Envs
4950 Integrative Seminar in Environmental Studies, Spring 2020
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last update: March 20, 2020 -- Post-Apocalyptic Coronavirus Edition
Class meets on Mondays and Wednesdays, 10:25-11:20 in Sam
Wilson 322.
Abbreviations:
- Wallace-Wells
= The Uninhabitable Earth, by David Wallace-Wells, 2019.
- BSNW = Best American Science and Nature Writing
2018
Week 1
Wednesday, January 22:
Review the custom syllabus assignment, and browse the sample
syllabi from previous Envs students.
Read the following, online:
- "What
is Environmental Studies?" Michael E. Soule and Daniel Press. BioScience 48,
5 (May 1998): 397-405. (Click
here for a cached version.)
-
"Environmental Sciences vs. Studies." The University of Wisconsin
Environmental Sciences Major website. No date. envirosci.cals.wisc.edu/environmental-sciences-vs-studies/
Browse "Environmental Studies" Wikipedia
article: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Environmental_studies
Due: Write
a short memo (300-600 words) to me and to your classmate, explaining your
interest in environmental studies. Where do you see yourself fitting into the
field, as it is described in the readings, above? What classes have you taken?
What particular area of environmental studies interests you? Why are
you interested in that area? What's your personal connection to it? Include a
draft of a working title for your customized syllabus for this course. Also include
any comments you have on the service placement you would prefer. Be prepared to
present to the class.
Also for today, begin reading the David Wallace-Wells book,
and bring it to class.
Week 2
Monday, January 27
Read Wallace-Wells, "Part I: Cascades,"
p3-36.
Wednesday, January 29
Read Wallace-Wells, in "Part II: Elements of
Chaos," Heat Death p39; Hunger p49.
Week 3
Monday, Feb 3
Read Wallace-Wells, in "Part II: Elements of Chaos,"
Drowning p59; Wildfire p70.
Wednesday, Feb 5
Read Wallace-Wells, in "Part II: Elements of
Chaos," Disasters No Longer Natural p78; Freshwater Drain p86; Dying
Oceans p94.
Due:
Peruse Wallace-Wells' sources. Select an interesting article, in a field that
you have studied. Look at the main author of the article. Use the internet to
find out what that person's job is. What is that person's job like? Would you,
yourself, want that job? What is the highest degree that person has earned?
Also say a word about the organization that employs them: Is it private
industry, nonprofit, government? Where does the money come from, for this
person's salary? In a memo to me and your classmates, write up a few
paragraphs about what you learned.
Week 4
Monday, February 10
Read Wallace-Wells, in "Part II: Elements of
Chaos," Unbreathable Air p100; Plagues of Warming p109; Economic Collapse
p115.
Due:
Write a memo to me and your classmates, in which you describe your service
placement: What is the name and the nature of the organization you're working
for? Whom are you working with? Describe the nature of the work you're doing.
Say something about the nature of the organization: Government, private
non-profit, for-profit? What is the mission. Where does the money come
from?
Wednesday, February 12
Read Wallace-Wells, in "Part II: Elements of
Chaos," Climate Conflict p124; Systems p131.
Week 5
Monday, February 17
Due:
Write up your customized syllabus, describing what you're doing in this class,
this semester. See guidelines
and examples, here.
Bring a printout to class today.
Also, email me an electronic version.
Wednesday, February 19
In BSNW, read "The Case Against Civilization" by
Lanchester, p53-62.
Week 6
Monday, February 24
In BSNW, read "Tragedy of the Common" by MacKinnon, p114-23;
and read "The Island Wolves" by Todd, p84-98.
Wednesday, February 26
In BSNW, read "David Haskell Speaks for the Trees" by Kvinta,
p158-171; and read "Pleistocene Park" by Andersen, p1-22.
Week 7
Monday, March 2 Begin reading the first book
that you've selected, related to your service placement.
Due:
Select a key passage from the book you're reading. In a memo to me and your
classmates, write a response that incorporates that passage. Also in your
response, introduce the book and the passage, and explain why the passage is
significant. Also include a full, formal citation of the passage and the book.
Be prepared to present in class.
Wednesday, March 4 Continue reading the first book
that you've selected, related to your service placement. Be prepared to
discuss in class.
Week 8
Monday, March 9 In-class review for midterm
exam.
Wednesday, March 11 Midterm
exam.
SPRING BREAK: Monday, March 16 to Friday
March 20.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
CLASS HAS MOVED ONLINE, BEGINNING
MONDAY, MARCH 23RD. CHECK THE D2L SITE
FOR DROPBOX FOLDERS AND ZOOM MEETING SCHEDULE
Week 9
Monday, March 23
- Listen to Terri Gross's February 5, 2020 NPR "Fresh
Air" interview with author David Quammen, on the coronavirus and other zoonotic
diseases: www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2020/02/05/802938289/new-coronavirus-wont-be-the-last-outbreak-to-move-from-animal-to-human.
Runtime: 38 minutes. Also, browse through the transcript highlights, at that
link.
Wednesday March 25
- In BSNW, read "The
Detective of Northern Oddities" by Solomon, p190-206.
- ZOOM teleconference, to
discuss the readings.
Week 10
Monday, March 30
-
Read, in BSN: Eva Holland, "Exposure Therapy and the Fine Art of Scaring
the Shit out of Yourself On Purpose" p303-312; and Kathryn Schulz,
"Fantastic Beasts and How to Rank Them" p313-326.
Wednesday, April 1
- Read, in BSN, Barack Obama, "The Irreversible
Momentum of Clean Energy" p124-132; and David Roberts, "Wealthier
People Produce More Carbon Pollution--Even the "Green" Ones"
p133-140.
- ZOOM teleconference, to
discuss the week's readings.
Week 11
Monday, April 6
- Browse the following student final projects from previous semesters:
* "Recreation
and Nature Education at a City-Owned Nature Preserve: Service Placement
Experiences at Bays Mountain Park, Spring 2019" by Sarah Mawhinney,
April 2019
* "The
Conservational and Economical Benefits of Modern Day Wildlife Manipulation: My
Time at the Erwin National Fish Hatchery" by Helena Hunt, May 2018
* "Public
Land Management and Cherokee Forest Voices, a Non-Profit Forest Watch
Coalition: One Student’s Experience" by K.S., April 2014
- Rough draft of written
project due.
- We'll use ZOOM to do a
writing workshop.
- Begin reading your second
book.
Wednesday, April 8
- Keep reading your second
book. No teleconference today.
Week 12
Monday, April 13
- Continue reading your
second book.
Wednesday, April 15
- ZOOM teleconference. Be
prepared to present your second book. Read at least one great passage from the
book.
Week 13
Monday, April 20 No new reading assignments.
Wednesday, April 22
- Second draft of written final project due.
-
No teleconference today.
Week 14
Monday, April 27
- In BSNW, read "Female
Scientists Report a Horrifying Culture of Sexual Assault" by Adler,
p207-215.
Wednesday, April 29
- In BSNW, read "A
Behind-the-Scenes Look at Scott Pruitt's Dysfunctional EPA" by Center for
Public Integrity, p216-224.
- ZOOM teleconference, to
discuss the week's readings.
Final exam period: Wednesday, May 6, 8:30-10am.
- No final exam. Instead, your final project is due, and your completed service log is due.
- Presentations via ZOOM.
Note that, while the official period starts at 8am, we won't begin the
teleconference until 8:30am.