Section of the 2007 Human Ecology Core Course  Ð Gray Cox

Office on third floor of Davis Center

Class MTh 11:10-12:35,  Turrets I

Office Hours MTh 1:30- 4:00

 and by appointment

ext. #326, gray@coa.edu

 

Our Ways of  Wealth:

 Philosophical, Historical and Political Economic aspects of a Human Ecological Problem

 

         This interdisciplinary seminar is designed to provide students with an introduction to human ecology.  The focus of this year's class will be the topic of wealth.  We will take an interdisciplinary approach to this topic, drawing upon the work of novelists, philosophers, political theorists, economists, artists, and others.

 

         In so doing, our aim is to provide a model for a human ecological approach to a complex social phenomenon, and to give students experience in defining and addressing a complex subject.  An additional goal of this course is to introduce students to critical reading, writing, and discussion skills that are an essential ingredient for success at COA.

 

Evaluation will be based on class discussion and participation, several short papers and problem sets, and other presentations determined by each section.  Introductory.  *HE*  Lab fee $25.00 for field trips, photocopying, speakers, etc.

 

Guiding questions for this section of the core course include the following: How do culture, history, politics and economics provide the frameworks for people to experience wealth of different kinds? How can and should these be transformed to better our world? In particular, how can we reduce or eliminate the ecological damages and social injustices so often associated with the creation and control of material wealth? We will look at the practices of wealth making and distribution among non-Europeans (including the Algonquin tribes), in pre-industrial New England, and in industrial capitalist society. We will look at some classic formulations of the relations between wealth practices and human ecology including Òthe tragedy of the commonsÓ and Òthe land ethicÓ and, finally, explore alternatives for the  future.

 

 Readings will include The Pickup by  Nadine Gordimer, Changes in the Land by William Cronon, The Communist Manifesto by Karl Marx (and Friedrich Engels), Confronting Consumption by Thomas Princen et. al.,Nickel and Dimed by Barbara Ehrenreich and  The Tipping Point by Malcom Gladwell  -- as well as short selections from other authors.  Specific  skills we will focus on developing and practice integrating in interdisciplinary approaches to the problem of wealth include: textual analysis of narrative and argument, the philosophical elucidation of concepts, and the historical and social analysis of  social trends and transformations.

 

Evaluation will be based on class discussion and participation, short homework activities, several short papers,  and a final paper. The weighting of these will be 40% for participation and homework, 35% for short papers and 25% for the final paper. The format for feedback on the first two short papers will  be one on one meetings during the week after they are turned in. You should turn in two copies, one of which I will hang on to.  The third short paper will be a report on some  social change project for addressing some aspect of the problem of wealth. The final paper will be of medium size, 5-7  pages, and should provide a proposal for how some social change project  addressing the problem of wealth  could reach a tipping point and  achieve major success. The standard format for this course is Credit/No Credit.

NOTE: There will be extra sessions for a movie and for a field trip.

 

Schedule for Classes and Assignments

9/6       Introductions, syllabus review and key themes and questions for course

 

Open Discussion: What is (are) the problem(s) of wealth?

 

9/10     THE PICKUP pp. 1-71

            Sidebar discussion:  What is Human Ecology?

 

9/13     THE PICKUP pp. 72-141

            Homework: Sharing information about each other

            Sidebar discussion: What are the problems of wealth?

 

9/13  NOTE: Thursday Evening Movie at 6:45

 

9/17     THE PICKUP pp. 142-205 

            Homework: Bring four written questions on the book and the issues it raises that interest you for further discussion

            Sidebar discussion: What is interdisciplinary study?

           

9/20     THE PICKUP 206-268

Sidebar discussion: What is the nature of narrative truth in fiction?  

 

DUE: short paper on wealth, status and character in THE PICKUP and the movie

 

9/24     CHANGES IN THE LAND,  Preface and pp. 1-53

            Recommended: selections from Robert HeilbronnerÕs THE WORLDLY PHILOSPHERS (Xerox handed out)

 

9/27     CHANGES IN THE LAND, pp. 54-126  

            field trip 11-12:30, Abbe Museum

 

10/1     CHANGES IN THE LAND, pp. 127- 185

            In class role play on land use disputes across cultures

10/4     CONFRONTING CONSUMPTION Ð Ch.. 3

            ÒThe Tragedy of the CommonsÓ by Garrett Hardin http://www.bostonreview.net/BR27.3/bollier.html, David Bollier ÒReclaiming the CommonsÓ

           

10/8     CONFRONTING CONSUMPTION Ð Ch. 4,  Gray Cox ,ÒMeeting God HalfwayÓ

            Aldo Leopold, ÒThe Land EthicÓ, recommended: Peter Singer article on poverty in NYT

           

10/11   CONFRONTING CONSUMPTION Ð Ch.9 & 10 with initial reports on social change projects

Due: Paper  Comparing and Contrasting 2 Views on Wealth, Property and Rights

 

10/15   CONFRONTING CONSUMPTION Ð Ch. 11 & 12

 

10/18   Nickeled and Dimed p. 1-10 and 51-120

 (recommended pp.11-50)

 

10/22   Nickeled and Dimed p. 193-221,

(recommended: pp. 121-191)

 

10/25   No Class - Faculty Retreat

THE TIPPING POINT, pp. 1-99

           

10/29   THE TIPPING POINT pp. 99-168

            Due: initial  reports on social change projects

 

11/1     THE TIPPING POINT pp. 169-215

11/5     THE TIPPING POINT pp. 216-280

 

11/8     THE COMMUNIST MANIFESTO

11/12   THE COMMUNIST MANIFESTO

           

11/15   Closing, course evaluation      DUE: Final paper

 

First Homework Assignment:

            Pick a specific passage in THE PICKUP  that interests you because it is revealing or obscure or important to the plot or funny or poetic or . . . interests you for some other reason. Write a paragraph on why you find it to be of interest. We will use these in class discussion and then you will turn them in at the end of class.