Interested in learning about conservation criminology? See the attached details on a fall 2018 3-credit graduate-level online course and share with your networks. Contact Meredith Gore (www.conservationcriminology.com) with questions, comments, or enrollment instructions.

COURSE DESCRIPTION

Increased globalization of illicit trade in natural resources endangers species survival, threatens the efficacy of sustainable development, deprives developing economies of billions of dollars in lost revenue opportunities, and fuels sociopolitical conflict. The United Nations identified the pace, sophistication, and scale of illegal trafficking of natural resources as an international “environmental crime crisis.” Governments around the world have acknowledged environmental crimes (EC) undermine efforts in development assistance and threaten national security; policies and programs continue to be developed in order to reduce risks to the US, its allies, and collective interests from ECs. Calls have been made for risk a management response that strengthens and synchronizes actions targeting coherent policy and behavior change interventions. One strategy to address these global and national threats is to develop better understanding of the causes and consequences of human behavior that underlie EC activities. Conservation criminology is one such strategy.

In this 3-credit online graduate-level course, we will discuss the:

·         main actors and social systems driving ECs as well as working to reduce EC-related risks;

·         first, second, and in some cases third order effects of EC on human, species, and socio-ecological systems

·         diversity and overarching characteristics of efforts to reduce risks to humans, species, and socio-ecological systems;

·         dominant theories of change theories from risk, conservation, and criminology related to the causes and consequences of EC; and

·         challenges and opportunities for the road ahead.

COURSE OBJECTIVES

By the end of the semester, students should be about the demonstrate the following:

1.      familiarity with the premise, ontology, and epistemology of conservation criminology;

2.      knowledge about the conservation criminology dimensions of contemporary ECs;

3.      critical evaluation of solutions for resolving EC-related risks using principles from class; and

4.      ability to robustly engage in interdisciplinary thinking, writing, and speaking with regards to the EC crisis.