CEP
302: Environmental Response
Winter
2004
http://courses.washington.edu/c302w04
|
Cohort A Mark Purcell 448E Gould Hall Tel. 206-543-8754 Office Hrs: by appointment (e-mail me!) Class meeting
times: MW |
Cohort B Cindy Updegrave 804 Condon Hall Tel. 206-685-1960 Office Hrs: by appointment Class meeting
times: MW |
Introduction
This class explores the relationship between humans and the
environment. Because that relationship
is hopelessly broad, we will focus on a few topics that are particularly
important in contemporary environmental studies and planning. Themes like environmental history,
environmental justice, restoration, sustainability, livability. Like last quarter, our intent is to both 1)
read about and discuss the human/environment relationship and 2) learn about it
by engaging in practice. As with last
quarter, our time will be organized around two parallel tasks. First, we will use the discussion format to
explore both theoretical ideas and a specific case study (the Duwamish
watershed near
Course Goals
§ Critical literacy in foundational environmental concepts such as environmental history, ecology, restoration, sustainability, livability, environmental justice
§ Continue to reproduce a viable and sustainable learning community among ourselves.
§ Develop effective communication, decision making, and leadership skills in a variety of contexts.
§ Develop personal reading, writing, analytic, research, and presentation skills.
Student
Responsibilities
Your responsibilities mirror those of last quarter. Among the responsibilities, two general ones stand out.
- Students have a responsibility to one another and to one another’s education. In this class and this major, you and your classmates will generate knowledge through discussion and deliberation. In order for the class to be successful, you must be an active participant in both teaching and learning. In class, each of you will participate by discussing, deliberating, and analyzing the material. Outside of class, each of you will participate by reading the material and preparing assignments carefully. Our role as professors in the class is to create an environment that helps you construct knowledge. We will provide a course structure as well as ongoing guidance that will help you build your own knowledge.
- Students are responsible for the success of the community-based projects. You will decide how they will be developed and carried out, and it is critical that everyone live up to their responsibilities on the project.
To meet these two responsibilities, you must meet several more specific ones:
1. Contribute thoughtfully to each day’s discussion and work
2. Complete all individual and group assignments in a timely manner while ensuring that the work is of a consistently superior standard
3. Meet the agreed upon obligations of assigned work groups, insure that these groups function smoothly, and make real efforts to resolve internal disputes and differences among members
4. Help facilitate class discussions and provide constructive feedback on peer work
5. Write a narrative evaluation of your performance and progress in the course at the quarter’s end and meet with the lead instructor to discuss it
Students must also meet the CEP attendance requirements as outlined in CEP regulations. Attendance will be taken at all scheduled meeting times.
Instructor
Responsibilities
Instructors play several vital roles in the class and can be relied upon to provide the following:
i. A safe and effective learning context: Our first job is to set the learning context for the course. In this case that means working with students to develop the structure of the course and to put in place the basic elements (calendar, assignments, readings) that will help students learn.
Setting the context also means that ultimately we will ensure that the learning environment is a safe and respectful environment for all CEP students. As a community, the class should maintain these standards by regulating itself, but if a student continues to feel that these standards are not being met then he or she must speak to one of the instructors so that we can find ways to resolve the problem.
ii. Timely feedback, advice, and instruction on course assignments and other course requirements: Students should expect instructors to provide timely and considered feedback on all course assignments and projects. Instructors will also be available to answer questions, provide advice and information, and otherwise aid the students in their learning in ways that are pedagogically appropriate.
iii. Assigning final credit for the course: Instructors will be responsible for assigning final course credit and determining whether or not a student has met the course requirements. As part of the final assessment process, the lead instructor will provide a written and oral evaluation of each student’s performance and progress for the quarter.
Course
·
Course
reader, available at Professional Copy and Print,
·
Also
some readings available on the web, see course calendar below
Assessment
Your final assessment in this course will be based on your performance on the following:
|
Item |
Percent |
Date due |
|
Overall Participation |
20 |
Every class (see guidelines below) |
|
Reflection/question assignments |
20 |
Each discussion class (see calendar, below) |
|
1 Discussion leadership |
10 |
Class in quarter TBD (see sign-up sheet) |
|
1 Research Project |
25 |
March 5 (more info to come) |
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1 Final Presentation |
10 |
Week 10 (more info to come) |
|
Peer review of project work |
15 |
Weeks 6 and 10 (see guidelines below) |
Academic
honesty
The University takes the offenses of cheating and plagiarism very seriously, and so do we. Cheating is taking advantage of the work of others. Plagiarism is representing the work of others as your own, without giving appropriate credit. In this class, research projects and reflection/question assignments are individual projects. Discussion leaderships are collaborative projects. If you are unsure what is OK or not OK, make sure to ask!
Timeline Summaries
CEP Junior Year,
2003-2004
Fall 2003 Winter
2004 Spring 2004
CEP 301 CEP 302 CEP 303
Who
we are Develop Environment and Society Assessment
organization work plans Carry out projects Presentations
context
11 weeks 15 weeks 5 weeks
Class Schedule
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WEEK 1:
INTRODUCTIONS AND RE-ORIENTATION |
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Monday, January 5 |
Introduction · Meet each other · Course overview and learning objectives |
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Wednesday, January 7 |
Project groups (50
minutes) · Recommence project work Discussion (50 minutes): What is environment? o Natural/built/urban/ecological The Organic Machine, Chapter 1, White Reflection/question
assignment #1 due |
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WEEK 2: HUMANS AND NATURE |
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Monday, January 12 |
Discussion: What is natural? What is human? What is wilderness? Reflection/question
assignment #2 due *Set up tour of UW Map Room and Special Collections, find agreeable time-probably January 15th. |
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Wednesday, January 14 |
Project groups (50
minutes) Case discussion (50 minutes): Natural history of the Duwamish watershed · The Price of Taming a River, Sato, Chapters 1&2, ·
Land
Use, Environment and Social Change in · Indian land use and environmental change, White, pp. 36-49 · Optional: The Rain Forests of Home, Chapters 10&12 Reflection/question
assignment #3 due Useful websites: http://content.lib.washington.edu/pacificsearch.html UW Digital Map Collection http://www.wsulibs.wsu.edu/holland/masc/xmaps.html The Lushshootseed People of http://content.lib.washington.edu/aipnw/thrush/index.html
Puget River History Project King County Department of Natural Resources Maps |
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WEEK 3: ECOLOGICAL SCIENCE |
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Monday, January 19 |
No Class, MLK Day |
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Wednesday, January 21 |
Discussion: Ecological science, equilibrium, disturbance, chaos, catastrophe, PNW specifics · The Rain Forests of Home, ed. Schoonmaker et al, Chapters 6, 7, and 8 · The Price of Taming a River, Chapters 3-6 Reflection/question
assignment #4 due |
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WEEK 4: RESTORATION |
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Monday, January 26 |
Discussion: Restoration/cleanup · “Society for Ecological Restoration’s Guidelines for Developing and Managing Ecological Restoration Projects,” Clewell · Finish The Price of Taming a River Reflection/question
assignment #5 due *Option: Restoration workday with John Beale (to be scheduled) |
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Wednesday, January 28 |
Project groups (50
minutes) Case discussion (50 minutes): Salmon restoration in Duwamish City of Reflection/question
assignment #6 due *Weekend option: visit Ruby Marsh Restoration |
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WEEK 5: SUPERFUNDS |
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Monday, February 2 |
Discussion: Superfund basics This is EPA’s Region 10’s-that’s us- Superfund main page: http://yosemite.epa.gov/r10/cleanup.nsf/webpage/Superfund+(CERCLA) The first few pages of this link have basic Superfund background: This is the Duwamish page: Resource: Duwamish River Cleanup Coalition, for an overview of citizen’s involvement in the superfund cleanup http://www.duwamishcleanup.org/ Here is their photo tour: http://www.duwamishcleanup.org/photos.html Reflection/question assignment #7 due*Option: Tour of the Duwamish Superfund Site with B.J. Cummings and James Rassmussen |
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Wednesday, February 4 |
Project groups (50
minutes) Case discussion (50 minutes): Duwamish superfund stormwater Fact sheets for details about early action cleanup sites on the Duwamish: Pages 1-6 http://www.duwamishcleanup.org/factsheets.html Combined Sewer Overflows (CSOs): http://dnr.metrokc.gov/WTD/cso/index.htm#what http://dnr.metrokc.gov/WTD/cso/page02map.htm Resources: Information on the early Action Cleanup of the
Duwamish/Diagonal Way CSO http://dnr.metrokc.gov/wtd/duwamish/ Reflection/question
assignment #8 due |
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WEEK 6: SUSTAINABILITY, LIVABILITY, AND
JUSTICE |
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Monday, February 9 |
Discussion: Defining sustainability · Newman, P. (1999) Sustainability and cities, pp. 1-26. · Walter, B. (1992) Sustainable cities, pp. 19-26 Reflection/question
assignment #9 due |
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Wednesday, February 11 |
Project groups (50
minutes) Discussion (50 minutes): Defining sustainability continued Reading: Elkin, T. (1991) Reviving the city, pp. 1-11 and 235-269. Reflection/question
assignment #10 due First peer review of project work due (see guidelines below) |
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WEEK 7: SUSTAINABILITY, LIVABILITY, AND
JUSTICE |
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Monday, February 16 |
No Class, President’s Day |
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Wednesday, February 18 |
Case discussion:
Sustainability in ·
City of ·
City of ·
Sustainable Reflection/question
assignment #11 due |
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WEEK 8: SUSTAINABILITY, LIVABILITY, AND
JUSTICE |
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Monday, February 23 |
Discussion: Defining livability and livable communities · Salzano, E. (1997) Seven aims for the livable city · Meck, S. (1997) Local government commission: building more livable communities · Corbett, J. (nd) The Ahwahnee principles: toward more livable communities · Fischer, E. (2000) Building livable communities for the 21st century Resource: Brown
fields Reflection/question
assignment #12 due |
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Wednesday, February 25 |
Project groups (50
minutes) Discussion (50 minutes): Environmental justice · Cole, L. (2001) From the ground up, pp. 10-53. Reflection/question
assignment #13 due |
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WEEK 9: CASE STUDIES |
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Monday, March 1 |
Case study: ·
Various news stories on Reflection/question
assignment #14 due |
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Wednesday, March 3 |
Project groups (50
minutes) Case study (50
minutes): ·
Various news stories on Reflection/question
assignment #15 due |
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Friday, March 5 |
Research project due
in governance |
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WEEK 10: RESEARCH PRESENTATIONS |
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Monday, March 8 |
Presentations |
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Wednesday, March 10 |
Presentations Second peer review
of project work due |
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EXAM WEEK |
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Tuesday, March 16 |
Potluck Breakfast—time and place TBA |
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Notes:
We may need to schedule time (e.g.
field trip, presentation day, community meeting day, etc.) with advance notice.
Peer Review of Project Work
CEP 302
Winter 2004
Idea
The idea of the
peer review of project work is to recognize and evaluate the work each of you
has done on the junior project. Since
your peers are in a much better position to evaluate this particular work than
your instructors, we will use a peer review format. The review should be an honest assessment of
your peer’s sincerity, reliability, and energy in carrying out project work.
Format
The review should
take the form of a brief narrative (try to limit it to 150 words). Each member of a sub-group should evaluate
every other member and evaluate
themselves. This way, we can have a range
of perspectives on each person’s contribution.
If you are not part of a clearly defined sub-group, form a group of
about five people that has worked together particularly closely and that agrees
to evaluate each other’s work.
Reflection/Question Assignments
CEP 302
Winter 2004
Reflection/question
sets
For each discussion, you will
prepare a set of reflections/questions that have two goals. The reflection component provides you with an
opportunity to reflect critically in writing on your reactions to a
reading. These are journal-like entries
that explore in some depth your reaction to the reading. The question component (which is the same as
last quarter) prepares you to discuss the reading. It should distill your reflection into a
discussion question that solicits the responses of the group, drawing others
into a collective dialogue on the
readings.
There will be 15 reflection/question
sets. The question assignments are worth
20% of your course grade. Each
reflection/question assignment will be graded on a scale of 0 (lowest) to 2
(highest). The question sets should be
entirely your own work. This is not a
collaborative assignment.
Good
Discussion Questions
Good discussion questions are
“open-ended.” They have a complex answer and/or a range of possible
answers. They are usually not
“closed-ended,” meaning that there is a particular, discrete answer. Good discussion questions are also genuine.
That means you have not already made up your mind what the answer
is. For example if you ask, “Is the
Good, genuine questions can be descriptive. These ask about what actually is happening in the reading or in the
world. Examples: “Does the author mean
to say…?” or “Do you think power or money is more important to Saddam?” Good, genuine questions can also be normative. Normative questions ask what should be going on in the readings or in
the world. For example, the genuine
question above about whether the
Format
The reflections/questions should
address each of the readings in some
way. Therefore, there should be at least
as many reflections/questions as there are readings. You can ask more if you feel the need. But try to limit yourself to a single page of
text. The idea is for your
reflections/questions to engage each of the readings so you will be ready with
questions and ideas for anything the discussion leader wants to discuss.
The questions should be typed, they
should be numbered, and you should try to fit them onto one page. Make sure your name is on the page. For each reflection/question, indicate which
reading the question is based on by using the author’s name. Example:
1.
(
In formulating your
reflections/questions, you should go with whatever
issues/questions/concerns/confusions struck you when reading the material. If no issues/questions/concerns/confusions
struck you while reading a given article, go back and read it again! Be sure, however, that the questions are
structured so that they open up discussion.
Questions for a particular set of
reading are due the day we discuss the readings. See the syllabus for specific dates.
Participation
CEP 302
Winter 2004
Participation makes up roughly 20% of your course grade. It is important. And there is no way around participating. As the syllabus lays out, each of you has a responsibility to others in the class to share your ideas and insights. The way this happens is by you speaking during class. If you do not share your questions and ideas with everyone, they can’t benefit from what you have to offer. Each of you has important questions and ideas to share that we can all learn from. We say this from experience. Taken together we have taught many courses and many hundreds of students, and we have yet to encounter a student who did not have something valuable to offer the rest of the class. Therefore, since you all have something important to contribute, you all have a responsibility to contribute it.
You will be graded on participation class-by-class. Effective participation is not measured by amount. If you make a single thoughtful and genuine contribution to the class, you will receive full credit for that class. If you make 15 thoughtful and honest contributions to the class, you will receive full credit for that class. If you consistently share your ideas and questions and concerns in an honest effort to explore the material in the spirit of intellectual curiosity, you will receive a good grade for participation.
So, the strategy for participation is this: do not hesitate to share your thoughts. Do not think that they have to be fully formed and 100% defensible before you offer them. Do not think that they have to be brilliant or dazzling. Do not think that you can’t contribute until you’ve read the book that guy in the corner just said they read in his Social Anthropology course. Do not think you should remain quiet because you have different ideas about a topic than most others in the class (that’s when we need you most). And, most importantly, do not think that you have to know before you speak. Honest questions and true struggles within yourself that you have not yet resolved are the best way to contribute.
Remember also that listening is as important as talking. Asking genuine questions (for which you have not already decided on an answer) is a good way to listen. If you ask a question that you do not already have an answer for, you will genuinely want to hear what your classmates have to say. The worst thing for discussion is a series of unrelated monologues. What we are shooting for are true dialogues in which you engage the comments and questions of others rather than following them up with unrelated comments and questions. Be curious about what others have to say.
We understand that oral participation in class is a struggle for some. We are willing to explore any and all ways to help you participate. If you feel uncomfortable with speaking in class, you should come see or e-mail Chris or Mark so we can think of ways to make it more comfortable. We stand ready to help you find ways to speak, but the responsibility for participating is yours. Again, the structure of the class means there is no way around participation. The quality of learning in the class depends on it, and a large portion of your grade depends on it.
Discussion
Leadership
CEP 302
Winter 2004
Summary
The idea of the discussion leaders is to have a student for every discussion who serves as the leader of the discussion. There will be a discussion leader for all of the classes that involve discussions (which is nearly every class). Each of you will lead discussion once during the quarter. You can sign up for the class you want to lead on the circulating sign-up sheet.
The discussion leader will lead the class in an exploration of the important ideas in the readings. Each leader has quite a bit of freedom in deciding on the format of the class exploration. Whole-group discussion, structured debates, small-group discussion, jigsaw, role-playing, brainstorming, and fishbowl format are just some possibilities (for more information, refer to the handout on techniques for planning a discussion). Remember you also have everyone’s discussion questions as a source to draw on. I encourage you to be creative in thinking up ways to inspire the class to engage in an energetic exchange of ideas and opinions. Don’t be afraid to try innovative discussion formats—it will not hurt your discussion grade.
In preparing their material, the leader should complete the readings and then formulate the content of discussion and its structure. The content will be one or more key questions about the readings that will form the backbone of discussion. The idea is for the discussion leader to inspire everyone to explore the reading in insightful ways. In preparing the questions that will guide discussion, it is a good idea to refer to the section on “good discussion questions” on the discussion questions handout. Also, don’t forget that everyone has a set of his or her own questions that you can draw on as well. The structure of discussion will be up to you. Refer to the handout on discussion techniques for some possible ideas to get you started.
We also encourage leaders to consult with us in developing your plan. Everyone should sign up early and spend lots of time preparing your class. In general, the more preparation a leader does, the better the discussion goes.
Grading
Your discussion leadership counts for 10% of your course grade.
The Rest of You
The existence of the discussion leaders is in no way an opportunity for the rest of the class to take it easy. The discussion leaders will guide the discussion, but they should by no means do most of the talking. Their role is to stimulate you to engage in an insightful discussion. Thus the rest of the class should digest the readings as usual and come prepared to participate fully along the lines laid out by the lead group.
Techniques for Planning a Discussion CEP 302 Winter 2004
These
are just some basic structures. You should
feel absolutely free to innovate as you like.
Some assume more than one leader and so may need some tweaking to be
effective with a single leader.
Whole group—everyone engages in
discussion together at one time. This is
good because you can get a greater range of ideas and opinions with a larger
group. Large groups are sometimes tricky
to manage well though, so having a good set of stimulating questions is
important so you can shape the discussion to move in insightful directions that
you have thought out beforehand.
Large-group can also be a more intimidating setting in which to speak.
Small-group discussion—the class is broken up into
small groups to discuss. They can have
the same topic to discuss, or they can have different topics. In jigsaw,
the groups each discuss different aspects of a larger topic, and then they
rejoin into a whole group to see how each group’s issues/conclusions fit
together.
Inverse pyramid (invented by students
leaders in Geography 301, Fall 2002)—a version of jigsaw where the class starts
out in eight small groups and each uses their discussion questions to come up
with what they think is the most thought-provoking question. The groups then pair off, and the groups in
each pair exchange their question with each other. Each group then discusses alone the new
question they have been given. Then, the
paired groups come together to discuss their responses to the two questions. These paired groups then formulate one
question they want to ask the whole class.
Then the class comes back together to explore the joint questions of
each paired group.
Rotate (invented by student
leaders in Geography 301, Spring 2001)—each leader
develops questions on a particular sub-topic of the day’s topic. The class is divided
up into small groups so that there are the same number
of small groups as there are discussion leaders. Then, the leaders move in shifts from group
to group so that each leader has a chance to lead each group. That way, each group gets a chance to discuss
each aspect of the day’s topic. At the
end, you can bring the group back into whole-group to share insights.
Structured debates—where
two sides of a specific issue are pitted against each other, usually given
roles to play, and their interaction is moderated by a moderator.
Four-square—the leaders set aside four
corners labeled “agree,” “tend to agree,” “tend to disagree,” and
“disagree.” They then make a statement,
for example: “nationalism is a good thing.”
Then each person in the class goes to the corner they decide best
describes their reaction to the statement.
The group in each corner discusses for a while why they
agree/disagree/etc. with the statement.
The class then goes back into large group to engage in debate over the
issue. At the end, the leaders ask if
anyone would like to change corners.
Those that do are asked to share why their position changed during the
debate.
Brainstorming—the leaders ask the class
to come up with ideas about a given topic (say, “reasons why you oppose the war
in
Fishbowl—here one small-group engages
in discussion and the rest of the class observes their discussion. Different small-groups can rotate into the
fishbowl—they can discuss different topics or the same topic.
Role-playing—is a general technique that
can be applied to any of the above methods.
A person or group is given a role to play (rather than playing
themselves), which gives them a certain point of view to argue from. This is particularly helpful when there is an
issue you think most people (when playing themselves) will agree on; you can
have people play roles that are in opposition to the common opinion.
Each
of these can be used in combination, or alone.
Don’t be afraid to invent new techniques as well. In the past, when leaders have tried new
things, it has been successful and has helped keep discussion fresh.
Again,
you are welcome and encouraged to consult with us in planning your leadership
session.
CEP
302 Learning Contract
Winter Quarter 2004
I affirm that I have read the syllabus for CEP 302, Winter Quarter 2004 and that I understand and agree to the course requirements specified within it. In particular, I have read, understood, and agreed to the sections titled "Student Responsibilities", "Assessment", and "Academic Honesty" and understand that my evaluation for this course will be based on the principles and requirements specified within them.
____________________________________
(printed name)
_______________________________ ________________
(signature) (date)