Chronological and horological understanding of the genesis of relationships in the society - environment. The impact of population growth and social development on the environment, on a scale from local to global. The acquired specific competences (knowledge and skills) on geospatial contents (phenomena and processes) and their correlations are upgraded by additional theoretical and empirical interpretations of the relationship between society and nature, in a historical, current and perspective context. Understanding the complex of relationships and connections on a human society relationship - the environment, provides better competences for interpreting empirical facts and present theoretical concepts. Understanding the relationship between society and the physical environment will contribute to the understanding of the causes and consequences of the mechanisms of local, regional and global environmental problems. Also, there is no universal, lasting and essential solution for environmental problems, respectively, local and global sustainability. Training for competent participation in the development and implementation of the Local Environmental Action Plans and Local Sustainable Development Programs.

Acquiring the ability to understand theoretical concepts and practical application of knowledge in the field of social ecology. Improving the ability to perceive, analyze and generalize relationships and connections in complex systems of nature - society, nature - society - technology - ecology.

Theoretical lectures

1. Introduction to students with: the curriculum of the course Social ecology and its position in the realization of the curriculum of the study group Geospatial basics of the environment; dynamics, method of work and realization of the curriculum; instructions for selection, devising and realization of the essay topics.

2. Introductory considerations: ancient roots of ecological ideas and perceptions of the world; social ecology - origin and development, subject and method of study, basic concepts and position in the system of science; geographical and sociological roots of the genesis of social ecology; geographical monism and holistic concept of ecology as the gnoseological/epistemological basis of social ecology; mutual relations of social ecology and other related disciplines: general ecology, global ecology, human ecology and ecological sociology.

3. The contradiction of the development of nature and society, causes and consequences of ecological problems: space as a limited resource and condition; state and capacity of individual environmental media (atmosphere, hydrosphere, pedosphere, biosphere); growing population and declining resource availability; changes in the environment (deforestation, desertification, acidification...) and ecological capacity of space.

4. Developmental contradictions of nature and society as the basis of ecological problems: the ecological capacity of the planet and the perspectives of demographic and economic-geographical growth and development; ecological and social polarization of space; ecological footprint (population growth and living standards); the coincidence of the contemporary economic and ecological crisis; the change of the paradigm of existence - people used to live out of nature but now they have to live with it; a geospace as a super tank and a super landfill.

5. Theoretical considerations and perceptions of the human-society-environment system: the historical development of the view on the relation of man and his environment; civil theory and approaches to the problem of the environment; naturalistic approaches (biological determinism, genetic determinism, social-organicism, geographical determinism); sociological approaches (malthusianism, neo-malthusianism, economic determinism, technological determinism, ecological determinism).

6. Culture and environment: about the system of cultures - society - space; culture as the main feature of society and space, culture as the most important social product and the mediator between nature and society; culture as a factor of transformation of the environment in accordance with the needs of society and the manner of adjustment of society to the conditions of the environment; culture as the basic factor of human society's action on the environment; cultural concepts as determinants of the influence of society on the transformation of living and non-living, natural and social subsystems of the environment; a positive correlation between the growth of violence in society and violence against nature; processes of cultural and biological homogenization.

7. Landscape evolution and environmental systems: phases of social development and cultural landscape (Paleolithic epoch, agrarian revolution, industrial revolution, postindustrial society); environmental systems: original natural areas, anthropogenic alterations or cultural natural areas, anthropogenic cultural or socio-economic areas).

8. Social condition of the ecological crisis: chronological and horological analysis of technical and technological progress, that is the influence of the society on the environment and the first ecological crisis (local-regional); the impact of industrial society and demographic growth on the environment - the onset of the global ecological crisis; the evolution of ecological problems from pre-industrial (static) to industrial (dynamic) cities; urban transition and ecological crisis; cities as "parasites" of the biosphere; ecological interaction of urban systems and environments, or ecosystems of "suppliers".

9. Globalization and the environment: the basic characteristics and tendencies of globalization and the impact on the environment; global environmental problems; global society and global attitude towards the environment; international conferences and declarations, Agenda 21; ecological imperative; ecological management.

10. Religions and ecology: early forms of belief (totemism, animism, ... magic, fetishism) and the environment; the religion of ancient societies and the environment; ecumenical religions; Judeo-Christian culture and environment, ideology and ecology; ecology as ideology.

11. Sustainable Development: Economics and Ecology; critique of growth ideology (growth limits, zero growth, sustainable development); the genesis of the idea of ​​sustainability - from forestry to the modern concept of sustainable development; institutionalization of the concept of sustainable development; objectives and criticism of the concept of sustainable development; theory and practice of sustainable development; boundaries of growth and border growth; indicators of sustainability.

12. Sustainable development in practice: ecological history; devastated and extinguished local and regional communities due to ecological collapse; change the way to sustainability; sustainable development strategy in practice; LEAP; local action plan for sustainable development; local agenda 21, conservation based on community (OUNS); NEAP.

13. The relationship between "deep" and "shallow" ecology, anthropocentric and biocentric view of the world: conditions of development, development and contemporary meaning of "shallow" and "social" ecology as new ecological paradigms. Ecological conscience; ecosophy approach (Naess); ecological ethics.

14. Education and the environment: education functions; education in tradition and modernity; ecological education; education for nature protection and sustainable development; ecologization of pedagogy (response to the crisis of education) and pedagogization of ecology (response to the ecological crisis).

15. Recapitulation of contents of the thematic units in Social ecology.

Practical lectures

Analysis of recent disproportions (locally, regionally, globally) on the geospatial characteristics, the state of the environment and economic and social development. Case study processing with the aim of pointing out the tendencies of indolent, or economically and ecologically expensive way of life and development. Analysis of the mechanisms of ecological and social polarization of space, particularly mechanisms of geographical grouping and dilution. Indication of ecological problems (air, water, land) as limiting factors of preservation of the achieved and future development of economic activities (energy, water management, industry, agriculture), but also of society in general. Geographical dilution as a factor of increasing the volume and structure of not valorized resources and conditions. Presentation of student’sessays.