The course will help students understand how to develop a social-environmental systems perspective for the analysis of environmental science and sustainability challenges. Case studies of environmental challenges from diverse contexts will illustrate how issues of environmental and social justice are inextricably connected. Through a critical examination of the impact of markets, culture and institutions, we will look at how technology and individual behavioural changes only provide, at best, partial approaches to addressing environmental challenges. Through a guided analysis of environmental interventions, students will be able to understand the potential of systemic, structural approaches to tackling environmental challenges, and the importance of working cooperatively, using adaptive approaches to fit evolving social-environmental contexts.