EST 296 – Fall 2007

Introduction to Environmental Studies

(The Gateway Course for all Environmental Studies Majors)

Professor Jack Manno, jpmanno@syr.edu

M – W 11:40 – 12:35. Room 211 Walters

Environmental Studies: The discipline of Environmental Studies educates students to observe, analyze, experiment, communicate and develop and test theory about the relationship between people and the natural environment. The subject of Environmental Studies is how people alter and affect their environment and vice versa. People are studied as individuals (the way one thinks about and relates to the environment, how one’s behaviors affects the environment, etc.,) and as participants in social, cultural, religious, economic, and political systems that are shaped by and shape the natural world. Nature is studied in its component parts of land, air, water, energy, and living beings and holistically as self-organizing interdependent ecosystems in which people are a part, often the dominant part. The environment is also understood as the source of living and non-living resources on which society depends and which must be managed in sustainable ways. The mission of Environmental Studies rests on an appreciation of the fact that individual and social wellbeing depends in large part on establishing and sustaining a right relationship between people and the ecosystems on which we all depend. Our tasks as environmental studies students are to determine, articulate and promote such a “right” relationship.

To better understand what Environmental Studies as a major is, compared, say, to Environmental Science, Biology, or Forestry, it is helpful to think about other “Studies” majors, such as American Studies, Gender Studies, or Science and Technology Studies. These “Studies” have in common a particular kind of intellectual engagement with the subject matter that focuses on the social construction of meaning. For example, American Studies asks such questions as, What does it mean to be an American? How has that changed over time? Who is an American? How do ideas about America affect our behavior, our foreign policy, the way we do business? What is American music, American Art? How do different people think about America and how can we explain these differences? The same set of questions can be asked about Gender. What does it mean to be a man or a woman? How have men learned the expectations of manly behavior? How have women’s roles changed over time? Why? In the field of Science and Technology Studies, students ask what is science? What are other ways of knowing and how do they differ from science? Who determines what is legitimate science? What are the political aspects of funding? Who gets the most funding and why. “Studies” tend toward deep, rather than surface analysis.

In Environmental Studies we ask more socially relevant questions than the other majors. Take for example how different professors might study the Great Lakes of North America. Chemists analyze the dynamic chemistry of water, what is and isn’t soluble, how light effects substances in water, how pollutants react in the water environment etc. Biologists study life in all its manifestations. Ecologists see the relationships between living and non-living components of the lakes, how that affects fish communities, how energy is exchanged and moves through the lakes. A political scientist might be concerned with the institutions for managing the lakes and the relationship between Canada and the United States and how they each carry out their responsibilities under international agreements. A student of environmental studies probes all these things but from a deeper and more contextual understanding of the relationship between people and the Great Lakes. We’re interested in what chemicals are in the water but more so how did they get there; what decisions were made or not made that led to the pollution; how does the environmental agenda about pollution and pollution control change over time? We are interested in fish but also the conflict between recreational fishing and commercial fishing, or what does fishing mean for indigenous people who consider a sturgeon to be, in some important ways, one of their relatives? Our questions are more inherently interesting and are answers are more difficult to come by.

Graduates of our Environmental Studies program work in many fields. Some work for government agencies, some are environmental journalists, some teachers, lawyers, administrators, some are building environmental businesses, and some working in international development agencies. All have in common the ability to think about and analyze environmental problems creatively, work with others to find solutions and communicate effectively. This course is the beginning.

Objectives of this course:

This course is the “Gateway” for ESF’s Environmental Studies program. It introduces students to Environmental Studies as a discipline, your curriculum options and our faculty. You will meet all the environmental studies faculty members and be introduced to their areas of interest and the courses they teach. We also focus on the “Classics” of the literature of the environment. We will study these readings to discover why they were and are important, how they helped people to understand the environment, natural resources and the relationship between people and nature in new ways.

Upon completion of this course you will be able to:

· Describe the Environmental Studies program and it’s faculty and curriculum.

· Participate as part of a community of new ES students.

· Discuss key elements of several of the “Classics” of ES thought, describe their importance, and explain how they contributed to an emerging conceptualization of environmental problems and solutions,

· Apply ES concepts to the Great Lakes, their watersheds and ecosystems. .

· Discuss the similarities and differences between different ways of understanding the relationship between people and the natural world.

[MM1]

Course Requirements

This is a participatory course. It is designed to engage you personally. My belief as an instructor is that learning happens best when it is directly related to your life, goals and interests.

Learning and Listening Sessions: You will occasionally be asked to do personal exploration of your roles as students, citizens, consumers in terms of your relationship to the environment. Often we will meet in groups of three or four for listening and learning (L & L) sessions. You will be asked to respond to one or more questions and take turns expressing your thoughts on the question(s). There are no right answers to the L & L questions, only more or less thoughtful responses.

Take home quizzes: For each set of readings you will receive in class questions to take home. You will write a one page response and these will be graded. You will receive a grading rubric in class (no more than 1 page) to be emailed to the instructor. You must have completed the readings prior to class and be prepared to share your thoughts.

There will be a take-home final.

Expectations

I expect that you will:

- be at every class session (unless excused in advance) on time,

- be active listeners to whomever is speaking,

- complete reading assignments prior to class,

- complete and turn in writing assignments on time,

- be active learners and teachers as exhibited through thoughtful participation by asking questions and contributing to classroom discussion,

- treat each other and the instructor with courtesy and respect.

You should expect me:

- to serve as a facilitator of learning for you collectively and individually,

- to come to class prepared,

- to be accessible during scheduled office hours, and to serve as an effective consultant for your learning,

- to assist you in finding additional resources when needed to reach the expected learning outcomes.

My Office Hours: Tuesdays, 2-4 PM; Wed. 9-10 am and by appointment.

Textbook

Goldfarb, T. D., “Sources: Notable Selections in Environmental Studies. Second Edition,”

available at the SU Bookstore at Schine Student Center and the Orange Bookstore in Marshall Square Mall.

Field Trips and Extra Sessions

There will be a day-long field trip to Lake Ontario included as part of this course, to be scheduled. You are expected to attend and participate. If you are unable to, please let Professor Manno know and make arrangements for an alternate assignment.

Office Hours

Professor Manno’s office is in Rm. 211A Marshall Hall. Office hours are from 2-4 on Tuesday and 9-10 on Wednesday. Office hours are times you can stop by without an appointment. You can also make an appointment via email for other times. Please do not come to the office outside of office hours without an appointment.

Grading

Final grades will be calculated approximately as follows:

- L & L session written responses: 15%

- Final exam: 30%

- Weekly Take Home exams 40%

- Attendance and participation 15%

COURSE SCHEDULE

Date	Topic	Speaker(s)	Reading
M 8/27	Intro	JM	Syllabus
W 8/29	Muir, Pinchot, Lyons, Cronon	Group	Ch. 1.1, 1.2, 7.2 plus handout
M 9/3	No Class – Labor Day
W 9/5	Aldo Leopold	JM	Ch. 1.3
M 9/10	White, Commoner, Ehrlich	JM	Ch. 2.1, 2.2, 2.3
W 9/12	Guest – Susan Senecah	SS	Hand-out
M 9/17	Carson, Colborn	JM	Ch. 13.1, 14.2
W 9/19	Academic to Career success	College wide program
M 9/24	G. Hardin & E. Ostrom	JM	Ch. 2.4, plus handout.
W 9/26	Guest – Mark Meisner	MM	Hand-out
M 10/1	Meadows et al	JM	Ch. 2.5
W 10/3	Env Studies Majors	coordinators	ES handbook
M 10/8	Vitousek & Rees	JM	Ch. 2.6 plus hand-out
W 10/10	Faculty guest		Hand-out
M 10/15	Hutchinson & Odum	JM	Ch. 3.1, 3.2
W 10/17	ES Options	coordinators	ES Handbook
M 10/22	Berry, Lappe, Brown	JM	12.1, 12.2, 12.3
W 10/24	Advising & Registration	College-wide program
M 10/29	Juday & Fowler	JM	Ch. 5.1, 5.2
W 10/31	Faculty Guest		Hand-out
M 11/5	Lovins, Flavin & Dunn	JM	Ch. 6.1, 6.2
W 11/7	Library	J. Verostek
M 11/12	Douglas, Vandermeer		Ch. 7.1. 7.3
W 11/4	Faculty guest		Hand-out
M 11/19	Evelyn, Paigen, LaRiviere	JM	Ch. 8.1, 8.2, 8.3
W 11/21	Faculty guest		Hand-out
M 11/26	Wilson, Gould	JM	Ch. 10.1., 10.2
W 11/28	Faculty guest		Hand-out
M 12/3	Sagoff, Bullard & Abramowitz	JM	Ch. 15.1, 15.2, 15.3
W 12/5	Faculty guest	SS	Hand-out
12/10-	Take-home exam	SM	Hand-out to be selected

[MM2]

EST 296 – Fall 2007

Introduction to Environmental Studies

Field Trips and Extra Sessions

Office Hours

Reading

Carson, Colborn