Human Development Index

Post by Rachel Detherage ENR 2300 (SU 2013)
The Human Development Index (HDI) calculates the rate of development per country by measuring three developmental indicators. These indicators (life expectancy, education, and standard of living) are important for studying developing countries and developed countries. The index calculates the average life expectancy of citizens in each country and is a great way to calculate the amount of resources (such as food and water) necessary for sustaining the human race. As we find ourselves on the verge of a natural resource crisis, the HDI is one of the best methods for determining how much we need to ration renewable and nonrenewable resources.  Calculating who uses the most resources helps determine who needs to cut back on those resources. According to the Human Development Reports website (http://hdr.undp.org/en/) the United States, Canada, and Australia are the top carbon dioxide emitters. Chad, the Congo, and Mali are among the lowest carbon dioxide emitters. Australia has joined the other developed countries like Germany, France, and Switzerland in trying to decrease their CO2 emissions. Other developed countries like Canada, the US, and China have decided to ignore the warnings and continue their harmful industrial practices.

More info can be found here!

Society and Natural Resource: Introduction to the course and online project

Society and Natural Resource came into being in the year 1998 at a faculty meeting where it was suggested that Society and Natural Resource can serve as a companion course focusing on human dimensions of environmental problems. the idea was well received and Dr. Heywood, the person who was rooting for the course was asked to develop the course.

The idea was to develop a course focusing on social science theories, where these social science theories act as perspectives to analyze and understand environmental and natural resource problems, issues and social conflicts that frequently developed.

There are three theories that remain as the foundation for this course: 1. Structural Functionalism, 2. Social Dilemmas and 3. Symbolic Interactionism.

As a General Education Curriculum (GEC) course, ENR 2300, fulfills the requirements for Category 2 Breadth: Social Science. Such courses develop students’ understanding of the systematic study of human behavior and cognition; of the structure of human societies, cultures, and institutions; and of the processes by which individuals, groups, and societies interact, communicate, and use human, natural, and economic resources.

Course objectives

At the conclusion of this course, students will be able to:

·     Describe key concepts and variables of three theories of social scientific inquiry – structural functionalism, social dilemmas, and symbolic interactionism.

·     Apply concepts from these theories to understand the complexity of coupled human and natural systems and potential policy and management responses to environmental challenges

·     Identify and explain the multiple factors and processes that influence the behaviors and decisions of individuals, society, and organizations

·     Examine the psychological and social factors that influence their own perspectives on today’s environmental challenges and potential responses

The Project:

This blog activity encourages students to find articles that are relevant to the course. Along with the article the students are also required to include a summary of the article an explain how it applies to the course concepts. The idea is to improve understanding of the course concepts and also enable students to apply those course concepts to the real world examples. This activity is also expected to trigger student's interest and awareness in various environment issues.