Dr. Raoul L\u00edevanos<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\u201cSome of the best stuff in environmental sociology is really drawing on other branches of sociology, because so much of the earlier [work]\u2026 is really trying to bridge this analytical split between social sciences and biophysical\/environmental sciences and bring it together,\u201d L\u00edevanos said.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut there\u2019s a whole lot of sociology that is important to understanding environmental-societal interactions.\u201d<\/p>\n
L\u00edevanos is collaborating with professor Christine Horne on a project that seeks to understand the causes of power outages in the Pacific Northwest. Further, sociology professor Julie Kmec is working with Kennedy on a project that seeks to understand the interplay between work, gender, and environmentalism across 30 different countries. Johnson and Jennifer Schwartz, associate professor of sociology, are also collaborating on a project that analyzes women\u2019s roles in environmental crime.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think there\u2019s room to maneuver\u2026. My take is that, not only is there diversity, we\u2019re pushing the boundaries of what environmental sociology is,\u201d L\u00edevanos said. \u201cIt\u2019s going to be environment, broadly construed, and how you want to understand that in relation to social systems.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cEARThS\u201d (Environment, Agriculture, Resources, Technology, and Society), an interdisciplinary graduate student organization led by sociology students, complements the faculty\u2019s diverse approach to environmental issues. EARThS is hosting an all-day research symposium, including a keynote speech by Dr. Debra Davidson, a lead author on the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.<\/p>\n
EARThS provides additional graduate training beyond coursework, such as experience in presenting research in a semi-professional way and in receiving reasoned critique. It can help students develop the “thick skin” needed to navigate the job market, L\u00edevanos said.<\/p>\n
The current departmental focus on environmental sociology continues a long tradition of the study at WSU. Environmental sociology founders Dunlap and Catton first collaborated at WSU in 1972. Their shared interests in understanding the human causes of environmental degradation led to foundational works in environmental sociology. Dunlap\u2019s focus on environmental attitudes and Catton\u2019s research emphasis on human ecology proved to be a productive collaboration. The faculty additions of Bill Freudenburg, who studied social impact assessment, and Gene Rosa, an expert on energy, in 1978 cemented the department\u2019s interest in society-environment connections.<\/p>\n
The four former faculty members together crafted new courses that established WSU as the only university at the time to offer a graduate education specialization in environmental sociology. Eventually, Dunlap, Catton, Rosa, and Freudenburg became worldwide leaders in the sociological study of the environment.<\/p>\n
Today, a new set of scholars hopes to continue the pursuit of new environmental sociology knowledge and train graduate students in ways to connect environmental topics to broader sociological themes.<\/p>\n
“There’s been an insular focus on environmental sociology where [sociologists studying environmental issues only] talked to each other, but I think all of us are speaking back to the discipline, which is going to give you stronger training as an environmental sociologist,\u201d Kennedy said.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Establishing the new environmental sociology at WSU by Pierce Greenberg and Don Dillman An exciting new group of sociologists at WSU are taking a diverse approach to studying the environment, covering an array of topics related to environmental inequality, concern, and behavior. These scholars are breaking new ground in the field, while drawing upon the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1013,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"template-builder.php","meta":[],"wsuwp_university_location":[],"wsuwp_university_org":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/soc.wsu.edu\/socnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/132"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/soc.wsu.edu\/socnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/soc.wsu.edu\/socnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/soc.wsu.edu\/socnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1013"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/soc.wsu.edu\/socnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=132"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/soc.wsu.edu\/socnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/132\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":170,"href":"https:\/\/soc.wsu.edu\/socnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/132\/revisions\/170"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/soc.wsu.edu\/socnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=132"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"wsuwp_university_location","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/soc.wsu.edu\/socnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/wsuwp_university_location?post=132"},{"taxonomy":"wsuwp_university_org","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/soc.wsu.edu\/socnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/wsuwp_university_org?post=132"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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