A course exploring harmonies and dissonance between models of religious and ecological education. It is designed for individuals who are seeking ways to integrate ecological issues as an aspect of the educational life of a vibrant community.
“We will discover that, for these reasons, our destruction of nature is not just bad stewardship, or stupid economics, or a betrayal of family responsibility; it is the most horrid blasphemy. It is flinging God’s gifts into his face, as of no worth beyond that assigned to them by our destruction of them.”- Wendell Berry
“The highest education is that which does not merely give us information but makes our life in harmony with all existence.”- Rabindranath Tagore
Course Goals:
In this course you will:
- Become acquainted with ecological religious models for education.
- Frame a biophilic understanding of religious education.
- Reflect critically on your place in the world and develop practices for reshaping your use of the world’s resources.
- Develop skills for planning and conducting an environmental audit.
BOOKS:
Required:
Berry, Thomas. The Great Work: Our Way Into the Future. New York: Three Rivers Press, 2000.
Berry, Wendell and Norma Wirzba. The Art of the Commonplace: The Agrarian Essays of Wendell Berry. Berkeley: Counterpoint Press, 2002.
Hall, Douglas John. The Steward: A Biblical Symbol Come of Age. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1990.
Moseley, Lyndsay, ed. Holy Ground: A Gathering of Voices on Caring for Creation. San Francisco: Sierra Club Books, 2008.
Orr, David. Earth in Mind: On Education, Environment and the Human Prospect. Washington.DC: Island Press, 2004.
Speth, James Gustave. The Bridge at the End of the World: Capitalism, the Environment, and Crossing from Crisis to Sustainability. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2008.
Wilson, E. O. The Creation: An Appeal to Save Life on Earth. New York: W. W. Norton Publishing, 2007.
Supplemental:
The Green Bible. New York: Harper Collins Publishing, 2008.
Brown, Lester. Plan B 3.0: Mobilizing to Save Civilization. New York: W. W. Norton Publishing, 2008.
Defenbaugh, Daniel G. Learning the Language of the Fields: Tilling & Keeping as Christian Vocation. Cambridge, MA: Cowley Publications, 2006.
Macy, Joanna. Coming Back to Life: Practices to Reconnect Our Lives, Our World. Gabriola Island, BC: New Society Publishers, 1998.
Smith, April. Campus Ecology: A Guide to Assessing Environmental Quality & Creating Strategies for Change. Venice, CA: Living Planet Press, 1993. (out of print, but available at used book sites)
Swimme, Brian and Thomas Berry. The Universe Story: From the Primordial Flaring Forth to the Ecozoic Era: A Celebration of the Unfolding of the Cosmos. New York: Harper Collins Publishing, 1994.
COURSE OUTLINE
Week 1– Intro and Syllabus review
Week 2- Read The Creation by Wilson
Begin to read 2 essays per week from Holy Ground for reflection journal
Week 3– Read Art of the Commonplace Intro, Part 1 and Part 2.
Week 4– Read Speth to Chapter 6
Week 5– Read Speth Chapter 7 to end of book
Week 6– Read Art of the Commonplace Part 3 to end of booke; Spiritual AutoGeography due
Week 7- Read The Great Work
Week 8- Read The Steward through Section V
Week 9- Read The Steward Section VI to end of book
Week 10– Read Orr through Part Two
Week 11– Read Orr Part Three to end of book
Week 12– Completed draft of campus audit for submission to administration of MTSO
Assignments
Discussion and Class Participation (25%)
Discussion will be a central part of this seminar and students are expected to attend each class having completed all of the assigned reading and ready to interact in an informed and helpful manner.
Spiritual Auto-Geography – (25%)
Write a 7-10 page reflection on particular places that have been significant contexts for spiritual or theological reflection. Writing exercise in February 24 class will offer further directions.
Reflection Journal – (25%)
Two entries per week on readings from the course. This may be done on a blog, in a computer document, or on paper. Journals entries will be turned in at 3 times in the course. You may write on any reading, but Holy Ground is provided as a primary reading source.
Class Final Project (25%)
The primary project for this class will be an environmental audit for the campus. This project will involve a significant part of the work of this course after the March break. A group grade will be assigned based on participation, research, writing and peer evaluation.
An alternative individual final project can be negotiated with the instructor, if desired.
This syllabus pertains to when the course was offered in 2009