Dr. David Clowney, Department of Philosophy and Religion (clowney@rowan.edu) x4211
Dr. Patricia Mosto, Department of Biological Sciences (mosto@rowan.edu) x4834
Course overview:
This is a multidisciplinary course that addresses ethical issues and concerns regarding the environment. Among these issues and concerns are the relationships between individual, society and the natural environment; the importance of diverse attitudes and world-views for understanding and responding to environmental challenges; and the need for changes in those attitudes and world-views. The selected readings and a variety of assignments and discussions will help you to think about the profound ethical, political, economic, religious, scientific, and technological implications of these environmental challenges.
This course addresses environmental issues as they interact with the diverse dimensions of gender, religion, society, economics, aesthetics, philosophy and politics. Weekly discussions will guide you to identify the ethical dimensions of local and global environmental issues. You will consider the implications and challenges of an environmental ethic based on a respect for nature as well as think about diverse ways of resolving some of the environmental issues pressing our endangered earth today. Case studies and Òin the first personÓ articles will allow you to engage with the material in a more personal way. A team service-learning project on ÒThe Greening of RowanÓ will bring issues close to home.
Course
Objectives:
v To increase understanding of the intricate, dynamic, and diverse interactions between humans and the environment
v To gain a local and global perspective on environmental issues
v To understand the diverse relationships between different social groups in regards to their environmental impact
v To help students learn how to think, share and relate among themselves about environmental issues while respecting their differences
v To promote ethical awareness by debating ethical issues as they pertain to the course material
v To expose ÒstereotypesÓ and deconstruct them within the context of human environmental impact
v To learn problem solving through the use of case studies
v To search and read literature pertaining to the subject matter
v To develop responsible citizens
v To enlighten students on Òhow to make a differenceÓ
You will benefit from this holistic learning approach because your voice will be heard, and your difference will be respected, integrated and validated in the way the course is taught. The diverse views of faculty and students enhance the intellectual experiences as the community of learners participates in a constructive interdisciplinary exchange. The analysis of social, religious, political, economic and environmental diversity can only benefit you in your search for global understanding.
Course
Requirements and Evaluating Procedures:
This course will be taught in a combination of lecture and seminar format. You are required to read materials before class, be prepared to discuss the class topics with your peers and faculty and engage in case study analysis and debates. You will be taught how to read from primary literature, what to get out of each of the papers, and how to ÒmapÓ your learning. You will be asked to work collaboratively as well as individually. You are required to write weekly journals entries in response to the readings as preparation for class discussions. In teams, you will conduct a service-learning project on The Greening of Rowan (see below for further information on the project). You will be evaluated on participation, journal writing, quizzes and presentation of the Service Learning project.
Class
participation assessment: (20%)
You will be expected to actively participate in class, read the material
ahead of time, come prepared to ask questions, answer questions, and make
critical and relevant contributions.
Since this class will be heavily dependent on your contributions to
discussion, it is very important that you speak up and demonstrate that
you have read the assigned material.
Journal
assessment: (15%) Every other week you should make an entry in your journal
about the topics discussed the previous weeks. Journal entries must include a personal reaction to the
topics and a summary of the readings. Journals are due every other Wednesday. A bound journal book works very well
and it will be required. Lack of
presentation of the journal entry every other week will be counted as Ò0Ó for
that 2-week period.
Quizzes
assessment: (20%) quizzes will be given every other Wednesday (please see
calendar) regarding the material covered prior to the quiz. Absences from quizzes will affect your
grade since they are counted as Ò0Ó.
Service learning project assessment: (45%) From one of the 5 areas on ÒGreening RowanÓ, your group will write an eight to ten-page paper with a Bibliography. This paper should be typed on computer, double-spaced and carefully drafted, outlined, revised, and proofread.
Topical Outline/Content:
Readings: Compilation of an anthology based on selected bibliography related to class material by D. Clowney and P. Mosto
á Week 1 - Introduction
September 8: Why do we think the way we do? WhatÕs ethics and why study it? Human beings, others form of life and ethics. A framework for ethical reflection. A brief history of the environmental movement in the western world. D. Clowney & P. Mosto
Pre-Survey
á Week
2 - World views - Abrahamic religions
September 13: Movie: GodÕs Earth.
Journal
Entry 1
September 15: Book of Genesis, Francis Assisi: The Canticle of Brother Sun, Thomas Aquinas: Differences Between Rational and other creatures, Lynn White: The historical roots of our ecological crisis
á Week 3 - World views – Other religions
September 20: Brihad-Aranyake Upanishad: Creation of the World from the Self (Hindu), Kenneth Kraft: The Greening of Buddhist Practice, Eagle Man: We are all related
September 22; Invited speaker: Maria Rosado – Selecting Service project topic and Team formation
Quiz
1 – World Wiews
á Week 4 - Valuing Nature
September 27: Paul Taylor: The ethics of respect for nature, Holmes Rolston III: Are values in nature objective or subjective – ÒIn the first person: Eugene HargroveÓ
September 29: Library Visit
Journal
Entry 2
á Week 5 - Social ecology and Environmental justice
October 4: Murray Bookchin: What is social ecology,
October 6: Robert Bullard: Justice and environmental decision making
Quiz 2
– Valuing nature/ Social Ecology/ Environmental Justice
á Week 6 - Deep Ecology and biocentrism
October 11: Arne Naess: The deep ecological movement,
October 13: Bill Duvall, George Sessions: Deep Ecology – ÒIn the first person: Maya Brennan
Journal
Entry 3
Week 7 - Ecofeminism
October 18: Karen Warren: The power and promise of ecological feminism,
October 20: Vandana Shiva: Development, Ecology and Women
Quiz
3 – Deep ecology/ Ecofeminism
Week 8 - Land ethics
October 25: Aldo Leopold: The Land ethics, Garret Hardin: The tragedy of the commons October 27: Invited speaker: John Hasse
Journal
Entry 4
á Week 9 - Animal rights
November 1: Peter Singer: All animals are equals, Carl Cohen: The case for the use of animals in biomedical research– Case Study: ÒGrowing Old LucyÓ
November 3: CAP Center Visit
Quiz 4 – Land Ethics/Animal rights
á Week 10 - Global population expansion
November 8: Charles Southwick: Our global condition: a clash of concepts – Update of Service Project
November 10: Garret Hardin: Lifeboat ethics– Case study: Easter IslandÕs Example
Journal
Entry 5
á Week 11 - Biodiversity
November 15: Charles Southwick: The crisis in biodiversity – Update of Service Project
November 17: Holmes Rolstom III: Duties to endangered
species – Case Study: 40
years after Silent Spring
Quiz
5 – Global Population/ Biodiversity
á Week
12 - Consumption and
Sustainability
November 22: Deane Curtin: Making peace with the Earth: Indigenous Agriculture and the Green Revolution, Jennifer Everett: A fair ecological footprint
November 24: Case Study: Costa Rica
Journal
Entry 6
á Week 13 - Business and the environment – Green technologies
November 29: Barbara Ehrenreich: The global assembly line, Amory Lovins: A road map for natural capitalism
December 1: Case Study: The Herman Miller Corporation
Quiz 6 – Consumption/ Sustainability/ Business and the Environment
á Week
14 - Environmental policy
December 6: William Baxter: The case for optimal pollution, Paul Steidlmeier: The morality of pollution permits
December 8: Discussion cases; Smog, cancer, water issues - – Update of Service Project
á Week 15 – December 13: Presentation on ÒThe Greening of RowanÓ
Post Survey
There will be five areas of research:
a) Recycling (contact person: John Imperatore – Director Of Facilities)
b) Energy efficiency (contact person: Peter Janson – Electrical Engineering Department)
c) Land Use (contact person: John Hasse – Geography Department)
d) Water Use, Quality and Pollution (contact persons; Pat Mosto, Biology Department; Kauser Jahan and Joe Orlins, Civil and Environmental Engineering)
e) Smart growth and Campus Plan (John Hasse, Geography Department, Joe Orlins, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Mary Acciani, University Engineer- Facilities)
Tips for the service learning project: Once you've chosen your topic you might want to do a web search to find some basic information about the subject matter. If you find anything that strikes you as important, make sure you take adequate notes--write down the source (the website) and get accurate quotations so that you can cite responsibly. In college writing, whenever you get an idea or term or quotation from somewhere else, you MUST indicate where that idea came from with a parenthetical citation (i.e. Dillard 42) backed up with a Bibliography entry to give full information about that source. So don't merely browse and read passively: to do so can easily get you accused of plagiarism. Academic honesty means you must read responsibly and take notes on what you find and where.
First, give an introduction to the topic: outline or describe the topic briefly (in one or two paragraphs). Then focus analytically on the topic. To figure out the topic, ask yourself a list of questions: why this topic is relevant? What do you feel are the basic problems with this topic? How do these relate to the class discussions?
Choose books that contain the topic that interests you, and work on turning that topic (a basic statement of fact) into a thesis (something more analytical or argumentative, something capable of development/deeper explanation). As you work on your thesis, think about the issues we have studied and read about throughout the course. How does this work tie into that dialogue about the relationship between humanity and the environment? What does this add to that conversation?
Once you've done lots of preliminary brainstorming and pre-writing, you're ready to work on a draft of your thesis paragraph and your thesis statement itself. Then outline the paper as follows: jot down a topical outline, with one main idea per paragraph, backed up with illustrations from the text and your commentary or response to those ideas. Include a sentence or paragraph that states the main point you want to make about this idea. Remember, the focus of this paper is on your explanation of the topic. It's not a general "book report" or summary: you are demonstrating how and/or why this topic fits into the themes of our course. Remember that you need to stay focused, and you need to develop/expand your thesis paragraph by paragraph; don't keep repeating your thesis--add to it, deepen it.
A good tip for coming up with a conclusion is to look at the end of the paper itself: where does the topic leave you at the end? Why end there--what is the final message or impression conveyed by that choice? Or you could use some of the information we've accessed during the course to provide more information about the issue you've chosen. .