1) Human-environment systems examines how humans interact with and shape cultural and natural landscapes through things like land use and spatial distributions.
2) Environmental sociology views human societies and the environment as continuously interacting and integrating, with an emphasis on how social factors cause environmental problems and how societies address them.
3) A key principle of human-environment systems is that human societies do not exist independently of the environment but are deeply affected by their surrounding physical conditions.
1) Human-environment systems examines how humans interact with and shape cultural and natural landscapes through things like land use and spatial distributions.
2) Environmental sociology views human societies and the environment as continuously interacting and integrating, with an emphasis on how social factors cause environmental problems and how societies address them.
3) A key principle of human-environment systems is that human societies do not exist independently of the environment but are deeply affected by their surrounding physical conditions.
1) Human-environment systems examines how humans interact with and shape cultural and natural landscapes through things like land use and spatial distributions.
2) Environmental sociology views human societies and the environment as continuously interacting and integrating, with an emphasis on how social factors cause environmental problems and how societies address them.
3) A key principle of human-environment systems is that human societies do not exist independently of the environment but are deeply affected by their surrounding physical conditions.
1) Human-environment systems examines how humans interact with and shape cultural and natural landscapes through things like land use and spatial distributions.
2) Environmental sociology views human societies and the environment as continuously interacting and integrating, with an emphasis on how social factors cause environmental problems and how societies address them.
3) A key principle of human-environment systems is that human societies do not exist independently of the environment but are deeply affected by their surrounding physical conditions.
1. Distinguish the ways by which human-environment interactions shape cultural and natural landscapes 2. Interpret thematic and mental maps to understand landscape changes and an individual’s sense of place 3. Explain environmental and social issues through the analysis of spatial distributions and spatial processes Human-Environment Systems The Development and Origin As a social science, the origins of human-environment systems did not actually begin with society itself, but rather with ecological themes. This dominant ideology began with the study of ecology, the natural science. Ecology is defined as “the branch of biology that deals with the relations of organisms to one another and to their physical surroundings.” This includes all living things, and their daily co-existence with the environment. At this level, ecology has not yet reached the level of human- environment systems or what others call ‘human ecology.’ However, the basic principle of ecology serves as one of the foundations of human- environment systems. The Theory There is no clear definition for human environment system, as it crosses multiple disciplines at once such as ecology, sociology and environmental demographics. However, one good description of human environment system can be seen in environmental sociology. Environmental sociology is typically defined as the sociological study of societal-environmental interactions, although this definition immediately presents the problem of integrating human cultures with the rest of the environment. (Schaefer, 2016) The primary thrust of this theory is that the two parties: humans and the environment, are in a state of continuous interaction and integration. “Although the focus of the field is the relationship between society and environment in general, environmental sociologists typically place special emphasis on studying the social factors that cause environmental problems, the societal impacts of those problems, and efforts to solve the problems. In addition, considerable attention is paid to the social processes by which certain environmental conditions become socially defined as problems.” (Schaefer, 2016)
Course Module What makes this theory a dominant ideology is the fact that it incorporates society’s daily function and process with it’s external environment, and how nature itself plays a role in the total picture of social daily living. Human-environment system means that society does not live in a blank, dysfunctional world, but rather a world that affects society greatly.
Glossary Environment – surroundings; the totality of things that in any way may affect an organism, including both physical and cultural conditions; a region characterized by a certain set of physical conditions Environmental Sociology – the sociological study of societal- environmental interactions
References Macionis, J. (2012). Sociology (14th Edition). Singapore: Pearson Education South Asia Pte Ltd. Schaefer, R. (2006). Sociology: A Brief Introduction. New York: McGraw-Hill Higher Education. White, Robert (2004). Controversies in Environmental Sociology. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
