The last three hundred years capitalism has generated a relationship between nature-society based on the commodification and exploitation of both human labor and nature. This relationship is entrenched in our societal organization, has impacted our ways of life on a global scale, and has transformed the planet in ways that compromise critical systems for life. The course Human (Social) Dimensions of Global Environmental Change provides an overview of the drivers of planetary transformations and an in-depth case-based exploration of the effects of and responses to global environmental change (GEC).

A key requirement of the course is the development of an approved contribution to Wikipedia. The students will create a new Wikipedia article or substantially revise an existing one. The assignments are staged with separately graded tasks. Each person will do their own work, but you will work in teams of three/four where all work on a similar or related topic. One of the three/four will become a writing expert, one a fact checker, and one/two a Wikipedia expert.