This course deals with two central themes:

1. First, environmental problems are people problems. To promote environmental stewardship we must understand how we think, what we care about, what motivates us, and the conditions under which we behave more reasonably.

2. Second, our behavior closely interacts with the environments we find ourselves in. To understand why we act as we do, it is useful to understand the demands environments place upon, and the opportunities they afford, human cognition.

The course explores a model of human nature which includes:

• How people come to know and understand environments

• Which types of environments humans prefer

• How humans cope with non-preferred environments

• The role that mental fatigue and restoration have in everyday functioning

The course:

• Presents evidence of the strong connection between human health/well-being and the environment

• Discusses what human information processing has to say about:
  • Design (e.g., architecture, landscapes, planning, urban settings,institutions)

  • Effective communication (e.g., teaching in general, communicating about the environment)

  • Program implementation (e.g., behavior change in general, promoting environmentally sustainable lifestyles)

• Explores strategies for better managing our time and choosing settings in which we function more effectively

Students taking the course often have no previous experience in the psychology of human-environment interaction. The course is useful to any field of study dealing with human behavior (e.g., environmental studies; education and communication; health education and behavior; conservation psychology; resource policy, planning, and management; organizational and institutional studies; landscape architecture and urban planning; green and sustainable business)