Thursday, August 29, 2013
Classroom Screening #1: "The History of the World's Civilizations in 2 Minutes"
Let's take a look at this short overview of world history. What connections can you make with Ethics and the Environment?
Tuesday, August 13, 2013
FINAL EXAM: PAEP Individual Reflective Analysis
This assignment is due by Thursday, December 5, as a stand-alone blog post here @ our course blog. In addition, you will submit this assignment to e-Port.
PAEP – The individual reflective analysis
The second deliverable for the PAEP common assignment is an individual reflective analysis which serves as an extended written narrative of the summarized information on the poster. This assignment will allow you to reflect on your experiential learning and address how your experience may have challenged, informed, or enriched your views. The written analysis will provide the unabridged version the four components of the poster: (1) history, (2) science / technology, (3) policy, and (4) ethics of the environmental subject, and in addition, require you to: (5) evaluate the ethical frameworks used in making policy and management decisions (note, this differs from simply identifying the applied ethical frameworks, which is what you are asked to do as a group for the poster), and (6) reflect upon your learning through each phase of the project from initial research to the culminating poster session. The format of this assignment is neither a standard research paper, nor a purely reflective essay; rather, it should merge the two and offer both critical analysis of and thoughtful reflection on the chosen topic.
Your individual reflective analysis should be approximately 2000 words double-spaced, and include a works cited page and in-text citations in proper MLA format. This analysis will be submitted to ePort and assessed as the common assignment for the course.
PAEP: Poster Guidelines and Checklist for Excellence
Student colleagues - some useful information about PAEP poster design.
Award-winning sample poster - look at images, text, shapes and sub-fields.
1. Search for poster designs here.
2. Poster tips here.
3. And a video tutorial on poster designs here.
And here is the CHECKLIST FOR EXCELLENCE - How to earn an A for your professional poster.
Explores the historical background of the environmental issue that preceded the science and/or policy developments
Provides an overview of major events, decisions, perspectives, etc. as background, as well as a clear explanation of why/how your subject came to be (1 pt)
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Explains the science and/or technology of the environmental subject
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Investigates the policies used to manage and regulate the subject
Identifies major policies at various levels (local, state, and federal) and understands how these policies work together to manage and regulate the subject (1 pt)
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Identifies the ethical frameworks used in making policy and management decisions
Analyzes identified policies for ethical frameworks that have been discussed in class throughout the semester (1 pt)
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Poster aesthetics
Poster is error-free, well-organized, effective, and visually appealing. Poster avoids the pitfalls discussed in class and in the poster resources provided. (5 pts)
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Poster presentation
Group demonstrated good knowledge of the subject, questions were answered clearly and effectively, and group members were enthusiastic, professional, and worked as a team. (5 pts)
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PROJECT #2: PAEP Small Group Experiential Learning
The PAEP is a small group 2 part semester-long COMMON ASSIGNMENT project.
Thursday, October 3: Deadline for project selection.
Thursday, October 17: Deadline for site visit.
Thursday, November 7: Deadline for PAEP poster completion.
Thursday, December 5: Deadline for FINAL reflection.
Proactive approaches to the environment project (PAEP)
Humans past and present have used science to understand, policy and technology to manage, and ethics to value the environment in which they live. Merging these and other tools together, society has developed ways to work with, harvest from, and/or protect itself against nature in order to live within the environment. The common assignment for the semester will allow you to explore these proactive approaches through research and experiential learning. There are many opportunities for experiential learning in the greater Burlington area (a list will be provided if you need ideas). Your group can learn about human approaches to agriculture, sustainable development, climate change, energy, forestry, outdoor recreation, waste and recycling, water, wildlife, and many more topics. The group will make contact with an individual in its field of interest and request a site visit in order to experience a particular approach to the environment. In addition to site visits, experiential learning opportunities may include interviews, guided outdoor recreation, volunteer work, education programs, public hearings, and the like. Initial research will be required in order to gain foundational knowledge of your subject, so that you can make the most of your experience. For this project you will present your findings with: (1) a group professional poster and (2) an individual reflective analysis.
Part 1 – The group professional poster
The first deliverable for the common assignment is the creation and presentation of a group professional poster. The poster contains four main components that require the group to: (1) explore the historical background of the environmental issue that preceded the science and/or policy developments, (2) explain the science and/or technology of the environmental subject, (3) investigate the policies used to manage and regulate the subject, and (4) identify the ethical frameworks used in making these policy and management decisions.
For example, if your group chose to visit the Burlington wastewater treatment facility for its project, it could address the four components in the following way:
1. Background/History: Intact ecosystems offer the benefit of the water purification services, so there was historically less need for municipal wastewater treatment – dilution was the solution to pollution. As human population increased, and with it agricultural and industrial water pollution, the construction of wastewater treatment facilities was funded under The Federal Water Pollution Control Act of 1948. Major amendments to this Act in the 1970s were motivated by public outrage over specific events, including large fish kills, oil spills, and the burning of some rivers as a result of heavy contamination, as well as the generally deteriorated state of the nation’s waterways.
2. Science/Technology: Explain the process of wastewater pretreatment (screening/filtration), primary treatment (sedimentation/clarification), secondary treatment (aeration/aerobic digestion), disinfection (with ozone, UV light, and/or disinfecting chemicals), and sludge treatment (anaerobic digestion). Wastewater treatment plants are designed to mimic the process of water purification in natural ecosystems and comparisons with artificial treatment systems should be explained.
3. Policy: Wastewater treatment facilities are regulated as a point-source of pollution under the National Pollution Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) under the Clean Water Act at the federal level and total maximum daily load (TMDL) permits at the state level. Each of these permits allows the facility to discharge a certain amount of various pollutants within allowable limits.
4. Ethics: Some ethical implications of wastewater treatment pertain to residual chemicals and excess nutrients that enter Lake Champlain, as well as the inability to remove certain pharmaceuticals, pesticides, and industrial chemicals. Questions this section could speak to are: What level of risk are we willing to assume in terms of the impact wastewater effluent has on aquatic ecosystems, recreation, and drinking water? What are the ethical implications of the risk/benefit cost-analysis of tertiary treatment? Which ethical frameworks are applied in the local and national policies that regulate wastewater treatment?
The poster should follow a standard professional format, but will have history, science, policy, and ethics as its defining elements. Professional posters require you to creatively and concisely convey technical material, so your poster’s visual appeal and group’s practiced talking points are both essential. The format for poster presentations will be similar to that of a professional poster session – that is, some groups stand with their poster and answer questions, summarize information, and talk about their experience, while students who are not presenting visit posters as audience members. This format will require you to have both broad and detailed knowledge of your subject and understand it to the extent that you can clearly articulate each of the four components of the project, intelligently answer a variety of questions, and concisely summarize what your group has learned from the experience.
The group poster will be submitted to ePort, but does not require any assessment in ePort.
Guidance for creating professional posters can be found at:
Stanford University poster design guidelines and resources for undergraduate research: http://www.stanford.edu/dept/undergrad/cgibin/drupal_ual/OO_research_opps_SURPSResources.html
University of North Carolina Graduate School student resources: http://gradschool.unc.edu/student/postertips.html
Part 2 – The individual reflective analysis
The second deliverable for the common assignment is an individual reflective analysis which serves as an extended written narrative of the summarized information on the poster. This assignment will allow you to reflect on your experiential learning and address how your experience may have challenged, informed, or enriched your views. The written analysis will provide the unabridged version the four components of the poster: (1) history, (2) science / technology, (3) policy, and (4) ethics of the environmental subject, and in addition, require you to: (5) evaluate the ethical frameworks used in making policy and management decisions (note, this differs from simply identifying the applied ethical frameworks, which is what you are asked to do as a group for the poster), and (6) reflect upon your learning through each phase of the project from initial research to the culminating poster session. The format of this assignment is neither a standard research paper, nor a purely reflective essay; rather, it should merge the two and offer both critical analysis of and thoughtful reflection on the chosen topic.
Your individual reflective analysis should be approximately 2000 words double-spaced, and include a works cited page and in-text citations in proper MLA format. This analysis will be submitted to ePort and assessed as the common assignment for the course.
Project #1: ENVIRONMENTAL CASE STUDIES - Individual Student Research and 15 MINUTE ORAL PRESENTATIONS
Be prepared to present your ORAL for the week of September 30. Look through the Hughes book and select a CASE STUDY that you wish to research. Claim your case study with a blog post below. (Example - "I will research New Orleans, Louisiana, and Hurricane Katrina."). "First Come, First Served." Once you select your CASE STUDY, research and then create a CASE STUDY blog post that addresses the 3 areas below. Be sure to use embedded photos, videos, and hyperlinks in your presentation - prepare enough material to hold forth for 10 minutes, with 5 minutes of discussion questions that you ask.
Historical case studies of the environment
Humans have altered the places they inhabit for as long as they have existed – in fact, all organisms do. While human impact was more diffuse on a global scale before the present, there are many historical case studies of significant human-environment interaction where human population centers occurred. History often presents the stories of note-worthy people; the case studies of Hughes’ text present the stories of noteworthy places.
We will cover the historical case studies of Hughes’ text as individual student presentations throughout the semester. After being assigned to a chapter, you will select a case study from that chapter to present to the class. Note that more than one student may be assigned to a chapter, in which case you will have to decide amongst yourselves who gets what case study to avoid any overlap.
Your presentation should contain the following three components:
1. A summary of the content of case study
Provide us with an overview of what happened (important events, decisions, ecosystem characteristics, etc.). This may require some additional outside research, as the case studies are only a couple pages in length. Do not simply regurgitate the case study to the class.
2. An analysis of the ethical questions that are raised by the case study
What role did ethics play in the events of the case study? Can you identify a particular ethical framework that we’ve studied that was employed in this place and time? Are there connections between the events and ethics of this case study and those of the present day?
3. A class discussion of the case study and its implications
You will lead the class in a short discussion of the material and its broader implications. A good way to initiate this discussion is by asking interesting and thought-provoking questions that your classmates will want to answer. Avoid questions that are too specific (e.g. questions that quiz your classmates on content) or too broad (e.g. What do you think about X?). Good questions challenge your classmates to investigate the greater meaning and context of the case study. A helpful exercise is to ask yourself the question and evaluate whether your answers will lead in interesting directions.
Your presentation should be 15 minutes long and provide the class with a visual while you are speaking. Powerpoint and Prezi are acceptable, but they must be used effectively! Common pitfalls of these presentation tools (too much text, reading from slides, listing events) will result in point deductions. A simple collection of few images, maps, and/or statements that provide you with talking points are best. More details to come.
Week #12: Blogging ENVIRONMENTAL ETHICS, Chapters 9-10
This post is due by Tuesday, November 12 @ midnight. No credit given for late posts.
Read the assigned chapters above, and then:
1. Provide 3 SPECIFIC observations about Ethics and the Environment, using 2-3 sentences combining the book and your own IYOW analysis.
2. Finally, ask ONE specific question you have of ethics and the environment after completing our reading.
1. Provide 3 SPECIFIC observations about Ethics and the Environment, using 2-3 sentences combining the book and your own IYOW analysis.
2. Finally, ask ONE specific question you have of ethics and the environment after completing our reading.
Week #11: Blogging ENVIRONMENTAL ETHICS, Chapters 7-8
This post is due by Tuesday, November 5 @ midnight. No credit given for late posts.
Read the assigned chapters above, and then:
1. Provide 3 SPECIFIC observations about Ethics and the Environment, using 2-3 sentences combining the book and your own IYOW analysis.
2. Finally, ask ONE specific question you have of ethics and the environment after completing our reading.
1. Provide 3 SPECIFIC observations about Ethics and the Environment, using 2-3 sentences combining the book and your own IYOW analysis.
2. Finally, ask ONE specific question you have of ethics and the environment after completing our reading.
Week #10: Blogging ENVIRONMENTAL ETHICS, Chapters 5-6
This post is due by Tuesday, October 30 @ midnight. No credit given for late posts.
Read the assigned chapters above, and then:
1. Provide 3 SPECIFIC observations about Ethics and the Environment, using 2-3 sentences combining the book and your own IYOW analysis.
2. Finally, ask ONE specific question you have of ethics and the environment after completing our reading.
1. Provide 3 SPECIFIC observations about Ethics and the Environment, using 2-3 sentences combining the book and your own IYOW analysis.
2. Finally, ask ONE specific question you have of ethics and the environment after completing our reading.
Week #9: Blogging ENVIRONMENTAL ETHICS, Chapters 3-4
This post is due by Tuesday, October 23 @ midnight. No credit given for late posts.
Read the assigned chapters above, and then:
1. Provide 3 SPECIFIC observations about Ethics and the Environment, using 2-3 sentences combining the book and your own IYOW analysis.
2. Finally, ask ONE specific question you have of ethics and the environment after completing our reading.
1. Provide 3 SPECIFIC observations about Ethics and the Environment, using 2-3 sentences combining the book and your own IYOW analysis.
2. Finally, ask ONE specific question you have of ethics and the environment after completing our reading.
Week #8: Blogging ENVIRONMENTAL ETHICS, Chapters 1-2
This post is due by Tuesday, October 16 @ midnight. No credit given for late posts.
Read the assigned chapters above, and then:
1. Provide 3 SPECIFIC observations about Ethics and the Environment, using 2-3 sentences combining the book and your own IYOW analysis.
2. Finally, ask ONE specific question you have of ethics and the environment after completing our reading.
1. Provide 3 SPECIFIC observations about Ethics and the Environment, using 2-3 sentences combining the book and your own IYOW analysis.
2. Finally, ask ONE specific question you have of ethics and the environment after completing our reading.
Week #7: Blogging ENVIRONMENTAL HISTORY OF THE WORLD, Chapters 9-10
This post is due by Tuesday, October 8 @ midnight. No credit given for late posts.
Read the assigned chapters above, and then:
1. Provide 3 SPECIFIC observations about Ethics and the Environment, using 2-3 sentences combining the book and your own IYOW analysis.
2. Finally, ask ONE specific question you have of ethics and the environment after completing our reading.
1. Provide 3 SPECIFIC observations about Ethics and the Environment, using 2-3 sentences combining the book and your own IYOW analysis.
2. Finally, ask ONE specific question you have of ethics and the environment after completing our reading.
Week #6: Blogging ENVIRONMENTAL HISTORY OF THE WORLD, Chapters 7-8
This post is due by Tuesday, October 1 @ midnight. No credit given for late posts.
Read the assigned chapters above, and then:
1. Provide 3 SPECIFIC observations about Ethics and the Environment, using 2-3 sentences combining the book and your own IYOW analysis.
2. Finally, ask ONE specific question you have of ethics and the environment after completing our reading.
1. Provide 3 SPECIFIC observations about Ethics and the Environment, using 2-3 sentences combining the book and your own IYOW analysis.
2. Finally, ask ONE specific question you have of ethics and the environment after completing our reading.
Week #5: Blogging ENVIRONMENTAL HISTORY OF THE WORLD, Chapters 5-6
This post is due by Tuesday, September 24 @ midnight. No credit given for late posts.
Read the assigned chapters above, and then:
1. Provide 3 SPECIFIC observations about Ethics and the Environment, using 2-3 sentences combining the book and your own IYOW analysis.
2. Finally, ask ONE specific question you have of ethics and the environment after completing our reading.
1. Provide 3 SPECIFIC observations about Ethics and the Environment, using 2-3 sentences combining the book and your own IYOW analysis.
2. Finally, ask ONE specific question you have of ethics and the environment after completing our reading.
Week #4: Blogging ENVIRONMENTAL HISTORY OF THE WORLD, Chapters 3-4
This post is due by Tuesday, September 17 @ midnight. No credit given for late posts.
Read the assigned chapters above, and then:
1. Provide 3 SPECIFIC observations about Ethics and the Environment, using 2-3 sentences combining the book and your own IYOW analysis.
2. Finally, ask ONE specific question you have of ethics and the environment after completing our reading.
1. Provide 3 SPECIFIC observations about Ethics and the Environment, using 2-3 sentences combining the book and your own IYOW analysis.
2. Finally, ask ONE specific question you have of ethics and the environment after completing our reading.
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