2012-2013 Academic Catalog

May 02, 2026

2012-2013 Academic Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

GEOG 022 - Why Global Warming Matters

Type of Course: Lecture, Discussion, First Year Seminar

Climate change (global warming)is the single greatest problem facing the planet today. Or is it? In this seminar students will peel away the rhetoric surrounding global climate change, so that they may be able to understand why this issue matters not only to international policy makers but also to individuals and their daily lives. Topics for exploration will focus on the causes and consequences of climate change and justification (and options) for action. The breadth of areas the climate-change issue intersects - including but not limited to politics, economy, ecology, epistemology, ethics - suggests that global warming is a crucial integrating theme for the discipline of geography and, more importantly, the intellectual foundation of a well-rounded student. Fulfills the Values Perspective (VP). First preference for enrollment will be given to students interested in the following Clark majors: geography, global environmental studies, and environmental science and policy. Others will be admitted on a space-available basis. Offered periodically as a first year seminar and as a lecture course.