SOCI–X235-001 ENVIRONMENT AND SOCIETY (Fall, 2010)
Class Time: 3:30-4:45pm, T/R, MO 535 Professor: Dr. Anthony E. Ladd
Office: The Department of Sociology, MO 537-D Office Hours: MWR 1:00-3:00pm & by appt. Phone: 865-3640 Email: [email protected]
“ Only when the last tree had died and the last river been poisoned and the last fish been caught will we realize that we cannot eat money.” -- Old Cree Indian saying
“If we do not change the direction we are going, we will end up where we are headed.” -- Old Chinese Proverb
“The price one pays for an environmental education is to live in a world of wounds.” -- Aldo Leopold
COURSE DESCRIPTION
Environmental Sociology, as a subfield within the larger discipline of sociology, is concerned with the study of the interactions between human societies and the natural environment. As an elective in both the Advanced Common Curriculum and the Environmental Studies Program, this class will help introduce you to the study of environmental history, problems, policies, and controversies from a sociological perspective, but it will also incorporate a number of other academic viewpoints as well. Overall, the readings, lectures, films, and discussion for this class will enable you to become a more informed and critical thinker regarding your relationship to the nature and the future of life on this planet. My aim is to increase not just your knowledge about the world you share, but develop in you the wisdom to envision and practice a way of life which can help to ensure its sustainability.
ASSIGNMENTS AND GRADES
There will be three (3) in-class exams (30% each) worth 90% of your final grade, as well as a critical reaction paper to Bill McKibben’s Eaarth (worth 10%--format provided). In addition, your overall attendance and participation will be informally assessed and can earn you up to three extra points toward your final grade. Students interested in earning more extra credit (assuming all required work is completed) also have the option of attending local events (announced in class) throughout the semester (e.g. lectures, films, public programs, etc.) and writing a 2-3 page summary/reaction to the event to be turned in within the week.
Course grades will be determined by the following standard point/percentage scale:
93–100% = A; 90-92% = A-; 88–89% = B+; 83–87% = B; 80-82% = B-; 78–79% = C+; 73–77% = C; 70-72% = C-; 68–69% = D+; 60–67% = D; 59% or below = F.
1 ATTENDANCE AND EXAM POLICY
Class attendance is mandatory if you want to do well in this course and you are always expected to come to class prepared to discuss the assigned readings and subject matter. Whether you are absent or present, you are still responsible for whatever materials are presented in class, be they lectures, speakers, films, or handouts.
Taking make-up tests or submitting papers late without penalty will only be allowed in the event of an immediate, serious illness or personal emergency that physically prevents you from attending class. If such an emergency should take place, you must notify me in person or by telephone/email before the end of class, stating the problem and specifically when you will be in touch with me about making-up the assignment. No after-the-fact explanations or rationalizations will be allowed after that date—NO EXCEPTIONS!
If you are required, for a legitimate reason, to miss an upcoming test/assignment that you know about in advance, please see me beforehand. Failure to notify me beforehand about a missed written assignment or test will constitute an “unexcused late grade” and will result in a full grade reduction from the assigned grade for each class day (M-F) past the due date the paper is turned in or the test taken. (Keep in mind, however, that a late F paper/test is much better than earning a 0!) In other words, just like a job in the “real” world, show good judgement and responsibility toward your work and educational commitments.
This course will greatly educate you about an important period in American history, but doing well in it will require strong attention to the basics for every class—careful reading and review, being prepared for class discussion, attentiveness, curiosity, and good note-taking in class, as well as excellent research, writing, and proofreading skills for your paper. Like anything else in life, you will get out of the class as much as you put into it and you will earn the grade you receive. Let’s all work together to make it a great class and learning experience!
UNIVERSITY POLICY ON STUDENT DISABILITIES AND CONDUCT
• Students with disabilities who wish to receive accommodations in this class should contact Disabilities Services at 865-2990 as soon as possible so that warranted accommodations can be implemented in a timely fashion. Disability Services are located in the Academic Resource Center, Monroe Hall 405.
• Students are expected to conduct themselves in the classroom in compliance with university regulations on civility, cheating and plagiarism. For information, see the university bulletin.
MISCELLANEOUS CLASS POLICIES AND SUGGESTIONS:
• It is a privilege to attend college and to learn. Take your education seriously and treat the classroom experience, your professor, and your classmates with respect. Class is NOT the place to sleep, read the newspaper, study for other classes, or check your email or phone/text messages. Please turn off all cell phones and pagers, remove your hats/caps, and Laptops are NOT allowed to be used in class.
• Arrive to class on time and do not begin packing up your belongings or stand up to leave until I dismisses the class. Please visit the restroom and water fountain before class starts. If you must leave class early before the end of class for an important reason, please let me know before class begins.
2 • If you bring a beverage can into class, take it out with you—along with any used paper— and recycle them in Loyola’s can/paper bins in the building. Please dispose of any other nonrecyclable trash around you in the trash can when you leave.
• Make sure you are technically proficient with the computer/software and printer that you choose to use for your written assignments. Failure to properly “save” your work or neatly print out your papers is not an acceptable excuse for turning in late work!
• Words are a beautiful thing so treat the English language with respect. Always take time to write thoughtfully, clearly, and proofread your writing many times—with a tutor or experienced writer if possible—before you turn in an assignment. Use the WAC lab or Academic Resource Center staff if you need assistance with your writing—as most students do. Carefully follow the paper guidelines given.
• By the same token, think before you speak and be clear and articulate in your verbal communications. Avoid “mallspeak” and today’s street talk, e.g., filling up your communication interactions with empty words such as “like,” “uh,” “you know,” “whatever,” “cool,” “really,” etc. Say what you mean and mean what you say. For the rest of your life, people will judge you by what they first hear out of your mouth.
• Socrates said “The unexamined life is not worth living.” Formulate good questions about whatever you read or learn and ask them in class. The only “stupid” question is the one not asked.
• Do not cheat. It will only end in bitterness and regret.
• If for any reason you find yourself having a problem with the class material, my teaching style, other students, or any other issue that is negatively affecting your enjoyment of the course, please make an appointment to come talk to me about your issues so we can try to solve them together, before your grade starts to suffer.
• Finally, read a newspaper every day, a good book every month or so, contemplate the world around you, and CARPE DIEM!!! (See the films “Dead Poets’ Society” and “Finding Forester” for some excellent academic role models.)
REQUIRED TEXTS
• Benjamin Kline. 2007. (3rd ed.). First Along the River: A Brief History of the U.S. Environmental Movement. Rowman & Littlefield.
• Bill McKibben. 2010. Eaarth. Times Books.
(Additional readings and handouts will be provided by professor)
NOTE: You will need to bring your texts to class everyday as we use them for reference and discussion.
3 TOPICS AND READING ASSIGNMENTS
DATE CLASS TOPIC
I. UNDERSTANDING THE ENVIRONMENT AND THE SOCIOLOGY OF ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES
8/31 (T) A. Course Introductions
9/2 (R) B. Conceptualizing the Environment and the Human-Ecological Complex
9/7 (T) C. Environmental Sociology and the New Ecological Paradigm
9/9 (R) D. Theoretical Approaches to Analyzing Environmental Problems
II. THE U.S. ENVIRONMENTAL MOVEMENT
9/14 (T) A. Philosophical Foundations & Inhabiting a New Land
Reading/Discussion: Kline, Chapters 1 & 2
Film/Discussion: “The Way West” (Part I)
9/16 (R) B. The Early 1800s: Manifest Destiny & Conquering the Western Frontier
Reading/Discussion: Kline, Chapter 3
Film: “The Way West” (Part I)
9/21 (T) C. The End of Native American Freedom
Film Clip/Discussion: “The Way West” (Part III)
9/23 (R) D. The Late 1880s: Building an Industrial Nation & The Birth of the National Park System
Reading/Discussion: Kline, Chapter 4
Film Clip: “The Scripture of Nature” (The National Parks, Part I)
9/28 (T) E. The 1900s -1930s: Beginnings of the Conservation Movement
Reading/Discussion: Kline, Chapter 5
Film Clip: “The Last Refuge” (The National Parks, Part II)
4 9/30 (R) F. The Civilian Conservation Corps
Film/Discussion: “The Civilian Conservation Corps.”
10/ 5 (T) G. The Conservation Movement Cont.
Film/Discussion: “The Civilian Conservation Corps”
Exam Review/Questions
10/7 (R) FIRST EXAM (covers all readings, lectures, & films to date)
10/12 (T) H. The 1940s - 1960s: Preclude to the Green Decade
Reading/Discussion: Kline, Chapter 6
Film: “Wild By Law”
10/14 (R) I. Preservationism and The Wilderness Act of 1964
Film/Discussion Cont: “Wild By Law”
10/ 19 (T) FALL BREAK--No Class
10/21 (R) J. The 1970s: Earth Day & the Beginnings of The Modern Environmental Movement
Reading/Discussion: Kline, Chapter 7
10/26 (T) K. Pioneers of The Modern Environmental Movement
Film/Discussion: “Earth Days”
10/28 (R) Pioneers of The Modern Environmental Movement Cont.
Film/Discussion: “Earth Days”
11/2 (T) L. The 1980s: Reaganism & The Conservative Backlash
Reading/Discussion: Kline, Chapter 8
Film Clip: “James Watt’s Environment”
Exam Review/Questions
11/4 (R) SECOND EXAM (covers all readings, lectures, & films to date)
5 11/9 (T) M. The 1990s: Retrenchment, Apathy, & Institutionalization
Reading/Discussion: Kline, Chapters 9 & 10
11/11 (R) N. Environmentalism in the Post-9/11 World
Reading/Discussion: Kline, Chapter 11
III. LIVING ON A TOUGH NEW PLANET
11/16 (T) A. A New World, A New Climate
Reading/Discussion: McKibben, Preface-Chapter 2
11/18 (R) B. Rethinking The Ideology of Growth: Food, Energy, & Community
Reading/Discussion: McKibben, Chapters 3-4
11/23 (T) C. Consuming the Planet
Film/Discussion: “The History of Stuff”
CRITICAL REACTION PAPER TO EAARTH DUE IN CLASS
11/25 (R) THANKSGIVING HOLIDAY--No Class (Give thanks to Native Americans and Mother Nature!)
11/30 (T) D. The Industrialization of Food Production
Film/Discussion: “Food, Inc.”
12/2 (R) Food Production Issues Cont.
Film/Discussion: “Food, Inc.”
12/7 (T) E. Food Issues Cont: Aquaculture: Farming the Seas
Research Presentation: “Something Fishy: Environmental Resistance to Aquaculture From The Pacific Northwest to the Gulf of Mexico”--A. Ladd
12/9 (R) F. Environmentalism in the 21st Century
Reading: Kline, Conclusion
Wrap-Up/Review/Course Evaluations
12/14 (T) FINAL EXAM, Tuesday, December 14th, 2:00-4:00pm
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