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Geography 257
Environment and Ethics
Spring, 2017
Rod C. McKenzie
CAS 105, 213-740-7770 (ENST) or -0057 (RCM’s office)
[email protected], [email protected]
Fax 213-740-8566; 626-345-1425
Office Hours: MW 10-11:30 and by appt.
TA:
Quite often, environmental issues are discussed in terms of economic, political and/or social implications. Ethical issues, fundamental to
the topic, are usually ignored. Failure to consider these issues is often understandable when the nature of pragmatic politics and
economics is understood. Ethical positions are most often phrased as questions asking how we, as humans, relate to other humans
individually, to other humans as groups, to other humans still to be born, to other forms of life and/or to entire sets ranging from
ecosystems to the entire planet. Questions as to humans’ relations with nature are often raised as well as the relationship between
technology and progress – for example, are gains from technological innovations mainly accrued by the wealthy and often at the expense
of poor or dispossessed peoples? To what extent do technological innovations generate serious social and ecological problems? Is
progress in meeting human needs always at the expense of nature? Is the biotechnology revolution in agriculture in the best interest of
both humanity and nature? Questions such as these will be dealt with as our course proceeds during the semester.
The course is organized around four themes: 1) population, 2) pollution, 3) resources and 4) wildlife and ecosystems. Within each
thematic block we will consider our individual and collective rights and responsibilities to others ranging from individuals to groups,
nations and other impacted interests. Population usually leads the thematic approach in that we must inquire as to the interrelationship
between population growth and environmental degradation. Is rapid population growth a reality and, if so, to what extent must that
growth be curbed even at the expense of individual freedom of choice as to the appropriate family size? Is lowered population growth a
panacea for environmental issues or are there likely to be anticipated and unanticipated responses? What are the short and long term
social consequences if lowered population growth is attributable to national policy rather than economic maturity – by what manner is
lowered population growth achieved in a society (sanctions for too many or incentives for fewer children, and are the sanctions/incentives
to be applied to the breeders or the progeny)? What are the implications for Europe if its nation states are characterized by population
implosions and resistance to immigration? Both Spain and Italy are expected to see their populations shrink by 50% during the coming
half century. Not only are these often difficult questions, but many have long term implications impacting future generations to come well
into this new century and beyond.
The textbooks for the course are:
Cronon, UNCOMMON GROUND
Ehrlich, POPULATION BOMB
Lederer, UGLY AMERICAN
Lester, WRITING RESEARCH PAPERS
Ridley, RATIONAL OPTIMIST
Robbins, ENVIRONMENT AND SOCIETY
Sterba, NATURE WARS
Thurow, ENOUGH
*Population Reference Bureau, WORLD POPULATION DATA SHEET
*this title is available to be downloaded at the Population Reference Bureau web site. It appears more useful if you have a color
printer.
You are encouraged to “scan” through all your class texts early in the first few days. This quick read in no way replaces a more “in depth”
consideration of the materials but should give you some insights into the information within each book. In addition to the texts, you are
expected to keep abreast of current environmental/ethical issues that appear/develop during the term – the easiest method of staying on top
of these issues is through a daily newspaper. You may also find one or more of the standard textbooks on the environment helpful in
providing a background for some of the issues raised in class. Not only are there many basic texts but all have appeared in numerous
editions; thus, a good used book store (try Amazon.com) should have a fairly recent edition at a price far less than the current editions.
Rarely will lectures be drawn from the textual material but will instead be a combination of contemporary issues/information blended into
case study reviews and approaches. Some of the textual material examines the interrelationships between culture and environment in
earlier civilizations and it is important that you gain an appreciation for the historical derivation of current attitudes and ideas. Materials
from the texts will be referenced into both lecture and discussion topics but will be left for students to complete as assigned. It is assumed
that you will attend both class lectures and your discussion section each week as content developed during those meetings will be included
on the examinations. Should you have an occasional schedule conflict, you will need to obtain lecture notes from another student. Should
you be forced to miss a discussion section, be sure to attend the other section.
Two writing assignments count 40%. The first will be an “annotated bibliography” (20%) which will be discussed in both lecture as well
as discussion section. The bibliography will be due on or before Friday, March 31. The second writing assignment will be a “research”
paper of approximately 12-15 pages based on your annotated bibliography. The research paper will be due Friday, April 21. When you
have formalized your topic, fill out the attached “term paper contract form” and sign. Papers should be typed and double spaced with
normal margins.
Suggested paper topics might include (but not be restricted to) presenting the conflicting positions (similar to the strategy in TAKING
SIDES) in: Role of Population Growth in Environmental Degradation; Toxic Substances or Air Quality Issues and the Concept of
Environmental Justice; Management of West Nile Disease through Pesticide Spraying; Ecofeminism; Deep Ecology; Role of Organized
Religion in Environmental Attitudes; Economic Growth and Environmental Quality in Developing Nations; Endangered Species and
Economic Development; Biodiversity – Theory or Rationale; Water Conservation through Water Marketing; Use of the Antiquities Act by
President Clinton to Declare National Monuments; Exclusion (or Inclusion) of Humans in 3 rd World National Parks; etc. Again, this list is
by no means all inclusive; other topics, either narrow or broad, will be considered on an individual basis.
Another 40% of your grade will be derived from two subjective examinations (essay questions) – the midterm is scheduled for
Wednesday, Feb. 22, and the final exam is scheduled for Wednesday, May 3 from 2-4 pm in our classroom. Both examinations will be
based primarily on the class readings and lecture/discussion content – a study guide for each exam will be developed and distributed by
our TA. The final 20% of your grade will come from participation in discussion sections.
Statement for Students with Disabilities: Any student requesting academic accommodations based on a disability is required to register
with Disabilities Services and Programs (DSP) each semester. A letter of verification for approved accommodations can be obtained
from DSP. Please be sure the letter is delivered either to me or our TA as early in the semester as possible. DSP is located in
the Student Union.
USC seeks to maintain an optimal learning environment. General principles of academic honesty include the concept of respect for
The intellectual property of others, the expectation that individual work will be submitted unless allowed by an instructor, and the
Obligations both to one’s own academic work from misuse by others as well as to avoid using another’s work as one’s own. All
Students are expected to understand and abide by these principles. Scampus, the Student Guidebook, contains the Student Conduct
Code in Section 11.00 while the recommended sanctions are located in Appendix A: http://www.usc.edu/dept/publications/SCAMPUS/gov.
Students will be referred to the Office3 of Student Judicial Affairs for Community Standards for further review, should there be any
suspicion of academic honesty. The Review process can be found at: http://www/usc.edu/student-affairs/SJACS/.
NOTE: Course text materials do not need to be purchased at the USC bookstore; with the exception of
Environment and Society, all other materials can be procured from abebooks, alibris and amazon marketplace
among others. Shop for the best prices!
WEEKLY TOPICS AND READINGS
Week One – Beginning…Is Nature Natural?
Cronon, Uncommon Ground: “In Search of Nature”. pp. 23-66.
Environment and Society: Chapter 8: Social Construction of Nature
Week Two – Population, Society, and the Malthusian Commons
Environment and Society – Chapter 2: Population and Scarcity, Chapter 4: Institutions and “The Commons”
Ehrlich, Population Bomb and Ridley, Rational Optimist
Week Three – Political Economy and the Hungry Green Revolution
Easterbrook,“The Forgotten Benefactor of Humanity – Norman Borlaug”, The Atlantic
Environment and Society – Chapter 3: Markets and Commodities &Chapter 7: Political Economy
Week Four - Mortality and Population through the History of Urbanization Environment and Society – Chapter 5: Environmental
Ethics, Chapter 6: Risks and Hazards; Robert Kates, "Population and Consumption" (~ 10 pages)
Week Five – Objects of Concern I Environment and Society – Ch. 9: Carbon Dioxide, Ch. 10: Trees, Ch. 11: Wolves
Week Six - Objects of Concern II
Environment and Society – Ch. 12: Tuna, Ch. 13: Bottled Water, Ch. 14: French Fries
Week Seven – Midterm Review
Mid-term Exam February 22, Review Session in place of Discussion
Week Eight - Alternative Perspectives
Castree, N. 2008. “The Production of Nature”, Geographic Perspectives on the Environment
Harvey, D. 2011. “The Future of the Commons”, Radical History Review
Week Nine - Globalization, Sovereignty & Struggles over Land and Resources
Kugelman and Levenstein, Land Grab:The Race fortheWorld's Farmland, pp. 1-53.
http://www.wilsoncenter.org/topics/pubs/ASIA_090629_Land%20Grab_rpt.pdf
Easton,Taking Sides, Unit 3: Food and Population, pp. 241-292.
Week Ten – Global Perspective on Contemporary Issues - Readings TBD
Week Eleven – Humanity and the Stability of Ecosystems - Readings TBD
Week Twelve – US Policy and International Intervention on the Environment
Lederer, William and Eugene Burdick. 1999 [1958]. The Ugly American.
Week Thirteen – Invasive Species: What is to be done?
Week Fourteen – Hunger & Starvation in the Age of Globalization
Thurow & Kilman. 2009. Enough: why the world's poorest starve in an age of plenty.
Week Fifteen – Conclusions
Sterba, Nature Wars and Smith, N. 2010 “Disaster Accumulation”, New Left Review
GUIDELINES FOR RESEARCH PAPER
Your first task is to select an appropriate topic for research. Essentially what you are required to accomplish is to select some
environmental issue and analyze the societal components involved with this issue. Remember the title of the course is Environment and
Ethics. We are not going to be dogmatic about what is an environmental issue. However, if you choose some issue that lies outside of
what might be considered a mainstream environmental concern, then it is also your task to convince us in your proposal and in your paper
that your chosen topic is indeed an environmental issue. Often students get into difficulty by selecting a topic (say, air pollution) that is
much too broad to be handled effectively within the scope of 12 to 15 pages. You can narrow such topics by focusing on some aspect of
the problem (like regulating automobile emissions) or by limiting your topic to some specific geographical area (such as air pollution in
the Grand Canyon.) It is equally important for you to identify the ethical issue which interfaces your environmental concern. Once you
are satisfied with your identification of the two issues, you must emphasize the area(s) where the two impact each other.
Begin your analysis with a brief description of the environmental issue. Then carefully articulate the ethical issues you perceive. Then
bring in the significant cultural, economic and political elements. In this first paper, be sure that you fairly represent the different
positions. Avoid presenting a biased or one-sided paper. Sure, you are going to have an opinion, but the proper place to introduce your
opinion is in your conclusion.
Here is some general advice on writing a good paper. Somewhere at the beginning of your paper, tell us what you are going to do.
Provide a “road map” of where you are going with this paper. When analyzing the various perspectives, try to tie these views to the
environmental philosophies and traditions discussed in your readings.
This course is offered as Geography and is taught by a geographer. You will impress us by including a map that shows us the general
distribution of the problem or the location of your study. However, do not just throw in any old map. It should be an integral part of your
presentation. As long as it is within reason, we will allow you to count maps and tables in the page length requirement for this paper.
Your paper must include a bibliography. Your research must be based upon substantive references. For our purposes a substantive
reference is one which contains a reference list and cites the sources of its information. Generally, newspapers and magazines do not cite
their sources, so they are not considered substantive references. This does not mean that you cannot use newspapers and magazines. It
means that you cannot rely upon them as a foundation for your paper. Be sure to cite the sources of statements and information used in
your paper where you are not the original author. You may use web sources; however, you are restricted to a maximum of 25% of your
bibliography entries from those sites.
Term Paper Contract
Geography 257
This form is designed to get you through the first hurdle in writing a paper – that of setting down on paper some ideas and goals. Your
finished product isn’t due for some weeks; however, you need to fill in the information required, sign and date the form and hand it in for
the instructor’s review. It will be signed and returned to you. When you hand in your paper, be sure to attach a copy of the completed,
signed and dated copy of this form.
PROPOSED TITLE: ________________________________________________________________
HYPOTHESIS/DESCRIPTION:
INITIAL WORKING BIBLIOGRAPHY (including author, title, publisher, date of publication, library location/call number.) If an
internet site be sure to include the specific identification of the site and how you intend to validate the material.
1.
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5.
6.
__________________________________
(Student Signature/Date Signed)
____________________________________
(TA Signature/Date Signed)
ENST Program
Information Sheet
Geography 257, Spring, 2017
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