ERSC303 - Conservation of Natural Resources

Course Code: ERSC303 Course ID: 4746 Credit Hours: 3 Level: Undergraduate

This course examines the ways in which modern economies use and conserve natural resources, and how the use of those resources impacts the environment. Resources are defined not just by their physical properties. They are, in part culturally defined. This necessitates investigating how cultures conceptualize resources, how economies value resources and what political and social institutions have been created to manage resource use. The extraction and use of resources has consequences for societies and their physical environment. This course explores these consequences through a survey of the major categories of resources and the issues associated with their extraction, use and conservation. It also examines the prospects for establishing more sustainable resource management. (Prerequisite: GEOG103)