Nr2 Nature and Culture

ENVS 178

Environmental

Ethics

Environmental Program, University of Vermont

Course Syllabus, Fall 2005

Course Director Dr. Adrian Ivakhiv

Environmental Program, and School of Environment & Natural Resources

303 Bittersweet, 153 South Prospect Street (at Main)

E-mail: Please specify ‘ENVS178’ in Subject line of all e-mails!

Consultation hours: Tuesday & Thursday 3:30-5:00 (or by appointment). Please contact Sue Bean (656-4055) to arrange an appointment during office hours.

Class meetings Tuesdays & Thursdays, 11:00 to 12:15 am, Terrill 319

(Break-out rooms: Carrigan 11, Aiken 119)

COURSE OVERVIEW

As the human population grows, transforming ecosystems and consuming the Earth’s resources at ever increasing rates, conflicts arise over our use of the environment, our relationship with nature and with nonhuman species, and over visions for our common future. Such conflicts stem from divergent understandings of values and responsibilities, of what is good and right and how we should live on this Earth. In this course we will examine a wide range of intellectual efforts to address the ethical dimensions of our relationship with the Earth and the natural world, other species, and future generations. Students will be introduced to the major perspectives in traditional Western ethical theory, as well as perspectives and debates over land and wilderness ethics, animal rights, biocentrism and deep ecology, social ecology and environmental justice, ecofeminism, and postmodernism. While the course will focus primarily on contemporary philosophical environmental ethics, we will also introduce topics in religious environmental ethics, non-Western and indigenous traditions, globalization and new technologies, environmental aesthetics, and the connection between environmental philosophies and environmental activist movements.

OBJECTIVES

The objectives of the course will be as follows:

1. To develop and promote the intellectual skills necessary for understanding and reflectively acting on ethical issues and controversies, including: the ability to recognize values and ethical perspectives in environmental rhetoric and debate, to critically analyze and adjudicate between competing moral arguments and philosophical perspectives, and general skills in critical thinking, reading, writing and communication, argumentation and analysis.

2. To provide students with an appreciation for the range of ethical and value perspectives on environmental issues; an introductory understanding of the most influential and significant theories in environmental ethics; and acquaintance with the social movements which correlate with and carry various perspectives on human-environment relations.

3. To provide students with the opportunity to analyze real-world environmental issues and controversies and to contribute to their resolution through the application of ethical theory.

READINGS

Main course text

1. Joseph DesJardins, Environmental Ethics: An Introduction to Environmental Philosophy (Third edition, Wadsworth, 2001).

CLASS FORMAT

The focus of the course will be the course readings, supplemented by lecture materials. The readings, for the most part, are philosophical in nature: they apply ethical theory to environmental issues. The course is premised on the understanding that ethical perspectives can only be understood if they are debated and discussed in the context of real-world issues from our everyday lives, so informed class discussion - based on your readings and completion of weekly reading logs - will also be essential to your success in the course! If the class size is too large for effective in-class discussion, we will divide it up into study groups* which will meet on a regular basis; attendance at study groups will be mandatory and participation will be evaluated by yourself and your peers. Lectures and discussions will be supplemented by films/videos, quizzes, a weekly reading reflection journal, and a group applied-ethics project. All your work for the course will be centered around the course readings, so it is your responsibility both to yourself and to the rest of the class to read and respond to these on a weekly basis.

REQUIREMENTS AND EVALUATION

You will be evaluated on a point system, as follows.

Component Max. pts.

1. Attendance and class participation 20

2. Reading and reflection journal 40

3. Applied ethics project & presentation 30

or 3A. individual research paper option 25

4. Two to three in-class quizzes 10

5. Ishmael essay (optional) 5

1. ATTENDANCE & CLASS PARTICIPATION (20 pts.)

General: You are expected to have done the required readings before every class and to have prepared responses, to be shared in class, to the focus questions provided. Some of the readings are written in an academic and technical language and may require close and careful study. You are encouraged to keep a journal of unfamiliar terms and to look these up in a dictionary of philosophy or social theory (there are several available on-line and in the library; see ‘Reference shelf’ below) or to bring these up in class for clarification. You are also expected to participate in class discussions in an informed and respectful manner that contributes to the collective ‘thinking through’ of the issues raised. You should also keep your eyes open throughout the semester for events going on in the local community which may be relevant to the themes of the course. You are invited to bring in announcements of such events, as well as observations and insights from news happenings, and so on.

Class attendance policy: You are expected to attend every class session. Not only is this university policy, but it is the most important element in forming a stable and satisfying learning community, and it facilitates group work and class planning. Only excused absences are permitted; excused absences are granted through contact with the instructor by phone or e-mail. Your attendance grade will drop at least 1.5 pts. for each unexcused absence noted by the instructor.

*Study groups (see note above): These will take place on a regular basis during class hours (either at the beginning or near the end of regular class time). Students are expected to sign up for a study group by the second class (September 1), to attend these regularly, and to contribute to the discussion of readings and to the fulfillment of any other specific tasks given out to the study groups. Participation in study groups should be informed, thoughtful, fair, and respectful of other students; it should demonstrate that you have read and done your best to understand the course readings; and it should be aimed at contributing to the collective ‘thinking through’ of the issues raised by the readings and course themes. Discussion will normally be guided by the questions listed under ‘Topics and Themes’ of the weekly Course Schedule (see below), unless other questions and tasks are given out. The main goal of the study group sessions is to discuss, debate, and attempt to arrive at answers to these questions, so that these can later be shared in class.

Study group format: Each study group will be expected to elect a Facilitator and a Notekeeper either at each meeting or for a series of meetings. The Facilitator will act as a ‘chair’ and moderator for discussion (but without dominating discussion), while the Notekeeper will keep ‘minutes’ in order to report back in the plenary (lecture) classes. The Notekeeper will also be responsible for passing around, collecting, and handing in to the instructor a sign-up sheet of all those in attendance at the study group. The course director may occasionally visit these groups, but you will be evaluated for your participation in study groups by your peers. Since participation counts, it may be best to have a ‘rotating’ Facilitator or Notekeeper, so that everyone has the opportunity to participate in different ways.

Study group reports: You will be expected to produce two brief study group reports (based on handouts to be provided), to be handed in to the instructor in weeks 5 and 10 of the class. These will allow you to evaluate your own participation in the group and the activity of the group as a whole, discussing how well the study group is working, group dynamics, facilitation, and any other issues or concerns that may have arisen.

PLEASE ALSO SEE APPENDIX 4 “STUDY GROUP MANUAL” beginning on page 15.

2. READING & REFLECTION JOURNAL (40 pts.)

Objectives: The reading journal is intended to

(1) allow you to reflect on and respond to the readings, thinking through their meaning and relevance in relation to the course themes;

(2) respond to questions which have been assigned on the readings;

(3) and work toward crafting your own personal set of environmental ethics.

These journals will also prepare you for your quizzes as well as for classroom discussions. They will be collected and graded on a weekly basis.

Evaluation:

ON-TIME COMPLETION: 20 pts. maximum – 2.5 pts. each for 8 weekly entries. The first two weeks’ reading logs are mandatory; after that, you need only make sure that you hand in a total of six more on time (though you are welcome to hand in more, if you feel your grade is not up to your desired standard). Reading logs must be handed in to the instructor by Thursday’s class during the week in which those readings are discussed. To receive full points for each journal entry, all readings for each week must be addressed, unless otherwise specified.

All reading log entries should be typed, 1-1/2 to 2bl-spaced in a clearly legible, standard-size font. Reading logs should be handed in during the week in which the readings are discussed. Late logs will be accepted for the ‘quality’ grade, but not for the ‘on-time completion’ grade.

QUALITY: 20 pts.

This grade is for the quality of your summaries and responses, i.e., how well you demonstrate clear and coherent thinking about the issues raised, connecting themes and ideas between readings, and so on. Individual journal entries will not normally be graded for quality during the term, though some indication may be given of how well you are doing with your responses. You will be expected to hand in all your journal entries a second time as a package – typewritten and stapled – by December 3 at the latest.

Format:

On some occasions specific questions will be provided for your reading logs. In the case that no questions are provided, please use the following format. Each of the numbered items below could be written in one paragraph, though you are free to write more if you wish. But please be concise and not repetitive.

For each individual required reading (half-page in length per reading):

1. ARGUMENT SUMMARY: What is (/are) the author’s main argument(s)? How does he or she develop and support this (/these) argument(s)?

2. EVALUATION: What are the strengths and weaknesses of the arguments presented? What kinds of questions does it raise for you (or might it raise for other authors we have read)?

(Please do not comment here on the author’s writing style or whether or not you thought the article was ‘interesting.’ Such comments are more appropriate for a course in literary criticism. Your reflections on the readings should focus on the ideas and arguments presented in them.)

Following this section you may (but are not required to) include any additional notes on the readings, lists of words new to you, definitions of those words, etc., which will help you prepare for quizzes.

For the week’s readings as a whole: (one-half to one page in length)

1. COMPARISON & DIALOGUE: What are the central issues being debated or discussed in this week’s readings? On what points do the authors agree and disagree? What are the differing assumptions and the evidence upon which the positions are based? What is ‘at stake’ for us (and our understanding of environmental ethics) in these readings?

2. PERSONAL RESPONSE: What surprised you, disturbed you, or enlightened you most in these readings? With whom did you agree most, and why? How have any of these readings helped you to reflect and make sense of any current events or ethical issues you have had some experience with?

NOTE: If you are handing in your reading log on a Tuesday, you may add additional comments (as marginal notes or ‘afterthoughts’) in ink after your study group discussion, but it will be understood that the typed portion of your log consists of your own thoughts on the readings. On the other hand, if you are handing it in on Thursday, you will be expected to take into account the discussions you have had in your study group and in the lecture.