Discussion Questions

Week 1—The Global Ecological Crisis

• Introductory discussion.

Week 2—Population & Environmental Economics

• What is "globalization"? What is "global change"? What positive outcomes of global change might be envisioned for both humans and non-human nature in the twenty-first century? Draw on Chapter 1 of Radical Ecology and the lectures, discussions, and readings for weeks 1 and 2.
  
  
• How does human population growth interact with economic growth? How can the contradictions between them be resolved? Draw on Chapter 1 of Radical Ecology and the articles in Ecology, Part II, chapters 6-8.

Week 3—Premodern Culture

• What is the meaning of "premodern"? How have "premodern" cultures interacted with the environment in ways that might be environmentally sustainable or unsustainable? Please give examples from the lectures, discussions, and readings for week 3.
  
  
• What contributions might "premodern" cultures make to a new environmental ethic? How can we avoid problems of offensive cultural appropriation? Draw on the lectures, discussions, and readings for week 3.

Week 4—Modern Culture

• In what ways has the Western concept of "Enlightenment" contributed to the ecological problems we are now facing? Draw on the articles in Ecology, Part I, chapters 2-5.
  
  
• What is the domination of nature and how can it be undone? Draw on Chapter 2 of Radical Ecology and the articles in Ecology, Part I, chapters 2-5.

Week 5—Environmental Ethics

• What is Aldo Leopold's land ethic and what contribution does it make to environmental ethics? Draw on Chapter 3 of Radical Ecology and the lectures and discussions for week 5.
  
  
• What kind of environmental ethic do we need to resolve our environmental dilemmas? Draw specifically on the ethical frameworks presented in Chapter 3 of Radical Ecology and the lectures and discussions for week 5.

Week 6—American Culture and Wilderness Preservation

• What is "nature"? What is "wild"? In what ways are these two concepts related and/or contradictory? Explain your answer. Draw on the lectures, discussions, and readings for week 6.
  
  
• Why is the idea of "wilderness" so compelling? Explain your answer. Draw on the lectures, readings, and discussions for week 6.

Week 7—Midterm Examination.

The midterm questions will be based on the lectures, readings, discussions, and essay questions for weeks 1-6. They will be in essay form. There will be a choice.

Week 8—Deep Ecology

• What do Deep Ecologists mean by "dominant paradigm," "paradigm shift," and "new paradigm"? Why do they believe a new paradigm is needed? Draw on Chapter 4 of Radical Ecology and the articles in Ecology, Part III, chapters 11-13.
  
  
• Are there limitations and/or flaws with Deep Ecology's approach/analysis? Explain your answer.

Week 9—Ethics of Biotechnology; Eastern Philosophy

• What limits, if any, should be placed on biotechnology research and application? Defend your view. Draw on the course readings and on Radical Ecology, pp. 56-61.
  
  
• What contributions do eastern philosophers bring to the environmental movement? How might the ideas of eastern philosophers be part of a new paradigm for humanity's relationship with nature? Draw on the course readings and on Radical Ecology, pp. 107-108.

Week 10—Spiritual Ecology

• How, according to the readings, has Judeo-Christian religion played a role in subordinating women to men and nature to humans? Would a spiritual ecology change these relationships? Draw on the articles in Part VI of Ecology and Chapter 5 of Radical Ecology.
  
  
• What does Joanna Macy mean by the ecological self? (see Ecology, p. 293) How is her concept related to Charlene Spretnak's "interrelatedness of all creation" (p. 300), Whitehead's "philosophy of organism" (p. 323, and Paula Gunn Allen's "body" (p. 327)? How might these concepts form the basis for a new ecological spirituality?

Week 11—Ecofeminism

• What are the biological and social grounds on which ecofeminists forge a connection between ecology/nature and women/feminism? Draw on Chapter 8 of Radical Ecology and the articles in Part IV of Ecology.
  
  
• Is there a male counterpart to ecofeminism? What would it look like? Defend your view. Draw on Chapters 5 and 8 of Radical Ecology.

Week 12—Environmental Justice

• How are racism, colonialism, and First and Third World views of development connected to our current environmental crisis? Draw on the articles in Part V of Ecology and on Radical Ecology, pp. 170-176.
  
  
• What are the sources of tension between mainstream environmental groups and environmental justice organizations active at the community level? Are their differing methods and political agendas irreconcilable? Why or why not? Draw specifically on Bullard in Part V of Ecology.

Week 13—Social Ecology

• Why do social ecologists emphasize dialectics, domination, and hierarchy? How does this approach affect their understanding of both nature and society? Draw from Bookchin in Part III of Ecology and Chapter 6 of Radical Ecology.
  
  
• How do socialist ecologists explain the destructive nature of both capitalism and state socialism? Draw from O'Connor in Part III of Ecology and Chapter 6 of Radical Ecology.

Week 14—Postmodern Science

• "What we observe is not nature itself, but nature exposed to our method of questioning." (Heisenberg quoted in Capra, Ecology, p. 337) Drawing on the articles in Part VII of Ecology and pp. 99-107 in Radical Ecology, explain the meaning of this statement and discuss the shifts in the perception of nature that lead to the possibility of a "postmodern" science.
  
  
• Drawing on the articles in Part VII of Ecology and pp. 99-107 in Radical Ecology, explain why predictability is now a vulnerable concept in science. What consequences, in your view, might this have for environmental ethics?
  

Week 15—Sustainable Development

• Does sustainable development necessarily require economic growth? Why or why not? Draw on Chapter 9 of Radical Ecology.
  
  
• How do we determine which practices are sustainable and which are not? How can efforts toward sustainability in agriculture, energy production, and restoration ecology be introduced into the mainstream? Draw on chapter 9 of Radical Ecology.

 
Final Examination

Everyone must attend the final examination. No incompletes will be given unless accompanied by a medical excuse and arranged in advance. All grades are final and cannot be changed except in the event of a clerical error.

The final examination will consist of TWO components: A choice of essay questions based on the discussion questions since the midterm (i.e. Weeks 8-15) and your environmental ethic, as explained below.

Write your name and section day and time on the cover of your essay and bluebook(s).

Your Environmental Ethic
Please elaborate your own environmental ethic as it has evolved from the readings, lectures, and discussions in ESPM 161. Your environmental ethic is due on the last day of class.

Write your answer in 2-3 single-spaced typed pages in essay form, drawing on the content of the course lectures, discussions, and readings. (Remember this is part of your final examination for this class. You should be demonstrating what you've learned and thought about, not just your own opinions drawn from elsewhere.) You will be graded on organization, clarity, and specificity in the expression of your personal views, but not on the views themselves.

Your essay should include the following THREE components:

Ethics: What is the theoretical ground of your environmental ethic; where is it located within the range of ethical frameworks such as those discussed in Chapter 3 of Radical Ecology, the course reader, and the lectures? Defend your choice.

Thought: What are the theoretical assumptions of your own worldview as they are reinforced by or contrasted with frameworks such as those discussed in Chapters 4-6 of Radical Ecology, the essays in Ecology,the course reader, and the lectures?

Practice: How would you put your ethic into practice in helping to resolve specific problems and dilemmas of human interactions with the environment today? Choose two or three examples such as those discussed in Chapters 7-9 of Radical Ecology, the essays in Ecology, the course reader, and the lectures.