Introduction to Environmental Studies
ENST 100University of Southern California
Spring 2000
Dr. Matthew CahnOffice: SCI 160 (ENST Office)
Phone: (213) 740-7770 or (818) 677-6518
Hours: Monday 1:00 - 2:00 pm & by appointment
cahn@usc.eduReader: Chris Wright Email: Wright932@aol.com
Course Description
This course provides an introduction to the field of Environmental Studies. As an interdisciplinary field of study Environmental Studies incorporates several distinct areas of study; the class will introduce students to its many facets. We will explore our physical and social environment from several perspectives in an effort to provide an organic view -- a living view. The course takes an expansive look at theoretical perspectives in human ecology in an effort to provide a meaningful foundation for Alearning our way out@ of the environmental quagmire. The environmental discourse is complex; by reviewing its dominant threads this class will prepare students to think critically and systematically about nature and the place of human society within it.
The Reading
The reading for this course is extensive. Students are expected to read the required texts as assigned for analysis and discussion. The reading list is provided below. Be sure to read assigned material before date for which it is assigned.
Required Texts:
Cunningham & Saigo: Environmental Science: A Global Concern, 4th Ed
(McGraw Hill, 1997)
Cahn & O'Brien: Thinking About the Environment (M.E. Sharpe, 1996)
Vig & Kraft: Environmental Policy in the 1990s, 4th Edition (CQ Press, 2000)
Recommended Texts:
These texts are recommended supplements to the required texts, and will be brought into
many of the class discussions, essays, and exams:
Kamieniecki, Gonzalez, and Vos: Flashpoints in Environmental Policymaking
(SUNY Press, 1997)
Cahn: Environmental Deceptions (State University of New York, 1995)
Garrett Hardin: Living Within Limits (Oxford University Press, 1993)
Course Requirements
This course integrates readings, lecture, discussion, and trips into the field in a multi-disciplinary approach to understanding Environmental Studies and Southern California=s urban environment. The quality of the course is directly related to the effort each student puts forward; participation is a critical element. Students are expected to attend class sessions regularly and to keep up with assigned readings. Further, students are expected to participate actively in class trips, class discussions and projects. Finally, students are expected to be prepared to summarize and critically analyze readings within class discussions. Three papers, and midterm and final exam essays will be required. This will be discussed more fully in class.
Participation: 15% Midterm: 25% Papers: 30% Final Exam: 30%
Papers
Three papers analyzing different aspects of the Environmental discourse are required. The paper topics will be discussed in class, and relate to the issues we=ll be discussing during that month. As always, the papers should be written in scholarly format, with full citations and bibliography. Recent scholarly literature beyond the assigned course readings must be included. All papers must be typed, double-spaced. Format, content, and style will be explained in class.
SEMESTER OUTLINE
(Readings should be done prior to class session for which they are assigned)
Introduction
Week 1 (1/10): The Environment in Perspective
Overview of course; Introduction to Concepts
Cunningham & Saigo, chapters 1-2
Week 2 (1/17): Martin Luther King Day, University Holiday
Part One: The Green Critique
Week 3 (1/24): Perspectives on Nature and the Physical World (readings are in Cahn & O=Brien)
AThe Creation of the World,@ Genesis
AThe Purpose of Nature,@ Aristotle
AThe City of God,@ St. Augustine
ACreation in Light of Luiseņo Religion,@ Sam Gill
AThe Hopi Myth of Creation, Frank Waters
Property and Possession (readings are in Cahn & O=Brien)
AThe Nature of Private Property,@ Jean-Jacques Rousseau
Second Treatise of Government, John Locke
AThe Problem of Justice between Generations,@ John Rawls
Women and Economics, Charlotte Perkins Gilman
AAsceticism and the Spirit of Capitalism," Max Weber
Week 4 (1/31): The Relationship between Nature and Civilization (readings in Cahn & O=Brien)Walden, Henry David Thoreau;
"Nature," Ralph Waldo Emerson;
"One Dimensional Man," Herbert Marcuse
Silent Spring, Rachel Carson; The Population Bomb, Paul Ehrlich
The Closing Circle: Nature, Man, and Technology, Barry Commoner
"The Concept of Social Ecology," from The Ecology of Freedom, Murray Bookchin
"Ecology: The Shallow and the Deep," Arne Naess
"The Tragedy of the Commons," Garrett Hardin
"Feminism and the Revolt of Nature," Ynestra King
Paper #1 Due: Develop an essay tracing the relationship between culture and environmental
values, being sure to assess the implications on environmental behaviors and
impacts (6-8 pages). Format, content, and style will be explained in class.
Part Two: Ecological Principles
Week 5 (2/7): The Building Blocks of the Physical Environment
Matter, Energy, & Life; Biological Communities & Ecosystems
Cunningham & Saigo, chapters 3,4,5
Week 6 (2/14): The Building Blocks of the Social Environment
Population, Resource Economics, Public Health; Sustainability
Cunningham & Saigo, chapters 6 to 9, & 24
Week 7 (2/21): Presidents' Day, University Holiday
Week 8 (2/28): Biodiversity
Cunningham & Saigo, chapters 10,11,13
Paper #2 Due: Develop an essay explaining your interest in Environmental Studies.
Be sure to draw on the reading to inform your discussion. (6-8 pages)
Format, content, and style will be explained in class.
Part Three: Environmental Issues and Hotspots
Week 9 (3/6): Walking Tour of Down-Town Los Angeles TBA in class (handouts)
SPRING RECESS: 3/13: no class
Week 10 (3/20): Land Use & Air
Cunningham & Saigo, chapters 14,15 & 17,18
Week 11 (3/27): Water
Cunningham & Saigo, chapters 19, 20
Midterm Exam: Please bring two bluebooks. This will be an in-class essay exam.
Week 12 (4/3): Energy & Solid and Hazardous Waste
Cunningham & Saigo, chapters 21, 22 & 23
Trip into Field: Tillman Water Reclamation Plant & Japanese Garden and
Los Angeles River, unlined section Balboa Basin -- TBA
Part Four: Learning Our Way Out
Week 13 (4/10): Environmental Equity and Justice
Readings in Cahn & O=Brien:
Environmental Justice, Peter Wenz
Environmental Racism, Robert Bullard
"Should Trees Have Standing?" Christopher Stone
Ecological Literacy, Orr
In Vig & Kraft: Ringquist on Environmental Justice, chapter 11
Week 14 (4/17): Policy Responses: Bureaucracy & Regulation
Vig & Kraft: chapters 1-12
On the Internet:
SCAQMD Air Quality Management Plan (SCAQMD 1997)
http://www.aqmd.gov/aqmp/97aqmp/
Regional Transportation Plan (SCAG 1997)
http://www.scag.ca.gov/rtp/rtp_main.htm
Week 15 (4/24): Learning Our Way Out; Global Questions, Local Answers
Vig & Kraft: chapters 13, 16, 17
readings in Cahn & O=Brien:
Environmentalism and the Future of Progressive Politics, Paehlke
Envisioning a Sustainable Society: Learning Our Way Out, Milbrath
Paper #3 Due: Develop a research paper exploring any aspect of the
environmental problematic, with a concern to specific challenges and
potential policy responses. (10-12 pages)
Final Exam: Please bring two bluebooks. The Final will be cumulative
Final Exam is as Scheduled.
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Matthew Cahn
Department of Political Science
California State University Northridge
18111 Nordhoff Street
Northridge, CA 91330-8254
(818) 677-3488
matthew.cahn@csun.edu