This course explores ethical underpinnings of contemporary attitudes and practices concerning the environment and the human/nature relationship. The course is introductory and is designed to give students an overview of major players in current debates concerning the environment. This course will focus on using case examples as a key way to understand the philosophy undergirding the practice of contemporary environmental attitudes and practices.
Course Goals:
By the end of the course students should:
(1) be conversant with major ethical perspectives, both historical and contemporary, on the human relationship with the natural world,
(2) be able to identify religious or ethical perspectives on the environment and underpinnings of factions within the contemporary environmental movement,
(3) be able to think and write critically about current environmental issues.
Required Texts
Environmental Ethics: Readings in Theory and Application by Louis P. Pojman and Paul Pojman
Additional Readings will be distributed on Blackboard, OR be put on reserve online at the library, OR be distributed in class. Additional Readings will be primarily taken from the books listed at the end of this syllabus.
Course Schedule
Week 1 COURSE INTRODUCTION: Class Processes; Syllabus outline; the big picture; student assessment; THE FIELD OF ENVIRONMENTAL ETHICS: Philosophy and Religion
Week 2 THE HISTORICAL ROOTS OF OUR ECOLOGICAL CRISIS
Readings:
- Preface, Introduction and Chapter 1, page xi until p. 33 in Pojman
- “The Environmental Problem” in Christian Environmental Ethics: A Case Method Approach by James B. Martin-Schramm and Robert L. Stivers
Tasks: Discussion Groups Formed; Field Projects discussed with guidelines.
Short Film: Section from Renewal, “Sacred Celebration” Catholics and Native Americans embrace religious ritual in their struggle to protect land and water. (9:30 minutes)
Week 3 INDIGENOUS TRADITIONS, Part I.
Readings:
- “The Pueblo World in the Sixteenth Century” by Ramon Gutierrez
- “Indigenous Activism and Environmentalism in Latin America” and “Indigenous Environmental Network”
- “Ecojustice and Justice: An American Indian Perspective” by George Tinker (TEC)
- “Race, Sacrifice and Native Lands” by Jonna Higgins-Clark and Jeff Tomhave (TSE)
Task: Discussion Group Leaders present questions to Professor by e-mail/Blackboard; present environmental ethic article to Prof. in class or by e-mail.
Movie: Smoke Signals, Director-Chris Eyre; Screenplay-Sherman Alexie. (1.5 hours)
Week 4 ENVIRONMENTAL ETHICS IN THE CHRISTIAN TRADITION, Part I.
Readings:
- “The Judeo-Christian Stewardship Attitude Toward Nature” by Patrick Dobel in Pojman, pp. 28-33 (Re-read/review)
- Chapter Seven: Population and Consumption, in Pojman, pp. 376-441
- “Paradise Paved” by Lois Ann Lorentzen
- “Christianity as Ecologically Harmful” and “Christianity as Ecologically Responsible” by David Kinsley
- “The Ecological Crisis: A Common Responsibility” by Pope John II (TSE)
- “Radical Catholicism, Popular Resistance and Material Culture in El Salvador” by Lois Ann Lorentzen
- “Population and Consumption: What we Know, What We Need to Know” by Robert W. Kates
- National Council of Churches on Ecojustice = www.nccecojustice.org
- Evangelical Environmental Network = www.creationcare.org
- United States Catholic Conference of Bishops = www.usccb.org
- National Partnership on Religion and the Environment www.nrpe.org
Task: Discussion Group Leaders present questions to Professor by e-mail/Blackboard; present environmental ethic article to Prof. in class or by e-mail.
NOTE: Research topics, group and fieldwork proposals are due February 19.
Week 5 ENVIRONMENTAL ETHICS IN THE CHRISTIAN TRADITION, PART II with INTERFAITH WORK
Speaker: The Rev. Canon Sally Bingham, President, The Regeneration Project, Interfaith Power and Light
Readings:
- www.theregenerationproject.com
Task: Discussion Group Leaders present questions to Professor by e-mail/Blackboard; present environmental ethic article to Prof. in class or by e-mail.
Short Films: Section from Renewal, “Interfaith Power and Light” Across America people of all faiths mount a religious response to global warming. (9:30 minutes); “Preaching for the Planet: Interfaith Messages on Global Warming.”
Week 6 ENVIRONMENTAL ETHICS IN THE JEWISH & ISLAMIC TRADITIONS JEWISH TRADITION
Readings:
- “The Nature of the Environmental Crisis” by Mary Evelyn Tucker and John Grim, Series Forward found in Religions of the World and Ecology Series
- “Introduction: Judaism and the Natural World” by Havu Tirosh-Samuelson (J&E)
- “Jews, Jewish Texts, and Nature: A Brief history” by Daniel Swartz (TSE)
- “What is Eco-Kosher?” by Arthur Waskow (TSE)
- “And the Earth is Filled with the Breath of Life” by Arthur Waskow (WRE)
- “Faith, God and Nature: Judaism and Deep Ecology” by Eric Katz (DEWR)
- “Jewish Theology and the Environmental Crisis” by Eilon Schwartz (TEC)
- Coalition on the Environment and Jewish Life = www.coejl.org
- National Partnership on Religion and the Environment = www.npre.org
- Forum on Religion and Ecology = www.religionandecology.org
Task: Discussion Group Leaders present questions to Professor by e-mail/Blackboard; present environmental ethic article to Prof. in class or by e-mail.
Short Film: Section from Renewal, “Ancient Roots” The Teva Learning Center and Adamah bring environmental education together with Jewish tradition. (17:30 minutes)
ISLAMIC TRADITION
Readings:
- “Islamic Environmental Ethics, Law and Society” by Mawil Y. Izzi Deen in Pojman, pp. 323 – 330.
- “Islam” and “Islamic Environmentalism in Theory and Practice” by Richard C. Foltz (WRE)
- “Toward an Islamic Ecotheology” by K. L. Afrasiabi (WRE)
- “An Islamic Response to the Manifest Ecological Crisis” by Nawal H. Ammar (WRE)
- “The Disconnected People” by Fazlun M. Khalid (WRE)
- Islamic Foundation for Ecology and Environmental Science = www.ifees.org.uk
- Forum on Religion and Ecology = www.religionandecology.org
Task: Discussion Group Leaders present questions to Professor by e-mail/Blackboard; present environmental ethic article to Prof. in class or by e-mail.
Short Film: Section from Renewal, “Food for Faith” Muslim tradition and charity forge bonds between urban communities and sustainable farms. (15 minutes)
Week 7 INDIGENOUS TRADITIONS, Part II.
Meet at Class and then attend Movie as a Group (on campus)
Readings:
- www.ChildrenoftheAmazon.com
Movie Presentation: The Children of the Amazon
Guest Speaker: Denise Zmekhol, Director
No Discussion Groups
Week 8 PESTICIDES & POLLUTION
PESTICIDES
Speaker: Elizabeth Martin Craig, Pesticide Watch.
Readings:
- Section 10, “Pesticides” in Pojman, pp. 524-567
- www.pesticidewatch.org
Short Film by Pesticide Watch
Task: Discussion Group Leaders present questions to Professor by e-mail/Blackboard; present environmental ethic article to Prof. in class or by e-mail.
POLLUTION
Readings:
- Section 9, “Pollution: General Considerations” in Pojman, pp. 505-523
Task: Discussion Group Leaders present questions to Professor by e-mail/Blackboard; present environmental ethic article to Prof. in class or by e-mail.
Week 9 BREAK
Week 10 ECOFEMINISM and ECOWOMANISM
Readings:
- “The Power and Promise of Ecological Feminism” by Karen Warren in Pojman, pp. 33-48
- “Ecofeminist Thea/ologies and Ethics” by Rosemary Radford Ruether (IEG&WR)
- “Indigenous Feet: Ecofeminism, Globalization, and the Case of Chiapas” by Lois Lorentzen (EG)
- “Toward a Feminist Eco-Theology for India” by Aruna Gnanadason (WHE)
- “Something or Nothing: An Eco-Womanist Essay on God, Creation and Indispensability” by Karen Baker-Fletcher (TSE)
Movies: Erin Brockovich/Whale Rider
Task: Discussion Group Leaders present questions to Professor by e-mail/Blackboard; present environmental ethic article to Prof. in class or by e-mail.
ENVIRONMENTAL RACISM and ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE
Readings:
- Chapter Thirteen: “Environmental Justice” in Pojman pp. 643-683
- “Principles of Environmental Justice” by The First National People of Color Environmental Leadership Summit (TSE)
- “Whose Earth is it Anyway?” by James H. Cone (EH)
- “Black Trash” by Charles Mills
- “Social Ecology: Poverty and Misery” by Leonardo Boff
- “Toxic Waste Dumping in Third World Countries”
Task: Discussion Group Leaders present questions to Professor by e-mail/Blackboard; present environmental ethic article to Prof. in class or by e-mail.
Short Film: Section from Renewal, “Eco-Justice” The Holy Spirit inspires a battle against industrial contamination in small town Mississippi. (11:30)
Week 11: HINDU, BUDDHIST AND JAINIST ENVIRONMENTAL ETHICS
BUDDHISM & ENVIRONMENTAL ETHICS
Readings:
- “The Buddhist Attitude Towards Nature” by Lily de Silva in Pojman, pp. 319-323
- “Introduction” by Duncan Ryuken Williams in Buddhism and Ecology (B&E)
- “Toward a Buddhist Environmental Ethic” by Rita M. Gross (WRE)
- “To Save All Beings: Buddhist Environmental Activism” by Stephanie Kaza (WRE)
- “The Greening of Buddhist Practice” by Kenneth Kraft (WRE)
- Engaged Buddhist Organization called Sarvodaya = www.Sarvodayausa.org
Forum on Religion and Ecology = www.religionandecology.org
Short Film: Section from Renewal, “Compassion in Action” Green Sangha, a Buddhist Community, leads a campaign to save trees. (11 minutes)
Task: Discussion Group Leaders present questions to Professor by e-mail/Blackboard; present environmental ethic article to Prof. in class or by e-mail.
JAINISM & ENVIRONMENTAL ETHICS
Readings:
- “Introduction” by Christopher Key Chapple in Jainism and Ecology (Ja&E)
- “Green Jainism? Notes and Queries toward a Possible Jain Environmental Ethic” by John E. Cort (J&E)
- “Ecology, Economics and Development in Jainism” by Padmanabh S. Jaini (Ja&E)
HINDUISM & ENVIRONMENTAL ETHICS
Readings:
- “Satyagraha for Conservation: Awakening the Spirit of Hinduism,” by O.P. Dwivedi, in Pojman, pp. 310-318
- “South Asian Traditions” by Richard Foltz (WRE)
- Hinduism and Deep Ecology” by Christopher Chapple (DEWR)
- “Let Us Survive: Women, Ecology and Development” by Vandana Shiva (WHE)
Week 13: ANIMALS “R” US and FACTORY FARMING
Readings:
- Chapter Two: “Animal Rights” in Pojman, pp. 61-103.
- “Vegetarianism and Treading Lightly upon the Earth” by Michael Allen Fox in Pojman, pp. 496-50
- “The Damage Done by Cattle-Raising” by Tristram Coffin in Pojman pp. 493-496
- “Descartes, Christianity, and Contemporary Speciesism” by Gary Steiner (COS)
- “The War on Compassion” by Carol J. Adams (FCTiAE)
- “The Liberation of Nature: A Circular Affair” by Marti Kheel (FCTiAE)
Films: Peaceable Kingdom/The Emotional Life of Farm Animals
“The Emotional World of Farm Animals: A Study Guide” by Animal Place (handout)
www.animalplace.org
www.hsus.org/religion
www.humanecalifornia.org
Task: Discussion Group Leaders present questions to Professor by e-mail/Blackboard; present environmental ethic article to Prof. in class or by e-mail.
Guest Speaker: Christine Gutleben, Director of Animals and Religion Program, HSUS
Field Trip to Animal Place, Vacaville
Week 14 ECOCENTRIC ETHICS AND DEEP ECOLOGY
Readings:
- All of “Ecocentric Ethics” section in Pojman, pp. 104-215
- All of “Deep Ecology” section in Pojman, pp. 215–264
Assignment: Finish fieldwork this week
Task: Discussion Group Leaders present questions to Professor by e-mail/Blackboard.
GREEN ECONOMY, GREEN WORLD?
Readings:
- “A Vision of a Sustainable World” by Lester Brown, Christopher Flavin and Sandra Postel, pp. 760-768.
- “Introduction” in The Green Collar Economy: How One Solution Can Fix Out Two Biggest Problems by Van Jones
- “Introduction” in Building the Green Economy: Success Stories from the Grass Roots, by Kevin Danaher, Shannon Bigg and Jason Mark
Task: : Discussion Group Leaders present questions to Professor by e-mail/Blackboard; present environmental ethic article to Prof. in class or by e-mail.
Guest Speaker
Week 15 STUDENT RESEARCH PRESENTATIONS
Week 16 STUDENT RESEARCH PRESENTATIONS
FINAL EXAM PREP
RESEARCH PAPER DUE
_____________________________________
Online Resources:
Grist Magazine = www.grist.com
The Green Guide To Go = www.Thegreenguide.com
Alternet News = www.alternet.org
Common Dreams = www.commondreams.org
MSNBC = www.msnbc.msn.com
BBC America News = www.bbcamerica.com
Other Texts:
B&E = Buddhism and Ecology by Mary Evelyn Tucker and Duncan Ryuken Williams
TEC = Theology for Earth Community: Field Guide, Dieter Hessel, ed.
TSE = This Sacred Earth: Religion, Nature and the Environment, Roger Gottlieb, ed.
CEE = Christian Environmental Ethics: A Case Method Approach, James B. Martin Schramm and Robert L. Stivers
DEWR = Deep Ecology and World Religions, David Landis Barnhill and Roger S. Gottlieb, eds.
EG = Ecofeminism and Globalization: Exploring Culture and Context, Heather Eaton and Lois Lorentzen, eds.
Ja&E = Jainism and Ecology: Nonviolence in the Web of Life by Christopher Key Chapple, ed.
WRE = Worldviews, Religion and the Environment, Richard C. Foltz, ed.
WHE = Women Healing Earth: Third World Women on Ecology, Feminism and Religion, Rosemary Radford Ruether, ed.
COS = A Community of Subjects: Animals in Religion, Science and Ethics, Paul Waldau and Kimberly Patton, eds.
FCTiAE = The Feminist Care Tradition in Animal Ethics, Josephine Donovan and Carol J. Adams, eds.
This syllabus pertains to when the course was offered in 2009