Capstone 1998 Syllabus

ENVS 91: Environmental Studies Capstone Spring 1998

Wesley Shumar, Program in Education.

Conflicts in Environmental Studies

Tuesday 7:30-10:30PM Kohlberg 334

Purpose:

Environmental Studies, like many other interdisciplinary movements has developed in a number of directions producing a variety of perspectives and conflicts. Particularly since the social movements of the 1960's and the movement into university departments, environmental studies has produced such theoretical areas as deep and social ecology, ecofeminism, bioregionalism, environmental justice, the antitoxics movement, etc. This seminar will allow us to look at some of the developments in environmental studies from the scientific, social scientific, literary and philosophical discourses. Further, we will explore the philosophical assumptions behind the conflicts that have developed within each of these paradigms as well as conflicts that have developed across the different discursive perspectives. One of the tasks we will set for ourselves will be to investigate the relationship between the philosophical arguments and both the policy decisions that grow out of them and the practices that individual environmentalists engage in based upon their understandings of the world.

Practice:

One of the forms our exploration of the relationship between theory and practice will take is the placement of each member of the seminar in a fieldwork setting. Students are encouraged to think about field placements in terms of their own interests and expertise and their potential impact on and value to the communities involved. Suggestions include working with local schools, community projects, educational outreach groups such as arboretums and parks. Students will construct a field journal reflecting their experiences in the community as well as their thoughts upon the relationship of theory to practice. Students are encouraged to be creative in their effort to make the field journal reflect their experiences and concerns in the field using any number of media, aural, written, visual, etc.

Seminar Papers and Discussion: One goal of the seminar is to create an environment that fosters the active contribution of ideas to the group and allows for a rich variety of experiences among the members of the seminar. In an effort to encourage a more dynamic conversation among the class members, each student will do three reaction papers over the course of the term. The reaction papers will critically respond to and evaluate the readings for that week. Papers will be emailed to the other members of the seminar before the week's class so that they can be the starting point for discussions that week. It is imagined that each week will have two reaction papers and the two people who write the week's reaction paper will help moderate the discussion in class.

Texts:

Callicott, J. B. Earth's Insights: A Survey of Ecological Ethics from the Mediterranean Basin to the Australian Outback.

Carson, R.. The Silent Spring.

Cronon, W. (ed.) Uncommon Ground: Toward Reinventing Nature.

Glotfelty, C. & H. Fromm (eds.) The Ecocriticism Reader: Landmarks in Literary Ecology.

McGaa, E. Mother Earth Spirituality.

Zimmerman, M. E. Contesting Earth's Future: Radical Ecology and Postmodernity.

Zimmerman, M. E. (ed.) with J. B. Callicott et al. Environmental Philosophy: From Animal Rights to Radical Ecology.

Wilson, E. O. Biophilia.

Syllabus:

Week I (1/20): Introduction: What is Nature?

Week II (1/27): Historical Roots of Environmental Studies

Carson, R.. The Silent Spring.

Cronon, W. (ed.) Uncommon Ground: Toward Reinventing Nature. pp. 69-113, 233-255.

Zimmerman, M. E. (ed.) with J. B. Callicott et al. Environmental Philosophy: From Animal Rights to Radical Ecology. pp.95-134

Week III (2/3): Ecological and Biological Perspective

Wilson, E. O. Biophilia.

Week IV (2/10): Animal Rights

Zimmerman, M. E. (ed.) with J. B. Callicott et al. Environmental Philosophy: From Animal Rights to Radical Ecology. pp. 1-94, 135-158.

Week V (2/17): Antitoxics

*Bullard, R. Confronting Environmental Racism.

*Gottlieb, R. Forcing the Spring. pp. 177-191, 240-252.

Week VI (2/24): Social Justice and Social Ecology

Cronon, W. (ed.) Uncommon Ground: Toward Reinventing Nature. pp. 256-378.

Zimmerman, M. E. Contesting Earth's Future: Radical Ecology and Postmodernity. pp.150-232.

Zimmerman, M. E. (ed.) with J. B. Callicott et al. Environmental Philosophy: From Animal Rights to Radical Ecology. pp. 343-437.

*Bookchin, M. "What is Social Ecology" in The Modern Crisis. pp.49-76.

*Bookchin, M. "Market Economy or Moral Economy" in The Modern Crisis. pp.77-97.

Week VII (3/3): Traditional Verses Modern Worldviews

Callicott, J. B. Earth's Insights: A Survey of Ecological Ethics from the Mediterranean Basin to the Australian Outback.

Glotfelty, C. & H. Fromm (eds.) The Ecocriticism Reader: Landmarks in Literary Ecology. pp. 3-14, 30-39, 92-104.

McGaa, E. Mother Earth Spirituality. pp. 1-40.

Week VIII (3/17): Deep Ecology and a Sustainable Future.

Glotfelty, C. & H. Fromm (eds.) The Ecocriticism Reader: Landmarks in Literary Ecology.pp. 124-136.

Zimmerman, M. E. Contesting Earth's Future: Radical Ecology and Postmodernity. pp. 1-149.

Zimmerman, M. E. (ed.) with J. B. Callicott et al. Environmental Philosophy: From Animal Rights to Radical Ecology. pp. 159-250.

Week IX (3/24): Bioregionalism and a Sense of Place

Cronon, W. (ed.) Uncommon Ground: Toward Reinventing Nature. pp.171-232, 379-460.

*Evernden, N. "Talking about the Mountain" in The Natural Alien. pp. 3-34.

*Walter, E. V. "Grasping the Sense of Place" in Placeways. pp. 132-145.

*Thomashow, M. Ecological Identity. pp. 1-48.

Week X (3/31): Ecofeminism

Glotfelty, C. & H. Fromm (eds.) The Ecocriticism Reader: Landmarks in Literary Ecology. pp. 170-181.

Zimmerman, M. E. Contesting Earth's Future: Radical Ecology and Postmodernity. pp. 233-378.

Zimmerman, M. E. (ed.) with J. B. Callicott et al. Environmental Philosophy: From Animal Rights to Radical Ecology. pp. 251-342.

Week XI (4/7): The Lure of Earth Spirituality

Glotfelty, C. & H. Fromm (eds.) The Ecocriticism Reader: Landmarks in Literary Ecology. pp. 241-275.

McGaa, E. Mother Earth Spirituality. pp. 41-209.

Week XII (4/14): Literary Ecology

Glotfelty, C. & H. Fromm (eds.) The Ecocriticism Reader: Landmarks in Literary Ecology. pp. 105-123, 149-154, 182-195, 196-203.

Week XIII (4/21): Is Nature Socially Constructed?

Glotfelty, C. & H. Fromm (eds.) The Ecocriticism Reader: Landmarks in Literary Ecology. pp. 204-240.

*Evernden, N. "The Social Use of Nature" in The Social Creation of Nature, pp. 3-16.

Week XIV (4/28): Summing Up

*Thoreau, H.D. "Walking" in The Portable Thoreau. Edited by Carl Bode, pp. 592-630.