• The student should be able to define an ecosystem and explain how it works and impacts on environmental problems.

• The student should be able to explain the five major social and cultural sources of environmental problems.

• The student should be able to describe how each of the three sociological perspectives describes and explains environmental problems.

• The student should be able to explain the process of the social construction of environmental problems, provide some historical examples of how this has happened, and explain why it is important.

• The student should be able to describe the extent and current status of a variety of specific environmental problems, such as water pollution, solid and toxic wastes, and so on.

• The student should be able to describe the various programs and actions that are being taken now, or might be taken in the future, to help alleviate environmental problems and to assess the effectiveness of these various options.

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