This course explores two central themes:

1. Environmental problems are human problems: They require understanding how people think, what they value, and the conditions under which they act most reasonably.
2. Human behavior in context: Human behavior is best understood within the framework of the environment, both present and evolutionary.

The course develops a model of human nature based on research in environmental psychology, exploring topics such as:

• Environmental perception and knowledge
• Preferred environments and coping with the failure of preference
• Mental attention fatigue and restoration

This model is then applied to issues like:

• Common property resource management
• The psychology of sustainability

This course is cross-disciplinary in both its emphasis and typical student population, drawing from fields such as:

• Natural resource policy, planning, and management
• Environmental education
• Conservation behavior
• Psychology
• Landscape architecture
• Urban planning