Haida Gwaii Online Learning Summer Term 1 2022

HGSE 381 - Ecological Economics

Instructor: Dr. Katie Kish

Course schedule: Mondays and Wednesdays from 10:00am to 12:30pm Pacific

To watch a video with Dr. Kish discussing the course, please click here

The emerging discipline of ecological economics has been influenced by the intersection of political, economic and ecological systems. This course will be divided into two parts: the first part will look at the underlying philosophy and principles of ecological economics and the basic concepts of ecological economics such as economic low-growth, ecosystem services, valuation of nature. The course will have students question current measures of ‘progress’, comparing conventional measures (of wealth and growth) with those that incorporate environmental components, and we will discuss their usefulness – both conceptually as well as in various policy settings, including Haida Gwaii. The second part focus will shift to the implications of a radical reorientation of a political economy. Drawing on lessons learned from the HGSE 381B, students will look at cascading effects of change, unintended consequences of change, and why it might be difficult to separate our ecological goals from our political realities.

No prior education or experience in economics is required for this course.