The broad goal of this course is to cultivate a critical theoretical understanding of the relation between the society and nature, and develop a nuanced perspective of thinking about environmental problems. More particularly, the objectives of this course are: 1) To locate environmental politics within the context of broader social, political and economic dynamics; 2) To learn about alternative forms of being and knowing that challenge common anthropocentric thinking; 3) To develop familiarity with the political ecological dimension of the global and local environmental problems, policies, and social movements.