2025
Nature, Society and Ideology
Name: Nature, Society and Ideology
Code: PAO10044O
6 ECTS
Duration: 15 weeks/156 hours
Scientific Area:
Environment and Ecology Sciences
Teaching languages: Portuguese
Languages of tutoring support: Portuguese
Presentation
This course aims to provide a perspective on the relationship between human communities and natural realities, paying attention to the ways of knowing, power and acting that so much affect the ways in which societies imagine themselves in relation to the natural, and how the natural is experienced, symbolized and used. It intends to debate the discourses, the situations de facto and the contemporary political ideologies on the issue of development and sustainability.
Sustainable Development Goals
Learning Goals
The objective of this course is to contribute to critical thinking on Man-Nature relationship, analyzing the current paradigms and the great narratives, the appreciation and valuing of the natural elements and the ideologization of Nature.
Contents
1. The human species - nature relationship.
Visions and attitudes of man towards nature.
The evolution of the development paradigms in relation to the environment
The New Ecological Paradigm and the phases of the "great narrative"
Arguments for the nature conservation
The experience of nature in its multiple levels - from comfort to transcendence. Nature and emotional experience.
Thoreau, Emerson, Muir. Biophilia.
2. Valuing the natural elements
Concept of value, criteria
Goods and ecological services, tangible and intangible, with and without market value
Methods used in Ecological Economics
Rethinking methods and value setting criteria
3. Symbolics of landscape
Symbols, myths, memories
The poetics of landscape. Landscape, visual culture and literature.
4. Ethics
Ethics of life, animal ethics, environmental ethics, eco-ethics
Aldo Leopold and the land ethic, Arne Naess and Deep Ecology.
Religion and ethis: despotism vs. custodia
Case studies. Difficulties, dilemmas, pragmatism
5. Nature and Ideology
New appreciations of Nature. Science and ideology
The ideology of natural and green, the greenophilia, eco-fetichism, environmental radicalisms, green in advertisement and politics, eco-socialism, eco-feminism
Environmentalism and religion. The sacred nature. The new religions of nature, neo-paganism.
Visions and attitudes of man towards nature.
The evolution of the development paradigms in relation to the environment
The New Ecological Paradigm and the phases of the "great narrative"
Arguments for the nature conservation
The experience of nature in its multiple levels - from comfort to transcendence. Nature and emotional experience.
Thoreau, Emerson, Muir. Biophilia.
2. Valuing the natural elements
Concept of value, criteria
Goods and ecological services, tangible and intangible, with and without market value
Methods used in Ecological Economics
Rethinking methods and value setting criteria
3. Symbolics of landscape
Symbols, myths, memories
The poetics of landscape. Landscape, visual culture and literature.
4. Ethics
Ethics of life, animal ethics, environmental ethics, eco-ethics
Aldo Leopold and the land ethic, Arne Naess and Deep Ecology.
Religion and ethis: despotism vs. custodia
Case studies. Difficulties, dilemmas, pragmatism
5. Nature and Ideology
New appreciations of Nature. Science and ideology
The ideology of natural and green, the greenophilia, eco-fetichism, environmental radicalisms, green in advertisement and politics, eco-socialism, eco-feminism
Environmentalism and religion. The sacred nature. The new religions of nature, neo-paganism.
Teaching Methods
Presentation of videos and texts.
Discussion of literature.
Student's assessment is continuous and involves the components usually used in on-line courses - production and discussion of essays and glossaries, debates, literature reviews, net searching.
Discussion of literature.
Student's assessment is continuous and involves the components usually used in on-line courses - production and discussion of essays and glossaries, debates, literature reviews, net searching.
Teaching Staff (2024/2025 )
Certificações
