DOCSLIB.ORG

Dear Student, June 26, 2014 Welcome to AP Environmental

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Dear Student, June 26, 2014 Welcome to AP Environmental Dear Student, June 26, 2014 Welcome to AP Environmental Science at School of the Future! During the upcoming school year we will be covering a large range of topics to determine what makes our Earth habitable and how humans impact Earth and its environments. From the very first day, we will also be working towards and preparing for the AP Environmental Science exam given by the College Board in May of 2015. This is an intense course equivalent to a college level introductory environmental science class. To help us hit the ground running next semester, I am asking (and by asking I mean requiring) all APES students to complete the following: 1. Read The World Without Us by Alan Weisman and an environmental science themed novel of your choice (see below for suggestions). Then use what you have learned from these books to develop and support (with textual evidence) a nuanced claim in response to this question, “Is humankind bad for the Earth?” Think about the impacts that humans have had on Earth, its environments, and the other organisms that inhabit them. Is the impact good? Bad? Somewhere in between? Are there efforts that humans can make to change their impact upon the Earth? Keep these questions in mind while reading and writing. NOTE: The fictional selections below don’t always take place on Earth so feel free to interpret “Earth” as “the planet humans are living on.” Your essay should be at least three pages in length and contain APA/MLA formatted citations as well as a biography. A paper copy of the completed essay is due in class on Thursday, September 4th. Look for a rubric on the class website relatively soon. Parallels can be drawn between fiction and reality and predictions can be made, but remember that when discussing a work of fiction the evidence is at best speculative (though some novels are very thoroughly researched) and more reflective or indicative of humanity’s attitudes, values, etc. Options/suggestions for Environmental Science Fiction novels: Dune by Frank Herbert Shipbreaker by Paolo Bacigalupi Tuf Voyaging by George R. R. Martin The Precipice by Ben Bova Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood Red Mars by Kim Stanley Robinson Forty Signs of Rain by Kim Stanley Robinson Ecotopia by Ernest Callenbach The Color of Distance by Amy Thomson The Quiet War by Paul McAuley Energized by Edward M. Lerner Antarctica by Kim Stanley Robinson I suggest that you research these titles and choose one that seems most interesting and appropriate for you. Some of these are personal favorites while others are books about which I have heard great feedback and am looking forward to reading. If you have another choice that is not listed, then feel free to email me about it. 2. Brush up on your knowledge of geography. Environmental science involves discussing environmental issues throughout the world, so a good working knowledge of world geography is crucial. You must know the names of and approximate locations on a map of the following: • All 7 continents (North and South America, Europe, Africa, Asia, Australia, and Antarctica) • All oceans (Atlantic, Pacific, Indian, and Arctic) • Major seas and lakes (Caribbean Sea, Gulf of Mexico, Mediterranean Sea, Arabian Sea, Black Sea, all 5 Great Lakes, Caspian Sea, and Aral Sea) • Major rivers and river systems (Amazon, Nile, Mississippi (also Missouri and Ohio rivers), Yangtze, Ganges, and Yellow) • Major mountain chains (Rockies, Andes, Appalachians, Alps, Urals, and Himalayas) • Major world cities (New York, Istanbul, Mexico City, London, Tokyo, Johannesburg, Beijing, Santiago, Mumbai, Sao Paulo, Moscow, Lagos, Bogotá, Cairo, and Shanghai) • Students should also be able to find the equator and discern latitude from longitude On the back of the next page is a world map that you can fill out as you see fit in order to serve as a reference. There will be a geography quiz within the first few days of school. 3. Review and sharpen basic math skills. See the reminder information and practice problems. There will be a quiz on the metric system, percentages, units and converting, and scientific notation during the first few days of school. Calculators will not be allowed as they are not allowed AP Environmental Science exam. In addition, the supplies that you will need for science class are as follows: - 3 ring binder (1” in width should suffice) - Writing utensils (obviously) - A set of dividers - Ruler - Looseleaf - Quad ruled (graph paper) composition book* NOTE: It is completely acceptable (and environmentally friendly!) to continue to use your quad ruled composition book from last year provided that you can find it and it is in useable condition. Completing these assignments and entering next semester in the right frame of mind and with some background knowledge is very important. You need to be reading, thinking, working, and writing over the summer in order to be prepared for class and to build better habits for college. Failure to complete the summer assignments or prepare for class in September could result in dismissal from AP Environmental Science. If you can’t read two books over the summer, learn/relearn some geography, and make sure you are competent with basic math, then are you really ready for a college level class? Now that the somewhat scary, negative stuff has been addressed, I want to remind you that I’m really looking forward working with you this coming school year. Please feel free to reach out to me with questions at [email protected] or you can check the class website at sofenvironmentalscience.blogspot.com. Enjoy your summer! Sincerely, Mr. Whelton Scientific Notation When using very large numbers, scientific notation is often times the easiest to manipulate. For example, the United States’ population is approximately 300 million people or 300 x 106 or 3 x 108. When adding or subtracting, exponents must be the same. Add/subtract the numbers in front of the ten and keep the exponent the same. When multiplying or dividing, multiply or divide the number in front of the ten and add the exponents if multiplying or subtract the exponents if dividing. Ex. 9 x 106 / 3 x 102 = (9 / 3) x 10(6-2) = 3 x 104 Prefixes m (milli) = 1/1000 = 10-3 c (centi) = 1/100 = 10-2 k (kilo) = 1000 = 103 M (mega) = 1,000,000 = 106 G (giga) = 1,000,000,000 = 109 T (tera) = 1,000,000,000,000 = 1012 Math Fun Complete on a separate piece of paper to be submitted. Be sure to show your work. 1. What is one million times one thousand? Show your work in scientific notation and give the answer in scientific notation and in words. 2. A population of deer had 200 individuals. If the population grows by 15% in one year, how many deer will there be the next year? 3. Last year there are 28 AP Environmental Science students and next year there will be 60 AP Environmental Science students. What percentage did the population of APES students grow by? 4. Electricity costs 6 cents per kilowatt hour. In one month, one home uses one megawatt hour of electricity. How much will the electric bill be? (Use the prefixes above for assistance) 5. Your car gets 15 miles to the gallon and your friend’s car gets 25 miles to the gallon. You decide to go on a road trip to Virginia Beach, which is 300 miles away. If gas costs $4.00 per gallon and you decide to split the gas money, how much money will you save in gas by driving your friend’s car? 6. Manhattan is 2 miles wide and 17 miles long. If one inch of rain falls on Manhattan, then how many cubic feet of rain fell on Manhattan? (Hint: convert all units to feet first) 7. An mp3 takes up about 16 kilobytes of memory per second of music. If you owned a one terabyte hard drive and filled it with only mp3s, then how many days of music would you have stored? Mastery – 4 Proficient – 3 Satisfactory – 2 Needs Revision – 1 Claim States clear, well- States clear, well-reasoned States a logical, but States an illogical or reasoned, nuanced claim and counterclaim vague claim indefensible position claim and counterclaim Support of Thoroughly supports Supports claims with Supports claims with Supports claims with claim claims with several multiple detailed, specific multiple detailed, reasons/ evidence that detailed, convincing, reasons/pieces of evidence convincing specific are not convincing due specific as well as attempts at reasons/pieces of to lack of detail, reasons/pieces of forming counterclaims/ evidence but neglects specificity, or clarity OR evidence as well as refutations of them to make use of not having enough refuted counterclaim pieces of evidence to counterclaims support each claim Demonstrates Consistently Consistently demonstrates Demonstrates Does not demonstrate knowledge demonstrates deep knowledge of material in knowledge of material sufficient knowledge of knowledge of readings by: using in readings by using material from readings material in readings vocabulary, explaining vocabulary, etc. but through errors or lack of by constantly: using examples clearly, with multiple or glaring usage/ explanation. vocabulary, incorporating statistics, etc errors or lack of a detail explaining examples and minor errors or clearly, incorporating occasions for further statistics, etc. explanation may be present Credit to While writing in While writing in his/her own While writing in his/her Bibliography, citations, sources his/her own words, words, completes an own words, completes or both are missing or it correctly completes APA/MLA formatted an APA/MLA formatted is obvious that student an APA/MLA bibliography AND cites bibliography AND cites is not giving due credit formatted within text with minor errors within text with minor to sources through bibliography AND errors but with clear his/her style of writing properly cites within errors text Writing Writes elegantly and Very consistently adheres to Consistently adheres to Mostly adheres to conventions in a sophisticated spelling and grammar spelling and grammar spelling and grammar manner while very conventions conventions conventions consistently adhering to spelling and grammar conventions .
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Horror of Philosophy
    978 1 84694 676 9 In the dust of this planet txt:Layout 1 1/4/2011 3:31 AM Page i In The Dust of This Planet [Horror of Philosophy, vol 1] 978 1 84694 676 9 In the dust of this planet txt:Layout 1 1/4/2011 3:31 AM Page ii 978 1 84694 676 9 In the dust of this planet txt:Layout 1 1/4/2011 3:31 AM Page iii In The Dust of This Planet [Horror of Philosophy, vol 1] Eugene Thacker Winchester, UK Washington, USA 978 1 84694 676 9 In the dust of this planet txt:Layout 1 1/4/2011 3:31 AM Page iv First published by Zero Books, 2011 Zero Books is an imprint of John Hunt Publishing Ltd., Laurel House, Station Approach, Alresford, Hants, SO24 9JH, UK [email protected] www.o-books.com For distributor details and how to order please visit the ‘Ordering’ section on our website. Text copyright: Eugene Thacker 2010 ISBN: 978 1 84694 676 9 All rights reserved. Except for brief quotations in critical articles or reviews, no part of this book may be reproduced in any manner without prior written permission from the publishers. The rights of Eugene Thacker as author have been asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. Design: Stuart Davies Printed in the UK by CPI Antony Rowe Printed in the USA by Offset Paperback Mfrs, Inc We operate a distinctive and ethical publishing philosophy in all areas of our business, from our global network of authors to production and worldwide distribution.
    [Show full text]
  • List of Discussion Titles (By Title)
    The “Booked for the Evening” book discussion group began March 1999. Our selections have included fiction, mysteries, science fiction, short stories, biographies, non-fiction, memoirs, historical fiction, and young adult books. We’ve been to Europe, Asia, the Middle East, South America, the Antarctic, Africa, India, Australia, Canada, Mexico, and the oceans of the world. We’ve explored both the past and the future. After more than 15 years and over two hundred books, we are still reading, discussing, laughing, disagreeing, and sharing our favorite titles and authors. Please join us for more interesting and lively book discussions. For more information contact the Roseville Public Library 586-445-5407. List of Discussion Titles (by title) 1984 George Orwell February 2014 84 Charring Cross Road Helene Hanff November 2003 A Cold Day in Paradise Steve Hamilton October 2008 A Patchwork Planet Anne Tyler July 2001 A Prayer for Owen Meany John Irving December 1999 A Room of One’s Own Virginia Wolff January 2001 A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian Marina Lewycka December 2008 The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian Sherman Alexie October 2010 Affliction Russell Banks August 2011 The Alchemist Paulo Coelho June 2008 Along Came a Spider James Patterson June 1999 An Inconvenient Wife Megan Chance April 2007 Anatomy of a Murder Robert Traver November 2006 Angela’s Ashes Frank McCourt August 1999 Angle of Repose Wallace Stegner April 2010 Annie's Ghosts: A Journey into a Family Secret Steve Luxenberg October 2013 Arc of Justice: a Saga of Race, Civil Rights and Murder in the Jazz Age Kevin Boyle February 2007 Around the World in Eighty Days Jules Verne July 2011 Page 1 of 6 As I Lay Dying William Faulkner July 1999 The Awakening Kate Chopin November 2001 Ballad of Frankie Silver Sharyn McCrumb June 2003 Before I Go to Sleep S.
    [Show full text]
  • The World Without Us Free
    FREE THE WORLD WITHOUT US PDF Mireille Juchau | 320 pages | 14 Jan 2016 | Bloomsbury Publishing PLC | 9781408866511 | English | London, United Kingdom Around the World in 30 Gifts Sign in with Facebook Sign in options. Join The World Without Us. Want to Read saving…. Want to Read Currently Reading Read. Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Without them, we couldn't exist. It's that simple, and we can't afford to ignore them, anymore than I can afford to neglect my precious wife--nor the sweet mother Earth that births and holds us all. Without us, Earth will abide and endure; without her, however, we could not even be. That may seem far-fetched, but it's also a definition of prayer. Nothing remains the same. Who would ever have imagined that an organism would essentially turn itself inside out, pulling its shoulder girdle inside its ribs to form a carapace? The only real prediction you can make is that life The World Without Us go on. And that it will be interesting. To enter it is to realize that most of us were bred to a pale copy of what nature intended. Seeing elders with trunks seven feet wide, or walking through stands of the tallest trees here—gigantic Norway spruce, shaggy as Methuselah—should seem as exotic as the Amazon or Antarctica to someone raised among the comparatively puny, second-growth woodlands found throughout The World Without Us Northern Hemisphere. And, on some cellular level, how complete. Since the Milky Way islight-years across and 1, light-years thick, and our solar system is near The World Without Us middle of the galactic plane, this means in about AD the expanding sphere of radio The World Without Us bearing Lucy, Ricky, and their neighbors the Mertzes will emerge from the top and bottom of our galaxy and enter intergalactic The World Without Us.
    [Show full text]
  • Environmentally Themed Books for Adults*
    Environmentally Themed Books for Adults* *The City of Roanoke does not endorse any books on this list; they are provided merely as a starting point for your own investigation. Collected from various sources, 2015. NON-FICTION Desert Solitaire: A Season in the Wilderness by Edward Abbey Biohazard: The Chilling True Story of the Largest Covert Biological Weapons Program in the World - Told from Inside by the Man Who Ran It by Ken Alibek The Bleeding of the Stone by Ibrahim al-Koni Enviro-Capitalists: Doing Good While Doing Well by Terry Lee Anderson and Donald R. Leal Free Market Environmentalism by Terry L. Anderson and Donald R. Leal Babylon's Ark: The Incredible Wartime Rescue of the Baghdad Zoo by Lawrence Anthony and Graham Spence Earth from the Air by Yann Arthus-Bertrand Our Angry Earth: A Ticking Ecological Bomb by Isaac Asimov and Frederik Pohl State of the World 2010: Transforming Cultures: From Consumerism to Sustainability by Erik Assadourian et al Wild Solutions: How Biodiversity is Money in the Bank by Andrew Beattie and Paul R. Ehrlich Environmental Principles and Policies: An Interdisciplinary Introduction by Sharon Beder Global Spin: The Corporate Assault on Environmentalism by Sharon Beder Ecology: From Individuals to Ecosystems by Michael Begon et al The Coming Global Superstorm by Art Bell and Whitley Strieber Fundamentals of Stack Gas Dispersion (4th edition) by Milton R. Beychok Aqueous Wastes from Petroleum and Petrochemical Plants by Milton R. Beychok Putting Biodiversity on the Map: Priority Areas for Global Conservation
    [Show full text]
  • PDF Download the World Without Us
    THE WORLD WITHOUT US PDF, EPUB, EBOOK Mireille Juchau | 320 pages | 14 Jan 2016 | Bloomsbury Publishing PLC | 9781408866511 | English | London, United Kingdom The World Without US (Video ) - IMDb Want to Read Currently Reading Read. Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Without them, we couldn't exist. It's that simple, and we can't afford to ignore them, anymore than I can afford to neglect my precious wife--nor the sweet mother Earth that births and holds us all. Without us, Earth will abide and endure; without her, however, we could not even be. That may seem far-fetched, but it's also a definition of prayer. Nothing remains the same. Who would ever have imagined that an organism would essentially turn itself inside out, pulling its shoulder girdle inside its ribs to form a carapace? The only real prediction you can make is that life will go on. And that it will be interesting. To enter it is to realize that most of us were bred to a pale copy of what nature intended. Seeing elders with trunks seven feet wide, or walking through stands of the tallest trees here—gigantic Norway spruce, shaggy as Methuselah— should seem as exotic as the Amazon or Antarctica to someone raised among the comparatively puny, second-growth woodlands found throughout the Northern Hemisphere. And, on some cellular level, how complete. Since the Milky Way is , light-years across and 1, light-years thick, and our solar system is near the middle of the galactic plane, this means in about AD the expanding sphere of radio waves bearing Lucy, Ricky, and their neighbors the Mertzes will emerge from the top and bottom of our galaxy and enter intergalactic space.
    [Show full text]
  • Geologies of Finitude: the Deep Time of Twenty- First-Century Catastrophe in Don Delillo’S Point Omega and Reza Negarestani’S Cyclonopedia
    Critique: Studies in Contemporary Fiction ISSN: 0011-1619 (Print) 1939-9138 (Online) Journal homepage: http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/vcrt20 Geologies of Finitude: The Deep Time of Twenty- First-Century Catastrophe in Don DeLillo’s Point Omega and Reza Negarestani’s Cyclonopedia Bradley J. Fest To cite this article: Bradley J. Fest (2016) Geologies of Finitude: The Deep Time of Twenty-First-Century Catastrophe in Don DeLillo’s Point Omega and Reza Negarestani’s Cyclonopedia, Critique: Studies in Contemporary Fiction, 57:5, 565-578, DOI: 10.1080/00111619.2016.1138446 To link to this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00111619.2016.1138446 Published online: 15 Jul 2016. Submit your article to this journal View related articles View Crossmark data Full Terms & Conditions of access and use can be found at http://www.tandfonline.com/action/journalInformation?journalCode=vcrt20 Download by: [67.165.107.150] Date: 15 July 2016, At: 12:19 CRITIQUE: STUDIES IN CONTEMPORARY FICTION 2016, VOL. 57, NO. 5, 565–578 http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00111619.2016.1138446 Geologies of Finitude: The Deep Time of Twenty-First-Century Catastrophe in Don DeLillo’s Point Omega and Reza Negarestani’s Cyclonopedia Bradley J. Fest Department of English, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA ABSTRACT KEYWORDS The twenty-first century has seen a transformation of twentieth-century Anthropocene; Cyclonopedia; narrative and historical discourse. On the one hand, the Cold War national deep time; Don DeLillo; fantasy of mutually assured destruction has multiplied, producing a diverse geology; Point Omega; Reza array of apocalyptic visions. On the other, there has been an increasing Negarestani; novel; War on sobriety about human finitude, especially considered in the light of emer- Terror ging discussions about deep time.
    [Show full text]
  • Announcing the 2008 Book Sense Book of the ABA (The Renaissance Hollywood)
    March 20, 2008 most enjoyed handselling during 2007, will be presented at ABA's TABLE OF CONTENTS: annual Celebration of Bookselling on Thursday, May 29, at Hotel • Announcing the 2008 Book Sense Book of the ABA (the Renaissance Hollywood). Year Winners .................................................... 1 "We hope the entire industry will join us at Hotel ABA to honor • ABA Joins Retail Council of New York in this year's Book Sense Book of the Year Award winners," said ABA CEO Avin Mark Domnitz. "Each is an indie favorite that has Albany E-Fairness Effort .................................. 2 been handsold to customers at ABA member stores during 2007. • BTW News Briefs ............................................. 2 We look forward to applauding these winning authors and • Booksellers Forums in Colorado, Georgia & illustrators for their unique contributions to the diversity of titles Oregon Next Week ........................................... 3 sold at independent bookstores nationwide." • On California Minds: E-Fairness, Localism, Fiction Honor Books BookSense.com ............................................... 4 • The Yiddish Policemen's Union: A Novel by Michael Chabon (HarperCollins) • Hilton Atlanta to Host Spring Book Show, ABA • Bridge of Sighs by Richard Russo (Knopf/Random House) & SIBA Programs ............................................. 5 • Away: A Novel by Amy Bloom (Random House) • Creating a Compendium of Green Resources • Run: A Novel by Ann Patchett (HarperCollins) .........................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • 1Pg 1 Reading the Works of Isaac Asimov the American Author Isaac Asimov (1920–1992) Was One of the 20Th Century’S Most Prolific Authors
    Notes Where Is Everybody? 1Pg 1 reading the works of Isaac Asimov The American author Isaac Asimov (1920–1992) was one of the 20th century’s most prolific authors. He wrote on a vast number of topics—from the Bible to Shakespeare—but it was his science books, both fiction and non-fiction, that had the most impact on me. For a memoir, written towards the end of his life, see Asimov (1994). 2Pg 1 appeared in successive issues The “pro-Fermi” article, by the American geologist and science fiction writer Stephen Lee Gillett (1953–), appeared in the August 1984 issue of Asimov’s. The rebuttal, by the American scientist and author Robert A. Freitas Jr (1952–), appeared in the September issue. A few years later, Gillett expanded upon his original article and pointed out a different interpretation of the “lemming paradox” introduced by Freitas and discussed here on page 2. If Earth were empty except for lemmings then the creatures would be everywhere; but Earth teems with other living things, which out-compete lemmings and limit their spread. The correct conclusion to draw from the non-observation of lemmings is that Earth has an abundance of living species competing for resources (which we knew anyway, because we see life all around us). When we look into space, however, we see nothing that indicates the presence of life. 3Pg 5 latest cosmological measurements The WMAP and Planck space mis- sions have tied down the key numbers describing our universe. For details see, for example, NASA (2012) and ESA (2014). The Physicist Enrico Fermi 4Pg 10 precocious ability in mathematics For details of Fermi’s life I consulted two sources: a biography written by his wife Laura (Fermi 1954); and © Springer International Publishing Switzerland 2015 339 S.
    [Show full text]
  • Sea Sick Written and Performed by Alanna Mitchell ★ ★ ★ ★ “Mesmerizing” the Guardian
    Sea Sick Written and performed by Alanna Mitchell ★ ★ ★ ★ “Mesmerizing” The Guardian JULY 31 - AUGUST 25, 2019 CanadaHub PRODUCTION Written and Performed by Alanna Mitchell Directed by Franco Boni Co-directed by Ravi Jain Set and Costume Designer: Shawn Kerwin Sound Designer: Tim Lindsay Lighting Designer: Rebecca Picherack Associate Producer: Sascha Cole Stage Manager & Touring Lighting Designer: Melissa Joakim Presented by The Theatre Centre in association with SummerHall Sea Sick at Edinburgh Festival Fringe July 31–August 25, 2019 #SeaSickTC #CanadaHubFringe @TheatreCentre @TheTheatreCentre @TheTheatreCentre DIRECTOR’S NOTE In 2012, I was invited to attend Cape Farewell Canada’s Carbon 14 Workshop. Scientists, journal- ists, business people, politicians, religious leaders and artists assembled at a waterfront location in Toronto to learn how we could collectively respond to the climate crisis. How could we work together to communicate the truth about climate change. One of the most profound moments that weekend was listening to a talk by science journalist Alanna Mitchell. Her words hit me like a ‘thunderbolt’. I remember leaving her talk feeling anxious and help- less. What could I do? A year later, The Cape Farewell Canada Foundation and The Theatre Centre partnered to present a multi-arts festival that featured work by artists responding to issues of Climate Change. Together with Ravi Jain, we began working on a theatre piece that weaved Alanna’s personal story with her journeys to learn what was happening to the global ocean. Sea Sick had its first public workshop at that Festival. Sea Sick is an example of the critical role our cultural community and artists can play in communicating truth.
    [Show full text]
  • New Courses New Directions
    AN ANNUAL PUBLICATION FOR ALUMNI AND FRIENDS OF MICHIGAN ENGLISH www.lsa.umich.edu/english NEW COURSES NEW DIRECTIONS 2014 ALUMNI NEWSLETTER PLEASE HELP SUPPORT MICHIGAN ENGLISH POSTAGE-PAID ENVELOPE INSIDE A NOTE from the As I enter my last year as Chair of this remark- two creative writers. The scholars are Madhumita able Department (not to mention my 29th Lahiri, who comes to us from the University CHAIR year on the faculty), it is tempting to reflect of Warwick in the United Kingdom, and is a on the various changes the Department has specialist in postcolonial literature and world undergone. Almost every year, the Department literature; and Walter Cohen, who comes to has welcomed new faculty, and said farewell us from Cornell University, and is a specialist to others. Change is indeed the norm, and the in Renaissance and European literature. The lifeblood, of English Departments. Maintaining creative writers are Kirstin Quade and Tarfia the Department’s excellence in research and Faizullah, who will be joining the Helen Zell teaching has been made somewhat tougher by Writers’ Program as the Nicholas Delbanco Vis- the challenges and constraints facing all humani- iting Professor in Fiction and Poetry, respectively. ties departments in public institutions of higher Please be sure to read their profiles in this issue. education. But it has been made much easier Each will bring vital new energies and perspec- by the enthusiastic support we receive from our tives to the Department. amazing alums. As always, the awards of our lauded faculty First the losses: Alan Wald, the H.
    [Show full text]
  • In the Dust of the Multiverse?
    1 Thomas Browne RMA Comparative Literary Studies Research Master’s Thesis Supervisor: dr. Birgit Kaiser Utrecht University In the Dust of the Multiverse? How black comedy in Rick and Morty elaborates on and challenges Eugene ​ ​ Thacker’s cosmic pessimism 2 Abstract This thesis reads the American animated comedy, Rick and Morty, can ​ ​ be alongside and against Eugene Thacker’s “cosmic pessimism”, a pessimistic posthumanist philosophy elaborated over various works. The aim is to see how an understanding of the tenets of cosmic pessimism can enrich a reading of Rick and Morty, and moreover to see what challenges ​ ​ Rick and Morty poses for cosmic pessimism itself, since this latter, according to Thacker, takes the distinctly un-comedic genre of supernatural horror, not he animated sitcom, as the privileged site of its elucidation. In order to carry out this investigation, the work considers Rick and ​ Morty within two different traditions: that of dark comedy, and that of the postmodern sitcom. These guide the reading, with an understanding of the postmodern sitcom providing the tropological and contextual ground of the investigation and the major features of dark humour — specifically irony and the grotesque — providing the structure by which the analysis proceeds. This investigation aims to explore Rick and Morty as a truly distinctive text at the confluence of diverse aesthetic and philosophical notions, and in so doing will challenge and modify the conclusions of Thacker’s cosmic pessimism. 3 Table of Contents Introduction ……………………………………………………………………….4
    [Show full text]
  • Omni Over-Population, Growth, Consumption, Warming, Climate Change Newsletter #5
    OMNI OVER-POPULATION, GROWTH, CONSUMPTION, WARMING, CLIMATE CHANGE NEWSLETTER #5, JUNE 5, 2015. http://jamesrichardbennett.blogspot.com/2015/06/omni- overpopulation-newsletter-5.html Compiled by Dick Bennett for a Culture of Peace, Justice, and Ecology (#1 July 8, 2010; #2 April 23, 2012; #3 April 4, 2014; #4 June 28, 2014). Years it took for the human population to grow from 1 billion to 2 billion: 123; Years it took to grow from 6 billion to 7 billion: 22 . From YES! (Summer 2013). What’s at stake: June 2013, C02 reached 400PPM after 10,000 years nearly constant at 280ppm, and atmospheric temperature continues to rise and is approaching 2 degrees centigrade higher than the average at the beginning of the industrial revolution. I asked Art for his epitome of the Stake: ‘The long-term historical picture is much worse than you portray. And I would change the date a little. I guess I would say it like this: April 2014 was the first full month when CO2 concentrations exceeded 400 ppm. This is more than 100 ppm higher than at any other time during the past million years. The last time CO2 concentrations were this high was during the Pliocene era, several million years ago and long before the era of the ice ages. During the Pliocene, temperatures were 18 Fahrenheit degrees warmer and sea levels 70 feet higher than they are today. We are creating a new geological age. My blog: War Department/Peace Department http://jamesrichardbennett.blogspot.com/ Newsletters http://www.omnicenter.org/newsletter-archive/ Index: http://www.omnicenter.org/omni-newsletter-general-index/ See: abortion.doc, OMNI Climate Change Forums.
    [Show full text]