved for General Education, indicate any other SCSU departments
or units offering instruction that relates to the content of the proposed course.
BIOL 101 Environment and Society.
11.
Courses designated as General Education are included in the assessment plan for the Goal Area(s)
for which they are approved. Courses for which assessment is not included in the annual GE
assessment report for two years will be removed from the General Education Program.
The Requesting Unit understands and recognizes the above conditions.
12.
Provide a concise explanation of how the following goal is a “significant focus” of the proposed course.
Goal Area 5: History and the Social & Behavioral Sciences
Develop understanding of human societies and behaviors, and of the concepts, theories, and methods of
history and the social sciences.
ETS 375 investigates the interactions between society and the environment. The course analyzes soci-cultural
perceptions of the environment, environmental impacts of technology and political, technological, and social
responses to environmental issues.
More specifically, students will examine environmentalism as a social movement and will investigate:
1) structures of socio-cultural systems,
2) various classifications of culture (real, ideal, material, symbolic, etc.),
3) relationships between biological and cultural systems,
4) cognized environments (views of one’s environment based on cultural perspectives),
5) societal changes from hunters and gatherers to an industrial society (including changes in family structures,
subsistence/non-subsistence roles, gender roles, etc.),
6) social, historical, political and economic factors leading to globalization,
7) concepts of environmental and social justice (particularly comparing the actions of more developed countries to
those of lesser developed countries),
8) influences of society and culture on consumption, population growth, food production, energy use and
transportation use (much of this is a comparison of self-reflection and student collected data with known data).
13. In order for a course to be designated as fulfilling Goal Area 5, it must address at least 4 of the 5 student learning
outcomes (SLOs) below. Check the SLOs below that are focused on in the proposed general education course.
1. Describe or use the methods and data by which historians, social scientists, or behavioral scientists investigate
human conditions.
2. Analyze human behavior, cultures, and social institutions and processes from the perspectives of history or the
social and behavioral sciences.
3. Develop explanations for and explore solutions to historical or contemporary social problems.
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4. Reflect upon themselves in relation to family, communities, society, culture, and/or their histories.
5. Apply and critique alternative explanatory systems or theories about human societies and behaviors.
14.
Discuss how each Student Learning Outcome checked above is achieved in this course. (Note: Although
descriptions of typical assignments or types of assignments may be part of this discussion, it is not
appropriate to submit copies of actual assignments.)
SLO 2. Analyze human behavior, cultures, and social institutions and processes from the perspectives of history
or the social or behavioral sciences.
Students investigate U.S. and St. Cloud resource, food and energy consumption rates, as well as transportation use
and compare to global rates and use. This is done primarily through a comparison of self-reflection and student
collected data with known data.
Examples of assignments include surveying food selections in local grocery stores, interviewing family members
and friends about the 1970s energy crisis and analyzing advertisement in their favorite T.V. shows.
Students integrate into discussions and essays known sociological, cultural and environmental data with their own
student collected data and self-reflection. Within these discussions and essays, students incorporate their
understanding of:
1) structures of socio-cultural systems,
2) various classifications of culture (real, ideal, material, symbolic, etc.),
3) relationships between biological and cultural systems,
4) cognized environments (views of one’s environment based on cultural perspectives),
5) societal changes from hunters and gatherers to an industrial society (including changes in family structures,
subsistence/non-subsistence roles, gender roles, etc.),
6) social, historical, political and economic factors leading to globalization,
7) concepts of environmental and social justice (particularly comparing the actions of more developed countries to
those of lesser developed countries),
8) influences of society and culture on consumption, population growth, food production, energy use and
transportation use (much of this is a comparison of self-reflection and student collected data with known data)
9) as well as environmentalism as a social movement.
SLO 3. Develop explanations for and explore solutions to historical or contemporary problems.
Students will investigate throughout the semester a sociological/environmental issue of their choice. An example
of an assignment is constructing, administering and analyzing a sociological survey on their chosen issue. Topics
such as recycling, invasive species effects on fishing, mass transportation issues and the use of renewable energy
in society are common choices.
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These surveys are administered to St. Cloud State University students. This student collected data is then
compared to known data from other sociological and environmental studies and conclusions and
recommendations are made by the students with regards to their chosen sociological/environmental issue.
In some sections of this course, students may participate in a service learning project. An example of a current
service learning project has been developing an ‘Adopt-A-Block’ program, where the class works to recruit
student organizations to adopt a block near campus. The student organizations not only clean their adopted
blocks, but seek ways to prevent litter and other undesirable issues in the neighborhood. In this way, students in
the class again work with the university population to evaluate a sociological/environmental issue in their
community and work to resolve the issue.
SLO 4. Reflect upon themselves in relation to family, communities, society, culture, and /or their histories.
Students will reflect on personal resource, food and energy consumption rates, as well as transportation use in
class discussions and in homework assignments. Within their discussions and essays they integrate known
sociological, cultural and environmental data with their own student collected data and self-reflection.
SLO 5. Apply and critique alternative explanatory systems or theories about human societies and behaviors.
Students will evaluate technological, economic and sustainable options to issues related to consumption,
population growth, food production, transportation and energy use in class discussions and in homework
assignments.
Students will critique two sociological/environmental future theories: a future without limits and a future with
limits.
15.
List or attach the Course Outline (adequately described and including percentage of time to be allocated
to each topic). Curriculum Committees may request additional information. Topics larger than 20% need
to be broken down further. Indicate in your course outline where the Student Learning Outcomes
checked above are being met.
1.
Introduction/review of the concepts of ecosystems, culture, and social systems. 5%. Student learning
outcome 2.
2.
History of societies: hunters and gatherers to a global society. Comparison of culture, cognized
environments, economies, technology, resource use, family structure, gender roles, healthcare, etc. among hunters
and gatherers, agricultural and industrial societies. 10%
3.
Current state of natural resources. 5%.
4.
Discussion of the principles of sustainability. 5%.
5.
Introduction of the concepts of environmental and social justice. 5%. Student learning outcomes 2, 3.
6.
Resource consumption, society and the environment. Comparison of U.S. and global rates of
consumption. Reflection on personal consumption rates. Evaluation of technological, economic, sustainable
options to issues related to consumption. 12%. Student learning outcomes 2, 3, 4.
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7.
Population, society and the environment. Comparison of U.S. and global rates of population growth.
Evaluation of technological, economic, sustainable options to issues related to population growth. 12%. Student
learning outcomes 2, 3, 4.
8.
Food, society and the environment. Comparison of U.S. and global food resources and production.
Reflection of personal food consumption. Evaluation of technological, economic, sustainable options to issues
related to food production. 12%. Student learning outcomes 2, 3, 4.
9.
Transportation, society and the environment. Comparison of U.S. and global transportation resources and
use. Reflection of personal transportation use. Evaluation of technological, economic, sustainable options to
issues related to food production. 12 %. Student learning outcomes 2, 3, 4.
10.
Energy, society and the environment. Comparison of U.S. and global energy resources and use.
Reflection of personal energy use. Evaluation of technological, economic, sustainable options to issues related to
food production. 12%. Student learning outcomes 2, 3, 4.
11.
Alternative futures. Summary of technological, economic, sustainable options to environmental and
societal issues. 10%. Student learning outcome 5.
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St. Cloud State University
General Education Transmittal Form
Academic Affairs Use Only:
Response Date:
Effective Date:
Proposal Number
Department:
Course or Course(s):
Department or Unit Chair Signature
Date
Department forward to Academic Affairs for publication and electronically to Chair of General Education Committee, Chair
of College Curriculum Committee, College Dean
Recommendation of General Education Committee:
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Remarks:
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Date
Recommendation of University Curriculum Committee:
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Approve
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FA Senate
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Action of Academic Vice President:
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Signature
Entered in Curriculum Data File
12/11/2009
Remarks:
Date