University General Course Catalog 2025-2026 
    
    Dec 05, 2025  
University General Course Catalog 2025-2026

SOC 459 - Social Dilemmas of Climate Change

(3 units) CO11, CO13
Sociological understanding of climate change.  Focuses on social, economic, organizational, and cultural dilemmas of global climate transformation, including: carbon-based production and consumption patterns, population growth, health effects, migration patterns, inequalities and social conflicts, and cultural perceptions of climate. 

Maximum units a student may earn: 3

Prerequisite(s): SOC 101  or ENV 101  or SOC 235  or PSC 211  or PSC 231  

Grading Basis: Graded
Units of Lecture: 3
Offered: Every Spring - Even Years

Student Learning Outcomes
Upon completion of this course, students will be able to:
1. analyze differential responsibilities for climate change and the unequal impacts across global societies.
2. identify and explain how social structures and cultural practices contribute to the causes, challenges, and solutions of climate change.
3. integrate and synthesize core knowledge to analyze the open-ended problems and complex issues presented by the social causes of climate change, and the social structures that inhibit mitigation or adaptation.


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