Jon Nelson

Assistant Professor

Jon Nelson teaches sociology and environmental studies at RISD. His research interests focus on adaptation to climate change and sustainable development. His current project looks at local adaptations to flood risk, how they are influenced by federal policies and programs and their implications for inequality. More generally, he is interested in unequal ecological exchange, agriculture, the global economy and domestic political polarization. His work has been published in such journals as Scientific American. He is passionate about teaching and welcomes students to come and discuss their interests with him during office hours.

Academic areas of interest

Climate change adaptation, Environmental justice, Sustainable development

Courses

Fall 2023 Courses

HPSS S264-01 - ENVIRONMENTAL SOCIOLOGY FOR A RAPIDLY WARMING WORLD
Level Undergraduate
Unit History, Philosophy, and the Social Sciences
Subject History, Philosophy and the Social Sciences
Period Fall 2023
Credits 3
Format Lecture
Mode In-Person
Start date
End date

HPSS S264-01

ENVIRONMENTAL SOCIOLOGY FOR A RAPIDLY WARMING WORLD

Level Undergraduate
Unit History, Philosophy, and the Social Sciences
Subject History, Philosophy and the Social Sciences
Period Fall 2023
Credits 3
Format Lecture
Mode In-Person
Start and End 2023-09-06 to 2023-12-13
Times: TTH | 9:40 AM - 11:10 AM Instructor(s): Jon Nelson Location(s): Washington Place, Room 302 Enrolled / Capacity: 25 Status: Open

SECTION DESCRIPTION

This course is a survey of current research in environmental sociology as it relates to climate change, pollution, and other pressing environmental topics. After introducing some core sociological concepts, each week will consist of reading, lecture, and small group discussions of a different key topic of environmental sociological research. You will write a 2-page response paper for four weeks of your choosing and then be asked to write a paper relate/apply one or two topics to your own field of work. For example, if you are pursuing industrial design, you might consider how your new knowledge of unequal exposure to pollution might inform your practice in the future. While we will not dwell long on any one topic, questions of environmental inequality and environmental racism are common themes tying together this body of research.

Prerequisite: HPSS-S101 for Undergraduate Students

Elective

HPSS S264-02 - ENVIRONMENTAL SOCIOLOGY FOR A RAPIDLY WARMING WORLD
Level Undergraduate
Unit History, Philosophy, and the Social Sciences
Subject History, Philosophy and the Social Sciences
Period Fall 2023
Credits 3
Format Lecture
Mode In-Person
Start date
End date

HPSS S264-02

ENVIRONMENTAL SOCIOLOGY FOR A RAPIDLY WARMING WORLD

Level Undergraduate
Unit History, Philosophy, and the Social Sciences
Subject History, Philosophy and the Social Sciences
Period Fall 2023
Credits 3
Format Lecture
Mode In-Person
Start and End 2023-09-06 to 2023-12-13
Times: TTH | 11:20 AM - 12:50 PM Instructor(s): Jon Nelson Location(s): Washington Place, Room 302 Enrolled / Capacity: 25 Status: Open

SECTION DESCRIPTION

This course is a survey of current research in environmental sociology as it relates to climate change, pollution, and other pressing environmental topics. After introducing some core sociological concepts, each week will consist of reading, lecture, and small group discussions of a different key topic of environmental sociological research. You will write a 2-page response paper for four weeks of your choosing and then be asked to write a paper relate/apply one or two topics to your own field of work. For example, if you are pursuing industrial design, you might consider how your new knowledge of unequal exposure to pollution might inform your practice in the future. While we will not dwell long on any one topic, questions of environmental inequality and environmental racism are common themes tying together this body of research.

Prerequisite: HPSS-S101 for Undergraduate Students

Elective

HPSS C440-01 / NCSS 440G-01 - BRAZIL: THE FINAL FRONTIER?
Level Graduate
Unit Liberal Arts
Subject Nature-Culture-Sustainability Studies History, Philosophy and the Social Sciences
Period Fall 2023
Credits 3
Format Seminar
Mode In-Person
Start date
End date

HPSS C440-01 / NCSS 440G-01

BRAZIL: THE FINAL FRONTIER?

Level Graduate
Unit Liberal Arts
Subject Nature-Culture-Sustainability Studies History, Philosophy and the Social Sciences
Period Fall 2023
Credits 3
Format Seminar
Mode In-Person
Start and End 2023-09-06 to 2023-12-13
Times: F | 9:40 AM - 12:40 PM Instructor(s): Jon Nelson Location(s): College Building, Room 410 Enrolled / Capacity: 15 Status: Open

SECTION DESCRIPTION

Brazil in general, and the Amazon in particular, has long been at the periphery of the "capitalist world system" due to its large exports of raw materials. This course examines the past and present of extractive industries in Brazil, beginning with colonial exports of Brazilwood, from which the country received its name, and ending with the country’s contemporary dominance in soybean, beef, and iron ore exports. The oppression of Black and Indigenous Brazilians, a constant throughout the country’s 500-year history, was and is key to the country’s role as key supplier of commodities. We will examine its legacy as reflected in the genocide of natives in the Amazon and the enduring poverty of Black Brazilians.

The bloody exploitative past of Brazil appears poised to serve as prologue for the coming century. The world waits with bated breath to see if the Amazon rainforest and its vast stores of carbon will be conserved or cremated. Absent domestic resistance or international constraint, wealthier countries’ hunger for raw materials, grains, and beef will push deforestation deeper into the Amazon risking the collapse of the entire biome into grassland. Students will learn how connections between international markets and domestic politics have pushed a wave of destruction across the country over the centuries. We will utilize maps and documents from the John Carter Brown library to delve into the colonial mindset and compare and contrast the initial wave of colonial destruction with the present grinding assault on the Amazon that threatens both its indigenous inhabitants as well as the world as we know it.

Offered as NCSS-440G and HPSS-C440.

Open to Sophomore, Junior, Senior or Graduate Students.

Elective

HPSS C440-01 / NCSS 440G-01 - BRAZIL: THE FINAL FRONTIER?
Level Graduate
Unit Liberal Arts
Subject Nature-Culture-Sustainability Studies History, Philosophy and the Social Sciences
Period Fall 2023
Credits 3
Format Seminar
Mode In-Person
Start date
End date

HPSS C440-01 / NCSS 440G-01

BRAZIL: THE FINAL FRONTIER?

Level Graduate
Unit Liberal Arts
Subject Nature-Culture-Sustainability Studies History, Philosophy and the Social Sciences
Period Fall 2023
Credits 3
Format Seminar
Mode In-Person
Start and End 2023-09-06 to 2023-12-13
Times: F | 9:40 AM - 12:40 PM Instructor(s): Jon Nelson Location(s): College Building, Room 410 Enrolled / Capacity: 15 Status: Open

SECTION DESCRIPTION

Brazil in general, and the Amazon in particular, has long been at the periphery of the "capitalist world system" due to its large exports of raw materials. This course examines the past and present of extractive industries in Brazil, beginning with colonial exports of Brazilwood, from which the country received its name, and ending with the country’s contemporary dominance in soybean, beef, and iron ore exports. The oppression of Black and Indigenous Brazilians, a constant throughout the country’s 500-year history, was and is key to the country’s role as key supplier of commodities. We will examine its legacy as reflected in the genocide of natives in the Amazon and the enduring poverty of Black Brazilians.

The bloody exploitative past of Brazil appears poised to serve as prologue for the coming century. The world waits with bated breath to see if the Amazon rainforest and its vast stores of carbon will be conserved or cremated. Absent domestic resistance or international constraint, wealthier countries’ hunger for raw materials, grains, and beef will push deforestation deeper into the Amazon risking the collapse of the entire biome into grassland. Students will learn how connections between international markets and domestic politics have pushed a wave of destruction across the country over the centuries. We will utilize maps and documents from the John Carter Brown library to delve into the colonial mindset and compare and contrast the initial wave of colonial destruction with the present grinding assault on the Amazon that threatens both its indigenous inhabitants as well as the world as we know it.

Offered as NCSS-440G and HPSS-C440.

Open to Sophomore, Junior, Senior or Graduate Students.

Elective

Spring 2024 Courses

HPSS S101-15 - TOPICS: HISTORY, PHILOSOPHY, & THE SOCIAL SCIENCES
Level Undergraduate
Unit History, Philosophy, and the Social Sciences
Subject History, Philosophy and the Social Sciences
Period Spring 2024
Credits 3
Format Lecture
Mode In-Person
Start date
End date

HPSS S101-15

TOPICS: HISTORY, PHILOSOPHY, & THE SOCIAL SCIENCES

Level Undergraduate
Unit History, Philosophy, and the Social Sciences
Subject History, Philosophy and the Social Sciences
Period Spring 2024
Credits 3
Format Lecture
Mode In-Person
Start and End 2024-02-15 to 2024-05-24
Times: TF | 2:50 PM - 4:20 PM Instructor(s): Jon Nelson Location(s): Washington Place, Room 021B Enrolled / Capacity: 20 Status: Closed

SECTION DESCRIPTION

You may register for this section if your EFS studio days are Monday/Wednesday/Thursday.

We are living in a time of unprecedented not only availability of information but also variation in the quality of information. Newspapers, cable news, social media, and old-fashioned gossip are all prone to biases and ulterior motives, yet we depend on them for much of our knowledge on current events. If we are to have an accurate understanding of the world, then it is imperative that we examine both the forces that drive these various forms of media and their effects on ourselves and society. We can do this in various ways, but not least among them is through the informed use of peer-reviewed books and articles. In this course, we will learn how to unlock the power of social scientific knowledge to gain a clearer understanding both of who, and what, is shaping the messages we receive every day as well as the effects of those messages and their media on ourselves and our communities. First, we will examine the transition from written to audiovisual media and its effects on politics and economics. Then, we will explore the rise of social media and its effects on users and society through the lens of social psychology. For the final project, students will collect and analyze a series of Social Media videos (TikTok, Reels, YouTube, etc.) on a topic of their choice and compare and contrast their message with scholarly works on the same subject. There will also be a series of lower-stakes assignments that strengthen the writing mechanics and conventions needed for success on the final project.

Transfer and upper-level students should register for one of the evening sections.

Major Requirement | BFA

HPSS S101-16 - TOPICS: HISTORY, PHILOSOPHY, & THE SOCIAL SCIENCES
Level Undergraduate
Unit History, Philosophy, and the Social Sciences
Subject History, Philosophy and the Social Sciences
Period Spring 2024
Credits 3
Format Lecture
Mode In-Person
Start date
End date

HPSS S101-16

TOPICS: HISTORY, PHILOSOPHY, & THE SOCIAL SCIENCES

Level Undergraduate
Unit History, Philosophy, and the Social Sciences
Subject History, Philosophy and the Social Sciences
Period Spring 2024
Credits 3
Format Lecture
Mode In-Person
Start and End 2024-02-15 to 2024-05-24
Times: WF | 1:10 PM - 2:40 PM Instructor(s): Jon Nelson Location(s): Washington Place, Room 021B Enrolled / Capacity: 20 Status: Closed

SECTION DESCRIPTION

You may register for this section if your EFS studio days are Monday/Tuesday/Thursday.

We are living in a time of unprecedented not only availability of information but also variation in the quality of information. Newspapers, cable news, social media, and old-fashioned gossip are all prone to biases and ulterior motives, yet we depend on them for much of our knowledge on current events. If we are to have an accurate understanding of the world, then it is imperative that we examine both the forces that drive these various forms of media and their effects on ourselves and society. We can do this in various ways, but not least among them is through the informed use of peer-reviewed books and articles. In this course, we will learn how to unlock the power of social scientific knowledge to gain a clearer understanding both of who, and what, is shaping the messages we receive every day as well as the effects of those messages and their media on ourselves and our communities. First, we will examine the transition from written to audiovisual media and its effects on politics and economics. Then, we will explore the rise of social media and its effects on users and society through the lens of social psychology. For the final project, students will collect and analyze a series of Social Media videos (TikTok, Reels, YouTube, etc.) on a topic of their choice and compare and contrast their message with scholarly works on the same subject. There will also be a series of lower-stakes assignments that strengthen the writing mechanics and conventions needed for success on the final project.

Transfer and upper-level students should register for one of the evening sections.

Major Requirement | BFA

HPSS S198-01 - CAPITALISM & THE ENVIRONMENT: A SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE
Level Undergraduate
Unit History, Philosophy, and the Social Sciences
Subject History, Philosophy and the Social Sciences
Period Spring 2024
Credits 3
Format Seminar
Mode In-Person
Start date
End date

HPSS S198-01

CAPITALISM & THE ENVIRONMENT: A SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE

Level Undergraduate
Unit History, Philosophy, and the Social Sciences
Subject History, Philosophy and the Social Sciences
Period Spring 2024
Credits 3
Format Seminar
Mode In-Person
Start and End 2024-02-15 to 2024-05-24
Times: T | 9:40 AM - 12:40 PM Instructor(s): Jon Nelson Location(s): College Building, Room 302 Enrolled / Capacity: 15 Status: Open

SECTION DESCRIPTION

The field of sociology was born out of the vast disruptions to traditional social relationships occasioned by the emergence of capitalism. These societal transformations have touched every aspect of human life, and it is also the case that the rise of capitalism has fundamentally transformed humans' relationship with the natural environment. This course focuses on the latter transformations and explores both classical and contemporary sociological literature on the topic with the guiding question of whether capitalism and earth's natural systems can sustainably co-exist. Students will complete four two-page application-focused response papers spaced throughout the semester and will complete an analytical project related to the rise, fall, and toxic legacy of Gorham Manufacturing Company in Providence, RI.

Prerequisite: HPSS-S101 for Undergraduate Students

Elective