In this course students will learn how to describe and measure the structure and function of human communities; and determine how different social and ethnic groups perceive and relate to the physical environment. We will discuss major environmental movements and describe social values, how they change, what influences them and how they result in policy reform and behavioral change. We will cover basic sociological theory including topics such as institutions, the nature of capitalism, and the philosophical underpinnings of resource management (e.g. property rights, religious traditions). The course will also cover basic political theory, with a focus on democracy and democratic processes. This course draws on methods and readings from a variety of disciplines, including social ecology, environmental sociology, rural sociology, social network theory, history, and anthropology.