NRSM 426 Climate and Society
Instructor: Laurie Yung
laurie.yung@umontana.edu
Forestry 201A
243-6934
Course Description
This course examines the social, economic, and political aspects of climate change, with a focus on both
international and domestic processes and examples. Students will explore the social aspects of climate change
at multiple scales, from individual behavior to global governance. The course will draw on multiple
disciplinary perspectives within the social sciences to examine the socioeconomic impacts of climate change,
and the social and political sides of mitigation and adaptation. The course provides a window into the complex
interactions between scales, actors, and society and environment.
Course Objectives
Students in this course will:
1. Understand the key social, economic, and political aspects of climate change.
2. Gain knowledge of the contributions of different social science disciplines to understanding and
addressing the problem of climate change
3. Improve writing, speaking, and analytical skills
Course Readings
Course readings are available on course reserve through the Mansfield Library. Go to www.lib.umt.edu and
click on the green Reserves tab. The password is: climate
Readings must be completed prior to class. To adequately prepare for class, students should be familiar with
the “facts” outlined in the reading (who, what, when, where, how, etc.) and carefully analyze and critique the
material presented (making connections to other readings, class discussions, and the policy process as a whole).
As you are reading, make notes about key points, questions you have, interesting issues raised, and connections
to other topics being covered in the course.
Course Schedule
Introduction
1/29
Thinking about Climate and Society
1/31 Climate Change 101
Dryzek, J.S., Norgaard, R.B. and D. Schlosberg. 2011. Climate Change and Society: Approaches and
Responses. In The Oxford Handbook of Climate and Society, Eds J.S. Dryzek, R.B. Norgaard, and D.
Schlosberg. Oxford University Press. pp 3-20.
Read these webpages: http://www.c2es.org/science-impacts/basics/faqs/climate-science
http://oceanservice.noaa.gov/education/literacy/climate_literacy.pdf
2/5
Climate Change 102
Steffen, W. 2011. A Truly Complex and Diabolical Policy Problem. In The Oxford Handbook of Climate and
Society, Eds J.S. Dryzek, R.B. Norgaard, and D. Schlosberg. Oxford University Press. pp 21-37.
Use these websites to explore your additional questions:
https://www.ipcc.unibe.ch/publications/wg1-ar4/faq/wg1_faqIndex.html
http://scienceblogs.com/illconsidered/2008/07/how-to-talk-to-a-sceptic/
Conceptualizing Impacts
2/7
Socioeconomic Impacts, International and Domestic
Climate Change: The Social and Economic Impacts. Earthwatch Institute. pp 1-8.
Drought in Eastern Africa. Encyclopedia of Earth.
American Security Project. Pay Now, Pay Later: Montana
Harvard Medical School. 2009. Climate Change and Health in Montana.
ClimateWise. Missoula County.
2/12 Equity and Justice, Burdens and Blame
Roberts, J.T. 2009. The International Dimension of Climate Justice and the Need for International Adaptation
Funding. Environmental Justice 2(4):185-190.
Demetriades, J. and E. Esplen. 2010. The Gender Dimensions of Poverty and Climate Change Adaptation. In
Social Dimensions of Climate Change: Equity and Vulnerability in a Warming World. Eds: R. Mearns and A.
Norton. Washington D.C.: The World Bank.
2/14 Vulnerability
Leichenko, R., Thomas, A., and M. Barnes. 2010. Vulnerability and Adaptation to Climate Change. In
Routledge Handbook of Climate and Society. Ed: C. Lever-Tracy. New York: Routledge. pgs 133-151.
Eakin, H. 2008. Human Vulnerability to Global Environmental Change. Encyclopedia of Earth.
2/19 Migration, Security, and Violent Conflict
Homer-Dixon, T. 2007. Terror in the Weather Forecast. The New York Times.
Executive Summary. National Security and the Threat of Climate Change. 2007. Center for Naval Analyses.
War and Climate Cycles. 2011. Encyclopedia of Earth.
Understanding Different Views of Climate Change
2/21 Polls and Public Opinion
More Say There Is Solid Evidence of Global Warming. 2012. The Pew Research Center.
Cooney, C. 2010. Climate Change Perceptions. Encyclopedia of Earth.
Leiserowitz, A.A. et al. 2012. Global Warming’s Six Americas in March 2012 and November 2011. Yale
Project on Climate Change Communication.
Leiserowitz, A.A., Maibach, E.W., Roser-Renouf, C., Smith, N. and E. Dawson. 2010.
Climategate, Public Opinion, and the Loss of Trust. Working Paper.
2/26 Tribes and Climate Change
Whyte, K. 2013. Justice Forward: Tribes, Adaptation, and Climate Responsibility. Climatic Change.
Facing the Storm: Indian Tribes, Climate-Induced Weather Extremes, and the Future for Indian Country. 2011.
National Wildlife Federation.
Introduction to Indigenous Perspectives on the Changing Arctic. 2009. International Arctic Science Committee.
Encyclopedia of Earth.
2/28 Evangelical Christians and Climate Change Beliefs
Carr, W., Patterson, M.E., Yung, L., & Spencer, D. 2012. The Faithful Skeptics: Evangelical Religious Beliefs
and Perceptions of Climate Change. Journal for the Study of Religion, Nature, and Culture 6(3):276-299.
3/5
Politics, Ideology, and Science
Kahan, D., Jenkins-Smith, H. and D. Braman. 2011. Cultural Cognition of Scientific Consensus. Journal of Risk
Research 14(2):147-174.
3/7
Media and Communication
Boykoff, M.T. and J. Smith. 2010. Media Presentations of Climate Change. In Routledge Handbook of Climate
and Society. Ed: C. Lever-Tracy. New York: Routledge. pgs 210-218.
Moser, S.C. and L. Dilling. 2011. Communicating Climate Change: Closing the Science-Action Gap. In The
Oxford Handbook of Climate and Society, Eds J.S. Dryzek, R.B. Norgaard, and D. Schlosberg. Oxford
University Press. pgs 161-174.
3/12
TBD
3/14 Understanding Climate Change Denial
WATCH: PBS FRONTLINE: Climate of Doubt, October 23, 2012 (53 minutes):
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/climate-of-doubt/
Kahan, D.M., Peters, E., Wittlin, M., Slovic, P., Ouellette, L.L., Braman, D. and G. Mandel. 2012. The
Polarizing Impact of Science Literacy and Numeracy on Perceived Climate Change Risks. Nature Climate
Change 2: 732–735.
Norgaard, K. 2011. Climate Denial: Emotion, Psychology, Culture, and Political Economy. In The Oxford
Handbook of Climate and Society, Eds J.S. Dryzek, R.B. Norgaard, and D. Schlosberg. Oxford University
Press.
3/19 Public Views of Ecological Change in National Parks
Craig, D. and L. Yung. What Do We Know About Public Views of Rapid Environmental Change in and
Conservation Goals for U.S. National Parks? A Review of Existing Literature. White Paper.
3/21 Working Ranchers, Climate Change Beliefs, and Adaptation
Yung, L., Phear, N. and A. DuPont. How Working Ranchers Respond to and Negotiate Ongoing Drought in
Montana.
Navigating Decisions at Multiple Scales
3/26 Behavior Change I
Ropke, I. 2010. Ecological Economics: Consumption Drivers and Impacts. In Routledge Handbook of Climate
and Society. Ed: C. Lever-Tracy. New York: Routledge. pp 121-130.
Gifford, R. 2011. The Dragons of Inaction: Psychological Barriers that Limit Climate Change Mitigation and
Adaptation. American Psychologist 66(4): 290-302.
3/28 Behavior Change II
Ockwell, D., O’Neill, S. and L. Whitmarsh. 2010. Behavioral Insights: Motivating Individual Emissions Cuts
Through Communication. In Routledge Handbook of Climate and Society. Ed: C. Lever-Tracy. New York:
Routledge. pp 341-350.
4/9
Behavior Change III
Walser, M. 2010. Carbon Footprint. Encyclopedia of Earth.
Complete carbon footprint exercise prior to class
4/11 Social Movements
No reading today
4/16 Domestic Policy I
Hahnel, R. 2010. A Climate Change Policy Primer. Z Space.
Bulkekey, H. 2011. Cities and Subnational Governments. In The Oxford Handbook of Climate and Society,
Eds J.S. Dryzek, R.B. Norgaard, and D. Schlosberg. Oxford University Press.
Diesendorf, M. 2011. Redesigning Energy Systems. In The Oxford Handbook of Climate and Society, Eds J.S.
Dryzek, R.B. Norgaard, and D. Schlosberg. Oxford University Press.
4/18 Domestic Policy II
No reading today
4/23 Global Governance and International Policy I
Primer on the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). New Zealand Youth
Delegation Policy Team. 2010.
Harris, R. 2011. Reconceptualizing Global Governance. In The Oxford Handbook of Climate and Society, Eds
J.S. Dryzek, R.B. Norgaard, and D. Schlosberg. Oxford University Press.
4/25 Global Governance and International Policy II
No reading today
4/30 Public Engagement and Geoengineering
Corner, A. and N. Pidgeon. 2010. Geoengineering the Climate: The Social and Ethical Implications.
Environment 52(1):24-37.
New Approaches
5/2
Resilience and Systems Thinking
Nelson, D.R., W.N. Adger and K. Brown. 2007. Adaptation to Environmental Change: Contributions of a
Resilience Framework. Annual Review of Environment and Resources, Vol. 32:395-419.
5/7
Deliberative Transformation
O’Brien, K. 2012. From Adaptation to Deliberative Transformation. Progress in Human Geography.
5/9
Alternative Futures: New Forms of Capitalism, New Lifestyles
Klein, N. 2011. Capitalism versus the Climate. The Nation.
Leahy, T. 2010. Alternative Scenarios: Technological Optimism or Low Energy Futures. In Routledge
Handbook of Climate and Society. Ed: C. Lever-Tracy. New York: Routledge. pp 280-296.
5/13
Research papers due by 5:00 pm
5/15
Finals week meeting 1:10-3:10
Student presentations
Evaluation
Assignment
Participation
In-class response essays
Research paper
Short presentation
Percentage of Final Grade
10%
30%
40%
20%
Participation
Students are expected to take an active role in their education in this course, and course grades will be based, in
part, on student participation. Participation includes attendance, punctuality, attentiveness, effort, and being
prepared for class (having completed any assignments, including the reading for that day). Participation also
means offering one's thoughts, ideas, opinions, and questions during class. There will be frequent opportunities
for discussion during class, providing time for you to explore the complexity of social processes and, in
particular, work on issues you find confusing. Your participation grade is not based on knowing the "right"
answers or the quantity or length of your comments (in fact, concise and succinct comments, where appropriate,
are favorable), but rather on your willingness to contribute, evidence that you have completed and thought
through material presented in the reading, and the quality of your contributions. In addition to talking in class,
participation includes respect for differing opinions. Students who arrive late, miss class, fail to do readings on
time, and/or do not engage in class discussions will be penalized.
In-Class Response Essays
Throughout the semester, students will be asked to respond to course material (readings, films, lectures) through
short in-class essays. Essays must demonstrate a basic understanding of the material and thoughtful analysis of
the key issues.
Research Paper
Students will be required to write a research paper on a topic relevant to the course. Papers need to focus on a
relatively specific topic (e.g. wind energy development on tribal lands, small island adaptation to sea level rise,
what motivates people to take public transportation, China and India in international climate change
negotiations). Drafts are due on March 28th. Drafts will not be graded, but you will receive feedback to
improve your final paper. Final papers are due on May 13th by 5:00 pm (please feel free to email them to me).
Research papers must be clearly written, utilize evidence to support arguments/assertions, and provide a
thoughtful, detailed analysis of the topic. Papers should be 8-10 pages long, 12 point font, double-spaced. Intext citations (e.g. the last name of the author and the year of the publication in parentheses) and a bibliography
must be used (you may use any standard format for your bibliography, just be consistent). Be sure to use
quotation marks for any direct quotes from publications (you need to paraphrase and cite ideas that come from
publications; you need to use quotation marks and cites for direct quotes from publications). Be sure to briefly
introduce your topic/issue and spend the bulk of your paper on a detailed analysis of that topic, supporting your
argument/claims with evidence from publications or other materials. Evidence can include results from
scientific studies, quotes from politicians, the public, and others, historical information, anecdotes and
examples, etc. To produce a high quality paper (an A paper), you will need to: Spend time in the literature,
reading articles, reports, and other documents on your topic. Carefully outline an argument/flow of ideas for
your paper. Write clearly! Support your arguments/claims with evidence (and citations). Provide your own
insights and analysis.
Short Presentation
Students will be required to provide a 5-minute presentation on their research paper topic on May 15th. This
presentation must be clear and concise and convey the key points of their analysis. You will not have time to
use powerpoint, but you are welcome (but not required) to provide a handout for the class. Be sure to focus on
your key points and practice to ensure that you do not exceed the 5 minute limit.
General Grading and Attendance Policies
Because your presence in class has an important affect on your learning, attendance will be recorded and
counted toward your participation grade. There will be no penalty for missing three class periods. Missing
more than three class periods will affect your grade. If you have an emergency that interferes with attendance,
please let me know and I will take the circumstances into account (but please know that I may ask for
documentation).
If you miss class at any time, you are responsible for inquiring about any missed in-class essays. Late research
papers will be accepted, but your grade will be lowered at least one letter grade (and potentially more depending
on your circumstances and how late the paper is – bottom line: if you are late with your research paper, you
should still turn it in, but get it to me as soon as possible).
Please note that this class is offered for traditional letter grade only; it is not offered under the credit/no credit
option.
All students must practice academic honesty. Academic misconduct is subject to an academic penalty by the
course instructor and/or a disciplinary sanction by the University. All students need to be familiar with the
Student Conduct Code. The Code is available for review online at:
http://life.umt.edu/vpsa/student_conduct.php.
Grading Scale
Final course grades will be determined based on the following scale:
93-100 A
90-92
A88-89
B+
83-87
B
80-82
B78-79
C+
73-77
C
70-72
C68-69
D+
63-67
D
60-62
D59F
Important Deadlines for Changing Course Options
February 5
Last day for students to Add classes via CyberBear without
consent of instructor.
February 6
Beginning today all class registration adds must be done via the
Override Form or and Electronic Override done through
February 15
February 16-April 8
(45th instructional day)
April 9-May 10
CyberBear. Consent of instructor is required.
 Last day to withdraw from the semester (drop all courses) with a
partial refund.
 Last day to change grading option to or from audit.
 Last day to Buy or Refuse health insurance coverage or add
clinical health fee.
Dropping a course requires a drop/add form with instructor and
advisor signature. There is a 10$ fee at registrar’s office.
At this point in the semester students are only allowed to drop a
class under very limited and unusual circumstances. Not doing
well in the class, deciding you are concerned about how the class
grade might affect your GPA, deciding you did not want to take
the class after all, or deciding you want to change majors are not
among those limited and unusual circumstances. If you want to
drop a class for these sorts of reasons, make sure you do so before
April 8.