DOCSLIB.ORG

The Best of Both Worlds: a Critical Pedagogy of Place by Davida

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
The Best of Both Worlds: a Critical Pedagogy of Place by Davida American Educational Research Association http://www.jstor.org/stable/3700002 . Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at . http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact [email protected]. American Educational Research Association is collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to Educational Researcher. http://www.jstor.org The Best of Both Worlds: A Critical Pedagogy of Place by DavidA. Gruenewald Takingthe position that "criticalpedagogy" and "place-basededu- analyzinghow economicand politicaldecisions impact particu- cation" are mutuallysupportive educationaltraditions, this author lar places (Berry, 1992; Haas & Nachtigal, 1998; Orr, 1992; arguesfor a conscious synthesisthat blendsthe two discourses into Theobald,1997). Place,in otherwords, foregrounds a narrative of local and that is attunedto the a critical pedagogy of place. An analysisof critical pedagogy is pre- regionalpolitics particularities of wherepeople actually live, and that is connectedto globalde- sented that emphasizesthe spatialaspects of social experience. This velopmenttrends that impactlocal places.Articulating a critical examinationalso asserts the general absence of ecological thinking pedagogyof place is thus a responseagainst educational reform demonstrated in critical social analysisconcerned exclusively with policies and practicesthat disregardplaces and that leave as- humanrelationships. Next, a discussionof ecologicalplace-based ed- sumptions about the relationshipbetween education and the ucation is offered. Finally,a criticalpedagogy of place is defined.This politicsof economicdevelopment unexamined. Unlike critical which evolves from the well- pedagogyseeks the twin objectives of decolonizationand "reinhab- pedagogy, establisheddiscourse of criticaltheory (Aronowitz& Giroux, itation" criticaland A through synthesizing place-basedapproaches. 1993; Burbules& Berk,1999; Freire,1970/1995; Giroux, 1988; of all educators to reflect on the criticalpedagogy place challenges McLaren,2003), place-basededucation lacks a specifictheoretical relationshipbetween the kindof educationthey pursue and the kind tradition,though this is partlya matterof naming.Its practices and of places we inhabitand leave behindfor future generations. purposescan be connectedto experientiallearning, contextual learning,problem-based learning, constructivism, outdoor educa- tion, indigenouseducation, environmental and ecologicaleduca- tion, bioregionaleducation, democratic education, multicultural "Place+ people = politics."-Williams (2001, p. 3) education,community-based education, critical pedagogy itself, as n this article I analyze and synthesize elements of two distinct well as otherapproaches that areconcerned with contextand the literatures, critical pedagogy and place-based education, and valueof learningfrom and nurturing specific places, communities, argue that their convergence into a critical pedagogy of place or regions. In recent literature,educators claiming place as a offers a much needed framework for educational theory, research, guidingconstruct associate a place-basedapproach with outdoor policy, and practice. Place-basedpedagogies are needed so that the (Woodhouse & Knapp, 2000), environmentaland ecological education of citizens might have some direct bearing on the well- (Orr, 1992, 1994; Sobel, 1996; Thomashow,1996), and rural being of the social and ecological places people actually inhabit. education(Haas & Nachtigal, 1998; Theobald, 1997). One re- Critical pedagogies are needed to challenge the assumptions, prac- sult of theseprimarily ecological and ruralassociations has been tices, and outcomes taken for granted in dominant culture and in that place-basededucation is frequentlydiscussed at a distance conventional education. Chief among these are the assumptions fromthe urban,multicultural arena, territory most often claimed that education should mainly support individualistic and na- by criticalpedagogues. If place-basededucation emphasizes eco- tionalistic competition in the global economy and that an edu- logical and ruralcontexts, criticalpedagogy-in a near mirror cational competition of winners and losers is in the best interest image-emphasizes socialand urbancontexts and often neglects of public life in a diverse society.' The current educational re- the ecologicaland ruralscene entirely.As leadingcritical peda- form era of standards and testing that began nearly 20 years ago goguesMcLaren and Giroux(1990) themselvesobserve, this em- with the publication ofA Nation at Risk is perhaps reaching a cli- phasisrepresents a "profoundirony": max in the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001. One result of new Whilecritical pedagogy in itsearly stages largely grew out of theef- federal mandates for accountability is an increasing emphasis on fortsof PauloFreire and his literacycampaigns among peasants in standards, testing, and classroom pedagogies that "teach to the ruralareas of Brasiland other Third World countries, subsequent test" while denying students and teachers opportunities to expe- generationsof NorthAmerican teachers and cultural workers in- rience critical or place-based education.2 fluencedby Freire'swork have directedmost of their attentionto Currently, educational concern for local space is overshad- urbanminority populations in majormetropolitan centers. Very owed by both the discourse of accountability and by the dis- littlewriting exists that deals with criticalpedagogy in the rural course of economic competitiveness to which it is linked. Place schoolclassroom and community. (p. 154) becomes a critical construct not because it is in opposition to eco- By pointingout distinctiveemphases of eachtradition, I do not nomic well-being (it is not), but because it focuses attention on mean to set up a falsedichotomy between them or to chargeei- thercamp with a narrowvision of appropriatecontext. Certainly EducationalResearcher, Vol. 32, No. 4, pp.3-12 beforeand since McLarenand Giroux (1990) were "struck"by Z AY2O3Z~I the ironyof Freirean,rural pedagogy taking a chieflyurban turn, to reflecton how thesetwin agendas,and the critical,place-based educatorshave applied constructs and approachestypically asso- traditionsthey represent,challenge all of our work. ciated with critical to examinerural education pedagogy (e.g., Critical Pedagogy's Sociological Context Theobald, 1990).3Especially with the recentgrowth of interest With roots in Marxistand neo-Marxistcritical theory, critical in migranteducation, issues of race,class, gender, and corporate pedagogyrepresents a transformationaleducational response to hegemonyhave become centralto interrogatingrural commu- institutionaland ideologicaldomination, especially under capi- nity life and education (Lopez, Scribner,& Mahitivanichcha, talism.Burbules and Berk(1999) write that criticalpedagogy is 2001; Weyer,2002). Similarly,some place-basededucators are undoubtedlyFreirian "cultural workers" (Freire, 1998); these ed- aneffort to workwithin educational institutions and other media ucatorsoften embraceurban contexts and areinvolved in ecolog- to raise questions about inequalitiesof power, about the false andabout the icalprojects such as redressingenvironmental racism, organizing mythsof opportunityand merit for many students, belief become internalizedto the where indi- communitygardens, and initiatingother communitydevelop- way systems point viduals and abandon the very aspirationto question or ment activitiesthat make urbanand rural,social and groups ecological changetheir lot in life.(p. 50) connections(Hart, 1997; Smith, 2002; Smith& Williams,1999). However,despite clear areas of overlapbetween critical pedagogy The leadersof the movement, including Freire,Giroux, and andplace-based education (such as the importanceof situatedcon- McLaren,insist that educationis alwayspolitical, and that ed- text and the goalof socialtrans- ucators and students should formation),significant strands become "transformative intel- exist within each traditionthat lectuals" (Giroux, 1988), "cul- do not always recognize the Place-based pedagogies tural workers" (Freire, 1998) potential contributionsof the capable of identifying and re- other. On the one hand, criti- are needed so that the dressing the injustices, inequal- cal pedagogy often betrays a ities, and myths of an often sweepingdisinterest in the fact oppressiveworld. that human culture has been, education of citizens For Freire (1970/1995), crit- ical with rec- is, and alwayswill be nested in pedagogy begins that human ecological systems (Bowers, ognizing beings, might have some direct and learners, exist in a cultural 1997, In a 2001).4 parallelstory context: of neglect, place-basededuca- bearing on the well-being tion hasdeveloped an ecological People as beings "in a sit- and ruralemphasis that is often uation," find themselves insulatedfrom the culturalcon- of the social and rooted in temporal-spatial flicts inherent in dominant conditionswhich markthem Americanculture. Additionally, and which they also mark. ecological places people They will tend to reflect on in its focus on local, ecological their own "situationality"to experience, place-based
Load more

Recommended publications
  • A Journal About Education in Pacific Circle Countries
    Pacific- Asian Education A Journal about Education in Pacific Circle Countries Volume 22 Number 1 2010 Pacific-Asian Education The Journal of the Pacific Circle Consortium for Education Volume 22, Number 1, 2010 EDITOR Elizabeth Rata, School of Critical Studies in Education, Faculty of Education, The University of Auckland, New Zealand. Email: [email protected] EXECUTIVE EDITORS Airini, The University of Auckland, New Zealand Alexis Siteine, The University of Auckland, New Zealand CONSULTING EDITOR Michael Young, Institute of Education, University of London EDITORIAL BOARD Kerry Kennedy, The Hong Kong Institute of Education, Hong Kong Meesook Kim, Korean Educational Development Institute, South Korea Carol Mutch, Education Review Office, New Zealand Gerald Fry, University of Minnesota, USA Christine Halse, University of Western Sydney, Australia Gary McLean,Texas A & M University, USA Leesa Wheelahan, University of Melbourne, Australia Rob Strathdee, Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand Xiaoyu Chen, Peking University, P. R. China Saya Shiraishi, The University of Tokyo, Japan Richard Tinning, University of Queensland, Australia ISSN 1019-8725 © Pacific Circle Consortium for Education Publication design and layout: Halcyon Design Ltd, www.halcyondesign.co.nz Published by Pacific Circle Consortium for Education http://pacificcircleconsortium.org/PAEJournal.html Pacific-Asian Education Volume 22, Number 1, 2010 CONTENTS Editorial 5 Elizabeth Rata Articles Why educators must differentiate knowledge from experience 9 Michael
    [Show full text]
  • Contemporary Falmer Press, Taylor & Francis, 1900
    DOCUMENT RESUME ED 398 571 CS 012 599 AUTHOR Marum, Ed, Ed. TITLE Children and Books in the Modern World: Contemporary Perspectives on Literacy. REPORT NO ISBN-0-7507-0543-4 PUB DATE 96 NOTE 163p. AVAILABLE FROM Falmer Press, Taylor & Francis, 1900 Frost Road, Suite 101, Bristol, PA 19007-1598 (hardcover: ISBN-0-7507-0542-6, $69.95; paperback: ISBN -O -7507- 0543 -4, $24.95). PUB TYPE Collected Works General (020) Viewpoints (Opinion/Position Papers, Essays, etc.) (120) EDRS PRICE MF01/PC07 Plus Postage. DESCRIPTORS *Childrens Literature; *Cultural Context; Elementary Secondary Education; Futures (of Society); Instructional Effectiveness; Interdisciplinary Approach; *Literacy; Literature Appreciation; *Mass Media; *Theory Practice Relationship IDENTIFIERS Cultural Studies; Educational Issues; *Literacy as a Social Process; Teaching Perspectives; Text Factors ABSTRACT This collection of articles is concerned with contemporary attitudes and approaches to the teaching of literacy, children's literature, and other non-book texts and media. The collection offers practical as well as theoretical perspectives and addresses issues of good pracice as well as of policy. It provides interdisciplinary perspectives drawn from Great Britain, Europe, and the United States and deals with a range of important literacy issues, including: the changing meanings and applications of literacy in the 20th century; literature as cultural heritage and its place in contemporary society; literature defined in the social frame; and the quality of literacy teaching in relation to social expectations. Following an introduction by the editor, articles in the collection are:(1) "Literacy: Its Roller-coaster Ride through U.S. Education" (John S. Simmons);(2) "Beyond England's National Curriculum for English" (Ed Marum);(3) "Core Curriculum; Cultural Heritage; Literacy: Recent Perspectives and Trends in Norwegian Education" (Bjorg B.
    [Show full text]
  • Transformative Learning in Theory and Practice
    Design for Social Learning Transformative Learning in Theory and Practice ‘The Visual Communication of Ecological Literacy’ Making the Invisible Visible 16 - 18 December 2010 University of Brighton Jody Joanna Boehnert University of Brighton EcoLabs | www.eco-labs.org The Visual Communication of Ecological Literacy Jody Joanna Boehnert - MPhil - School of Architecture and Design Why? Context Levels of Learning & Engagement Presently humanity’s ecological footprint exceeds its regenerative capacity by 30%. This global overshoot is growing and ecosystems are 1st: Education ABOUT Sustainability being run down as wastes (including greenhouse gases) accumulate in Content and/or skills emphasis. Easily accommodated the air, land, and water. Climate change, resource depletion, pollution, into existing system. Learning ABOUT change. loss of biodiversity, and other systemic environmental problems ACCOMMODATIVE RESPONSE - maintenance. threaten to destroy the natural support systems on which we depend. 2nd: Education FOR Sustainability What? Systems, Networks, Values Additional values emphasis. Greening of institutions. Problems cannot be understood in isolation but must be seen as Deeper questioning and reform of purpose, policy and practice. interconnected and interdependent. We must learn to engage with Learning FOR change. REFORMATIVE RESPONSE - adaptive. complexity and think in terms of systems to address current ecological, social and economic problems. Images can be useful tools to help with this learning process. 3rd: SUSTAINABLE Education Capacity building and action emphasis. How? Transformational Learning Experiential curriculum. Institutions as learning communities. Learning AS change. TRANSFORMATIVE RESPONSE - enactment. The value / action gap permeates education for sustainability and is obvious in environmental coverage in the media. The gap between Stephen Sterling, 2009 our ideas about what we value and what we are actually doing to address the problem is the notorious value / action gap.
    [Show full text]
  • 11 a Framework for Integrating Ecological Literacy, Civics Literacy, and Environmental Citizenship in Environmental Education
    //INTEGRAS/TEMPLATES///INTEGRAS/CUP/PHASE1/PAGINATION/LIVEJOB_022_EEA/PAGEPROOF/3B2/0521824109C11.3D – 227 – [227–266/40] 19.10.2004 9:32PM ALAN R. BERKOWITZ, MARY E. FORD AND CAROL A. BREWER 11 A framework for integrating ecological literacy, civics literacy, and environmental citizenship in environmental education INTRODUCTION Environmental education practitioners span all of the natural and social sciences in terms of their training and passion. Practitioners have a range of science backgrounds, from very little science back- ground to science degrees and some view science as a root cause of environmental problems. The matter is made more complicated by the fact that environmental education does not have a professional train- ing dimension in the same way that physics or sociology do. Although such training gives disciplines focus and rigor, some say this leads to a rigidity that environmental education does not require. Thus, there is a diversity of perspectives on the role the science of ecology should play in environmental education. There are two concerns about ecology in environmental educa- tion. First, the ecology can reflect outdated ecological science and epistemology. Second, at times, too much or too little attention is given to ecology, or there may be an overly rigid, linear, and hierarch- ical view of environmental education building on science (ecology) ‘‘facts’’ toward ‘‘environmentally responsible behaviors.’’ There are several reasons why these problems arise and persist. Educators who emphasize ‘‘Environmental Literacy,’’ or ‘‘Citizenship’’ as the primary mission of environmental education, especially those advocating the development of ‘‘pro-environment values,’’ or ‘‘environmentally responsible behavior,’’ can at times ignore, misinterpret, or take a strong oppositional stance towards the science component of environ- mental education.
    [Show full text]
  • Increasing Ecoliteracy and Student Creativity in Waste Utilization
    International Journal of Evaluation and Research in Education (IJERE) Vol. 8, No. 2, June 2019, pp. 255~264 ISSN: 2252-8822, DOI: 10.11591/ijere.v8i2.18901 255 Increasing ecoliteracy and student creativity in waste utilization Sekarsari Sunaryo Putri, Muhammad Japar, Riana Bagaskorowati Elementary Education Department, Universitas Negeri Jakarta, Indonesia Article Info ABSTRACT Article history: This study aimed to determine the increase in ecoliteracy and creativity in waste utilization by using a project-based-learning (PBL) model in social Received Mar 19, 2019 studies learning. This research was a classroom action research (Action Revised Apr 25, 2019 Research). This research was conducted in the fifth grade (V) of Primary Accepted May 2, 2019 Schools. Observation sheet, interview, documentation, and field notes instruments were used to collect data. The results of this study showed that there was an increase in ecoliteracy ability. In addition, students become Keywords: more active in the learning process and more courageous in expressing their opinions. This shows that the ecoliteracy and creativity of students can be Creativity improved through the project-based-learning model. Ecoliteration Project based learning Social studies learning Copyright © 2019 Institute of Advanced Engineering and Science. All rights reserved. Corresponding Author: Riana Bagaskorowati, Elementary Education Department, Universitas Negeri Jakarta, Rawa Mangun Muka Street, RT.11/RW.14, Rawamangun, Pulo Gadung, East Jakarta City, Jakarta Special Capital Region, 13220. Email: [email protected] 1. INTRODUCTION Increasing the caring attitude that is instilled by teachers to students is very important for environmental sustainability as well as in the opinion of Fritjof Capra who calls ecoliteracy as a condition where people have understood ecological principles and lived according to environmental principles in managing life together with humanity on earth [1].
    [Show full text]
  • Ecology Design
    ECOLOGY and DESIGN Ecological Literacy in Architecture Education 2006 Report and Proposal The AIA Committee on the Environment Cover photos (clockwise) Cornell University's entry in the 2005 Solar Decathlon included an edible garden. This team earned second place overall in the competition. Photo by Stefano Paltera/Solar Decathlon Students collaborating in John Quale's ecoMOD course (University of Virginia), which received special recognition in this report (see page 61). Photo by ecoMOD Students in Jim Wasley's Green Design Studio and Professional Practice Seminar (University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee) prepare to present to their client; this course was one of the three Ecological Literacy in Architecture Education grant recipients (see page 50). Photo by Jim Wasley ECOLOGY and DESIGN Ecological by Kira Gould, Assoc. AIA Literacy in Lance Hosey, AIA, LEED AP Architecture with contributions by Kathleen Bakewell, LEED AP Education Kate Bojsza, Assoc. AIA 2006 Report Peter Hind , Assoc. AIA Greg Mella, AIA, LEED AP and Proposal Matthew Wolf for the Tides Foundation Kendeda Sustainability Fund The contents of this report represent the views and opinions of the authors and do not necessarily represent the opinions of the American Institute of Architects (AIA). The AIA supports the research efforts of the AIA’s Committee on the Environment (COTE) and understands that the contents of this report may reflect the views of the leadership of AIA COTE, but the views are not necessarily those of the staff and/or managers of the Institute. The AIA Committee
    [Show full text]
  • Essential Elements of Ecological Literacy and the Pathways to Achieve It: Perspectives of Ecologists
    University of Montana ScholarWorks at University of Montana Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers Graduate School 2011 Essential Elements of Ecological Literacy and the Pathways to Achieve It: Perspectives of Ecologists Brooke Baldauf McBride The University of Montana Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.umt.edu/etd Let us know how access to this document benefits ou.y Recommended Citation McBride, Brooke Baldauf, "Essential Elements of Ecological Literacy and the Pathways to Achieve It: Perspectives of Ecologists" (2011). Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers. 380. https://scholarworks.umt.edu/etd/380 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at ScholarWorks at University of Montana. It has been accepted for inclusion in Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks at University of Montana. For more information, please contact [email protected]. ESSENTIAL ELEMENTS OF ECOLOGICAL LITERACY AND THE PATHWAYS TO ACHIEVE IT: PERSPECTIVES OF ECOLOGISTS By BROOKE BALDAUF MCBRIDE Master of Science, Western Washington University, Bellingham, WA, 2003 Bachelor of Science, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, 1999 Dissertation presented in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Forestry, Society and Conservation The University of Montana Missoula, MT May 2011 Approved by: Dr. Sandy Ross, Ph.D., Associate Dean Graduate School Dr. Carol A. Brewer, Ph.D., Chair Division of Biological Sciences, Emeritus Dr. Paul Alaback, Ph.D. Department of Forest Management, Emeritus Dr. Betsy Wackernagel Bach, Ph.D. Communication Studies Dr. Alan Berkowitz, Ph.D. Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies Dr.
    [Show full text]
  • Environmental Literacy and Its Implications for Effective Public Policy Formation Julianna H
    View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by University of Tennessee, Knoxville: Trace University of Tennessee, Knoxville Trace: Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange Baker Scholar Projects Baker Center for Public Policy 5-2015 Environmental Literacy and its Implications for Effective Public Policy Formation Julianna H. Burchett Follow this and additional works at: http://trace.tennessee.edu/utk_bakerschol Recommended Citation Burchett, Julianna H., "Environmental Literacy and its Implications for Effective Public Policy Formation" (2015). Baker Scholar Projects. http://trace.tennessee.edu/utk_bakerschol/27 This Report is brought to you for free and open access by the Baker Center for Public Policy at Trace: Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange. It has been accepted for inclusion in Baker Scholar Projects by an authorized administrator of Trace: Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange. For more information, please contact [email protected]. ENVIRONMENTAL LITERACY AND ITS IMPLICATIONS FOR EFFECTIVE PUBLIC POLICY FORMATION By Julianna H. Burchett A senior thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the distinction of BAKER SCHOLAR at the Howard H. Baker Jr. Center for Public Policy THE UNIVERSITY of TENNESSEE, KNOXVILLE May 2015 Thesis Supervisor: Dr. John Nolt Burchett 2 TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT ....................................................................................................................................4 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ..........................................................................................................5
    [Show full text]
  • ECIL 2015 Abstracts
    Tallinn University Information Sciences of the School Abstracts of Digital Technologies The Third European Conference on Information Literacy (ECIL) October 19-22, 2015, Tallinn, Estonia Editors: Sonja Špiranec, Sirje Virkus, Serap Kurbanoğlu, Esther Grassian, Diane Mizrachi, Loriene Roy, Denis Kos The Third European Conference on Information Literacy (ECIL) October 19-22, 2015, Tallinn, Estonia 2015, Tallinn, Estonia (ECIL) October 19-22, The Third European Conference on Information Literacy Abstracts European Conference on Information Literacy (ECIL) October 19-22, 2015, Tallinn, Estonia Abstracts Editors: Sonja Špiranec, Sirje Virkus, Serap Kurbanoğlu, Esther Grassian, Diane Mizrachi, Loriene Roy, Denis Kos Tallinn University Tallinn, 2015 European Conference on Information Literacy, October 19-22, 2015, Tallinn, Estonia: Abstracts http://www.ilconf.org Publisher: Tallinn University http://www.tlu.ee ISBN 978-9949-29-241-7 Tallinn University and authors All rights reserved Organizing Office: Tallinn University, Information Sciences http://www.tlu.ee European Conference on Information Literacy (2015: Tallinn) European Conference on Information Literacy, October 19-22, 2015, Tallinn, Estonia: Abstracts / Editors: Sonja Špiranec, Sirje Virkus, Serap Kurbanoğlu, Esther Grassian, Diane Mizrachi, Loriene Roy, Denis Kos,.- Tallinn: Tallinn University, 2015. XXII, 238p Includes index and references. ISBN 978-9949-29-241-7 1. Librarianship – Congresses 2. Information Science – Congresses 3. Information Literacy –Congresses I. Špiranec, Sonja. II. Virkus, Sirje. III. Kurbanoğlu, Serap. IV. Grassian, Esther. V. Mizrachi, Diane. VI. Roy, Loriene. VII. Kos, Denis, VIII. Title European Conference on Information Literacy (ECIL). Abstracts Organization European Conference on Information Literacy (ECIL) was co-organized by the Department of Information Management of Hacettepe University, the Department of Information and Communication Sciences of Zagreb University and the Information Sciences of the School of Digital Technologies of Tallinn University.
    [Show full text]
  • Numeracy and Sustainability
    ETHICS IN SCIENCE AND ENVIRONMENTAL POLITICS 2003, 83–91 Published November 20 ESEP PAPER Numeracy and sustainability John Cairns, Jr.* Department of Biology, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, Virginia 24061, USA ABSTRACT: Sustainable use of the planet is based on the assumption that humankind can maintain conditions suitable for inhabiting the planet indefinitely. No robust evidence supports this assump- tion nor rejects it, and adequate evidence on this issue may not be available for centuries. Numeracy is the ability to use or understand numerical techniques of mathematics. Even if adequate numerical data were available, the important decisions humankind makes regarding sustainable use of the planet should not be guided by numerical information alone, such as economic numbers, but by eco- and sustainability ethics, which provide a values framework that indicates how the numbers should be used and interpreted. KEY WORDS: Sustainability · Numeracy · Eco-ethics · Sustainability ethics · Sustainable develop- ment Resale or republication not permitted without written consent of the publisher The trouble with our times is that the future is not what it used to be. Paul Valery INTRODUCTION and interpreted. The emphasis on severely limited numbers is a major weakness of the United Nations Sustainable use of the planet is based on the Commission on Environment and Development (1987) assumption that humankind has the right to alter the report, which focused on development (commonly planet so that human life can inhabit Earth indefinitely. regarded as synonymous with growth). Development In doing so, environmental conditions of the planet is just one metric valued by one species. Sustainability may be shifted so that they are optimal for one species, involves a variety of metrics for a complex, multivariate but not necessarily for all species or even a majority of living system called the interdependent web of life.
    [Show full text]
  • NARRATIVE Directions in Econarratology
    ENVIRONMENT New NARRATIVE Directions in Econarratology edited by ERIN JAMES AND ERIC MOREL ENVIRONMENT AND NARRATIVE THEORY AND INTERPRETATION OF NARRATIVE James Phelan and Katra Byram, Series Editors ENVIRONMENT AND NARRATIVE NEW DIRECTIONS IN ECONARRATOLOGY EDITED BY Erin James AND Eric Morel THE OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY PRESS COLUMBUS Copyright © 2020 by The Ohio State University. This edition licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs License. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Names: James, Erin, editor. | Morel, Eric, editor. Title: Environment and narrative : new directions in econarratology / edited by Erin James and Eric Morel. Other titles: Theory and interpretation of narrative series. Description: Columbus : The Ohio State University Press, [2020] | Series: Theory and interpretation of narrative | Includes bibliographical references and index. | Summary: “Collection of essays connecting ecocriticism and narrative theory to encourage constructive discourse on narrative’s influence of real-world environmental perspectives and the challenges that necessitate revision to current narrative models”—Provided by publisher. Identifiers: LCCN 2019034865 | ISBN 9780814214206 (cloth) | ISBN 0814214207 (cloth) | ISBN 9780814277546 (ebook) | ISBN 0814277543 (ebook) Subjects: LCSH: Ecocriticism. | Environmental literature. | Narration (Rhetoric) Classification: LCC PN98.E36 E55 2020 | DDC 809/.93355—dc23 LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2019034865 Cover design by Andrew Brozyna Text design by Juliet Williams Type set in Adobe Minion Pro for Ben and Freddie, my favorites From Erin for Grandmaman, an avid reader and early recommender of books From Eric CONTENTS Acknowledgments ix INTRODUCTION Notes Toward New Econarratologies ERIN JAMES AND ERIC MOREL 1 I. NARRATOLOGY AND THE NONHUMAN CHAPTER 1 Unnatural Narratology and Weird Realism in Jeff VanderMeer’s Annihilation JON HEGGLUND 27 CHAPTER 2 Object-Oriented Plotting and Nonhuman Realities in DeLillo’s Underworld and Iñárritu’s Babel MARCO CARACCIOLO 45 II.
    [Show full text]
  • An Assessment of Environmental Literacy Among Oklahoma Public High School Students and the Factors Affecting Students' Environmental Literacy
    An Assessment of Environmental Literacy Among Oklahoma Public High School Students and the Factors Affecting Students' Environmental Literacy The Harvard community has made this article openly available. Please share how this access benefits you. Your story matters Citation Williams, Riley Denae. 2017. An Assessment of Environmental Literacy Among Oklahoma Public High School Students and the Factors Affecting Students' Environmental Literacy. Master's thesis, Harvard Extension School. Citable link http://nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:HUL.InstRepos:33826276 Terms of Use This article was downloaded from Harvard University’s DASH repository, and is made available under the terms and conditions applicable to Other Posted Material, as set forth at http:// nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:HUL.InstRepos:dash.current.terms-of- use#LAA An Assessment of Environmental Literacy among Oklahoma Public High School Students and the Factors Affecting Students’ Environmental Literacy Riley Denae Williams A Thesis in the Field of Sustainability and Environmental Management for the Degree of Master of Liberal Arts in Extension Studies Harvard University May 2017 Copyright 2017 Riley Denae Williams Abstract The purpose of this study was to assess the environmental literacy of Oklahoma public high school students. The Oklahoma Environmental Literacy Assessment Tool (OELAT), an instrument designed to ascertain environmental literacy among high school students, was used to address research questions concerning student subpopulations including: gender, grade level, residence and participation in elective courses. There were 980 respondents to the OELAT representing a wide variety of elective interests. Since the data reflected behaviors that were self-reported by students and not actually observed, the quality of students’ responses may have been compromised and thus considered a limitation.
    [Show full text]