Course Content and Outcomes Guides (CCOG)

CCOG for ATH 213 Winter 2025


Course Number:
ATH 213
Course Title:
Environment, Food, and Resilience
Credit Hours:
4
Lecture Hours:
40
Lecture/Lab Hours:
0
Lab Hours:
0

Course Description

Explores contemporary, historical and ancient examples of human interactions with the environment from an anthropological perspective. Covers concepts, theories and methods of environmental anthropology. Describes systems of power and social justice issues such as colonialism, climate change, and sustainability and their impact on traditional economic systems, subsistence patterns, diets, nutrition, or water, land, plant, animal and fish resource conservation and management. Compares different cultural values, norms and world views about humans, nature and the environment from a cross-cultural perspective. Prerequisites: WR 115, RD 115 and MTH 20 or equivalent placement test scores.

Intended Outcomes for the course

Upon completion of the course students should be able to:

  1. Describe different kinds of human and environmental interactions in ancient, historical, or contemporary societies from an anthropological perspective.

  2. Apply anthropological concepts, theories, and methods to the study of human and environmental interactions.

  3. Explain how systems of power or social justice issues impact the diets,  nutrition,  subsistence patterns,  or economic values and  systems of different societies from a cross-cultural perspective.

  4. Compare different cultural, values, norms, and world views about humans,  nature, and the environment from an anthropological perspective.  

Social Inquiry and Analysis

Students completing an associate degree at Portland Community College will be able to apply methods of inquiry and analysis to examine social contexts and the diversity of human thought and experience.

General education philosophy statement

Philosophy Statement The content of this course complements material about cross cultural subsistence patterns, economic systems and environmental adaptation presented in introductory cultural anthropology classes at PCC. This course introduces students to the field of environmental anthropology. By taking this course, students will develop critical and analytical skills to examine different kinds of human-environment interactions in ancient, historical and contemporary societies. The course also compares different cultural concepts values, norms and world views related to humans, nature and the environment. Students will also study the impact of social institutions, such as law and politics, and systems of power, such as colonialism, on traditional cultural values, norms, world views and subsistence patterns. In addition, the class will explore the economic values, practices and systems of foraging, herding, marine or agricultural societies from a cross-cultural perspective. Students will critically reflect on their own values, identity and experiences with nature and the environment. They will also develop a deeper sense of cultural and environmental awareness and responsibility be exploring social justice issues related to sustainability, climate change, water, land, animal or other resource management, conservation problems or cultural resilience from a cross-cultural perspective.

Aspirational Goals

To apply the knowledge gained in the class to help resolve both enduring and contemporary problems in the world with particular attention to the linkage between  humans, subsistence, cultural resilience, climate change and environmental adaptation.

  • Prepare students for upper division course work in environmental anthropology
  • Increase cultural awareness and appreciation of other societies and their traditional environmental knowledge and practices
  • Contribute to internationalization efforts across the curriculum
  • Deepen student  environmental awareness and sense of individual or community responsibility
  • Create CBL learning opportunities through collaboration with community partners such as local environmental agencies and  cultural resource management firms.

Course Activities and Design

Course Activities may include any or all of the following:

  • lectures
  • class exercises
  • presentations
  • demonstrations
  • discussions
  • documentary film viewing and analysis
  • guest speakers
  • field trips
  • community based learning activities

Outcome Assessment Strategies

Assessment strategies may include any or all of the following:

  •  class discussions 
  • midterm and final exams 
  •  papers
  • quizzes
  •  small-group exercises
  •  field exercises
  • projects
  • community based learning exercises or assessments
  •  student presentations

Course Content (Themes, Concepts, Issues and Skills)

 

Themes

  • human and environmental interactions in ancient, historic and contemporary cultures
  • ethnographic examples of cultural adaptation. resilience and sustainability
  • cross cultural comparisons of traditional environmental knowledge and practices in foraging, herding,  marine or agricultural societies
  • water, plant, animal, land conservation and management in an era of climate change
  • impacts of colonialism and climate change on diet, nutrition, economic systems and practices, and people's relationships with nature and the environment
  • concepts, theories and methods of environmental anthropology

Issues:

  • climate change
  • colonialism
  • environmental destruction
  • impact of colonialism and climate change on diet and nutrition
  • cultural resilience
  • cultural adaptation to changing environmental conditions
  • water, animal, plant, fish and land conservation and management

Concepts:

  • cultural adaptation
  • cultural relativism
  • ethnocentrism
  • cultural ecology
  • cultural resilience
  • environmental conservation
  • cultural resource management

Skills:

  • read and write at the college level