In the final lecture of the semester, the instructor examines emerging directions in political science, including policy studies, environmental and healthcare policy, poverty and housing, biopolitics, feminist perspectives, international and comparative politics, and postmodernism. The lecture then surveys cognate fields such as history, economics, philosophy, sociology, and anthropology before focusing on ecopolitics. Major environmental themes include participation, survival, resource limits, the tragedy of the commons, cultural change, anthropocentrism, ecocentrism, preservation, animal liberation, and ecological interdependence. The course concludes with reflections on human nature, sustainability, human fulfillment, and the possibility of creating a better world.
