RS 347: Cross-Cultural Environmental Ethics
Spring 2009
Instructor: Patricia (Micki) Lennon Meeting times: TTh 12:30-1:45
Office: Trinity 234 Classroom: Butte 219
Phone: 898-5263 Office hours: MW 2-3, Tu 9:30-11:30
Email: plennon@csuchico.edu and by appointment
Course Description and Objectives:
How do cultural concepts of humanity, society, history, God, and nature, shape the way we live? How do our religious and secular worldviews shape our lifestyles, and what resources do they offer us in addressing the environmental issues shaping our planet?
In this class, we will look at human interactions with nature, using both historical and cross-cultural perspectives. We will look at religious attitudes towards nature in a number of different religious traditions, including Judaism, Christianity, Hinduism, Buddhism, Native American traditions, and Neopaganism. We will also examine some modern secular movements environmental movements such as deep ecology, ecofeminism, and ecoactivism, which seek to offer new ways to imagine the human relationship with the environment.
This course meets the general educational requirements of Theme D, Environmental Issues. This course will seek to provide students with readings in primary sources. In addition to this, the course will help fulfill the theme objectives: (1) to impart an understanding of and appreciation for the place of the human species in the global ecosystem; (2) to examine the ways that the environment has influenced human behavior; (3) to provide skills and information necessary to assess human impact; and (4) to pursue ways to maintain Earth’s life support system. Specific student learning outcomes include: (1) Students will be able to explain how religious worldviews help shape human understandings of and interactions with nature and the natural environment; (2)students will be able to define and explain key concepts in the environmental ethics such as anthropocentrism, biocentrism, deep ecology, ecofeminism, etc; and (3) Students will be able to articulate the way religious perspectives can help contribute to the creation of a more sustainable society.
Required Texts:
David Kinsley, Ecology and Religion: Ecological Spirituality in Cross-Cultural Perspective
Richard Foltz, Worldviews, Religion and the Environment
Julia Butterfly Hill, The Legacy of Luna
Course Reader available at Mr. Kopy (119 Main St., next to 7-11)
Course Requirements and Grading
Participation/Homework 25% 250 points
Exams 50% 500 points
Research Project 25% 250 points
Grading
Grading will be on a 1000 point scale. 935 or more points, A; 895-934 points, A-; 875-894 points, B+; 835-874 points, B; 795-834 points, B-; 775-794 points, C+; 735-774 points, C; 695-734 points, C-; 675-694 points, D+; 595-674 points, D; below 595, F.
Participation (25%)
This will be a discussion-oriented course, so your attendance and participation is vital to its success. Your participation grade will be based on attendance, level of preparation for class, contributions to class discussion, and your listening skills.
There are two components to this grade:
(1) Preparation (Homework questions) (150 points).
It is essential that you complete the assigned readings and reflect on them to allow class discussion to take place. Throughout the calendar of required readings you will find HOMEWORK QUESTIONS (every day discussion is planned—about 2/3 of class days). You should hand in a 2-3 paragraph response to these questions at the beginning of the class period on the day they are listed.
·Homework may be handwritten as long as your handwriting is legible
· Use blue or black ink—no pencil, red or purple ink, etc.
· Use standard size (8.5 by 11) paper
● Write your name, the date the assignment is due, and the class in the upper right-hand corner
· Late homework will receive half credit and should be turned in with the next assignment, though I will accept late homework up until the last regular day of class (May 14). I do NOT accept emailed homework assignments
● Unless otherwise specified, each homework assignment is worth 10 points.
Another option for homework assignments will be participation in an online discussion board on Vista/Blackboard. We will discuss specifics of this option in class.
(2) Attendance and participation (100 points)
I will take attendance, and I will monitor student participation. There will also be several in-class exercises which will count towards this portion of the grade. If you have an illness or another problem which will affect your ability to attend class regularly, you must let me know as soon as possible. Missing more than two class sessions without a serious excuse will hurt your attendance grade.
If you regularly come in late or leave early, this will negatively impact your participation grade. If you have a serious and compelling reason to leave class early, please let me know in advance. It is your responsibility to make sure I know you were in class if you arrive after attendance has been taken.
Exams (50%)
There will be two take-home exams (250 points each). I will hand out the questions at least one week before the exams are due. Exams should be typed and double-spaced, and you must cite your sources properly. The first exam will be due March 26 and the second will be due May 19.
Research Project (25%)
Every member of the class is required to conduct a research project for the course. The preferred method for this project is a group presentation, but students will have the option to write a research paper instead. This research project is designed to give you an opportunity to explore aspects of the intersection between religion and the environment in depth. For this project, you may either explore a religious group we have not covered in class (e.g. Islam, Jainism, Confucianism, a specific Native American group) or focus on a specific controversy relating to religious/ethical issues and the environment. Here are some examples of presentation topics students have used in the past:
•Do Sri Lankan religious beliefs affect government policy on the environment?
•What is the position of Alaskan Amerindians on drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge?
• What does Hinduism teach about population control?
• Do animals have rights?
• What environmental themes are explored in Japanese anime?
• Can premillennial Christianity be compatible with environmentalism?
• Is violence or property damage justified to defend the earth? (e.g. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, Earth First!, Earth Liberation Front)
• Controversies over Hopi sacred lands
• How do African traditional religions contribute to ecological farming?
• Is vegetarianism morally better than meat-eating?
• Is hunting ethical?
•Should indigenous peoples be exempt from certain restrictions on fishing, whaling, etc. if they prevent them from following a traditional way of life?
RESEARCH PROJECT GUIDELINES
Group projects should be 20-25 minutes in length. Signups for group presentations will take place on February 26. Groups should be composed of 3-5 members, and members should participate equally in both the research and the presentation itself. Groups need to submit a proposal that states their topic and lists 5 bibliographic sources by March 12. Each group member must turn in an annotated bibliography with three unique sources (that is, sources not being used by other group members) by April 16. All groups must meet with me a week before their presentation to apprise me of their progress. Projects will be judged on research, creativity, organization, and coherence. Please be sure to select a research topic that can be coherently presented in 25 minutes! Group presentation dates will be determined by signups the second week of class.
Papers should be 8-10 typed, double-spaced pages in length and should have at least eight scholarly sources. Each paper must also have a thesis; that is, rather than simply reporting on a topic it must make some sort of coherent argument. Factors which will be taken into account during grading include relevance of the topic to the course, quality of research, creativity, organization, and persuasiveness of argument. I strongly urge you to talk to me about your papers both while you are in the process of selecting a topic and afterwards. Paper proposals (one paragraph about the topic and a bibliography of five sources) is due by March 12 . Papers are due on May 5 . Please be sure to consult the guidelines about plagiarism below.
DEADLINES FOR RESEARCH PROJECT
· Tentative topics chosen by February 26; you must at least decide if you will do a paper or a project by that date, and we will have group signups then.
· A one-paragraph proposal that gives your specific topic and lists at least five bibliographic sources is due by March 12. Groups should turn in one proposal per group, with the one-paragraph proposal, a breakdown of who is doing what aspect of the topic, and five sources. No more than one of these can be an internet source, unless it is a scholarly article downloaded from the library database.
· Dates that are available for group projects:
April 16 (1 group)
April 21 (1 group)
April 28 (1 group)
*April 30 (2-3 groups)
*May 5 (2-3 groups)
*These dates must be filled before groups can choose other dates, since they are solely devoted to group presentations.
· Groups should meet with me a week before the project date to let me know your basic plan
· Annotated bibliographies are due on April 16 . One annotated bibliography (of at least four scholarly sources) per person! These annotated bibliographies will be graded individually, and will be worth one-fourth of the presentation grade. Each person should have no more than one internet source.
An annotated bibliography gives the complete citation for each source and also includes a paragraph’s worth of description of the material in the source that was relevant for the project. For example, an annotated bibliography entry for The Lorax might look like this:
Theodore Seuss Geisel, The Lorax (New York: Random House, 1971).
The Lorax is an environmental parable in which the story of the “Onceler” is told. The Onceler is a sort of proto-capitalist who comes to exploit the paradisical land of the Lorax. Before the coming of the Onceler, Truffula trees bloom, Brown Barbaloots play, and all is happy and joyous. The Onceler sets about making products from Truffula trees, and as a result destroys the animals’ habitats and pollutes the air and water. The Onceler becomes rich, but undercuts his own profit-making abilities by destroying all of the Truffula trees. The film is an indictment of capitalism, industry and unbridled expansion, calling on the viewers to treat nature with care. In this project, I am using the Lorax as an example of a message children are commonly taught in grade-school about the environment. I will suggest that The Lorax is a good introduction to environmentalism for young children, but in the long run its “good guys v. bad guys” approach can create problems for the environmental movement.
•When you form your groups for group presentations, be sure to exchange contact information and be sure everyone is clear on group responsibilities and how meetings will be arranged. Missing more than one group meeting or vanishing from class for more than a week without contacting other group members is grounds for being expelled from the group.
•Research papers are due May 5 for those choosing the paper option. Papers must have a central thesis and no fewer than eight scholarly sources (i.e. not websites—scholarly books or journal articles), and must be 8-10 pages in length.
General Guidelines for writing assignments
· Students are required to keep a copy of all written assignments submitted to me, and to resubmit written work if required.
● Please be aware that I will not grade any assignments submitted via email. If you have to miss class for a serious reason (e.g. illness, family emergency) and want credit for handing in the assignment on time, you may submit it in the text of an email, but I will only grade the assignment when I receive a hard copy of it. When you turn in the hard copy, write “submitted on time via email” at the top. Also please note that because of problems I’ve had the past with students inadvertently sending me viruses, I will automatically delete any messages with attachments. Cut and paste the assignment into the body of the email—don’t send me attachments, please!
· All written assignments should be typed, double-spaced, on standard 8 1/2 by 11 paper. Margins should be one inch on all sides. Please use a 12 point font. All assignments should include your name, class and section number, the day the assignment is due, and (for exams) the number of the question you are responding to or (for papers) the title of your paper. A title page is not necessary. All assignments must be stapled! If you turn in an assignment in which the pages are not stapled together, I accept no responsibility for lost pages. Please do NOT turn in assignments in binders or plastic covers.
· All assignments should be accompanied by a bibliography or works cited page, in addition to citations you use in the text.
· Any instance of plagiarism or other academic dishonesty (e.g. cheating on exams) will result in an “F” for the course and a report of academic misconduct submitted to Student Judicial Affairs. If you borrow the ideas of others in composing your written work, they must be cited; if you borrow the words of others, they must be enclosed in quotation marks and cited. If you have any doubts as to whether or not something needs to be cited, play it safe and cite it—or ask me about it. Any standard citation format (MLA, APA, etc.) is fine.
· If you are having health problems or personal crises which might tempt you to plagiarize, please talk to me. In some cases, I may be able to make accommodations for your situation; in other cases, I may advise you to take the late penalty (see below). Students who plagiarize on more than one occasion will be expelled from the university. In the long run, it is far better to receive a lower grade (or even a failing grade) than to jeopardize your entire academic career.
·Please note that material from the internet is still someone else’s work, and must be cited appropriately! If you are unsure of how to do this properly, consult the following website:
http://www.csuchico.edu/engl/Links/style_guide.html
· Homework may be submitted late for half credit. Other written work (e.g. annotated bibliographies) may be submitted late for a point deduction of 20%. The last day I will accept any late work is the last day of classes before finals.
Students with certified disabilities
Please notify me of any special need relating to your disability within the first two weeks of the semester. I will make every reasonable effort to facilitate your success in this course. Please note that you may be required to show documentation of your disability.
If you have a documented disability that may require reasonable accommodations, please contact Disability Support Services (DSS) for coordination of your academic accommodations. The DSS phone number is 898-5959 V/TTY or FAX 898-4411. Visit the DSS website at <http://www.csuchico.edu/dss/>.”
Course Calendar and Reading Assignments
Readings labeled Foltz are from Richard Foltz, Worldviews, Religion and the Environment; those labeled Kinsley are from David Kinsley, Ecology and Religion. Please note that this schedule is subject to revision and may change if necessary.
ALL READINGS ARE DUE BY THE DATE LISTED
For example, by January 30 you must have read the Introduction to Foltz and be prepared to discuss it in class that day.
Introduction
1/27: Introduction to the Class
1/29: Worldviews and the Environment
Reading: “Introduction: Understanding Our Place in a Global Age” (Foltz, 1-6); Lester Brown, “Rescuing a Planet Under Stress.” (Reader—also available on e-reserve)
Homework question : bring in a passport size photo of yourself (hint: make an enlarged color copy of your ID or driver’s license if you don’t have a recent photo. Photos will not be returned!)
Film: Earth on the Edge or An Inconvenient Truth
Unit One: Jewish and Christian Worldviews and the Environment
2/3: What does religion have to do with the environment?
Readings: “Introduction,” Kinsley, xv-xxi; Meredith McGuire, “The Provision of Meaning and Belonging (Reader).
2/5: Creation myths and cosmology: Genesis.
Readings: Genesis 1:1-4:16; Genesis 6:1-9:17. (These chapters are in the course reader, or you may also find them online at biblegateway.com, or use a translation of the Bible that you own. If you haven’t been able to purchase the course reader yet, please print out these stories and bring them to class for our discussion)
Homework question: There are 4 main stories in these biblical selections: (1) the creation of the world, (2) Adam and Eve’s creation and expulsion from the Garden; (3) the story of Cain and Abel; and (4) the story of Noah. In class, you will be assigned two stories to write on (you should still read all 4). What do your assigned stories seem to be saying about (a) nature; (b) the correct human relationship with nature; (c) how human beings should live?
2/10: The Bible and nature: the Jewish tradition
Readings: Aloys Hutterman, “Genesis 1: The Most Misunderstood Part of the Bible”; Tivka Frymer-Kensky, “Ecology in Biblical Perspective.” (In Foltz, pp. 280-296)
2/12: Controversies in Christianity: Lynn White and his critics
Readings: “Is Christianity Ecologically Harmful” and “Christianity as Ecologically Responsible,” Kinsley, 103-124. Optional: Lynn White, “The Historical Roots of our Ecological Crisis,” (Foltz, 30-37)
Homework Question: According to Kinsley, what aspects of the Judeo-Christian worldview have been criticized by some environmentalists as contributing to environmental exploitation?
2/17: Science, Technology, and Consumerism
Readings: David Loy, “The Religion of the Market,” in Foltz, 66-74. Optional: “Nature Disenchanted: The Modern View of Nature”, Kinsley, 125-140
Film: Affluenza
Homework question: What is the “religion of the market,” according to Loy? Do you agree this is a religion?
2/19: Christian environmentalism and the critique of consumerism
Readings: Thomas Berry, “The New Story,” in Foltz, 525-531; Leonardo Boff, “Science, Technology, Power, and Liberation Theology,” in Foltz, 500-503. Optional: Larry Rasmussen, “Global Eco-Justice,” in Foltz, 582-589;
Homework question: (Due at the end of the film): What is an “environmental conversion”?
Asian traditions and Environmental Ethics
2/24: Hinduism: Worldview and History
Reading: David Kinsley, “Central Hindu Beliefs” (Reader);“Hinduism: Ecological Themes” in Kinsley, 54-67.
2/26: Hinduism and the environment. Case study: Sacred rivers in India
SIGN-UPS for Group Presentations
Reading: Readings: Kelly Alley, “Idioms of Degeneracy: Assessing Ganga’s Purity and Pollution,” in Foltz, 143-157; Bruce Sullivan, “Theology and Ecology at the Birthplace of Krsna (Krishna)”, in Foltz, 413-420. Optional: O.P. Dwivedi, “Dharmic Ecology,” in Foltz, 119-128;
Homework question: How do the different groups in Alley’s article understand the state of the Ganga (Ganges river)? Why? OR How is devotion to Krsna (Krishna) motivating environmental activism in Vrindavan, according to Sullivan? .
3/3: Buddhism
Readings: “Buddhism,” in Foltz, 161-162; Rita Gross, “Toward A Buddhist Environmental Ethic,” in Foltz, 163-171.
3/5: Buddhism and the environment
Readings: Sulak Sivarasksa, “True Development.” (Reader); Stephanie Kaza, “To Save All Beings: Buddhist Environmental Activism” (in Foltz, 193-204). [Be sure to bring readers to class!]
Homework question: What, according to Sivaraska, is “true development”? How is it different than Western ideas of development?
3/10: Princess Mononoke and Japanese Buddhist environmentalism
Film: Princess Mononoke
Reading: Readings: “The Buddha of Rocks and Trees,” Kinsley 91-98; “Japanese traditions” and Brian Bocking, “Japanese Religions,” in Foltz, 246-251.
3/12: Princess Mononoke. Paper/Project proposals due today.
Reading: Yuriko Saito, “The Japanese Appreciation of Nature.”
Have a good spring break!
Native American Worldviews and the Environment
3/24: Cree and other Algonkian worldviews
Reading: Calvin Martin, “Pimadaziwin” (Reader); “The Mistassini Cree” in Kinsley, 7-21.
3/26: Film: Black Robe MIDTERM EXAMS DUE
3/31: No Class (Cesar Chavez Day)
4/2: Controversies in Native American religion: are Native Americans “natural” environmentalists?
Reading: Shepard Krech, “Introduction,” The Ecological Indian: Myth and History, (Reader); Gary Nabhan, “Cultural Parallax in Viewing North American Habitats” (in Foltz, 104-111).
Homework question: What does Krech mean by the “Noble Indian,” and what role has the image of the “noble Indian” played in the history of the environmental movement?
4/7: Controversies in Native American religion: Sacred ground. Reading: Lloyd Burton with David Ruppert, “Rising to Heaven or Risen from Hell? Culture, Consensus and Conflict at Devil’s TowerNational Monument” (Reader); Vine Deloria, “Sacred Places and Moral Responsibility,” in Foltz, 81-88.
Film: In the Light of Reverence
Homework question: What factors are at the root of the conflict over Devil’s Tower? How has the National Park Service tried to address this conflict? What do you think of their efforts?
Unit Four: Creating New Worldviews: the Emergence of Modern Environmental Philosophies and Spiritualities
4/9: Aldo Leopold and the roots of Deep Ecology
Readings: Aldo Leopold, “Excerpts from A Sand County Almanac” in Foltz, 431-434; “Deep Ecology: From Anthropocentrism to Biocentrism” in Kinsley, 184-192; Devall and Sessions, “Principles of Deep Ecology,” in Foltz, 434-440.
Homework question: What are “the spiritual dangers in not owning a farm,” according to Leopold? What does he mean by this? How does he describe “the land ethic”?
4/14: Deep Ecology and Religion
Readings: Joanna Macy, “The Ecological Self: Postmodern Ground for Right Action,” in Foltz, 441-446; Bill Devall, “Ecocentric Sangha” (Reader).
Homework question: What does Macy mean by the “ecological self”? Why is the perspective of deep ecology different than altruism? Is the perspective of deep ecology reflected in Devall’s notion of an “ecocentric sangha”?
4/16: Ecological spiritualities: Neopaganism Possible group project. All Annotated bibliographies due today.
Readings: Sarah Pike, “introduction to the Religious Worlds of Neopagans and New Agers;” Isaac Bonewits, interview from Being A Pagan, both on Reader. Optional: Graham Harvey, “Paganism and the Environment” in Foltz, 420-429.
4/21: Ecological spirituality in action: Earth First! Possible group project
Readings: Bron Taylor, “Earth First! From Primal Spirituality to Ecological Resistance,” in Foltz, 447-456; David Foreman, “Strategic monkeywrenching, “ (Reader). Optional: Ecoactivism” in Kinsley, 193-202.
Homework question: Why does Bron Taylor describe Earth First! as a religious movement? What ethical principles motivate the group? Do you see any contradiction between the principles Taylor describes and Foreman’s argument for monkeywrenching?
4/23: Ecological spirituality in action: animal rights
Readings: Readings: Peter Singer, “All Animals are Equal” (Reader); Gary Snyder, “Nets of Beads, Webs of Cells” (Reader). Be sure to bring readers to class today.
Homework question: Both Singer and Snyder value animal life, though they have different perspectives on what valuing animal life means for humans. Which author’s suggestions do you think are more likely to help animals? Why?
4/28: Ecofeminism Possible group project
Readings: Readings: Ynestra King, “The Ecology of Feminism and the Feminism of Ecology,” in Foltz, 457-463; Carol Adams, “The sexual politics of meat.” (Reader). Optional reading: Carolyn Merchant, “Dominion over Nature,” in Foltz, 39-49.
4/30: Group Presentations. Reading: Legacy of Luna
5/5: Group Presentations Research papers due today.
Reading: Legacy of Luna (You must have finished the book by next Tuesday).
5/7: New paradigms in action: The Legacy of Luna
Readings: The Legacy of Luna chapters 1-6
Homework question: Describe Julia’s first encounter with the California redwoods. What motivated her to join the treesit? How did her relationship with the loggers evolve over time?
5/12: New paradigms in action: The Legacy of Luna
Readings: chapter 8—afterword.
Homework question: Describe Julia’s relationship with Luna. Does her personal philosophy seem to reflect any of the groups we have discussed in this unit (e.g. deep ecologists, ecofeminists, pagans, etc?)
5/14: Final reflections on the class
5/19: Final exam is due in the regular classroom.